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Airyanem Vaejah

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Airyanəm Vaêjah, which approximately means "seed of the the Aryans," is a reference in the Zoroastrian Avesta (Vendidad, Farg. 1) to one of Ahura Mazda's "sixteen perfect lands.

Etymology and related words

In the Avestan language, airyanəm vaêjah is formed from the plural genitive case of airya and the word vaêjah (whose oft-used nominative case is vaêjô). The meaning of vaêjah is uncertain; it has been interpreted as "seed" or "germ". The term generated the Middle Persian term Ērānwēz (which was coined during the rule of the Sassanian emperor Ardashir I), and the Farsi term Iran-vez (forming the modern name of Persia; see Iran naming dispute).

The term Avestan airya is etymologically related to the Sanskrit ārya and the Old Persian ariya (see Aryans). The term vaêjah may be related to the Vedic vej/vij, suggesting the region of a fast-flowing river (the Oxus river).

Historical concepts

The historical location of Airyanem Vaejah is still uncertain. In the first chapter of the Vendidad is a listing of sixteen countries, and some scholars believe that Airyanem Vaejah seems to lie to the north of all of these. Some experts (Bahram Farahvashi and Nasser Takmil Homayoun among others) suggest that Airyanem Vaejah was probably centered around Khwarazm, a region that is now split between several Central Asian republics. The Indologist Michael Witzel believes that Airyanem Vaejah was located in what are now the highlands of central Afghanistan. But others, such as University of Hawaii historian Elton L. Daniel believe Khwarazm to be the "most likely locale" corresponding to the original home of the Avestan people , and Dehkhoda once called Khwarazm "the cradle of the Aryan tribe."

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Last updated on Thursday March 06, 2008 at 21:24:01 PST (GMT -0800)
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