13 Facts About Mazdak

1.

Mazdak was a Zoroastrian mobad, Iranian reformer, prophet and religious reformer who gained influence during the reign of the Sasanian emperor Kavadh I He claimed to be a prophet of Ahura Mazda and instituted social welfare programs.

2.

Zoroastrianism was the dominant religion of Sassanid Persia, and Mazdak himself was a mobad or Zoroastrian priest, but most of the clergy regarded his teaching as heresy.

3.

Mazdak's followers are considered to be the first real socialists in human history by their emphasis on community property and community work with benefits accruing to all.

4.

Mazdak emphasised good conduct, which involved a moral and ascetic life, no killing and vegetarianism, being kind and friendly and living in peace with other people.

5.

In many ways Mazdak's teaching can be understood as a call for social revolution, and has been referred to as early "communism".

6.

Mazdak allegedly planned to achieve this by making all wealth common or by re-distributing the excess, although it is unclear how he intended to organize that in terms of regulations and to what extent his position has been caricatured by hostile sources.

7.

Since the latter is a standard accusation against heretical sects, its veracity has been doubted by researchers; it is likely that Mazdak took measures against the widespread polygamy of the rich and lack of wives for the poor.

8.

Mazdak reportedly sponsored its adoption by the Arab vassal kingdom of al-Hirah, entailing the deposing of the previous king al-Mundhir by the Kindite chief al-Harith.

9.

Mazdak had all the Zoroastrian fire temples closed except the three major ones.

10.

The Exilarch of Babylon, Mar-Zutra II, rallied the Jewish community and their allies, who defeated Mazdak and established an independent Jewish kingdom in Mahoza that lasted for seven years.

11.

The historicity of the persona of Mazdak has been questioned.

12.

Contemporary historians, including Procopius and Joshua the Stylite make no mention of Mazdak naming Kavad as the figure behind the movement.

13.

Mention of Mazdak only emerges in later Middle Persian Zoroastrian documents, namely the Bundahishn, the Denkard, and the Zand-i Wahman yasn.