Airyanem Vaejah
Encyclopedia
Airyanəm Vaējah, which approximately means "expanse of the Aryans, i.e. Iranians" is the "mythical homeland" of early Iranians and a reference in the Zoroastrian Avesta
(Vendidad
, Farg. 1) to one of Ahura Mazda's
"sixteen perfect lands." It is considered the best of places, but on the other hand the Vīdēvdād 1
claims that there are two months of summer there and ten of winter, and it suffers from flooding at the end of winter.
), suggesting the region of a fast-flowing river. it has also been interpreted by some as "seed" or "germ". Avestan airya is etymologically related to the Old Persian ariya.
The related OIr. term "*aryānām xšaθra-" generated the name of "Iran" (through Middle Iranian renderings, such as the Middle Persian
term Ērān-shahr and ultimately 'Ērān during Sassanian empire).
is a listing of sixteen countries, and some scholars believe that Airyanem Vaejah lies to the north of all of these. Bahram Farahvashi and Nasser Takmil Homayoun
suggest that Airyanem Vaejah was probably centered around Khwarazm, a region that is now split between several Central Asian republics. The University of Hawaii
historian Elton L. Daniel
likewise believes Khwarazm to be the "most likely locale" corresponding to the original home of the Avestan people, and Dehkhoda once called Khwarazm "the cradle of the Aryan tribe". However, according to the Harvard University
scholar Michael Witzel, the "home of the Aryans" was in Afghanistan
and the lands surrounding it, with Airyanem Vaejah being in the central Afghan highlands.
Avesta
The Avesta is the primary collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language.-Early transmission:The texts of the Avesta — which are all in the Avestan language — were composed over the course of several hundred years. The most important portion, the Gathas,...
(Vendidad
Vendidad
The Vendidad or Videvdat is a collection of texts within the greater compendium of the Avesta. However, unlike the other texts of the Avesta, the Vendidad is an ecclesiastical code, not a liturgical manual.-Name:...
, Farg. 1) to one of Ahura Mazda's
Ahura Mazda
Ahura Mazdā is the Avestan name for a divinity of the Old Iranian religion who was proclaimed the uncreated God by Zoroaster, the founder of Zoroastrianism...
"sixteen perfect lands." It is considered the best of places, but on the other hand the Vīdēvdād 1
Vendidad
The Vendidad or Videvdat is a collection of texts within the greater compendium of the Avesta. However, unlike the other texts of the Avesta, the Vendidad is an ecclesiastical code, not a liturgical manual.-Name:...
claims that there are two months of summer there and ten of winter, and it suffers from flooding at the end of winter.
Etymology and related words
The Old Iranian term airyanəm vaējah (in Avestan) is formed from the plural genitive case of airya and the word vaējah (whose oft-used nominative case is vaējō). The meaning of vaējah is uncertain. It may be related to the old Indic vej/vij (in VedicVedic period
The Vedic period was a period in history during which the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, were composed. The time span of the period is uncertain. Philological and linguistic evidence indicates that the Rigveda, the oldest of the Vedas, was composed roughly between 1700–1100 BCE, also...
), suggesting the region of a fast-flowing river. it has also been interpreted by some as "seed" or "germ". Avestan airya is etymologically related to the Old Persian ariya.
The related OIr. term "*aryānām xšaθra-" generated the name of "Iran" (through Middle Iranian renderings, such as the Middle Persian
Middle Persian
Middle Persian , indigenously known as "Pârsig" sometimes referred to as Pahlavi or Pehlevi, is the Middle Iranian language/ethnolect of Southwestern Iran that during Sassanid times became a prestige dialect and so came to be spoken in other regions as well. Middle Persian is classified as a...
term Ērān-shahr and ultimately 'Ērān during Sassanian empire).
Historical concepts
The historical location of Airyanem Vaejah is still uncertain. In the first chapter of the VendidadVendidad
The Vendidad or Videvdat is a collection of texts within the greater compendium of the Avesta. However, unlike the other texts of the Avesta, the Vendidad is an ecclesiastical code, not a liturgical manual.-Name:...
is a listing of sixteen countries, and some scholars believe that Airyanem Vaejah lies to the north of all of these. Bahram Farahvashi and Nasser Takmil Homayoun
Nasser Takmil Homayoun
Nasser Takmil Homayoun is an Iranian historian.He received two PhDs, one in history and another in Sociology from the Sorbonne in France....
suggest that Airyanem Vaejah was probably centered around Khwarazm, a region that is now split between several Central Asian republics. The University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
historian Elton L. Daniel
Elton L. Daniel
Elton L. Daniel, Ph.D., is a historian and Iranologist.A professor at the University of Hawaii, he received his doctorate from UT Austin. Elton Daniel is an associate editor of Encyclopædia Iranica, and has conducted research and traveled extensively in Iran, Turkey, Syria, Egypt, France, and the...
likewise believes Khwarazm to be the "most likely locale" corresponding to the original home of the Avestan people, and Dehkhoda once called Khwarazm "the cradle of the Aryan tribe". However, according to the Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
scholar Michael Witzel, the "home of the Aryans" was in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and the lands surrounding it, with Airyanem Vaejah being in the central Afghan highlands.
See also
- Avestan geographyAvestan geographyAvestan geography, is the geographical references in the Avesta, which are limited to the regions on the eastern Iranian plateau up to Indo-Iranian border...
- VendidadVendidadThe Vendidad or Videvdat is a collection of texts within the greater compendium of the Avesta. However, unlike the other texts of the Avesta, the Vendidad is an ecclesiastical code, not a liturgical manual.-Name:...
- Ahura MazdaAhura MazdaAhura Mazdā is the Avestan name for a divinity of the Old Iranian religion who was proclaimed the uncreated God by Zoroaster, the founder of Zoroastrianism...
- ArianaArianaAriana was a region of the eastern countries of ancient Iran, next to India.Ariana may also refer to:* Ariana In places:*Ariana Governorate, a governorate in Tunisia*Ariana, Tunisia*Lake Ariana, a lake in Sofia, Bulgaria...
- AryavartaAryavartaĀryāvarta is a name for Northern India in classical Sanskrit literature. The Manu Smriti gives the name to "the tract between the Himalaya and the Vindhya ranges, from the eastern to the Western Sea"....
- IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
- Indo-IraniansIndo-IraniansIndo-Iranian peoples are a linguistic group consisting of the Indo-Aryan, Iranian, Dardic and Nuristani peoples; that is, speakers of Indo-Iranian languages, a major branch of the Indo-European language family....
- Arya
- AryanAryanAryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit ārya and denoting variously*In scholarly usage:**Indo-Iranian languages *in dated usage:**the Indo-European languages more generally and their speakers...