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Description
A compendium of lost ideas and secret theories, Secret Philosophies is a strikingly original history of ideas from the Middle East.
The book traverses hidden archives and forgotten movements that have been lost to time, exploring their philosophies of rumour and conspiracy through a revolving collection of ancient, medieval, and futuristic sects in the Middle East. Taking a new approach to the production of knowledge, Jason Mohaghegh unfolds a labyrinth of texts from vanished libraries, underground circles and the authors of enigmatic codes and ciphers. Each chapter features the intersection of two near-identical words separated only by a single letter in the Persian or Arabic alphabet. These mirror terms – A for Intigham/Intighal (vengeance/transmission), B for Bazakh/Barzakh (sound/limbo), T for Takassur/Takassul (brokenness/fatigue) – form a double-gate that swings between conceptual universes, and yet share a single object of fascination. These traversals between phonetic dimensions – however episodic, rogue, or fragmentary in nature – accumulate invaluable insights into the logic of secrecy at the heart of thought itself.
Each micro-section is its own looking glass into the rarest traditions of secrecy in both writing and thought: from the oldest Babylonian tablet of apocalyptic warnings to a prophet's last words in a cave of delirium; from books of sleep to books of plague; and exiled tongues to forbidden alphabets. The main body chapters are composed as a sequence of encounters with the Palestinian artist and writer Dana Dawud, who curatorially opens each instalment like a subterranean gallery full of codes, prompts, and questions, and the renowned Iranian visual artist Raha Raissnia has offered original calligraphic drawings that stand like portals before each chapter of the book.
Accessibility Information
Additional accessibility information
- EPUB 3.0
- Conforms with the requirements of EPUB Accessibility Spec v1.1
- WCAG level AA
- WCAG v2.2 compliant
- accessibility@bloomsbury.com
Hazards
The publication contains no hazards
Support for non-visual reading
- No accessibility features offered by the reading system, device or reading software are disabled or otherwise unusable with the product
- Has alternative text descriptions for images
Visual adjustments
Appearance of the text and page layout can be modified according to the capabilities of the reading system (font family and size, spaces, as well as color of background and text)
Navigation
- Page list to go to pages from the print source version
- Elements such as headings, tables, etc for structured navigation
- All or substantially all textual matter is arranged in a single logical reading order
- Content is enhanced with ARIA roles to optimize organization and facilitate navigation
- Purposes of all links are made clear
Rich content
Language tagging provided
Table of Contents
1. ALEF - Intiqam/Intiqal - Revenge/Movement
2. BE - Bazakh/Barzakh - Voice/Limbo
3. PE - Peeraneh/Peerayeh - Elder/Ornament
4. TE - Takassur/Takassul - Brokenness/Fatigue
5. S_E - Thakel/Thaqel - Heavy/Bereaved
6. JIM - Jazaf/Jazal - Flying/Rejoicing
7. CE - Chekaleh/Chekameh - Drops/Poem
8. E - Hanaq/Hanak - Anger/Palate
9. XE - Kha'if/Kha'iz - Frightened/Daredevil
10. DÂL - Dakk/Dam -Bruising/Blood
11. ÂL - Zabih/Zabir - Cutthroat/Intelligent
12. RE - Razm/Razl -Overflowing/Discarding
13. ZE - Zal/Zar - Albino/Dice
14. ŽE - Zhir/Zhizh - Reservoir/Impure
15. SIN - Suragh/Saran - Mark/Angels
16. ŠIN - Shayvard/Sha'ban - Moon-Halo/Pregnant-Night
17. ÂD - Saugh/Sauf - Creation/Deviation
18. ZÂD - Zarh/Zarm - Grave/Half-Burnt
19. TÂ - Tasm/Tasl - Obliteration/Glittering-Mirage
20. Â - Zal'/Zalf - - Mountain/Claw
21. AYN -Abaq/'Abqar – Perfume/Wonderment
22. GHAYN - Ghats/Ghatsh - Plunging/Slow-Walking
23. FE - Fatsh/Fatgh - Digging/Splitting
24. QÂF - Qa'/Qa'if - Abyss/Rain
25. KÂF - Kabl/Kabk - Prisoner's Chain/Hand
26. GÂF- Gerd/Gerd-kona - Collector/Circle
27. LÂM - Latf/Latm - Grace/Slap
28. MIM - Mirasan/Miras - Singing-girl/Succession
29. NUN - Nareh/Nareh-- Wave/Demon
30. VÂV - Wafd/Wafr - Arrival/Totality
31. HE - Hams/Hamsh -Whispering/Entering
32. YE - Yaraq/Yaraqan - Sin/King's-Evil
Product details
| Published | 24 Dec 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 320 |
| ISBN | 9781350549425 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Illustrations | 5 b/w images |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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