Kaveh Farrokh

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Dr. Kaveh Farrokh
Dr. Kaveh Farrokh

Kaveh Farrokh (born September 24, 1962, Athens) is an expert in the field of Iranian history and linguistics[1].

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[edit] Life and education

Kaveh Farrokh was born in Athens, Greece, and is of Ossetian and Azari descent. From an early age he exhibited a keen aptitude and interest in history. His talents were first recognized in 1980, during his senior year at the Institut Chateaubriand in Cannes, France, where he was granted the Leonardo Da Vinci prize for high achievement in history from the mayor. Dr. Farrokh went on to obtain his undergraduate arts degree (BA) in May 1985 and his Ph.D. on September 24, 2001 from the University of British Columbia, where he specialized on the cognitive and linguistic processes of Persian speakers. He currently resides in Canada.

As a result of his life experience, education, and studies of linguistics, Dr. Farrokh now speaks English, German, French, and Persian. He also has a working understanding of at least four living languages, Provençal, Italian, Dutch, and Kurmanji Kurdish, as well as two ancient languages, Latin and Pahlavi. He has also lived in and traveled to several countries, including West Germany, East Germany, France, England, Belgium, Italy, Russia, and Iran.

[edit] Works

Dr. Farrokh has been writing since the early 1990's and has contributed articles to internationally recognized academic journals such as the International Journal of the Sociology of Language and chapters for books such as the International Book of Dyslexia: A Cross-Language Comparison and Practice Guide (Wiley, 2004).[2]

He has lectured at the University of British Columbia's Persian Legacy series and has provided seminars at Stanford University's WAIS (World Association of International Studies) conference.[3] He is now a member of WAIS. The History Channel has also interviewed and filmed Dr. Farrokh on the topic of technology in ancient Persia for the series Engineering an Empire (which appeared in 2006). He also serves as a member of the Persian Gulf Preservation Society.[4] Kaveh Farrokh currently teaches sessionally at the University of British Columbia's Continuing Studies Division.

[edit] Articles

[edit] Books

Pan-Turanianism Takes Aim at Azarbaijan: A Geopolitical Agenda
Interestingly, Dr. Farrokh was to have the above published as a comprehensive textbook, however decided to forgo print publication and post the entire text (along with 300 rare photos) for free on the internet.
Elite Sassanian Cavalry: 226-651 AD[5]
Dr. Farrokh's first book is the first to specifically discuss the Sassanian dynasty's elite cavalry (Savaran). This text has outlined the specific Pahlavi terms of the Sassanian cavalry’s elite units (e.g. Gyanavspar Peshmerga; Zhayedan, etc.), military tactics, insignia, and pitched battles. The role of Iranian women in the Sassanian military system has also been emphasized. He also provided a presentation of his aforementioned book at Stanford University.[6] Professor David Khoupenia has praised the book and, in his review, has stated:
“ Dr. Kaveh Farrokh has written the first book to be ever written exclusively about the Savaran (elite knights) of Sassanian Persia...Dr. Farrokh’s book is replete with major color painting reconstructions of the Sassanian knights, their ceremonies, medallions, flags and tactics. There are also many rare photographs in the book. Seven of the full color restorations have been made by Angus McBride, a world-class historical painter with decades of distinguished achievements. McBride was given original drawings by Dr. Farrokh along with detailed instructions as to make his color paintings possible. These are spectacular and bring the forgotten Sassanian men and women to life. It took Dr. Farrokh 17 years to complete his research for this book.[7] ”
Shadows in the Desert: Ancient Persia at War
Dr. Farrokh has recently completed his newest book for Osprey Publishing Press and one of the definitive works in the field of Iranian history. The text outlines Persia’s contributions to world civilization in areas such as mythology, technology, sciences, literature, militaria, the arts, music, architecture, and garments, as well as giving a detailed description of Iran's ancient history. Kaveh’s main aim is to promote the establishment of a permanent Iranian Studies department in Canadian and American universities. According to Richard N. Frye[8]:
“ In this book Dr. Kaveh Farrokh has given us the Persian side of the picture as opposed to the Greek and Roman viewpoint which has long dominated our understanding of these wars. It is refreshing to see the other perspective, and Dr. Farrokh sheds light on many Persian institutions in this history, such as the Sassanian elite cavalry, the "Savaran". Osprey Publishing is to be congratulated for publishing Shadows in the Desert: Ancient Persia at War, which presents another aspect of the wars between East and West in ancient times. ”

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ World: Oliver Stone's 'Alexander' Stirs Up Controversy by Golnaz Esfandiari
  2. ^ Farrokh, K. (2004). Dyslexia in Persian. In I. Smythe, J. Everatt, & R. Salter, (Ed.s), International Book of Dyslexia: A Cross Language Comparison and Practice Guide (pp. 73-79). John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
  3. ^ WAIS
  4. ^ Persian Gulf Member gathering in Tehran, Iran
  5. ^ Farrokh, K. (2005). Elite Sassanian Cavalry: 226-651 AD. England: Osprey Elite Series 110, Osprey Publishing.
  6. ^ Events at Stanford
  7. ^ [http://www.ghandchi.com/iranscope/Anthology/KavehFarrokh/Khoupenia/index.html "Book Review by Dr. David Khoupenia"
  8. ^ Farrokh, Kaveh. Shadows in the Desert: Ancient Persia at War. Osprey Publishing, 2007. Foreword page 7.