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[Avesta -- Zoroastrian Archives]

KARTIR KZ.

Royal inscription found on the Kabah of Zartusht. An account of howZoroastrianism was propagated beyond Iranian territories during the

Third Century, and other religions suppressed.

1. And I, Kartir, the Magi-master (Magu-paiti = Mobed, have been sho!n to

be o" good service and #o$a# to the %a&ads and 'hahpuhr, King o" Kings. or

that service that I have rendered to the %a&ads and 'hahpuhr, King o" Kings,

'hahpuhr gave me authorit$ and po!er in matters o" the divine services at

court and in )ingdom a"ter )ingdom, p#ace a"ter p#ace, throughout the !ho#e

empire in the magus-estate. And b$ the command o" 'hahpuhr, (* King o"

Kings, and the provision o" the %a&ads and the King o" Kings in )ingdom a"ter

)ingdom, p#ace a"ter p#ace, man$ divine services in magni"icence and man$

+arharan "ires !ere estab#ished, and man$ magi became happ$ and

prosperous, and man$ "ires and magi !ere imperia##$ insta##ed. And Ahura

Ma&da and the %a&ads attained great pro"it, !hi#e great con"usion resu#ted "or

Ahriman and the devs. And "or these man$ "ires and services !hich are in the

!riting on m$ position thus in manner ( 'hahpuhr, King o" Kings, made a

testamentar$ instruction to the heir apparent /et this house be $our

"oundation, and as $ou ma$ )no!, that "or the %a&ads and us !as !e## done, so

#et be done0 And in imperia# documents and records that !ere made at that

time under 'hahpuhr, King o" Kings, at court and throughout the !ho#e empire

in p#ace a"ter p#ace, in those records it is !ritten Kartir, the erbed. And then'hahpuhr, King o" Kings, to the deities2 (3 throne passed a!a$.

4hen his son ormi&d, King o" Kings, rose over the empire. And ormi&d,

King o" Kings, con"erred on me miter and cincture and created "or me a higher

ran) and dignit$, and at court and in )ingdom a"ter )ingdom, p#ace a"ter p#ace,

throughout the !ho#e empire he gave me more authorit$ and po!er in matters

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o" the divine services, and created "or me the tit#e Kartir, Ahura Ma&da2s

magus-master a"ter the name o" Ahura Ma&da, the 5eit$. And thereupon in

)ingdom a"ter )ingdom, p#ace a"ter (6 p#ace, man$ divine services !ere

per"ormed in magni"icence, and man$ +arharan "ires !ere estab#ished, and

man$ magi became happ$ and prosperous, and man$ "ires and magi !ere

imperia##$ insta##ed. And in imperia# documents and records !hich at that timeunder ormi&d, King o" Kings, at court and throughout the !ho#e empire in

p#ace a"ter p#ace !ere made, in those this !as recorded Kartir, Ahura Ma&da2s

magus-master. And then ormi&d, King o" Kings, to the deities2 throne passed

a!a$.

7. 4hen 8arahran, King o" Kings, son o" 'hahpuhr, King o" Kings, and brother

o" ormi&d, King o" Kings, rose over the empire. And 8arahran, King o"

Kings, a#so he#d me in high honor and dignit$ and at court and in )ingdom a"ter

)ingdom, p#ace a"ter p#ace, gave me authorit$ and po!er "or divine services o"

ever$ sort. And thereupon in )ingdom a"ter )ingdom, p#ace a"ter p#ace, man$

divine services !ere per"ormed in magni"icence and man$ +arharan "ires !ere

estab#ished, and man$ magi became happ$ (9 and prosperous, and man$ "ires

and magi !ere imperia##$ insta##ed. And in documents and imperia# rescripts

and records !hich !ere made at that time under 8arahran, King o" Kings, in

those a#so this !as recorded Kartir, Ahura Ma&da2s magus-master. And then

8arahran, King o" Kings, son o" 'hahpuhr, to the deities2 throne passed a!a$.

4hen 8arahran, King o" Kings, son o" 8arahran, !ho in the empire is devout

and sincere and "aith"u# (to his promises and !e## behaved and bene"icent, rose

over the empire. And b$ the grace o" Ahura Ma&da and the %a&ads and "or his

o!n (: sou#2s sa)e he made m$ position o" superior ran) and dignit$ in the

empire, and he con"erred upon me the ran) and dignit$ o" the grandees, and at

court and in )ingdom a"ter )ingdom, p#ace a"ter p#ace, throughout the !ho#e

empire "or the divine services he gave me more authorit$ and po!er than as I

had be"ore, and he made me magus-master and ;udge "or the !ho#e empire, and

he made me master o" ceremonies and po!er"u# over#ord at the "ire o" Anahid-

Ardashir and Anahid, the /ad$ at Ista)hr. And the$ created "or me the tit#e

Kartir, (uddhists, (1? >rahmins, @asoreans

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(rthodoB Christians, (Dnostic Christians, Ma)ta) (>aptisers, and Zandi)s

(Manichaeans in the empire !ere smitten, and destruction o" ido#s and

scattering o" the stores o" the devs and god-seats and nests !as abandoned. And

in )ingdom a"ter )ingdom and p#ace a"ter p#ace man$ divine services in

magni"icence and man$ +arharan "ires !ere estab#ished, and man$ magi

became happ$ and prosperous, and man$ "ires and magi !ere imperia##$insta##ed. And in documents and imperia# rescripts and records, under 8arahran,

King o" Kings, son o" 8arahran, (11 !hich !ere made, in !as recorded,

Kartir, 8arahran2s 'ou#-'avior, Ahura Ma&da2s Magus-master.

And "rom ear#iest times on!ard "or the sa)e o" the %a&ads and nob#e #ords and

"or m$ o!n sou#2s sa)e, I, Kartir, sa! much troub#e and toi#. And I made

prosperous man$ "ires and magi in the empire o" Iran. And I a#so, b$ command

o" the King o" Kings, put in order those magi and "ires !hich !ere "or the

territor$ outside Iran, !herever the horses and men o" the King o" Kings

arrived -- the cit$ o" Antioch and the countr$ o" '$ria (1* and !hat is be$ond

'$ria, the cit$ o" 4arsus and the countr$ o" Ci#icia and !hat is be$ond Ci#icia,

the cit$ o" Caesarea and "rom the countr$ o" Cappadocia to Da#atia, and the

countr$ o" Armenian and Deorgia, and A#bania, and "rom >a#as)an to the

A#ans2 pass. And 'hahpuhr, King o" Kings, !ith his o!n horses and men visited

!ith pi##aging, "iring, and havoc. (1 >ut I did not a##o! damage and pi##aging,

and !hatsoever pi##aging had been made b$ an$ person, those things I had

ta)en a!a$ and returned to their o!n countr$.

And I made prominent and reverend the Ma&da$asnian re#igion and magi !ho

!ere correct !ithin the empire, !hi#e heretica# and unstab#e men, !ho !ithin

the magus-estate in matters o" the Ma&da$asnian re#igion and divine services

did not observe orders, these I punished !ith corpora# punishment (13, and I

rebu)ed them and made o" good odor. And I estab#ished man$ "ires and magi,

and eBecuted imperia# documents. And b$ the provision o" the %a&ads and the

King o" Kings and b$ m$ e""orts man$ +arharan "ires !ere estab#ished in the

empire o" Iran, and man$ )in marriages !ere made, and man$ peop#e !ho had

become un"aith"u# (to their vo!s, became "aith"u# again. 4here !ere a#so man$

!ho had come to "o##o! the doctrines o" the devs, and b$ m$ e""orts the$

"orsoo) those doctrines o" the devs and accepted instead the doctrines o" (16the %a&ads. And man$ #tps2)s [1] !ere he#d. And much consideration o" re#igion

o" various )inds and other divine services a#so became ver$ magni"icent and

superior, !hich are not !ritten in this inscription "or #ac) o" space.

1. 5. @. Mac)en&ie,Henning Memorial Volume, p. *73, conc#udes that ltps'kdenotes 2the !ho#e ceremon$

o" the gahambar.2

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And b$ me "or m$ o!n house a#so in p#ace a"ter p#ace man$ +arharan "ires

!ere estab#ished, and "or those man$ "ires that I estab#ished "or m$ o!n house I

o""ered "or ever$ "east, "east a"ter "east, 11 #tps2)s (17, and that ma)es "or 1

$ear 79