Mandi (Mandaeism)

A mandi, mashkhanna[1] (ࡌࡀࡔࡊࡍࡀ maškna),[2] or beth manda (beit manda, ࡁࡉࡕ ࡌࡀࡍࡃࡀ bit manda, 'house of knowledge'; also bimanda[3]) is a Mandaean building that serves as a community center and place of worship. A mandi is traditionally built on the banks of a yardna, or flowing river.

A contemporary-style mandi in the Sabian Quarter of Nasiriyah, Iraq
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Although mandis are traditionally "cult-huts" made of straw, bamboo, and mud that are built by the river,[4] nowadays mandis can also be modern buildings that serve as community houses and local administrative centers. A mandi typically holds weekly worship services, weddings, and many other important events and rituals.[2]

In Iraq

A contemporary-style mandi is located in Nasiriyah, Iraq.

The town of Liṭlaṭa in Qal'at Saleh District, southern Iraq was also the site of a Mandaean mandi that the British scholar E. S. Drower often visited.[5]

In Baghdad, the main mandi is called the Baghdad Sabian Mandi. It is located on the western banks of the Tigris River in the central Baghdad neighborhood of Al-Qadisiyah.[6] In addition to Baghdad and Nasiriyah, mandis can also be found in Amarah, Kirkuk, Erbil, and Diwaniyah.[7]

In Iran

The main mandi of the Mandaean community in Iran is located in Ahvaz. It is administered and maintained by the Mandaean Council of Ahvaz.

Outside Iraq and Iran

On 15 September 2018, the Beth Manda Yardna was consecrated in Dalby, Skåne County, Sweden.[8][9]

In Australia, the Sabian Mandaean Association of Australia purchased land by the banks of the Nepean River at Wallacia, New South Wales in order to build a mandi.[10] The current mandi in Liverpool, Sydney is Ganzibra Dakhil Mandi, named after Ganzibra Dakhil Edan.[11] Another mandi exists in Prestons, New South Wales named Mandi Yehya Youhanna.[12]

There is a mandi in Detroit, Michigan, USA that is run by the local Mandaean community.[13]

In Nieuwegein, Utrecht, Netherlands, there is a mandi called Vereniging Mandi van de Mandeeërs Gemeenschap in Nederland (Mandi Association of the Mandaean Community in the Netherlands).[14]

Essene parallels

The bit manda is described as biniana rab ḏ-srara ("the Great building of Truth") and bit tušlima ("house of Perfection") in Mandaean texts such as the Qolasta, Ginza Rabba, and the Mandaean Book of John. The only known literary parallels are in Essene texts from Qumran such as the Community Rule, which has similar phrases such as the "house of Perfection and Truth in Israel" (Community Rule 1QS VIII 9) and "house of Truth in Israel."[15]

See also

References
  1. Secunda, Shai; Fine, Steven (2012). Shoshannat Yaakov. Brill. p. 345. ISBN 978-90-04-23544-1.
  2. Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2002). The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515385-5. OCLC 65198443.
  3. Drower, E. S. (1960). The secret Adam: a study of Nasoraean gnosis. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  4. Drower, E. S. 1960. The Secret Adam: A Study of Nasoraean Gnosis. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  5. Aldihisi, Sabah (2008). The story of creation in the Mandaean holy book in the Ginza Rba (PhD). University College London.
  6. Salloum, Saad (19 January 2016). "What will happen to Iraq's Mandaeans?". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  7. Jubouri, Marwan (12 April 2018). "Sabean Iraq .. Their existence is threatened despite their extension for thousands of years". Teller Report. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  8. Nyheter, SVT (2018-09-15). "Nu står mandéernas kyrka i Dalby färdig". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  9. "Lokaltidningen". Archived from the original on 2018-09-19. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
  10. "Mandaean Synod of Australia". Welcome to the Mandaean Synod of Australia. 2005-07-05. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
  11. Robins, Ian (July 2016). "Album: The Ganzibra Dakhil Mandi, Liverpool, Sydney". The Worlds of Mandaean Priests. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  12. "Mandaean Language Schools". NSW Government. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  13. The Associated Press (1 July 2009). "Ancient Iraqi Mandaean sect struggles to keep culture in Michigan". mLive. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  14. "Vereniging Mandi van de Mandeeërs Gemeenschap in Nederland" (in Dutch). 2016-11-12. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  15. Hamidović, David (2010). "About the Links between the Dead Sea Scrolls and Mandaean Liturgy". ARAM Periodical. 22: 441-451. doi:10.2143/ARAM.22.0.2131048.
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