Brikha Nasoraia


Rishama Brikha H. S. Nasoraia is an Iraqi-Australian Mandaean priest and scholar based in Sydney, Australia. He is affiliated with the University of Sydney and Mardin Artuklu University. He is currently a Professor of Comparative Semitics, Literature and Art History. Since July 2024, he has held the rank of rishama, the highest rank of the Mandaean priesthood.
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Early life and education

Brikha Nasoraia was born in Iraq to Mahdi Saed and Layla. His Mandaean baptismal name is Sam bar Sam Yuhana. He belongs to the Kuhailia family and can thus trace his ancestry back to Adam Zakia, the father of Bihram Bar-Hiia, who lived around 1500 A.D.
He was initiated into the Mandaean priesthood by Sheikh Abdullah, son of Sheikh Negm, of Baghdad. He was ordained as a ganzibra and later emigrated to Sydney, Australia, where he initially served with Ganzibra Salah Choheili. In 2005, he obtained a Ph.D. degree from the University of Sydney, where he wrote his doctoral dissertation on the translation and analysis of the Dmut Kušṭa scroll. After graduating from the University of Sydney, he later took the name Brikha Naṣoraia, which means "Blessed Naṣoraean" in Mandaic.

Career

As a ganzibra, he is currently the President of the Mandaean Spiritual Council of Australia and is also the President of the International Mandaean Nasoraean Supreme Council.
Nasoraia lectures at the University of Sydney and also at Mardin Artuklu University in Mardin, Turkey.
Brikha Nasoraia's research interests include archaeology, philosophy of religion, and translation of Mandaic manuscripts. In 1998, together with Majid Fandi Al-Mubaraki and his son Brian Mubaraki, he published a full printed version of the Ginza Rabba in typesetted Mandaic. He has participated in excavations at archaeological sites such as Harran.
He is fluent in English, Arabic, and Aramaic. Nasoraia is also an artist who produces oil paintings featuring Mandaean religious themes.
In late July 2024, Nasoraia was ordained as a Rishama. His ordination was attended by Rishama Sattar Jabbar Hilow and other Mandaean leaders. On 12 August 2024, his ordination was congratulated by Australian MP Anne Stanley.

Personal life

He is married to Nadia al-Faris, with whom he has three children.

Selected publications

Below is a partial list of publications by Brikha Nasoraia.
Note that in earlier works, he is cited as Haithem Saed Naṣoraia. Brikha is a title that was later added to his name as cited in academic literature, Haithem is his given name, Mahdi is his father's name, and Saed is his grandfather's name. Naṣoraia is used to denote that he is a Nasoraean, i.e. a Mandaean priest. As a result, he is also known as Sheikh Haithem Mahdi Saeed.

Books

  • Al-Mubaraki, Majid Fandi; Rbai Haithem Mahdi Saeed; Brian Mubaraki. 1998. Ginza Rba. Sydney, N.S.W., Australia. ISBN 0-646-35222-9.
  • Nasoraia, Brikha. Masbuta: The Mandaean Baptism. Belgium: Brepols Publishers.
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Journal articles