Companions of the Sun: History and Mystery of Iranian Dance, Music & Ritual

by Farima Berenji, PhD

Overview

Companions of the Sun is a comprehensive overview of the mystical traditions that arose throughout the ages in the religion currently centered on Iran, with an emphasis on sacred dance. The book is a lively exploration of the archaeological, anthropological, and ethnological roots of the practices, folk-ways, and art forms that this region has contributed to human spiritual culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781963433081
Publisher:	Hohm Press
Publication date:	10/15/2025
Pages:	420
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Farima Berenji, PhD is an Iranian-American scholar and dance ethnologist, an award winning internationally acclaimed dance artist, a choreographer, instructor, and an archaeologist specializing in ancient, sacred, classical, and folkloric dances of Persia, Ionia, and the Silk Road. She is a third generation artist—her devotion to the world of arts inspired by both her mother and grandmother as performing artists, poets, and musicians of Azerbaijani heritage. Farima has spent her lifetime studying Persian/Iranian and Central Asian dance, culture, and history.

Read an Excerpt

My passion for Iranian dance took on a new dimension after a remarkable discovery. On one hot sunny day working as an archaeologist, I was scheduled for a dig in the mountains of Piranshahr, an ancient city recently discovered, buried and forgotten underground. The city was destroyed and completely abandoned possibly due to an attack or invasion. Known as Tepe Lavin (Lavin Hill) by locals, the site belonged to the Median warriors who ruled Iran from 678 to 549 BCE. Our team headed there to investigate further. As I dug in the ruins, I stumbled upon a trench. Excavating deeper, I soon discovered a fantastic ancient relief carving. Wiping away the dust revealed the figure of a female warrior and an inscription. It was as if the fascinating stories told by my grandmother of women warriors in ancient Iran had come to life. The image awakened in me the realization that Iranian dance, like the legends of warriors, is still alive and representing powerful truths that have been buried in the sands of time waiting to be uncovered again. I showed the artifact to one of the village elders, who exclaimed, "This woman was not lost but sleeping and waiting for you to find her. She wants you to tell her story."
This serendipitous event was impossible to ignore. The more I studied the more the universe guided me toward this lost history when women were warriors and commanders alongside men, ruled armies and nations, and were considered living divinities. During this time I discovered that many of the beautiful, lyrical movements in traditional Iranian dance and whirling are derived from archery, war practices, and sacred rituals of ancient Iranian tribes, particularly the Elamite and Median peoples. By visiting these villages, I discovered they had many stories to share. They took me to sites where no outsider had been, and they shared the dances and rituals not performed for the public. The elders of the village described what they saw in childhood, showing me books that had never been published as well as recounting rituals that have otherwise been forgotten.
When one is willing to take the leap of faith and trust nature, then the roads will open for you.