Testimonial by Marc Tipold

Middle Persian, also called Pahlavi, is a Middle Iranian language and was the administrative and common language of the Sāsānian Empire. Numerous inscriptions and literary texts have come down to us from this period. 

With Ruben, I was able to get to know many of these sources and practice translating. I am very grateful to have completed my course with him as my teacher because not only his humor but also his enormous knowledge of the history and culture of late antique Iran made the lessons an absolute pleasure for me. 

The fact that the course took place online was no barrier at all! Ruben was always able to introduce new and varied approaches - anecdotes from the history of Iran and neighboring regions, parallels with other languages, and his knowledge of other classical authors dispelled the disadvantages associated with teaching through the computer. 

With Ruben, one can dive deeply into the grammar and syntax of the language when translating the texts and thereby develop a deeper understanding of Middle Persian. 

I highly recommend Middle Persian courses to anyone interested in late antique Persian history and culture and Persia in general.