Bat symbolism in Idrīs Bidlīsī’s Hašt Bihišt VI

  • Mustafa Dehqan independent scholar

Abstract

Cultural and social set of beliefs of all communities have normally been closely related to animals, which are symbolized in literature and history. Cultural and social definitions of animals as ‘good’ or ‘evil’ have persisted throughout the history of humankind. In the Iranian environment, bats are mostly perceived as symbols of darkness and ignorance. Here, we briefly review the role that bats play in Idrīs Bidlīsī’s unpublished Hašt Bihišt (Book VI) and its symbolisms associated with bats. We present shortly Idrīs’ highlighted Arabic verse in reference to the symbolized darkness and ignorance of bats.

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Author Biography

Mustafa Dehqan, independent scholar

Mustafa Dehqan received a BA in History and an MA in Historical Linguistics from the University of Tehran. He is an independent scholar whose research interests include Kurdish history, early modern Ottoman empire, Kurdish literature and religions, Kurdo-Syriac contact zones, and Garshuni manuscripts. He has published several articles on Kurdish history, literature, and religions in Journal of Kurdish Studies, Der Islam, Iranian Studies, Oriente Moderno, Journal of Eastern Christian Studies, Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies, and Manuscripta Orientalia, as well as numerous other journals and edited volumes. He is also the author of Index to Sharaf-nāma (Istanbul: 2014).

Published
2024-01-25
Section
Notes and Squibs