Russian terrorism in Tehran: a Qajar Princes’ letters during the “Minor Tyranny” of 1908

During the Minor Tyranny of 1908, a daughter of Naser al-Din Shah named Malakeh-ye Iran suffered the indignity of having her house in Tehran plundered when the autocratic Shah attempted to re-assert control over the newly won powers of the democratic Constitutional movement. It is generally thought that the ransacking of her house was due to the sympathetic views towards the Constitutional movement that she shared with her husband, Zahir al-Dawleh and their radical son, Zahir al-Soltan. Malakeh-ye Iran’s letters to her husband, who was in Gilan at the time of the attack, graphically describe this traumatic event and are intriguing because neither her supposed “pro-Constitutional” views are apparent, nor does she blame the autocratic Shah (and her nephew), Mohammad ‘Ali for the destruction of her home. It is to be speculated whether her reluctance to blame and criticise the Shah was due to her family connections or whether she feared that the letters might be intercepted and read by the Shah’s spies. Aside from shedding light on one of the most dramatic periods of the Constitutional Movement, the letters also demonstrate the erudition of a Qajar princess, and the bravery and courage of a hitherto unexplored character whose exploits and role during the Constitutional period deserve greater attention

Makhmalbaf's broken mirror : the socio-political significance of modern Iranian cinema

No abstract available

Reading Sufi history through ādāb: The perspectives of Sufia, Jawānmardān and Qalandars

No abstract available

Short back and sides: were the Qalandars of late Safavid Iran domesticated?

Qalandars have often been depicted in negative terms in medieval and pre-modern literature by Sufis themselves, clerics and historians. Treatises composed by Qalandars are rare, thus the possibility of producing a balanced survey of their form of Sufism and contribution to the socio-political and religious climate of any given period is difficult. One such text, the “Sulīmān Qalandar Nāma”, however, completed in 1668, offers an intriguing perspective of Qalandars in late Safavid Iran. An analysis of this text, along with a focus on the dynamics of late Safavid religion and politics suggests that far from being antinomian and otherworldly Sufis, these Qalandars were supportive of the Shīʿa Safavid dynasty. The text offers an intriguing marriage between traditional Qalandar themes and those inspired by Shīʿa Islam, and it testifies to the continuing importance of the Qalandars, providing evidence for the cultural continuity of this form of Sufism in the region

'Ajam Sufis and Shi'i spirituality in 19th century Iran

No abstract available

Conductor Architecture and Self-Field of Superconducting Strands

Three standard reference material Nb-Ti strands, manufactured for the ITER poloidal field magnets, were extensively characterised using both transport and magnetisation techniques, with a focus on the behaviour of the material in a magnetic field. To quantify the effect of magnetic self-field, the field generated by current flow, the critical current density was measured as a function of the applied magnetic field, temperature, current polarity, and geometry. A high capacity probe was designed and commissioned for the transport measurements. The characterisation in different measurement geometries was possible with custom-built sample holders (i.e., barrels). As the titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V used in the standard ITER VAMAS barrel is superconducting at 4.22 K, an alternative titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo-0.2Si) was identified that is not superconducting at 4.22 K and used to manufacture the barrels. The transport measurements at low applied magnetic-fields resulted in high current densities, and the effect of self-field being large. To investigate the self-field both finite element analysis (FEA) and semi-analytic methods were employed. The H-formulation of Maxwell’s equations was implemented using Comsol Multiphysics, a commercial FEA software. The model input for the superconductors properties were defined using a number of experimental J_C (B) relationships. The architecture of the strand was approximated with different degrees of complexity. The FEA models considered the cross-section of the strand as circular, annular, and as three nested cylinders (i.e., tubes-within-tubes). The probability distribution of the magnetic field components in the superconducting domain was calculated and analysed. The changes in the field distribution due to the geometry of the measurement barrels and the current orientation, (resulting in opposite Lorentz force orientation), were used to quantify the magnitude and orientation of the self-field. A semi-analytic method was used to derive a the magnetic field distribution data from the FEA and the experimental data. The resultant piecewise J_C (B) calculated for the Nb-Ti strand, can be considered a universal J_C (B) relationship

Ahmad Qabil, a reason to believe and the New Religious Thinking in Iran

hmad Qabil (d. 2012) was a mid-ranking seminarian who achieved considerable fame in Iran due to his foregrounding of reason in his jurisprudential writings, his opposition to both the strict ‘literalist’ version of sharica law propounded by the authorities in the Islamic Republic and the authoritarian regime of Ayatollah Khamenei, and for his 2004 fatwa which permitted women the choice about head covering (hijab). His commitment to reason and justice meant that his political and jurisprudential compositions and activities cannot be divorced from each other; rather, they developed in symbiotic fashion. Largely ignored by Western scholars, this article examines Qabil’s contribution to the so-called ‘New Religious Thinking’ movement in Iran. His writings and activities are significant because the reason-driven approach reflects an attempt to navigate a path based on sources within the Islamic jurisprudential tradition towards ‘universal’ standards that are common in the West, and thereby avoid the accusations of ‘cultural erosion’ through intellectual borrowing from the West

The origins of Sufism

No abstract available

Odour testing using moringa carbon

Provision of safe and potable drinking water to urban communities is a challenge to professionals in many low and middle income countries (WEDC, 1996). The situation is aggravated in those under-developed countries where agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. Fertilisers are extensively used in these countries and this leads to increased run-off of nutrients into surface water sources, with the negative consequence of prolific algal growths in the receiving waters. In Malawi, surface waters are the main source of drinking water, with only a small percentage of the supply being drawn from groundwater supplies. These surface waters are invariably infested with algae. This paper assesses the degree of odour removal at a conventional water treatment plant (Lilongwe Water Works, Malawi) and a direct filtration plant (Blantyre water works, Malawi). The effect of ageing in a rapid gravity sand filter was also investigated to assess its effectiveness in odour removal as the filter-run progressed

The reliability of isometric neck strength assessments in trained individuals

Cervical muscle strength has been identified as a modifiable risk factor for concussion and cervical spine injury. At present, there is a dearth of research investigating reliable methods of measuring neck strength which are: suitable for implementation into a sporting environment (for example: a strength and conditioning suite, training facility and match facility), accessible to athletes who play contact sport or are at risk of suffering concussion, and which can be used for regular testing, monitoring and evaluation of groups of athletes. The aim of this investigation was to examine the reliability of a method of measuring isometric neck strength using a portable dynamometer (PD) mounted on a custom-built bracket, appropriate for use in an applied sport and exercise environment. Measurements were conducted in flexion, right-side flexion, extension, and left-side flexion using a PD and custom-built rack. Fourteen participants had their isometric neck strength measured in two sessions, 24 h apart at a university strength and conditioning gym. Participants completed three isometric contractions in each of the four directions with 30 s between each repetition. Participants peak isometric neck strength measurements and time to peak force measurements were used for data analysis. The height of the PD and order of pushing positions remained constant between both sessions. This method demonstrated strong relative and absolute reproducibility for measuring peak isometric force (PF) of the neck musculature in all directions (PF ICC ranged between 0.78 - 0.94 across all directions. PF r ranged between 0.81 - 0.92 across all directions. PF CV% ranged between 8.86 - 10.43 in all directions). However, findings show poor relative reproducibility for the measurement of time to peak isometric force (TPF). Systematic bias was small and the difference between the trials for PF and TPF were not significant (p > 0.05 in all directions)