‘An innovative contribution to the history of a 900 year-old Sunni shrine in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The longevity of Shaykh al-Islam Ahmad-i Jam's shrine rests on his descendants who venerate his memory and protect his legacy, despite the divisions between Sunnis and Shiites. Today, the shrine is part of Iran’s rich cultural heritage and the center of Friday prayers for Turbat-i Jām’s Sunnis and for the Hawza-yi ‘ilmiyya Ahmadiyya. This fascinating book not only displays an intimate knowledge of textual sources, but is also reflective of the author’s experience visiting major shrines in Iran. Highly recommended.’
Denise Aigle - École Pratique des Hautes Études, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR Orient & Méditerranée, Paris
‘An exhaustive, thoroughly researched and entirely original study of a little-known but significant Sufi lineage in North Eastern Iran. Mahendrarajah has not only examined all the textual sources detailing its complex history, but also visited the town of Jam, where this Sufi group of Sunni orientation remains active without hindrance. Warmly recommended.’
Hamid Algar - University of California, Berkeley
‘This rich and enlightening book presents a multi-faceted portrait of a Sufi order, a family, and a shrine over ten centuries, up to the present. Mahendrarajah has mastered social and political history, architectural analysis and doctrinal developments; his work should interest all scholars of Iran and its culture.’
Beatrice F. Manz - Tufts University
‘This book represents an essential resource for studying the quasi-permanent or slowly evolving functions of Sufi institutions in Khurasan from the Middle Ages to the present. One of the great values of Shivan Mahendrarajah’s book is the innovative multi-disciplinary approach he has applied to the subject.’
Eszter Luca Csontos
Source: Acta Orientalia
‘… a very fine analysis of the hagiographic process in an interlocking of durations reconstituted with great precision.’
Stéphane A. Dudoignon
Source: Die Welt des Islams (in French)
