Mandaean Erotic

Mandaeans (Sabean Mandaeans) are a small ancient Gnostic religious-ethnic community concentrated historically in southern Iraq and southwestern Iran — approximately 60,000-100,000+ globally including the Iraqi, Iranian, and substantial post-2003 diaspora populations. Iranian Mandaeans (~5,000-15,000+) concentrated in Khuzestan Province along the Karun River. Mandaean is an ancient Gnostic religious tradition with John the Baptist as a central prophet figure (rather than Jesus) and substantial pre-Christian Mesopotamian religious-cultural elements; the Mandaean community uses Mandaic (a Aramaic-derived language) for religious purposes. The community has been substantially reduced through post-1979 emigration (Iran) and post-2003 emigration (Iraq) to the United States, Australia, Sweden, and elsewhere. The Mandaean community is among the smallest distinct ethno-religious communities globally.