The Brunei Galley is currently showing some of Dr Cyrus Alai’s unique map collection. It’s a graphical journey through the historical representations and culture of Persia. At the opening of the FREE exhibition, Cyrus’ outstanding contribution to scholarship about Iran was praised. His two stunning books General Maps of Persia and Special Maps of Persia …
The Rouhani-supporting newspaper Mardom-e Emrouz featured a photo of actor George Clooney alongside Clooney’s message of support for Charlie Hebdo and its staff – and was then shut down following the outraged demands of many more conservative media outlets in Iran. As Iranwire reported: “The closure also points to a wider problem: Rouhani’s failure to …
The Narges (narcissus) harvest is underway in Fars province. The flower has a prominent place in Persian poetry, literature, and culture as a symbol of beauty and innocence – and Mehr has a photo-gallery showing that while it might be cold and rainy here in London, spring has definitely sprung in some parts of Iran. Enjoy …
Tabriz has the largest covered bazaar in the world: 5.5 km, covering 27 hectares, or 1 million sq metres. It was rehabilitated using traditional building techniques, as recognised when it won the 2013 Aga Khan award for architecture, following on its inclusion as a UNESCO world heritage site. The Guardian has just done a photo …
I visited Bam on 26 Dec 2004 – exactly one year after the earthquake. My friend there told me how he didn’t know how long he had lain under the rubble after the big quake – he said it was worse than being in a food blender: going sideways in all directions, and up and …
Or so says the Economist, in a thoughtful feature article. Read the whole thing here. I wanted to point out the demographics – as shown below. There was a big birth-bulge after the Iran-Iraq war, with the pressure to restock the country with young people. The more recent dip takes Iran back below pre-revolution birth levels: “The …
Yalda is on the 21st December this year. As I’m sure you all know, it’s the longest night of the year. The forces of Ahriman are at their peak of their strength. The next day is known as “khoram rooz” or “khore rooz” (the day of sun). It belongs to Ahura Mazda, the Lord of …
Jonas Hanway was the first person in Britain with an umbrella – and he got the idea whilst trading around the Caspian Sea. Although the BBC, in today’s review of the history and the future of the umbrella, are correct that the Egyptians and the Chinese were early adopters of the parasol / umbrella, it’s …
It seems only to be the King who gets to feast up in the tree-house in this gorgeous folio from a Khamsa of Amir Khusrau in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Wouldn’t that make conversation difficult, even there is a great view of the dancing? Maybe the courtiers down below are struggling with the ta’arof: …
Orientalist display techniques continued even into the famous 1910 exhibition in Munich – which expressly aimed to avoid having an Arabian Nights-style impression “somehow arousing the impression that [the exhibition halls] were buildings, halls, chambers of the Orient” . The exhibition started in an elegant foyer with pointed arches and mashrabiya. This was just a prelude to …