Abbas Zaryab Khoei Information

Abbas Zaryab (full name: Abbas (Zaryab) Khoyi;; August 13, 1919 – February 3, 1995) was a prominent Iranian historian, translator, professor of Persian literature, and Iranologist. He is best known for his scholarly contributions to the study of medieval Persian history, classical literature, and his work on major biographical, historical, and encyclopedic projects.

 Early Life and Education

Abbas Zaryab was born on August 13, 1919, in the city of Khoy, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. From a young age he displayed exceptional talent and memory, quickly distinguishing himself among his peers. Due to his outstanding academic performance, he was awarded a full scholarship to study in Germany. He earned his doctorate in history from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. His Ph.D. dissertation focused on the successors of Timur (Tamerlane) according to the Tārīkh-e Kabīr-e Jaʿfarī of Jaʿfarī ibn Muḥammad al-Ḥusaynī. He was fluent in Persian, Azerbaijani, Arabic, German, English, and French.

 Academic and Professional Career

Zaryab held several prestigious positions during his career, including:

– Director of the Library of Congress (National Library) of Iran

– Head of the Department of Persian Literature at the University of Tehran

At the invitation of the eminent Iranologist Professor Walter Bruno Henning, he taught Near Eastern languages and Persian literature and language at the University of California, Berkeley from 1962 to 1964. Despite the opportunity to remain abroad, his deep attachment to his homeland led him to return to Iran, where he resumed his position at the University of Tehran.

He passed away on February 3, 1995, in Tehran.

 Scholarly Contributions

Abbas Zaryab authored numerous books and articles in Persian and contributed many high-quality entries to the Encyclopædia Iranica and other major reference works. His writings have been widely cited by leading Western scholars of Persian and Islamic studies, including Franklin Lewis, Charles Melville, G. Michael Wickens, Juan Cole, Kamran Ekbal, Lutz Richter-Bernburg, Josef van Ess, and H. R. Roemer.

 Selected Works and Contributions (Non-Persian)

– “Āḡājī Boḵārī” in Encyclopædia Iranica

– “Āḡājī” in Encyclopædia Iranica

– “Bokayr b. Māhān” in Encyclopædia Iranica

– “Chobanids” (co-authored with Charles Melville) in Encyclopædia Iranica

– “Education v. The Madrasa in Shiʿite Persia” in Encyclopædia Iranica

– “Iraq ii iii. From the Mongols to the Safavids” in Encyclopædia Iranica

– “Bukayr B. Maham Marvazi,” Encyclopædia Iranica, vol. IV, 1990

– “Ebn-e Rāvandī” in DMBE III

– Doctoral dissertation: Der Bericht über die Nachfolger Timurs aus dem Taʾrīḫ-i kabīr des Ğaʿfarī ibn Muḥammad al-Ḥusainī (Mainz, 1960)

– “Fakhr Razi und die Frage des Seins,” Spektrum Iran 1/3 (1988)

– “Ein Wiederaufgefundnes Werk Abu Hayyan al-Tanhidis,” in A Locust’s Leg, London, 1962

– “Struggle of Religious Sects in the Ilkhanid Court,” in La Perse nel Medioevo, Rome, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, 1971

 Persian-Language Works

Zaryab published over 100 books and articles in Persian, including biographical studies, textual editions, and historical monographs.

 Legacy

Abbas Zaryab is remembered as one of the most erudite and internationally respected Iranian scholars of the 20th century. His work bridged classical Persian historiography and modern academic Iranology, and his contributions to encyclopedic projects and university teaching left a lasting impact on the study of Persian history and literature both in Iran and abroad.