is a Mandaic font based on Ethel Stefana Drower’s handwriting and philosophy.
Lady Drower (ࡊࡋࡉࡋࡀ ࡐࡕ ࡔࡅࡔࡉࡀࡍ) was a British cultural anthropologist who studied the Middle East and its cultures. She was regarded as the leading specialist in Mandaeism and was tempted by the Mandeans by her fascination and passion. Due to her excellent friendship with my great grandfather, the Mandaean head priest of Basra, Ganzibra Nejm (ࡀࡃࡀࡌ ࡁࡓ ࡄࡀࡅࡀ ࡎࡉࡌࡀࡕ), she was able to obtain a collection of Mandaean manuscripts, which can now be found in Bodleian.
Lady Drower (ࡊࡋࡉࡋࡀ ࡐࡕ ࡔࡅࡔࡉࡀࡍ) was a British cultural anthropologist who studied the Middle East and its cultures. She was regarded as the leading specialist in Mandaeism and was tempted by the Mandeans by her fascination and passion. Due to her excellent friendship with my great grandfather, the Mandaean head priest of Basra, Ganzibra Nejm (ࡀࡃࡀࡌ ࡁࡓ ࡄࡀࡅࡀ ࡎࡉࡌࡀࡕ), she was able to obtain a collection of Mandaean manuscripts, which can now be found in Bodleian.
Since some of the manuscripts were incomplete or illegible, she tried to complete them with her handwriting, but due to the lack of possibilities at that time, print letters were not available to her. Her script is characterized by geometric forms, as shown in the example above. I reconstructed the geometry of letters she used to write the title of one of her publications in 1950.
However, Lady Drower had an exceptional understanding of the Mandaic letters and her philosophy of how to write them. In her book The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran, she explains:
“The first and last Mandaic letters have as their sign a circle: ࡀ, possibly representing the sun disk as a symbol of light. They are pronounced like the vowel a. It is worth remembering that the Phoenician 𐤀 ‘aleph’ (the Latin A) is the ox-head, alpha meaning ‘ox’, and that the Bull symbolized the sky and the sun. The vowels are modifications of this circle; the angular shapes have been adopted for clarity”.
And because of this reason, I have implemented Drower’s geometric handwriting and beliefs into total round-shaped design letters. I hope this memorial font has succeeded in honouring her and her fantastic work in the Mandaean field.
Poster translation:
Who will come and who will tell me?
Who will make me know and who will instruct me?
Good people talk and advice one another,
watch, listen and learn,
love and teach one another.
Poster text in Mandaic:
ࡌࡀࡍ ࡍࡉࡕࡉࡀ ࡅࡌࡀࡍ ࡖ ࡍࡉࡌࡀࡓࡋࡉࡀ
ࡌࡀࡍ ࡍࡀࡅࡃࡀࡍ ࡅࡌࡀࡍ ࡍࡀࡐࡓࡉࡔࡀࡍ
ࡀࡌࡓࡉࡀ ࡈࡀࡁࡉࡀ ࡅࡌࡉࡕࡌࡉࡋࡊࡉࡀ
ࡄࡆࡅࡍ ࡅࡔࡅࡌࡀ ࡅࡏࡕࡀࡐࡓࡀࡔ
ࡓࡄࡅࡌ ࡅࡀࡆࡁࡀࡓ ࡄࡃࡀࡃࡉࡀ
Poster transliteration in Hebrew:
מאן ניתיא ומאן אד נימארליא
מאן נאודאן ומאן נאפרישאן
אמריא טאביא ומיתמילכיא
הזון ושומא ועתאפראש
רהום ואזבאר הדאדיא
Poster transliteration in Syriac:
ܘܡܐܢ ܐܕ ܢܝܡܐܪܠܝܐ
ܡܐܢ ܢܐܘܕܐܢ ܘܡܐܢ ܢܐܦܪܝܫܐܢ
ܐܡܪܝܐ ܛܐܒܝܐ ܘܡܝܬܡܝܠܟܝܐ
ܗܙܘܢ ܘܫܘܡܐ ܘܥܬܐܦܪܐܫ
ܪܗܘܡ ܘܐܙܒܐܪ ܗܕܐܕܝܐ
