:: Abolghasem Esmailpour ::

Born in the regions of Caspian Sea, Iran, in 1954. Professor of SBU (Shaahid Beheshti University) in Tehran. Permanent Member of Association of Iranian Anthropologists since 2002; Member of Editorial Board of the Journal of Anthropology, Tehran University since 2002; Member of IAMS: International Association of Manichaean Studies (Cambridge) since 2003; Member of SIE: Societas Iranologica Europa (Rome) since 2003; Member of ASPS. He was visiting teacher at SISU (Shanghai International Studies University) during 2004-2006. He had participated in many Iranian and International Conferences and Seminars in Germany, Italy, China, India, Austria, Pakistan, Armenia, Greece, Russia, etc. Some of his articles and poems have been translated into English, Chinese, Indian and Russian.

His works are: Myth: Symbolic Expression, Under the Domes of Light ( Collections of Papers & Essays on Iranian Studies and Mythology), Manichaean Gnosis and Creation Myth, University of Pennsylvania, 2005. Manichaean Literature, The Hymns of Light: A Survey of Old & Middle Iranian Poetry,  and A Handbook of Persian Literature.

He has also published three volumes of Poems, bilingual (Farsi and English):

On the Un-returnable Cobblestone, Each Grain of Sand , and Beside the Cherry Tree.

TRANSLATIONS INTO PERSIAN: Manichaean Art & Calligraphy, Gnostic Literature, Manichaean Psalm-Book, World Mythology,  World Poetry. 

SELECTED PAPERS: "Mithra in Avesta", Journal of Archeology and History, vol. 9, no. 1, November 1996. "General Traits of Iranian Poetry in Middle Period", Iran Shenakht: The Journal of Iranian Studies, The Society of Iranologists of the Commonwealth of Independent States & Caucasus, no. 9, Summer 1997. "Mahrnamag: a Manichaean Hymn-Cycle" in Yaad-e Bahar (Professor Mehrdad Bahar Memorial Volume), Agah Publications, Tehran, 1997. "A Comparative Study of Amir Pazevari's Songs and Syllabic Poems in Parthian & Middle Persian", Iran Shenakht: Journal of Iranian Studies, no. 9, Summer 1998; repr. in Pazhoohesh Name (Quarterly Journal), Faculty of Literature & Humanities, Shahid Beheshti Unversity, no. 32, Winter 2001. "A Survey of Parthian & Middle Persian Poetry" , The Journal of  Humanities & Social Sciences, Mazandaran University, vol. 1, no. 1-2. 2001. "Rumi's Prologue to the Mathnavi and Gnostic Hymns: A Comparative Analysis", Iran Shenakht: The Journal of Iranian Studies, no. 11, Winter 1998; (English Version) in Journal of Islamic Culture, Heydarabad, India, Vol. LXXVII, No. 3, July 2003. "A Survey of Vedic-Sanskrit Hymns and Ancient Iranian Poetry" in Tak Draxt (Collections of Papers dedicated to Prof. M. A. Eslami Nodoushan), Tehran: Agah/Yazdan Publishers, Spring 2002. "Cultural Reflection of Manichaeism in Iran", Pazhoohesh Name (Quarterly Journal), Faculty of Literature & Humanities, Shahid Beheshti University, no. 33, Spring 2002.
"Gnosticism & Manichaean Gnosis",  Name-ye Mofid, Scientific Research Quarterly of Mofid University, vol. 8, no. 2, Serial no. 30, Summer 2002. "Mythic Motifs of NouRooz", Journal of Iranian Studies, Research Center of the Iranian Culture and Language (RCICL), Vol. 2, No. 4, Fall 2003.
"TirMah Sizze: The Myth of Tishtriya", Iranian Journal of Anthropology, Anthropological Society of Iran, Tehran, Vo.I, No. I, Winter 2003. “An Iranian Cultural Approach of Manichaean Gnosticism”, Journal of Dharma, Vol. 30, No. 2, April-June 2005. PAPERS IN CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS: nternational Seminar of the Historical Impact of Iranian Culture on the Silk Roads, UNESCO, in Collaboration with the Institute for Political & International Studies (IPIS), Isfahan, Sep. 4-8, 1995. Title of Paper: "The Reconstruction of Mani's Arzhang", Published in Journal of Archeology & History, vol. 12, no. 1-2, 2000.
5th Annual Conference of Persian Literature, Hormozgan University, Bandar Abbas, Feb 1998; Title of Paper: "A Gnostic Motif in Sheikh San'an's Story". Seminar on Symbols & Mythology, Art University, Tehran,  Spring 1999; Title of Paper: "Myth and Art"; published in Majalle-ye She'r (Poetry Quarterly Reviews), no. 28, Feb, 2001. International Seminar of NowRooz & Dialogues among Civilisations, Iranian Center for Cultural Heritage, Kerman, March 2001. Title of Paper: "Mythological Themes of NowRooz", Published in Ketab-e Mah, March 2000. International Conference on the Meaning of Beauty, Iran Academy of Art, Tehran, Nov. 2001; Title of Paper: "Aesthetics in Manichaean Art & Literature". The First Congress of Researches of Persian Language & Literature, Tehran, International Center for Persian Literature & Iranian Studies, Tarbiayat Modarres University, Feb, 3-4, 2002; Title of Paper: "The Influence of Gnosticism & Manichaeism on Iranian Art & Literature". The First National Congress on Iranian Studies, Tehran: The Foundation of Iranian Studies, June 17-20, 2002; Title of Paper: A Survey of the Prosody of the Yashts". Turfan Revisited: The First Century of Research into the Arts and Cultures of the Silk Road, Museum fur Indische Kunst, Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 8th-13th September 2002. Seminar on the Survey of Iranian Cultural Background, Center for Iranian Culture & Language Researches (CICLR), Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, October 2002; Ttile of Paper: "Parsic Poetry in the Style of Middle Iranian Poetical Works", published in Journal of Iranian Studies, vol. 1, no. 2, Autumn 2002. Conference on Nima Yooshij, Mazandaran University, Babolsar, 30-31 December, 2002. Title of Paper: "Mythical Approach of Nima Yooshij's Poetry", published in the Collection of Papers of Nima Yooshij Conference, Babolsar, 2003. 5th European Conference of Iranian Studies, 6th -11th October 2003, Bologna University, Ravenna, Italy. Title of Paper: " New Light on Iranian Approach of Manichaeism based on Classical Persian Texts: from 10th to 11th A.D. Second Biennial Convention on Iranian Studies, Association for the Study of Persianate Societies, 2-5 April, 2004, Yerevan, Armenia. 4th Seminar for the Survey of Persian Language and Literature, Beijing: Peking University, Faculty of Oriental Languages, 7-8 March 2005. Title of Paper: “A Research in Manichaean Middle Persian and Parthian” Seminar on Iranian Stu, Nanjing: Nanjing University, Department of History, June 2005.Title of Paper: “A Survey of Turfan Middle Persian and Parthian Texts” International Congress of Poetry, Ma Anshan University, Ma Anshan, China, November 2005. Title of Paper: “Unification of Nationality and Modernity: Its Reflection in Poetry” Symposium of Homer-Ferdowsi, Tehran- Athens, January 2007, “A Comparative Study of Achilles-Esfandiyar and Hector-Rostam” Seminar of Iranian Cultural Week in Moscow-North Ossetia , March 2007, “Iranian Studies in Russia” 6th Eeropean Conference of Iranian Studies, Wien, Austria, September 2007; “Manichaean Remarks in Javame al-Hekayat va Lavame al-Revayat”