The very large Musalla complex in Herat (click here for the original plan) was built in 1417 – by the same architect who built the lovely Khargird Madrasa. It gradually crumbled away until 1885, when a Russian attack on Herat was feared (it never materialised) – most of the building was then destroyed under the direction …
Without in any way wanting to minimise the recent tragedies in Japan, I could only be reminded of the 2003 earthquake in Bam, which caused such destruction in the historic citadel as well as killing around 30,000 people there. A 3 minute UNESCO film and, even better, a 5 minute Jadid Online film gives a …
The Iranian New Year 2570 begins (in London) on Sunday 21st March at 23.21 (click here for times in other places) Happy New Year everyone! Happy Norooz! Just in case you’re not up to speed, here’s a great 47 second ‘History for Dummies’ video guide to Norooz. Even if you dont understand any Persian, you …
The earliest known portraits of Iranians by Westerners reached record prices in the October 2010 Christies sales: £157,250 for a 1604 drawing of “Mehdi Quli Bey”; and £229,250 for a 1604 drawing of “Sinal Shah Kamlu”, with his even more extravagant mustachios (against estimates of £35-50,000). Click on the links to see what you might …
In a recent posting about the litters, or cages, that many women (and invalids) used to get around Persia, I said that I thought that Figueroa – the Spanish ambassador in 1617-19 – did not use the undignified cages. So what might he have used? Another litter that is well documented as being used is …
The first of the images of Shah Abbas the Great shown here is an undated and unpublished portrait in a private collection. If its provenance can be confirmed, it is a unique and important representation: especially since it was apparently painted from life, and by an Italian artist. Abbas does indeed look very like John …
I’ve already shown you some (Safavid-era) Persian and (alcoholic) Armenian graffiti at the caravanserai of Siahkuh. So I was pleased to read about more graffiti in another caravanserai – although this time seen, and then added to, by Olearius, the very same ‘sick person with a great beard‘ I introduced you to last week. On …
Many Safavid women were transported in litters – or what the Spanish Ambassador Figueroa described “more accurately as cages”. These were covered wooden boxes, just like those in the Qajar image below. Two boxes were suspended, one on each side of the carrying animal, with the woman facing either backwards or forwards as she chose, …
Professor Sheila Blair was the speaker at the 2011 Yarshater lectures. She discussed four objects – a dish; a rose-water sprinkler; an enormous building; and a pair of carpets. These, she said, were “signals from the past”, as well as each having different resonances now. While Professor Blair was speaking, I couldn’t help but be …
(Those of you looking for this week’s blog, please scroll down!) Dr. Cyrus Alai is doing a series of lectures on ‘Mapping Persia’, all based on his newly published book Special Maps of Persia (Brill, Leiden & Boston, 2010 – or from Amazon here) These include (and remember to check whether it’s in English or …