Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry Memorial Lecture - The Sassanian Empire: A Fire That Was Extinguished
Channel: SOAS University of London
Date: 2023-06-20

This lecture is about the Sassanian Dynasty which ruled Persia for over 400 years and was a bulwark against the Roman Empire, which could never cross the Euphrates river because of the resistance put up by the Persians.

The lecture takes the audience through a series of remarkable Monarchs, some of whom ruled a vast empire with justice and sagacity. Zoroastrianism was the state religion for these 400-odd years, which was finally put out by the invading Arabs who imposed Islam on this great nation. Two earlier dynasties had ruled Persia for 200-odd years, and 400-odd years respectively.

The Achamenian Dynasty, which began with Cyrus the Great and ended with Darius lll fell to the conquering Macedonian armies of Alexander, whereas the Parthian dynasty fell to Ardeshir the first, who was the first ruler of the Sassanian Dynasty. After the Arab conquest, however, the Persians later continued to rule themselves, but only with Islam as the state religion. The lecture ends with the defeat and death of the last Sassanian king Yezdegard the third.

Justice Rohinton Nariman pursued his legal studies at the Faculty of Law and ranked 2nd in the University of Delhi. He pursued his Masters’ in Law from Harvard Law School and his thesis compared affirmative action in India and USA. He is the son of distinguished jurist Fali S. Nariman.

In 1993, then Chief Justice Venkatachalaiah amended the minimum age rules to designate the title of Senior Advocate on Nariman J when he was 37. He was the Solicitor General of India in 2013. In 2014, he became the 5th person to be directly elevated from the Bar to be a Judge of the Supreme Court.

Nariman J is considered an expert in comparative constitutional law and civil law. He set up the Supreme Court Welfare Trust for the welfare of lawyers and to encourage young talent. He was a member of the Supreme Court’s Mediation Committee.