Judeo-Persian

Judeo-Persian refers to a group of special ways of speaking and writing used by Jewish people who lived in areas once ruled by the big and powerful Persian Empire. These ways of speaking are called dialects, which are like different versions of a language. The Jewish communities in places such as Iranian Jews, Mountain Jews, Afghan Jews, and Bukharan Jews all used these special dialects.

These Jewish speakers called their language Fārsi. However, some non-Jewish people used unkind names like "dzhidi", "zidi", "judi", or "jidi" to refer to this language. These names simply meant "Jewish" but were used in a way that was not respectful.

Judeo-Persian also includes important writings and texts written using the Hebrew alphabet, which is a special set of letters used for writing Hebrew. These texts are a valuable part of the history and culture of these Jewish communities.

Literature

Judeo-Persian literature includes many poetic religious writings that follow the style of classic Persian poetry. One of the most famous poets was Mowlānā Shāhin-i Shirāzi, who lived in the 14th century. He wrote long poems about stories from the Bible, such as the life of Moses. Later poets wrote songs using ideas from Persian mysticism.

The oldest Judeo-Persian writings date back to the 8th century. These were documents written in Hebrew letters that show Jewish communities speaking Judeo-Persian across ancient Persia. Archaeologists found these writings in places as far apart as southern India, Xinjiang Province, Cairo, Iran, and Afghanistan. The writings include court records, trade papers, tombstones, stone carvings, and religious works.

Shahin-i Shirāzi wrote two big poems based on parts of the Bible: one about the first five books and another about the stories of Esther and Ezra. His style was like that of famous Persian stories, and he told tales about Moses and other important figures.

Another poet, Emrani, lived in the 15th century and also wrote in Persian using Hebrew letters. He wrote long poems about stories from the Bible and also a shorter poem about a rebellion against the Greeks. His works mixed Persian storytelling with Bible stories.

In the late 19th century, Jerusalem became an important place for printing Judeo-Persian books. Many different kinds of works were printed, including translations of non-Jewish books. In 1917, a group was formed in Tehran to support the Hebrew language, and they also printed Judeo-Persian newspapers.

Characteristics

Judeo-Persian refers to the local dialects spoken by Jewish communities across areas that were once part of the Persian Empire. These dialects include Hebrew words, but not as many as in other Jewish languages. Early writings in Judeo-Persian show different ways of spelling words, which can hint at how they were pronounced.

Today, Jewish dialects can still be heard in cities like Kashan, Isfahan, Yazd, Kerman, Shiraz, Borujerd, and Hamadan. In Central Asia, these dialects are often called Judeo-Tajik. Another dialect, Judeo-Tat, is spoken in the eastern Caucasus and can still be understood by people who speak standard Persian. Many speakers of these dialects have moved away from Iran, so these languages are considered at risk of disappearing.