Jabbar Tawus al-Kuhaili
Mandaean priest in Iran
About Jabbar Tawus al-Kuhaili
Lived 1923 – 2014 (aged 90–91). Jabbar Tawus al-Kuhaili was an Iranian mandaean priest.
Sheikh (Rabbi) Ganzibra Jabbar Choheili (, also known as Sheikh Jabbar Ṭawūsī Al-Kuhaili, ; born 1923, died December 27, 2014) was an Iranian Mandaean priest, the head of the Mandaean Council of Ahvaz, which presides over the Mandaean community of Iran.
Biography Jabbar Choheili held the Mandaean clergical ranks of Ganzibra (head priest) and Rishama (patriarch), the highest Mandaean clergical rank. He was born in 1923 in the city of Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province, Iran into the Kuhailia (Persian pronunciation: Choheili) family. His malwasha (baptismal name) is Mhatam Yuhana (; full name: Rabbi Ganzibra Mhatam Yuhana bar Sharat; also known as Mhatam Yuhana bar Yahya; or in Arabic: Shaikh Jabar (= Šabur), the son of Ṭawoos) (note: Mandaeans typically have both a birth name and a baptismal name).
In 1948, he traveled from Iran to Qal'at Saleh, Iraq to become initiated as a tarmida by Sheikh Abdullah, son of Sh. Sam Sh. Jabbar (a ganzibra who was the father of physicist Abdul Jabbar Abdullah). After he was ordained, Jabbar Choheili returned to Ahvaz, where he completely copied the Ginza Rabba by hand. Carlos Gelbert's Ginza Rabba (2011, 2021) is primarily based on the "Mhatam Yuhana Ginza" (2004).
Ganzibra Jabbar Choheili was the chairman and secretary general of the Mandaean Council of Ahvaz. He was also a goldsmith by profession.
He died on the morning of Sunday, December 27, 2014. He was buried in a Mandaean cemetery in Ahvaz.
Family Jabbar Choheili's sons are the priests Najah Choheili, currently the head of the Mandaean community in Iran, and Rishama Salah Choheili, who is currently the head of the Mandaean community in Australia. Salah and Najah Choheili have served leadership roles in the Mandaean Council of Ahvaz, also known as the Sabian-Mandaean Association of Iran. Additionally, Nargess Choheili is the daughter of Jabbar Choheili.
Jabbar Choheili's cousin, Taleb Doraji (born 1937 in Ahvaz; also spelled Taleb Dorragi Jabbar Choheili and Taleb Doraji both have the same grandfather, named Salim.
Jabbar Choheili also has a brother, Abood Tawoosie .
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Jabbar Kuhailia, Rabbi Ganzibra Mhatam Yuhana bar SharatPeople in Jabbar Tawus al-Kuhaili's life
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Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Jabbar Tawus al-Kuhaili's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Jabbar Tawus al-Kuhaili?
Mandaean priest in Iran
When was Jabbar Tawus al-Kuhaili born?
Jabbar Tawus al-Kuhaili was born in 1923 in Ahvaz.
When did Jabbar Tawus al-Kuhaili die?
Jabbar Tawus al-Kuhaili died on 28 December 2014 in Ahvaz.
What was Jabbar Tawus al-Kuhaili's occupation?
Jabbar Tawus al-Kuhaili was a mandaean priest.
What nationality was Jabbar Tawus al-Kuhaili?
Jabbar Tawus al-Kuhaili was Iranian.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Jabbar Tawus al-Kuhaili
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jabbar Tawus al-Kuhaili. https://biography.guide/jabbar-tawus-al-kuhaili/
MLA: "Jabbar Tawus al-Kuhaili." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jabbar-tawus-al-kuhaili/.
Chicago: "Jabbar Tawus al-Kuhaili." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jabbar-tawus-al-kuhaili/.
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