Dear Dr Gandomkar,

Thank you very much indeed for your message. I was most interested to hear of your academic interests, several of which coincide with my own, and would welcome the opportunity to be in contact with you. Since you say that you are regularly in Germany, it would be wonderful if we could meet here. Alternatively I’ll certainly contact you when I come to Iran. Meanwhile, do let us be in touch by e-mail. I am just starting on a long article (for Encyclopaedia Iranica) on religion in  the Kurdish lands, and may well have many questions to ask you in the near future.

 You say that you hold an appointment in a Kurdish University in Iraq. Is that at the Salah al-Din University in Sulêmani, or elsewhere?

Meanwhile, thank you again for writing. I very much hope to hear from you in the future.

with warm good wishes,

Philip Kreyenbroek