Thread by @Simcha_Gross

The recent tragic news about the arson attack on the shrine of Mordechai and Esther in Hamadan, Iran, is a good occasion to reflect on the history of this site, a window into Jewish-Iranian identity through the ages. A thread. 1/23

timesofisrael.com/tomb-of-mordec…

Esther and Mordechai are of course the protagonists of the eponymous Scroll of Esther. The story is primarily situated in Susa, in Khuzistan, the administrative capital of the Achaemenids. However, the shrine is located in Hamadan to the North. 2/

The tomb is first attested in Benjamin of Tudela's 12th century travelogue, where he reports that in "Hamadan, which is the great city of Media, where there are 30,000 Israelites. Esther and Mordechai are buried there in front of a synagogue." 3/

The structure of the shrine undoubtedly underwent numerous changes over time. Jews in the 19th century apparently reported that the original structure was destroyed by Tamerlane. 4/

Given the shrine's similarity to other Islamic shrines in the area, Ernst Herzfeld, the German archaeologist, suggested that the current structure dates to the 16-17th century. The art and architecture of the shrine of E & M conforms to contemporaneous architectural trends. 5/

The shrine was restored and expanded by the now exiled Iranian architect Yassi Gabbay in 1971 as part of the massive Iranian national commemoration marking 2500 years of the Persian Empire. 6/ 

gabbayarchitects.com/international.…

This celebration began at the Tomb of Cyrus in Parsagadae, and continued for days, with military processions, birthday festivities for Shahbanu, the Queen, and delegates from many countries. It was extravagant and opulent, drawing the ire of many, including Ayatollah Khomeini. 7/

The renovation of a Jewish shrine in 1971 therefore signals that Esther and Mordechai, and Jews, are part and parcel of that august imperial Iranian past. 8/

The process of reading these characters into Iranian history is not new to the shrine at Hamadan. In the 9th-10th century, al-Tabari already assumes that Cyrus the Great was the son of Esther. 9/

The oldest surviving Judeo-Persian poet, Shahin, who wrote in the 14th century in the Ilkhanid court, retells the story of Esther in his Ardashir-Name. In it, Esther is the mother of Cyrus. 10/

Like the architecture of the tomb of Esther and Mordechai, Shahin's writing follows contemporaneous poetic trends, employing epic Persian conventions, and integrating many Islamic traditions into his retelling of the biblical story. 11/

Another example of Jewish-Iranian cultural expression unexpectedly intersects with the tomb of E & M. Herzfeld proposed that the tomb was originally dedicated not to E & M, but to Shishinduxt, the alleged daughter of the Jewish Exilarch and wife of Sasanian king Yazdgird I. 12/

This story is only found in the medieval Pahlavi 'Provincial Capitals of Iran': "The cities of Susa and Šūštar were built by Šīšīnduxt, the wife of Yazdgird, the son of Šābuhr, since she was the daughter of the Exilarch (rēš-galūdag), the king of the Jews (jahūdagān šāh)..." 13/

While many have treated this story as accurately reflecting the past, in a forthcoming article I argue that it was constructed in the 10th century by the Jewish Exilarch, when claiming Sasanian lineage was a popular form of legitimation among other aspiring elites and rulers. 14/

These include the Buyids, Ṭāhirids, Ṣaffārids, Sāmānids, and Ghaznavids. These claims were part of the period conventionally (thanks Minorksy) known as the Iranian intermezzo, on which see the fantastic work of @sarahsavant1 and @medievalqabq. 15/

Back to the tomb. While administered by Jews, the tomb of Esther and Mordechai was regularly visited by pilgrims of all faiths, in and outside of Iran. One pilgrim published an account of their visit to Hamadan in 1872, which includes some gems. 16/

books.google.com/books?id=dNEQA…

"The traditions of the Jews... do not make such demands on our blind credulity as do the relics and sacred places shown by the monks... "Beside the tomb of Esther the lowly race she saved have kept loving watch through all the weary ages..." 17/

"More wonderful than any ancient monument are these Jews themselves, lineal descendants, in blood and faith, of the tribes of Israel, and the only vestige of the truly olden time which entirely defies decay and dissolution..." 18/

The shrine of E & M is not alone. A particularly famous shrine is that of Daniel, located near Susa. It is also mentioned by Benjamin of Tudela. It was regularly visited by Jews, Christians, & Muslims for centuries. See Josef Miri's book for more 19/
oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/a…

While locating the tombs of Esther, Mordechai, and Daniel in Iran is sensible, other tombs located there are more puzzling, such as that of Serah the daughter of Asher (one of the twelve sons of Jacob), who is said to be buried in Isfahan. 20/

Serah is only mentioned in passing in the Bible (Gen. 46:17; Num. 26:46), but she is celebrated in later Jewish traditions for, among other things, playing music for Jacob to gently inform him that Joseph still lived. 21/

In some traditions, Jacob is said to have granted Serah exceptional longevity/immortality for her compassion. According to some Iranian Jews, Serah spent her long life wandered until she eventually settled and passed away in Iran. 22/

My maternal grandfather, whom I never had the privilege to meet, is buried in the same cemetery in Isfahan as Serah's shrine. I hope to have the opportunity to visit his grave, and her tomb, one day. 23/end