17 Facts About Kartir

Kartir was a powerful and influential Zoroastrian priest during the reigns of four Sasanian kings in the 3rd century.

Kartir's name is cited in the inscriptions of Shapur I and the Paikuli inscription of Narseh.

Kartir had inscriptions of his own made in the present-day Fars province.

Kartir's inscriptions narrates his rise to power throughout the reigns of Shapur I, Hormizd I, Bahram I, and Bahram II.

Kartir first appears in historical records in Shapur I's inscription at the Ka'ba-ye Zartosht, which was most likely created between 260 and 262.

Kartir is the only religious bureaucrat mentioned in the inscription.

Kartir was friendly towards the founder of Manichaeism, Mani, whom he allowed to preach freely and even to be an escort in his military expeditions.

Kartir, who "abhorred animal sacrifice" was unable to stop Shapur I from doing them.

However, with Bahram I's accession to the throne, and the rise of the authority of the Zoroastrian priesthood and the increasing influence of Kartir, this changed; when Mani reached the city of Gundeshapur, much uproar occurred, in the same fashion as Jesus entry into Jerusalem.

Kartir saw him as his mentor, and handed out several honors to Kartir, giving him the rank of wuzurgan "grandee" and appointing him as the dadwar "supreme judge" of the whole empire, which indicates that thenceforth priests were given the office of judge.

Kartir was appointed the steward of the Temple of Anahita, Istakhr, which had originally been under the care of the Sasanian family.

Under Bahram II, Kartir unquestionably becomes a powerful figure in the empire; the latter claimed on his inscription at the Ka'ba-ye Zartosht that he "struck down" the non-Zoroastrian minorities, such as Christians, Jews, Mandaeans, Manichaeans, and Buddhists.

Kartir died in 293 and was succeeded by his son Bahram III.

Kartir met them in the passage of Paikuli in the province of Garmekan, where he was firmly approved and likely declared shah for the first time.

Kartir was one of the nobles who supported Narseh, which is attested in the Paikuli inscription.

Kartir fades into obscurity in historical records under Narseh, due to not doing anything noteworthy as mowbed "high priest".

Russell called him a "a ruthless fanatic, Kartir, [who] promoted the xenophobic state cult", while Folz refers to him as "fanatical".