Books by Dr. Manouchehr Moshtag Khorasani

Aid to Sight: A 17th-Century Persian Treatise on Sword Classification from India (published in 2022) offers a detailed translation, annotation, and interpretation of sword classifications offered by four Persian treatises written in India. These include: 1) Ādāb al-Harb va al-Šojā-e (Customs of War and Bravery) by Mohammad ben Mansur ben Said Mobārak Šāh Faxr-e Modabbar (written in Lahore or Delhi in 1229 CE or 1230 CE ), 2) Nujum al-‘Ulum (Stars of the Sciences) written in Bijapur apparently by Sultan `Ali `Adil Shah (r.1557-1579 CE) himself and dated 14 Rabi` 978 hijra, 1570 CE, 3) Āʾin-e Akbari (The Institutes of Akbar) written in 998 hijra/1590 CE until 1011hijra /1602 CE), and 4) Ta’id Besarat (Aid to Sight) written by Mirzā Lotfallāh in Delhi in 1118 hijra (1706-1707 CE). The main part of the present book deals with the treatise Aid to Sight. Forty swords from Jorge Caravana Collection, Mandarin Mansion and two private collections are also shown in the catalog.

Jewels and Patterned Crucible Steel: Books of Jewels, Stones, and Metals (published 2021) is a translation and annotation of a copy of the Persian book Goharnāmeh [Book of Jewels] written by Mohammad ben Mansur. The manuscript has 110 sheets and each page consists of 19 lines. The manuscript is written in Persian in naste’aliq script. Mohammad ben Mansur wrote the manuscript Goharnāmeh for the ruler Uzun Hasan Āq Qoyonlu in the 9^th-century hijra (15th century CE), mentioning the name of the son of Sultan Ozun Hasan Āq Qoyonlu, namely Sultan Xalil as well. In the first section of his book, Ben Mansur talks about different types of stones. This part consists of twenty-one parts. In the second section of his book, Ben Mansur explains different types of metals. The present book clearly shows that patterned crucible steel was considered a gohar (jewel) in Persian.

Persian Fire and Steel: Historical Firearms of Iran (published in 2018) presents a thorough and detailed analysis of the introduction and development of historical firearms in Iran. The present book is a result of years of study on historical Persian manuscripts on firearms making, classification and usage and as well as an analysis of the Persian firearms kept in the Military Museum of Tehran. These artifacts are described, analyzed and presented in the catalogue by showcasing magnificent colored pictures of 100 artifacts which belonged to the personal royal collection of Nassereddin Shah Qajar and 12 artifacts from the Military Historical Museum of Artillery in St. Petersburg (Russian Federation).

Heirloom of Steel: The Collection of Oriental and Asian Arms and Armor in Znojmo Museum (The Czech Republic) (published in 2018) presents a detailed analysis of the arms and armor collection of Max Mayer-Ahrdorff which is kept in South Moravian Museum in Znojmo. The collection of arms and armor of Max Mayer-Ahrdorff has been kept in the Museum of Znojmo since 1921. The museum was established in 1878 and has different locations around the city. The collection has Persian arms and armor, Ottoman arms, Caucasian arms, Japanese arms and armor, African arms and armor, Indian arms and armor, Indonesian arms and some selected pieces from Arab countries and China. The book won the Czech Museum Price Gloria Musaealis ,in Prague on 16 May 2019.

Persian Archery and Swordsmanship: Historical Martial Arts of Iran (published in 2013).  The book deals with academic and practical study of historical archery, swordsmanship and war wrestling in Iran/Persia and povides a detailed analysis of all historical weapons used in the history of Iran.  The techniques of each weapon are desribed and detailed in an authentic way so that not only researchers can benefit from the book but the practitioners of historical martial arts can also easily follow the instructions and practice the art. The book Persian Archery and Swordsmanship: Historical Martial Arts of Iran was published by Niloufar Books.

Lexicon of Arms and Armor from Iran: A Study of Symbols and Terminology (published in 2010) features the inventory of arms and armor of another Iranian museum “The Cultural Institution of the Museums of Bonyad.” The lexicon provides a sound and solid base of terminology of arms and armor in Persian by presenting terminology in all of the major types of the Persian language, namely the Avestan, the Old Persian, the Middle Persian (Pahlavi), and the New Persian. Next to each entry, which is written in its phonetic alphabet, the same term in the original script is provided as well.

Arms and Armor from Iran: The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period (published in 2006) features a detailed analysis of Iranian arms and armor from pre-historical times to the end of the Qajar rule in Iran. This book is the first of its kind and is based on over 800 primary and secondary sources, and features a detailed analysis of over 520 artifacts from ten Iranian museums. Some carefully selected items from private collections are also featured in this book. The book won the prize “The World Book Prize of the Islamic Republic of Iran” in the field of Iranian Studies in February 2009.

Antique Oriental and Arab Weapons and Armour: The Streshinskiy Collection (published in 2010). The Streshinskiy collection of antique arms and armor contains 140 items from different Muslim countries spread over a wide geographical area. These items can be divided into 32 pieces from North, West and East Africa (items from Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, Western Sudanic Africa, Sahara, Somalia and Ethiopia), 9 items from the Arabian Peninsula (items from Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen) and 1 item from Iraq, 29 items from the Ottoman Empire, 4 items from Caucasus, 18 items from Iran and 3 items from Afghanistan, 42 items from India and 2 items from Indonesia.

The Development of Controversies: From the Early Modern Period to Online Discussion Forums (published in 2010) is the doctoral thesis of Dr. Khorasani written under the uaspices of Professor Dr. Andreas H. Jucker at Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Germany. This volume describes the communicative background of two online discussion forums dedicated to the study of historical arms and armor. Then, the volume analyzes the similarities and differences between Early Modern controversies and controversies in online internet discussion forums. Further, this book offers an accurate analysis of the strategies used in online discussion forums, analyzing two controversial threads taken from two online discussion forums and provides insights into the individual tactics and strategies applied in online controversies and highlights the similarities and differences of applied principles, norms, and rules. The book finally comments on stylistic choices used by participants in the controversies.