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 …
The exhibition of Courtly Textiles and Trade Goods now at Francesca Galloway’s gallery has some very special Safavid pieces, including a lovely silk velvet of a mother and child (with a delightful leopard), and the sort of long sash (it’s 3.8m) which became so fashionable abroad, especially in seventeenth century Poland. I’m going to focus, …
I went to see the madrasa at Zuzan on the recommendation of one of the builders at Khargird – I always ask any builders I meet where the good local buildings are, and this method sometimes comes up trumps. Now, I know that the building is dated at June 1218, and is one of only …
From 334BC onwards Alexander was aiming to conquer the whole of the Persian empire. He raced through Anatolia, defeating Darius III at Issos (click and rollover to see annotations on the mosaic) and then again – at Gaugamela. Babylon and Susa then surrendered without a struggle, giving Alexander access to the immense Achaemenid treasures. Alexander …
In 1672, Chardin reported an earthquake in NE Iran: “On 11 August, there arriv’d two Expresses [in Isfahan], one upon the Heels of the other, with bad News, to-wit, That two thirds of Metched . . one half of Nichapour, and a little Town near Nichapour, had been over-thrown by an Earthquake. That which most …
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 …