Aniran

Anīrān or Anéran is an ethno- linguistic term, non - Iranians and non - Iranian meaning. Generally referred Anīrān countries where no Iranian language is spoken. In a pejorative sense, it stood for a political and religious enemy of Iran and of Zoroastrianism '.

The term Anīrān at the Sassanids

The term is derived from the Middle Persian Anīrān Anéran (in Pahlavi script ˀ ˀ n nyr ) and is the antonym to Eran, which meant either the people or the state of the Sassanids. In the religious context of the derived term Aner designated a person who is not the religion of Zoroaster belonged. Aner were people who worshiped the DEWS (demons ) or other religions belonged. During the Persian texts of the 9th -12th centuries, Arabs and Turks and Muslims were generally referred to as recognition.

In inscriptions

In official use, the term Anīrān for the first time in an inscription Schapurs is (reigned 241-272 ) mentioned. In it Shapur designated as King of Kings of Eran and Anéran. With Anéran Shapur meant the Roman Empire, which was an enemy of the Sassanids. In another inscription at Naqsch -e Rostam counts Shapur Syria, Cappadocia and Cilicia, which he had conquered after victories over Roman Emperor Valerian and Philip the Arab, than countries Anīrāns.

The title of King of Kings of Eran and Anéran remained as an epithet of the subsequent Sassanid rulers. Thirty years after Shapur the chief priest Kartir also led Asia Minor, Armenia, Albania and the Caucasus in another inscription at Naqsch -e Rostam in the list of countries Anērāns. Armenia and the Caucasus but were previously not considered by Shapur as countries Ērāns.

The term Anīrān in the Avesta

Although the terms Anéran and Eran mentioned at the first of the Sassanids, they are older, in principle centuries. In the Avesta, the concept emerges as Anairya and refers to the Turanian. These Turanian Anīrāns who were the traditional enemies of the Avestan -speaking people who appear in the zoroastischen cosmogony and cosmology as the harmful people of the sixteen countries that have been created by the evil god Angra Mainyu. These countries are beyond the river Anahita world, the flow around the sixteen countries of the good god Ahura Mazda. One of these countries is Airyanem Vaejah where the Iranians live.

In the zoroastischen texts of the 9th-12th century, the legendary king and general of the Turanian Afrasiab is next Azhi Dahaka and Alexander the Great, the most hated enemy, Ahriman ( Angra Mainyu the Avestan ) has deployed against the Iranians.

The term Anīrān in the Shahnameh

The Shahnameh by the poet Firdausi attacks the association Anīrāns with the Turanians again. The poet locates the Turanian beyond the Oxusflusses and identified it with the Turks. Thus Anīrān located north of the home Firdausi - Khorasan - and coincides almost with the localization Anīrāns from the Avesta. Because Sogdiana after Firdausi also Anīrān, yet it appears as one of the countries of Ahura Mazda in the Avesta.

According to tradition, in the Shahnameh, the legendary Iranian king Fereydun, the world divided between his three sons. The Western countries went to the eldest son Selm, the northern countries of the door and the medium-sized countries to Iradsch. In the tradition of this allocation resulted in family conflict, in which the two elder sons door and Selm unite against Iradsch. Iradsch is killed by his brothers. This fratricide a vendetta Manutschers, the son of Iradsch begins to die at the end of Selm and Tur.

For Firdausi the Turanian / Aniraner are ( he uses the words often alternating) undeniably the enemies of peace. Their conflict with the Iranians is the main theme of the Shahnameh and takes up more than half of the text. The great hero and admirable people of Iranians are often killed by the Turanian. So killed by the Shahnameh a robber called Turanian Tur - Baratur the 77 -year-old prophet Zarathustra in the city of Balkh.