Being case studies, the contributions to this volume highlight various aspects of the Turco-Iranian world starting from the Islamization in the 7th century up to the present day. Covering the broad geographical spectrum spanning from the Bosporus via Upper Mesopotamia (the jazīra), Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia to India and the border regions of China, and shedding light on this area from historical, philological, literary and ethnological perspectives, the individual case studies are devoted to studies of urban, local and regional history, various forms of historiography and questions of legitimizing authority. What all contributions have in common is a reference to the research areas and interests of Prof. Jürgen Paul, to whom this volume is dedicated on the occasion of his 70th birthday.

In no other region has the Jewish faith found such graphic expression in the synagogues as in the historical landscapes of Galicia and Bukovina. Since the end of the Middle Ages the living conditions of the Jewish population had deteriorated, and people sought refuge in a return to traditional values and in the hope of a return to Zion. Impressive photographs by Helmut Meyer zur Capellen and explanatory texts by Reiner Sörries reveal a rather unknown aspect of the Jewish world of art and spirit.