Yezdikhwast is between Isfahan and Shiraz – or, for Vita Sackville-West in 1927, from Isfahan on the way across the Zagros Mountains when she visited the Bakhtiari. She described the town as: “that fantastic grey eyrie overhanging a chasm. Pierre Loti compared it to the abode of sea birds [click here and scroll down for …
The madrese (religious school) at Khargird, in Khorasan (built 1438-45), is a showpiece of Timurid decorative art. Click here to see a short walk-through film I made (just learning!) about the six different sorts of tiles, some elegantly geometrical wallpaintings and some amazing plaster effects in the muqarnas (stalactite vaultings). Professor Grube and I discussed …
This lovely little shrine is around 20 km out of Nishapur. It has a Safavid-era building, a spring of good water and – most importantly – the footprints of Imam Reza impressed deep into rock. There are various stories about both the water and the footprints. It is said that, in 921CE, when Imam Reza …
I’ve already written about archaeology being carried out in the current war-zone on the Iran-Afghan border. But the rest of Khurasan was a busy conflict zone before and in the early years of Shah Abbas’ reign –with either the Safavid or the Uzbeg army, or both, invading pretty much every year. While the sieges and …
I’m fascinated by the renowned polymath Shaykh Bahaie – and an earlier posting on the blog has already showcased his amazing camel-powered oil mill, and mentioned his one-candle-powered hamam. Now his house in Isfahan is apparently up for sale. The house website explains that the building was nominated for the UNESCO prize of “most beautiful …
From Irena: “As always Friday’s cultural info provided by you was a delight. Ma’ani must have been quite a girl to have her own coat of arms. “I tried to leave a comment on your site, but got caught out by the required Captcha phrase – I don’t know what this is. Anyway, here is …
I’ve already posted something about the splendidly luxurious litter Pietro della Valle had made for his beloved wife Ma’ani. But she was actually very comfortable riding horseback and camping out. When the couple travelled across the Darya Namak area north-east of Kashan, on their way up from Isfahan to see Shah Abbas in Mazanderan, she …
A while ago, I included details from an 1850s description of the famous Ardabil collection of ceramics being used for charitable feasts for the poor – and also referenced some (copyrighted) images showing the ceramic collection looking very like piles of washing up after a big party ( in Pope’s catalogue from 1956). Now the …
Following on my previous posting on the lovely stucco mihrab at Zuzan, two people kindly reminded me to properly credit Blair and Adle for the work they have done on the site. I had intended to draw further on this work – perhaps to write about the three phases of construction of the mosque-madrasa; or …
Shah Abbas and Jahangir had a complex relationship. There was an ongoing dispute over the key southern trade centre of Kandahar; but both men frequently professed their “brotherly love” (click here and here for earlier blog entries about jewel gifts), whilst at the same time engaging in more or less petty insults – always dressed up …