ABSTRACT
For the Su acolyte, the presence of a master, often referred to as “the Friend” (also a reference for God), is a necessity. us far, what this book has tried to demonstrate regarding this theme is the importance of such relationships throughout the history of Iranian religion. at is to say, that the transference of religious knowledge, especially of a mystical or gnostic nature, depends upon a close bond between two or more initiated individuals. is can also occur when personalities of the past are looked upon by adherents as teachers of sacred knowledge. I do not mean to propose a perennial theory here, but rather observe the landscape of Iranian religion and the major thematic monuments along its route from pre-Islamic to Islamic Iran. us Pagan Mithra worship (Anahita), Zarathushtra (Mazda), Mazdak (Zoroastrian gnosis), the ghulat (neo-Mazdakites) and now moving into the Islamic era are highlighted as important platforms in the landscape of Iranian identity.
