Moabadan-Moabad
The Moabadan-Moabad is the highest religious authority in Zurvanism, the state religion of the Suren Confederacy. Based in the city of Mehrshahr, the Moabadan-Moabad claims primacy over all the clergy and adherents of the Zurvanite faith across Eura.
Role and Powers
The position of Moabadan-Moabad traces its roots back to the ancient Zurvanite priesthoods of pre-Kapav Babkha. In modern times, the Moabadan-Moabad is recognised by the Surenid regime as the supreme leader of the Zurvanite Orthodox Church and interpreter of doctrine. His powers and responsibilities include:
- Supervising the entire Zurvanite religious hierarchy of mobads (priests) and herbads (teachers)
- Presiding over major rituals and ceremonies like the tending of the sacred atash flames
- Interpreting religious texts and formulating official positions on spiritual matters
- Advising the Surenšāhbanu on affairs pertaining to the Zurvanite faith
- Excommunicating or censuring those perceived as heretics or apostates
The Moabadan-Moabad is historically based in Mehrshahr due to the city's status as the former Imperial capital of Babkha under the Kapavs, a consequence which led to it remaining a major centre of Zurvanite scholarship and practice even during periods of foreign occupation. From here, he claims jurisdiction over all Zurvanite religious institutions and communities, not just within the Suren Confederacy's borders but across the Euran continent.
Authority and Controversies
However, the extent of the Moabadan-Moabad's actual authority has often been a matter of controversy and dispute, especially in the contemporary era. While the title commands immense prestige and moral weight, enforcing the Moabadan-Moabad's edicts can be challenging given Eura's political fragmentation.
The legitimacy of the Moabadan-Moabad's claims have been challenged by other Zurvanite groups and clerics who dispute the primacy of the Mehrshahr line of succession. Rival claimants for the mantle of heir to Babkhan Orthodoxy have emerged at times, such as the Presbyterian Church of Constancia, whilst Zurvanism in Zeed remained estranged from the mother church as an enduring consequence of the Third Euran War.
Outside of Eura, the claims of Mehrshahr to universal authority have also been challenged. A particular example is the Dabestān-e Zurvān in the Benacian Union, which asserted independence following the 1598 Babkhan Holocaust. The Dabestān-e Zurvān has meanwhile been declared a heretical deviation by the authorities in Mehrshahr as it allowed itself to be subordinated to the "profane idolators" of the United Ecclesiastical Corporation of Benacia.
Within the Suren Confederacy itself, the regime has historically maneuvered to curb the Moabadan-Moabad's potential independence and ability to rally opposition under the guise of religious legitimacy. Measures have included periodic depositions, ensuring ideological fealty to the state's Humanist principles, and blurring of religious-secular boundaries in governance.
Nonetheless, by virtue of their unparalleled ceremonial and scriptural significance, the Moabadan-Moabad remains one of the most influential and powerful figures in Zurvanite Eura. The extent to which their authority translates into practical religious and political dominance remains a subject of contention and an evolving dynamic shaped by the turbulent tides of Neo-Babkhan revivalism in the region.
Mobads at Mehrshahr
| Name | Tenure | Sovereign | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adarbad Marzbani | 1401-1422 | Pre-Kapav Babkhan dynasts | Survived the Great Plague of 1412 that decimated Mehrshahr's population. |
| Shehryar ibn Tair | 1422-1449 | Pre-Kapav Babkhan dynasts | Presided over the reconstruction of the Atash Bahram fire temple after it was damaged in an earthquake. |
| Ahura Dahaka | 1449-1478 |
|
Controversial figure accused of demon worship, but charges were never proven. |
| Jamasp al-Firdausi | 1478-1501 | Tahmaseb Abakhtari Shah (1473-1503) | Renowned scholar who translated ancient Zurvanite texts from Avestan to Babkhi. |
| Ibn Kalim al-Qumas | 1501-1527 |
|
Protested the Grand Commonwealth |
| Dihyar ibn Azar | 1527-1553 |
|
Endured the 1st Babkhan exile |
| Kasra Barshakhri | 1553-1579 |
|
Struggled to free Babkhan Orthodoxy from the heresy of Zand Gozar |
| Shapur Zand | 1580-1609 | Foreign rule | Witnessed the Babkhan Holocaust and recorded harrowing accounts in his chronicle. |
| Atarah Manuchihri | 1609-1634 | Foreign rule | Led efforts to reestablish Zurvanite practices after the devastation. |
| Zarin Kiani | 1634-1661 |
|
Known for her philanthropy, building soup kitchens for the poor during the Alexandrian flu. |
| Soharab Saloor | 1661-1687 | Lawlessness | Controversial views sparked the Saloorid heresy movement in his later years. |
| Ardashir Safavidi | 1687-1694 |
|
|
| Ādurbād-ī Zandzadeh | 1694–1731 | Mitradokht (1694-1731) | Attended the Bab-e Dīvān (Gate of the Council) in Surenshahr |
| Adur Ghilani | 1731- |
|
Attended the Bab-e Dīvān (Gate of the Council) in Surenshahr and joined the regency council after the death of Mitradokht of Suren |
