Ebrahim Pourdavoud | |
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| Born | ابراهیم پورداوود (1885-02-09)9 February 1885 Rasht,Iran |
| Died | 17 November 1968(1968-11-17) (aged 83) Tehran,Iran |
| Resting place | Pourdavoud family mausoleum, Rasht, Iran |
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| Language | |
| Nationality | Iranian |
| Alma mater | University of Paris |
| Period | Modern |
Ebrāhim Pourdāvoud[1] (Persian:ابراهیم پورداوود; February 9, 1885 – November 17, 1968) was born inRasht,Iran, to a mother who was the daughter of a clergyman and a father who was a reputable merchant and landlord. He is one of the most formidable scholars of Iran during the 20th century. Pourdavoud translatedAvesta intoPersian in six volumes. In addition, he made many other significant contributions to Iranian studies.
At 20, Pourdavoud moved toTehran to study traditionalmedicine but medicine proved not to be to his liking. In 1908, at the age of 23, he went toBeirut where he studiedFrench literature for two and a half years. He then returned to Iran to visit his family but before long left forFrance. Here, he published the periodicalIranshahr (the Land of Iran),[2] with the first issue appearing in April 1914 and the fourth and the last issue on the dayWorld War I erupted. During the War, he established himself inBaghdad where he published the periodicalRastakhiz (Resurrection);[3] in total 25 issues of this periodical were published, publication lasting until March 1916. He left Baghdad forBerlin, where he stayed until 1924. His studies inGermany led him toZoroastrian history and teachings.
After his return to Iran, in 1924, Pourdavoud founded theSchool of Ancient Languages where he initiated extensive research work concerning ancient history and ancientIranian languages, especially theAvestan language. In 1945, he founded theIranology Society and, very soon afterwards, theSchool of Iranology.
Pourdavoud's many and varied contributions fall into the following categories:
Pourdavoud was well-versed inArabic,English,French,German, andTurkish, in addition to his mother tongue and ancient Persian languages.
Pourdavoud was awardedGermany's highest academic honour by the German PresidentTheodor Heuss in 1955. Soon thereafter, he received theRabindranath Tagore Medal, which is conferred in recognition of outstanding contributions to literature, fromIndia. In 1965, he received from the representative ofPope Paul VI in Tehran the order ofChevalier Saint Sylvester Pope (Knight of Saint Sylvester Pope).
He was married to a woman of German origin; they had one daughter namedPourandokht. In the morning of November 17, 1968, his family found him dead behind his desk in his study at home.
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| Scripture and worship | ||
| Accounts and legends | ||
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