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Places of Iran

Note: This article have some pictures that are available in our team area at Mondialogo.org Special places of Iran This part is about historical places and tourist attractions of Iran such as gardens, monument, etc. Most of these places belongs to Esfahan and Fars provinces and the reason is that these two provinces are historical. Chehel Sotoun in Esfahan province This building -now a veritable museum of Persian painting and ceramics -was a pleasure pavilion used for the king`s entertainment`s and receptions. It stands inside a vast royal park, but relatively near the enclosure, and was built by Shah Abbas II round an earlier building erected by Shah Abbas I. An inscription states that the decoration and frescoes were finished in 1647. Only two large historical frescoes date from the later period of the Zand dynasty. Unfortunately, the Chehel Sotun has been badly damaged since then, especially when the Afghans occupied the town and covered the paintings with a thick coat of whitewash. It is now being extensively restored under the aegis of the Institute Italiano Per il Medio Orient. The pavilion opens onto the gardens by means of an elegant terrace, only a few steps high and supported by slender, delicate wooden pillars. In reality, there were never more than twenty columns, but they were reflected in the pool in the park, and so the Persian liked to call the building the (pavilion with forty columns) (besides, the number 40 had a symbolic meaning in Persia and expressed respect and admiration). Two rows of waterspouts and fountains in the shape of stone lions at the four corners carried water to the huge, elegant rectangular basin. The terrace is a marvel of elegance. The slender pillars support a light wooden ceiling with wide fretwork louvers. Here we should note the influence of Eastern Asian architecture. Part of the sumptuous decoration has disappeared. We must picture the back wall covered with mirrors, the doors of rare carved wood, and the pillars, each cut from a single lane-tree trunk, with their fine eneer, their brightly colored paintings, their mirrors and studs of colored glass. We still have the remarkable ceiling its beams, its covering, its painted wood louvers, and its carefully lay-work-rosettes and suns, stars, stylized fruit and foliage. The great wooden ceilings-a rare luxury in a country so acking in trees-are among guarded by four lions which support the central columns. The palace is called Chehel Sotun because of the number of the columns of this monument. Each column is formed of a plain tree on the skin of which a thin layer of colored board has been fitted. This layer was formerly covered with colored pieces of glass and mirror. All the walls used to be decorated with large mirrors and colored peices of glass and beautiful paintings. Inlaid work was a characteristic of all doors and windows. The pool in front of the building is 110 meters long and 16 meters wide. Four stone lions have been placed on the four sides of a pond in the center of the hall from whose open mouths water streams down. And finally the unique ceiling of the 18 column portico and the mirror work on the ceiling of the hall are eyecatching. The paintings demonstrating the parties held by Shah Abbas the great, and reception of Mohammad Vali Khan, the king of Turkistan, the war between Shah Ismail the first and the Ottoman forces in Chaldoran, the reception party in honor of Homayun the king of India and in the eastern section, in front of the painting scene of Shah Abbas` war with the Uzbeks, is seen the war waged by Nader Shah of Afshar dynasty against the Hindus in Kornal. Abyaneh in Esfahan province Abyaneh is a beautiful village 70 km. to the southeast of Kashan. This is a village of living traditions, architectural styles, and probably the most interesting example of human adaptation to nature. The village is compact, with narrow and sloped lanes, and houses located on the slope as if placed on a stairway. Here, the roofs of some houses used to serve as the courtyard for other houses higher up on the slope. There are a good number of Islamic and Zoroastrian buildings in the village, all worth a careful visit. Located on the northwestern slope of Karkas Mount and 28 km distant from Natanz, Abyaneh enjoys a mild climate. The customs and traditions of the people as well as the buildings in Abyaneh afford a good picture of old Iran. The UNESCO has registered Abyaneh as a historical village. Agha Bozorg School in Esfahan province This ancient structure has four porches and a beautiful dome with two tile worked minarets. Its courtyard and chambers that are on a lower level display an attractive aspect. Below these chambers are is the pool and nocturnal area made use of in summer. The dome is built on an octagonal platform and is doubly covered. The lower covering bears the weight of the ceiling, conducting it to the pillars, and the other is the outer covering which aids in making the dome look larger. Skylights have been affixed to the dome, along with religious versus around the dome have provided a harmonious connection between the different sections of the structure. The ceilings of the western and winter nocturnal areas are of plaster, which have been designed on simple lines besides which is the library. The porches display intricate tile work, indicating the traditional art and culture of this land and the tombs of several trustees can be noted in the western porch. This structure was constructed in the year 1268 AH. Alamout in Ghazvin province Those who favor ambitious excursions and unusual historical episodes are recommended to go near the source of the Alamut river on the southern foothills of the Alborz Mountains. There, fortified eagles` nest recall unbelievable but authentic adventures of the (Old Man of the Mountains) - Hasan Sabah, the Grand Master (1040-1124) - and of his sect of (Assassins) or (Hashashins). The historical fortresses are known as the Castle of the Assassins, which were first introduced into European literature by the Returning Crusaders, and made famous this century in Dane Freya Stark`s classical Valleys of the Assassins. These were the heavily fortified lairs of the adherents of a bizarre religious cult, based loosely on the precepts of the Ismaili Sect. Hasan Sabah founded the Cult in the 11th century. This heretical and widely feared Sect sent out killers throughout the region to murder the leading political and religious figures. Its followers, the Hashishiyun, were so called because of their leader`s alleged cunning ruse of taking them into beautiful secret gardens (filled with equally enticing young maidens), getting them stoned on hashish and then sending them out on their homicidal assignments under the illusion of Hasan Sabah had the power to transport them to paradise. The cult at its height extended from Syria to Khorasan. Until 1256, when the Mongols captured its castles, the Assassins spread fear throughout the region, although some scholars claim that their reputation was exaggerated. As one might expect. The outlaw mountain hideaways were designed to be impregnable and inaccessible, and to this day it is still extremely difficult to visit them; a complete tour of the castle in this region would take about a week on horseback with a local guide. Many of them are only accessible to experienced and well-equipped mountaineers. Ali Qapu in Esfahan province The name Ali Qapu, (Magnificent Gate), was given to this place as it was right at the entrance to the Safavid palaces which stretched from the Maidan Naqsh-i-Jahan to the Chahar Bagh Boulevard. The building, another wonderful Safavid edifice, was built by decree of Shah Abbas the Great in the early seventeenth century. It was here that the great monarch used to entertain noble visitors, and foreign ambassadors. Shah Abbas, here for the first time celebrated the Now - ruz (New Year`s Day) of 1006 AH / 1597 A.D. A large and massive rectangular structure, the Ali Qapu is 48 meters high and has six floors, fronted with a wide terrace whose ceiling is inlaid and supported by wooden columns. Ali Qapu is rich in naturalistic wall paintings by Reza Abbassi, the court painter of Shah Abbas I, and his pupils. There are floral, animal, and bird motifs. The highly ornamented doors and windows of the palace have almost all been pillaged at times of social anarchy. Only one window on the third floor has escaped the ravages of time. Ali Qapu was repaired and restored substantially during the reign of Shah Sultan Hussein, the last Safavid ruler, but fell into a dreadful state of dilapidation again during the short reign of invading Afghans. under the Qajar Nasir al-Din shah`s reign (1848-96), the Safavid cornices and floral tiles above the portal were replaced by tiles bearing inscriptions. Shah Abbas II was enthusiastic about the embellishment and perfection of Ali Qapu. His chief contribution was given to the magnificent hall, the constructures on the third floor. The 18 columns of the hall are covered with mirrors and its ceiling is decorated with great paintings. The chancellery was stationed on the first floor. On the sixth, the royal reception and banquets were held. The largest rooms are found on this floor. The stucco decoration of the banquet hall abounds in motif of various vessels and cups. The sixth floor was popularly called (the music room). Here various ensembles performed music and sang songs. From the upper galleries, the Safavid ruler watched polo, maneuvers and the horse-racing opposite the square of Naqsh-i-Jahan. Cause of Denomination The Ali Qapu has multiple connotations, but generally connotes entrance or supreme gate to the complex of palaces and public buildings of the Safavid Government. Construction Stages The Ali Qapu building was founded in several stages, beginning from a building with a single gate, with entrance to the government building complex, and gradually developed, ending in the existing shape. The period of the development, with intervals lasted approximately seventy years. First Stage : The initial building acting as entrance to the complex was in cubical shape and in two stories, with dimensions measuring 20 x 19 meter and 13 meter high. Second Stage : Foundation of the upper hall, built on the entrance vestibule, with cubical shape, over the initial cubic shape structure with the same height in two visible stories. Third Stage : Foundation of the fifth story, the music amphitheater or music hall, built on the lower hall, using the central room for sky light, and thus the vertical extension being emphasized. Fourth Stage : Foundation of the eastern verandah or pavilion advancing towards the square, supported by the tower shaped building. By foundation of this verandah, the entrance vestibule was extended along the main gate and passage to the market, perpendicular to the eastern flank of the building. Fifth Stage : Foundation of the wooden ceiling of the verandah, supported by 18 wooden columns, and contemporaneous with erection of the ceiling, an additional stairway of the southern flank was founded and was called the Kingly Stairway. Sixth Stage : During this stage a water tower was built in the northern flank for provision of water for the copper pool of the columned verandah. Plaster decorations in reception story and music hall. The room on the sixth floor is also decorated with plasterwork, representing pots and vessels and one is famous as the music and sound room. It is certainly well worth visiting for the cut out decorations round the room, which represent a considerable artistic feat. These cut out shapes were not placed there to act as cupboards: the stuccowork is most delicate and falls to pieces at the highest touch. So we conclude that it was placed in position in these rooms for ornament and decoration. The rooms were used for private parties and for the King`s musicians, and these hollow places in the walls retained the echoes and produced the sounds of the singing and musical instruments clearly in all parts. Ceiling decorations The decoration of the large room on the third floor which opens out on the large pillared hall, and which was used by Shah Abbas for entertaining his official guests is the most interesting. Fortunately the ceilings, on which birds are depicted in their natural colors, have remained without interference in their original state from Safavid times, and these are the best roofs in the building. Alisadr Cave in Hamedan province The Alisadr cave-lake, 120 km to the north-west of Hamadan near a village by this same name and at the foothill of Su-Bashi, is one of the strangest natural sights in Iran, in fact, the latter is an endless network of caves full of clear water. The Alisadr cave-lake was discovered in the first half of 70s, and is now being visited by waves of local and foreign tourists. In some sections the caves are more than 100 meters wide. In some sections the cave ceiling,is more than 10 meters high. This cave is located 80 kilometers northwest of Hamadan, in the Subashi mountains close to Ali Sadr village and is one of the most beautiful natural features in the world. This cave is composed of large and small spiral channels which are linked to one another. In some sections the cave is 100 meters wide and 10 meters high. Ali Sadr cave was discovered during the fourth and fifth centuries and today lots of tourists visist it in the summer. Arg-e Bam in Kerman province Once a famous citadel and strategic stronghold, this fort has been built on a huge rock and covers an area of six square kilometers in all. It is 300 meters long and 200 meters wide and consists of two parts. The fort is a five-story structure of unbaked brick and must have been constructed before the fifth and sixth centuries A.H. (11th and 12th centuries A.D.). The place has undergone frequent repairs and comprises a rampart, an ancient entrance, adequate fortifications, some Safavid structures, a mosque, and a building known as (Char-Fasl) or (Palace of four seasons). There are two inscriptions in this vast and magnificent construction, which are indicative of recent reparations. Both tablets bear the date 20th Azar 1337 S.H. year (1958 A.D.); one of these has been installed by the society for the Preservation of National Monuments and the other, by the Department of Archaeology. The next of the latter is as follows: (The Citadel of Bam, which was habitable and in a fairly good condition until a hundred and fifty years ago, has, according to (Hundud al-Alam) and other reliable sources that have come down to us from 4th century A.H. (10th century A.D.), been founded some 2000 years back, and has been repeatedly repaired thereafter. This commemorative tablet relates to the completion of the repairs of the watchtower and a part of the Governor`s residence. Azar 1337. Department of Archaeology. (Kerman is the heart of the world ...) so says Shah Nemat-ol-lah-e-vali, the well known sufi-poet of the 8th century A.H. (Heart of the world) is as old as the history itself. R. Frye in the Heritage of Persia ( London,1962) brings up the possibility that the Kermani or Germani tribe has given its name to the area of its residence. Berossus, the Chaldean historian ( 3rd cent. BC ) in his account of the fall of Babylon to Cyrus the Great says that the Persian. Shahanshah sent Nabonidus, the fallen Babylonian king, to exile in Kerman, where he resided till his death (Pirmia -Moshir- ol- Dowleh- Hassan. Iram-e-Bastan, Tehran, 1362). This, regardless of its historical accuracy, establishes Kerman as one of the major province of Iran, housing a population of 1,850,000. 190 Km to the south east of the city of Kerman, in the midst of the vast, endless, gray deserts, lies the ever-green city of Bam, the (Emerald of the Desert). This city with its extensive palm groves and citrus gardens is essentially an agricultural city, benefiting from very rich sub-terranean water reserves, surfacing through a great number of miles long (qanats), or sub-terranean aqueducts and water canals, in an area noted for the scarcity of water in it. The citrus fruits of Bam, its oranges, tangerines, its sweet lemons, are well known, and its dates, especially the (Mozafati) brand, a unique well known for its delicacy are of universal fame. Lately, while the opening of new international markets have revitalized the agricultural activities in the area, pumping new blood in its old veins, some industrial projects are to change the whole economic, and, therefore, social texture of the city, bringing it to the competitive world of the industrial age, with all its hassles turmoil,... and confusions, the new car manufacturing project of the (Kerman Automotive Industries Co.), being the most notable of all these projects. But Bam is known all through the world for a different aspect of it: Arg-e-Bam or the ancient citadel and the ruins of the ancient town surrounding it. This is one of the most splendid historical sites in the whole world: while most of the best known historical sites in the world, like Fars (Persepolis, Athen`s Acropolis, Rome`s forum and Coliseum, Paris` Versailles,... signify a limited period in history, Arg-e-Bam displays the imprints of 2000 continuous years of a dramatic, eventful history from its foundation, presumably during the Parathion period (250 BC - 224 AC), up until about 150 years ago when in the reign of Nasser-a-Din Shah Qajar (1831-1896, king 1548-1896) the ancient town was gradually deserted. This peculiarity has made estimation of the precise age of most parts of this historical complex rather difficult, sometimes even impossible. The legends have it that the city was founded by Bahman, the son of Esfandiar, one of the legendary kings in the Esfahnameh, corresponded to Ardashir the Long Armed (Artaxerexes Longimanus, 429 BC, king 464-424) son of Xerexes I, the Achamenide King-of-Kings. However, most of the historians refer to the story of (Haftvad) in the Shahnameh, or (Haptanbad) in the Karnamak-e-Ardashir-e-Papkan, a historically true story, as the story, and the date, of the foundation of Bam. If so, this date goes back to the late, or mid, Parathion period although a thorough scientific and archeological inspection of the site is still needed. There are some signs and indications like some Parathion coins found here - which make it a safe guess to assume that the nucleus part of the town and the citadel belonged to the Parthian period in its original form. Judging from the story of Haftvad` and also by comparing the ruins of Ghal-e-Do (the Maiden Fortress) to the north of Arg, and the original structure of the citadel, with the Parthian town model (like the ruins of Parthaunisa in Turkmenistan), it is obvious that originally the town and the residential quarters for the common people were located couple of miles to the west of the Arg, in the place of today`s Koozeran-corresponding the Kojaran of the Shahnameh and the adjacent Dehshotor quarters, while the residence of the governing prince was in the Ghal-e-Dokhtar, where, according to the Parthian- and maybe Achamenide-model, it was also the temple for the official court religion. There is an ornamental figure carved on the wall of an altar on the eastern side of Ghal-e-Dokhtarl which resembles very much to a similar figure on the altar of another very important, hut, alas, a very little known site about 2 Km to the east of the Arg, known as (Char Taghi`. As the story goes, after Haftvad rebelled against the governing prince and killed him, he made a citadel and a fortress on a rock-hill to the west of the town, corresponding to the present site of the Arg. After Haftvad was defeated and killed by Ardashir, the victorious king destroyed the main citadel in the fortress and built a fire-temple in it instead, which, it is believed, was turned into the existing main observation tower and the Char-Fasl building in the Islamic period. In any event, 2000 years of history, with all its ups and downs, with all its wars, internal strives, periods of peace, of calm, of blooming, of blood, of destructions, of developments, of massacres,.., have left their imprints on this site of history which cries out the transient nature of (being) and the external essence of the universe. Walking through the ruins of the Arg, one feels as if every broken wall, every pass-way where people of centuries have walked through, where horses of history have run through, every little stone, every molecule of earth, recites along with Khayyam: Think, in this battered Carvanserai Whose Doorways are alternate Night and Day How Sultan after Sultan with his romp Abode his Hour or two, and went his way The ruins of the Arg as a whole are so interesting, remarkable and mind arousing that it takes more than one visit to absorb and to appreciate the historical significance of the details. An attempt to introduce different parts of the Arg would require a huge volume. However, as Mulffna says, (if the whole sea can`t be taken in, one may drink as much as his thirst would allow.`; so, here`s some very brief descriptions of` some of the more interesting parts: 1- The main (southern) gate: This is the only remaining gate of at least four gates. 2- The Bazaar or the main market place: Right after passing through the gate you enter a pass-way about 60 meters long which used to be the main bazaar of the town. Presumably built in the Safavid period, it had been a roofed bazaar, built, as it was the usual practice in the Safavid period, on a predrawn plan provided by the government. This bazaar, which apparently was active up until early 14th cent. A.H. (early 20Lh cent. A.D.), had replaced some other ancient bazaars of the town, like the (Pol-e-Gargan), which Moghadassi (late 4th cent. AH, 10th cent. AD) has mentioned in Ahsan-al-Taghasim, but its whereabouts are obscure now. It is noteworthy that Bam was a male commercial and trading town on the famous (Spice Road), a major tributary of the (Silk Road), connecting India, the Indian Ocean, the Omman - or the Arabian-sea, and the Persian Gulf to that main road of wealth of wealth and trade in the middle Ages. Bam was also a major center of textile industry in those days, known for its differnt fine fabrics all through the Islamic world. 3- The Grand Mosque, which was originally built in the Saffari period, 3rd. cent. AH (9th cent. AD), according to Prof. Pope, has gone through major changes in different periods. 4- The Stables and the Garrison or the Armory, both presumably built in the Saljouq or the Timurid period (6th or 8th cent. AH, 13th or 15th cent. AD). 5- The governor`s quarters and the Chahar-Fasl (Four Seasons) Building, and also the main observation tower, presumably belonging to the Safavid period (early 10th cent, mid 12th cent. AH, early 16th cent., mid 18th cent. AD) in their present forms. It is thought that the Chahar-Fasl and the main observation tower were originally a fire-temple of the pre-Islamic period. These were some very fragmentary notes on just some of the more important parts of the Arg; as I said a rightful introduction of different parts of the Arg, even a thorough introduction of only the parts mentioned, would require a huge volume, as huge as the history itself, for this, the Arg, is the history itself. Let us just watch, and pass very gently by these ruins, because every spot that you put your foot on, there may lie a king, a swordsman, an old sage, a lover, a mother... Be careful, beware… Atashkadeh in Yazd province The most important Zoroastrian fire temple, Atashkadeh (located on a hill in a small garden on the east side of Ayatollah Kashani St.) is open to the public from 08:00 to 11:00 am and 02:30 to 04:30 Pm Saturday to Thursday, expect holidays. There is no entrance fee, but donations are welcomed. It is surrounded by evergreen trees and a large round pool in the courtyard which gives a clear reflection of the temple for artistic photography. The sacred flame behind a glass visible from the small museum inside has, according to the Zoroastrian elder in attendance here, been burning since about 470 AD and was transferred from its original site in 1940. This attracts Zoroastrians from around the world, and there will probably be someone who speaks English to explain things to you. There are also a couple of paintings here, including one of Zoroastrian, Architecturally, there are certain similarities between this fire-temple and those of Iranian Zoroastrians. There are plenty of other Zoroastrian sites such as Qoleh Asadan (the Fortress of Lions) in the far northeast of Yazd, and the most important one, Chak Chak (see below), 52 km to the north. Azadi Tower in Tehran province This tower which represents the city of Tehran is part of Azadi cultural complex which is located in Tehran`s Azadi square in an area of some 5 hectares. This complex is composed of the following sections; The 50 meter high Azadi tower, which forms the main part of the museum and its architecture, is a combination of Islamic and Sassanid architecture style. The audio - video hall of the complex which has been designed based on Iran`s geographical map displays the regional characteristics of Iran in so far as cultural, life style, religious and historical monuments are concerned. A mechanical conveyer About Eram Garden in Fars province BAGH-E ERAM, a famous and beautiful garden at Shiraz. Its site close to the embankment of the Rudkhana-ye Kushk was formerly on the northwestern fringe of the city but is now well inside the greatly expanded urban area. The present garden and mansion are not very old but, like the other famous gardens of Shiraz, may well have replaced an earlier foundation. D. N. Wilber surmised that its antecedent may have been the Bag-e Shah mentioned in accounts o seed (Fasa`i, II, p. 164). Forsat Shirazi, a contemporary of Fasa`i, praised the Bag-e Eram for its beautiful flowers, refreshing air, tall cypresses (a stately, beautiful cypress tree there known as sarv-e naz has long been a major tourist attraction), fragrant myrtles, flowing wa of the constructional work and praises of the then owner Nasir-al-Molk. After the coup detat of 1332 5./1953 and the exile of the Qashqa`i brothers, who in the meantime had regained ownership of the Bag-e Eram, the government confiscated the garden and later on gave it to Pahlavi University (now the University of Shiraz). Duringthis period the former mud walls were replaced with iron railings, old trees were cut down to make room for lawns, and a broad street named Eram Boulevard was laid out on the northwest side. Early during the revolution of 1357 5./1978-79. The Qashqa`is repossessed the garden; shortly afterward its owner Khosrow Khan dedicated it to the people of Shiraz. The garden has now been made into a botanical garden and the mansion has been assigned to the Faculty of Law of the university. Bibliography: Mohammad-Nasir Forsat Shirazi, Atar-e `Ajam, Bombay, 1313/1895, repr. 1353/1934. D. N. Wilber, Persian Gardens and Garden Pavilions, Tokyo, 1962; tr. Mahindokht Saba, Bagha-ye Iran kuska-ye an, Tehran, 1348 5./1969. R. Pechere, -Etude de jardins historiques, in UNESCO, Iran, March, 1973. Mohammad-Taqi Mostafawi, Eqlim-e Pars, Tehran, 1343 5./1964; tr. R. N. Sharp, The Land of Pars, Chippenham, England, 1978, p. 315. Eram garden is located in the center of Shiraz on the side of Eram Street. A leader of the Qashqai tribe known as Mohammad Ali Khan Ilkhani during the early 18th century made this garden. About 75 years later, Nasirolmolk bought the garden and Haj Mohammad Hassan, the prominent architect built its three storey building. This monument is a masterpiece from the Qajar dynasty in so far as architecture, painting, carvinf, tiling and stuccowork are concerned. The lower sections of the building`s exterior are formed of 2 - meter - high plain and carved stones and on the eight columns there is the exihibt of two Qajar soldiers ans six inscriptions. The inscriptions have been inscribed by Mirza Ali Naghi Khoshnevis in Nastaligh style of writing. In the portal of the building there are three large and two small sessions. The spring, which flows in the waterfronts, right in the middle of the building pours into ponds and grants Eram garden a great appeal. The cypress tree in this garden is quite famous. Bagh-e-Fin (Fin Garden) in Esfahan province The Bagh-i-Shah of Fin is a palace that combines the architectural features of the Safavid, Zandiyeh and Qajar periods. It is famous for its abundant water-supply (Cheshmeh Sulaimani), a garden thick with trees, a pool with numerous spouts, and an old historical bathing-house (where Amir Kabir was murdered.) The original construction of the park and the Suffehs are attributed to the reigns of Shah Safi and Shah Sulaiman, the Safavid monarchs, which later on have been expanded and repaired under other Safavid kings. The present remains consist of two suffehs known as Shah Abbassi and Fath Ali Shahi, a structure called Karim Khani, and its famous bathing-house In a part of the park, a building has been museum is housed. The Shah Abbassi suffeh is actually a two-story building which is situated almost at the centre of the park facing the impressive portal. At the center of the suffeh, there is a beautiful pool. Upon the walls and on the ceiling of the suffeh, traces of Safavid color paintings can be seen. These paintings include views of hunting-grounds, portraits of princes, etc The frieze of the suffeh is of marble, of which only some fragments have survived. The other covered suffeh, known as Fath Ali Shahi has been constructed in A.H. 1226 (A.D. 1811), and in the interior of this structure, these exist some paintings depicting different sceneries as well as a plaster inscription in Nastaliq script. Most of the verses included in it have disappeared. The poet`s name is Khavari and that of the calligrapher, Muhammad Taqi Husseini who has done the work in A.H. 1226 (A.D. 1811). The present portal of the park belongs to the Qajar period, around which remains of a guard-house and some other structures can be seen. On the whole, the Bagh-i-Shah of Fin counts amongst the most beautiful ancient parks of Iran as regards its location, a bountiful fountain called Sultani, numerous old trees, tall cypresses, pools and streams of flowing water and numerous spouts. Chahar Bagh in Esfahan province The American scholar, Arthur Upham Pope, whose monument A Survey of Persian Art in six volumes is indispensable to all students of that subject, describes this Madrasa as (perhaps the last great building in Iran). It was built between 1706 and 1714 during the reign of Shah Sultan Hussein, the last of the Safavids. The Shah`s mother is said to have paid for the building and also for the adjoining carvanserai which was to provide the School`s endowment and which Yas converted in 1962-65 into what perhaps the most surprising and luxurious hotel in the Middle East. The great tiled dome over the sanctuary at the north end of the building is covered with large arabesques in yellow, black and white against a brilliant turquoise background. Round the drum runs a band of contrasting lapis lazuli blue decorated with whitecalligraphic inscriptions. The brilliance of coloring of the dome and minarets is emphasized by the Khaki-colored brick work below. Lord Curzon, statesman and traveler, whose Persia and the Persian Question, published in1892, is a mine of individual information, described the Madrasa as (one of the stateliest ruins that I saw in Persia). However, it has been skillfully restored and is still used as a mosque, though no longer as a seminary. Darvazeh Bagh e Melli in Tehran province This imposing brick gateway, decorated with high Haft Rangi tiles, was built in 1922 by command of Reza Khan when he was minister of War. It faces what it used to be the Ministry of War, an old Qajar building a few hundred yards to the north; the space between was for many years a big military parade ground, the Maidan-i-Mashq, but has now been built over. On the right through the gateway are the large police headquarters, built in neo-Achaemenian style during Reza Shah`s reign; on the left a museum completed in 1967, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Apart from numerous faience inscriptions, the tiling on both sides of the gateway illustrates military subjects such as machine guns and soldiers. The main faience inscription over the central arch, which is crowned by a chamber where military music was played, is an Arabic and records well-known words of the Prophet Muhammad as quoted by the Imam Reza. Another inscription states that the gateway`s wrought-iron work was made in the Tehran arsenal. Delgosha Garden in Fars province In southern entrance of Tang-e-Sadi in Shiraz, and beneath Nodar castle, there is a large garden, which is known as Delgosha. The garden is composed of a very large ground area located alongside the Boustan avenue which leads to the tomb of Sa`di. The walls of the garden is made of mud but the entrance portel is made of clay brick. From the entrance of the garden to the building, which is located in the center of the garden, there is a waterfont and a cement street. Four streets have been constructed round the building leding to the walls of the garden. On the sids of some of these streets there are cypress and pine trees. Orange, palm and walnut trees have been planted in other parts of the garden. There is a large pond right in front of the building. This building has been erected on a platform and the lower part of the walls is covered with plain stone. The building inside the garden comes in three stories and the portal is decorated with glaze tiling. The doors of some of the rooms are quite old. There is an octagonal structure on the first floor in the center of which is located a pond covered with blue tiles. The ceiling of the building is a simple dome in the middle of which there is a vent. There are four royal rooms with four angels on the sides of the octagonal structure. Dowlatabad Garden in Yazd province The heat is blistering in the south, on the edge of the Great Desert. High chimneys acting as air-vents bring some comfort to these dwellings. This is a complex built according to the original Iranian architectural style and consists of a large garden and some buildings. Being watered by a qanat, until the very recent past it was used for the residence of the provincial governor, The most impressive part of the Complex are a 33-meter high bad-gir (wind tower) on the roof and a water stream in the interior. The air was conducted into the interior and cooled through the action of the flowing water. Lattice doors and windows with stained glass patterns impart a pleasing sight to the Complex. About Ganjali Khan Complex in Kerman province Ganjali Khan was one of the famous rulers during the reign of Shah Abbas. As the ruler of Kerman province he constructed many monuments and buildings. Ganjali Khan complex is composed of a school, a square, a caravanseray, a public bath, a water reservoir, a mint house, a mosque and a bazaar. A number of inscriptions laid inside the complex indicate the exact date when these places have been built. Out of Ganjali Khan complex, the Khan public bath located in the grand bazaar of Kerman serves as an anthropology museum today and attracts an increasing number of Iranian and foreign tourists. This is a unique work of architecture with beautiful tile works, paintings, stuccos, and arches. The bath rendered service no later than 60 years ago. In the closet section and main yard of the bath there are many statues which are unbelievably interesting. These statues were designed at Tehran University`s faculty of fine arts in 1973 and then transferred to this museum. This complex has been built during the Safavid era (1499 - 1723 AD) enjoying a modern architectural style of the time. This bath is an association of architecture and application of an array of constructional materials in an appropriate space with totally popular approaches. The architect of the bath and the complex is a master from Yazd city named Mohammad Sultani. About Ghara Church in West Azarbaijan province This church, which is the graveyard of Saint Thaddaeus, was built during the 8th centery AD in Chaldoran village (near Maku) at the foot of a hill. Black and white stones were applied in the construction of this church, but it was restored during the 13th century AD after it was destroyed as a result of an earthquake. The martydom anniversary of Saint Thaddaeus, is a day when special rituals are performed in the church and this place is one of the most important places of worship for the Iranian Armenians. The dome of the church resembles a pyramid with 12 buttresses and the eastern exterior has been decorated with black stone and that is one reason why the church is called Ghara Kelisa, meaning black church. In the eastern and ancient side of the church which belongs to the 10th centery, there is a courtyard and preaching hall on the entrance of which an inscription in Armenian presents some details about the main building and other inscriptions indicate that the building of the church was repaired in 1814 AD on the order of crown prince Abbas Mirza Qajar. In various interiors and exteriors of the church there are relief exhibits which demonstrate religious meetings, the picture of the saints and the scenes of the historical tales of the holy book along with numerous decorative and ornamental designs, all with great worth and value from the artistic and archaeological point of view. About Golestan Palaces in Tehran province During the reign of the Safavid Shah Abbas I, a vast garden called Chahar-Bagh (Four Gardens), a governmental residence and a Chenaristan (a grove of plane trees), had been created on the present site of the Golestan Palace and its surroundings. Then, Karim Khan Zand (1163-1193 = 1749-1779 A.D.) ordered the construction of a citadel, a rampart and a number of towers in the same area. In the Qajar period, some royal buildings were gradually erected within the citadel; for instance, in 1268 A.H. (1813 A.D.) which coincided with the fifth year of the Nasir al-Din Shah, the eastern part of the royal garden was extended and some other palaces were built around the garden, called palaces the Golestan Garden. The group of palaces located in the northern part of the Golestan Garden, consists of the Museum Hall (Talar-i-Brilian), the Ivory Hall, the Crystal Hall, and the Talar-i Narinjistan (orangery hall), which have all been built prior to the construction of the other parts of the palace. The Museum Hall has been built in 1296 A.H. (1878 A.D.). In the upper section of the Royal Reception Hall of the Golestan Palace, there is a large bejeweled golden throne, called Takht-i- Tavus (The Peacock Throne), which must be the same as the Solar Throne (Takht-i Khorshidi). The Qajar`s royal residence, the oldest substantial building in the city, and one of a group of royal buildings then enclosed within mud walls known as the Arg, the Golestan Palace (Rose Garden), too, was completed by Fath Ali Shah Qajar. However, its construction is attributed to the Safavid Shah Abbas I. Nasser ad-Din shah, influenced by what he had seen during his first European tour in 1873, added a Museum in the from of a large, first-floor hall decorated with mirror work, where some of the priceless Crown jewels were put on show side by side with many other things of much less value, mainly acquired by the King during his European tour. The coronation ceremonies of the last two kings of the Pahlavi dynasty took place in the first-floor hall, however, after a re-arrangement, complete renovation and redecoration of the interior with the intention of reviving the palace`s ancient splendor. The last King used to hold New Year and Birthday Salams in the Coronation Hall, where Ministers, foreign Ambassadors and other dignitaries in full dress offered their congratulations to the King of Kings. But generally, the Golestan Place is open to strollers and tourists. The Palace garden offered an oasis of coolness and silence in the heart of the city, Shade is provided by what the inhabitants of Tehran call (the finest plane tree in town), rose bushes, blue fountain-bowls and ancient of water recall the charm of ancient Iranian gardens. Altogether, here you will see little more of the palace than the visitor hoping for a tour around Buckingham Palace who is fobbed off with the Royal Gallery. But while the state-rooms of the Palace may appeal to some others will turn to the Palace Library for the discovery of Iranian paintings, which owes its relative lack of popularity to the inaccessibility of originals scattered from Cleveland to Istanbul, from Washington`s Freer Gallery to ST Petersburg, and from the British Museum to Cairo`s National Library. Address: 15th Khordad Square. About Gonbad-e Harounieh in Khorasan province In the vicinity of Mashhad, in the town of Tus, the birth place of Iran`s great epic poet Ferdowsi, there is a quadrangular mausoleum covered with a cupola, whose construction has been attributed to the 8th century A.H. (14th century A.D.). The cupola is of the double- covering type and is made of kin-fired brick. The interior of the monument is simple and undecorated. There is a mihrab with plaster moldings in the northern part of the hall. Above the main wall of the structure, there are a number of chambers, reminiscent of the construction of the mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar and Oljaitu. About Hafez (Hafezieh) in Fars province The celebrated Hafez was born in Shiraz in 1326 A.D. in Shiraz. He is said to have known all the Koran by heart, hence earning the nick-name of Hafez (Memorizer). With Ferdowsi he ranks as the most popular and best known poet in Iran. His collection (divan) consists of 693 poems, of which 573 are odes. There are many who consider this modest work as the greate masterpiece of Persian Literature. His tomb in Shiraz is visited by so many admirers that it may be regarded as a shrine. Hafez spent most of his life in Shiraz and was buried in the Mosalla garden on the banks of the Roknabad stream, which he often celebrated in his poems. His mausoleum becomes a forum for musicians and poets. Have known all the Koran by heart, hence earning the nickname of Hafez (Memorizer). With Ferdowsi he ranks as the most popular and best known poet in Iran. His collection (Divan) consists of 693 poems, of which 573 are odes. There are many who consider this most work as the greatest masterpiece of Persian literature. So many admirers that it may be regarded as a shrine visit his tomb in Shiraz. Ibrahim Khan This Public Bath (Hammam) and bazaar have been created by the zeal and generosity of Ibrahim Khan, Governor of Kerman, and belong to the 13th century A.H. (19th century A.D.), and the Qajar period. About Harun-e-Velayat in Esfahan province The construction of Harun-e-Velayat or Haruniyeh is composed of a cupola, a tomb-box, two courtyards and two portals beautifully ornamented with mosaic tiles. It has been erected in 918 A.H. (1512 A.D.), in the reign of the Safavid monarch, Shah Ismail, and has later been repaired under other sovereigns of the same dynasty. Its tileworks have earned this monument a well-deserved place among Isfahan`s historical remains. Innumerable inscriptions in different calligraphic styles, set on mosaic tile background, are found in this monument, including the inscription of its ancient stone through. Some lines of verse from the Safavid and Qajar times can also be seen in the mausoleum and the porch. The superb tile-decorated cupola of the monument also bears an inscription in Kufic around its base. About Hasht Behesht in Esfahan province The Hasht Behesht (The Eight Paradise Palazzo) is an octagonal structure, typical of many royal palaces in Isfahan. Commissioned by Shah Sulieman, it was built about 1669 (about A.H. 1081). The garden, is visible at all times through the great arches, is an integral part of the structure. The domed ceiling of the main reception room is painted in purple on a glittering gold base, while above the windows, in the lantern dome, fragments of mirror sparkle in the light. Painting on the outer blind arches. Painted tile designs of birds, animals, and hunting scenes, found on the spandrels of the outer blind arches, enliven the facades of the Hasht Behesht in Isfahan. Hunting was a favorite pastime of the Shahs. Seven days before the court`s departure for a hunting trip the tents, rugs, gold services, and other prerequisites for the camp were sent off. From five to seven thousand camels were needed to transport this equipage. The splendor of these hunting camps may be judged from the fact that each nobleman was allotted some five hundred square feet for his tent. Under the silk-lined canopies were rooms for his harem, a bath, and a reception hall. The interiors were carpeted, strewn with soft cushions and draped in shimmering brocades. Pools and waterways adorned the site, and flowers blossomed in these (gardens for a day or two.) The ceiling in a second floor reception room of the Hasht Behesht glistens with mirror decoration. The Hasht Behesht enhanced Chardin, writing in 1676. (When one walks in this place expressly made for the delights of love, and when one passes through all these cabinets and niches, one`s heart is melted to such an extent that, to speak candidly, one always leaves with a very ill grace. The climate without doubt contributes much towards exciting this amorous disposition; but assuredly these places, although in some respects little more than cardboard castles, are nevertheless more smiling and agreeable than our most sumptuous palaces.) About Jebellieh in Kerman province In the eastern section of Kerman city toward the Saheb-ol-Zaman mosque there is a stone - made dome known as Kobra dome. The dome`s plan is octagonal and on each side there are many arch vaults. There is no precise information on the construction date and application of the monument. The architectural style of the monument, however, suggests that the dome can be attributed to late Sassanid era (266 - 651 AD), which has been later repaired during early Islamic period. About Ganj Nameh in Hamedan province On the gigantic rocks of Alvand mountain, the two Achaemenid kings namely Darius the first and Xerxes (522 - 484 B.C.) have described their conquests in an inscription carved in the stone asking for help from Ahuramazda. The later generations who could not read the cuneiform alphabets of the ancient Persian, Elamite and Babilian scripts thought it was the guide to an uncovered treasury. Ganj Nameh is located five kilometers from southwestern Hamadan (the ancient Ecbatana) which served as the capital of he Medes and Achaemenids, in a region called Abbas Abad. There are two plate inscriptions, one on the right side embracing the name of Xerxes and the one on the left embracing the name of Darius the Great. The translation of the text of the right side plate attributed to Xerxes is as follows : (The mighty lord is Ahuramazda, the god of gods, who created this land, the sky and the people, the same god who brought people happiness, who appointed Xerxes as king, the unique king of kings, the unique ruler of the rulers, I am Xerxes, the great king, king of kings, king of multinational countries, king of this large land, the son of Darius the Achaemenid.) This translation corresponds with part of the inscription attributed to Xerxes at the main entrance of Persepolis and the other plate inscription of Ganj Nameh attributed to Darius the first, the father of Xerxes, had the same sentences with the difference that instead of Xerxes it has the name of Darius. These two plates too, similar to the majority of inscriptions by the Achaemenid kings include greetings to Ahuramazda and the fathers and forefathers of these kings. About Khaju Bridge in Esfahan province The Bridge of Khaju or pole-i-Khaju, the most famous of Isfahan bridges, has roused the admiration of travelers since the 17th century. There was an earlier bridge across the river at the same spot, near the district of Khaju on the old Shiraz road; this was probably built in the reign of Timurian sovereign, one of the successors of Tamerlane (15th century). Shah Abbas II built the present structure round about 1650. It has 23 arch and are 436 feet long and 39 feet wide. It is also a dam; sluice gates between the piers closed the canals, raising the water level upstream so that large reserves could be collected for irrigating the surrounding gardens. With its two stories of arcades with intersecting arches, its stone steps downstream with the water cascading over them, and its two large pavilions in the center- (The Prince` Parlors)- this bridge is a masterpiece of balance and harmony. The outer side of the arcades is decorated with richly colored tiles, and the interior of the pavilions with more recent paintings. Shah Abbas the second of the Safavid dynasty on the ruins of Hassan Baik Bridge in 1650 or 1655.The bridge has been known with a variety of titles including Pol-e-Shahi, Pol-e-Khaju, Pol-e-Baba Rokneddin, and Pol-e-Gabrha built this bridge. The bridge is 105 meters long and 14 meters wide. The pass way of the bridge is 7.5 meters wide, made of bricks and stones with 21 larger and 26 smaller inlet and outlet channels. The pieces of stone used in this bridge are over 2 meters long and the distance between every channel and the ceiling base is 20 meters. The existing inscriptions suggest that the bridge was repaired in 1873. Khan School This historical monument is situated in Shiraz city. This building was constructed by Allah Verdi Khan and his son in the Shah Abbas period. This place, which used to be a theological school, has been restored several times. About Khatoon Bridge in West Azarbaijan province This bridge was constructed at 2 km. southeast of Khoy on the river which is 40 km. from Khoy - Salmas Road in the years 1170-1200 AH., under the orders of Ahmad Khan Donbeli. The bridge is made of brick and is 59.40 m. in length, 8.70 m. in width, and 6.48 m. in height. The bridge has undergone repair in recent years. Anahita Temple in Kermanshah province This temple belongs to the Seleucides (313 - 64 BC - ) and has been built in Kangavar city. The architectural structure of this temple is a combination of the Greek and Persian styles and as its name suggests is related to Anahita, the daughter of Din Mehr, who enjoyed a very high status with the ancient Iranians. The temple is as old as 200 B.C. Today houses and streets have been built on the surface of this monument and only part of the temple has remained intact because it neighbors Imamzadeh mosque. About Masouleh in Gilan province Although regions to the south of the Caspian Sea are mainly covered with mountainous and traditionally virgin villages and settlements, but one can not help mentioning Masuleh, 56 km. southwest of Rasht and 1050 meters above sea level, which is actually the most breathtakingly beautiful village here. Approached from Rasht via Fuman by a dramatic pass and completely surrounded by forest, this perfectly preserved village appears to have grown out of its surrounding like a limpet clinging to a rock. It`s formed of several irregular levels of terraced, pale cream houses with gray state roofs, interspersed with evergreen trees. So steep is the slope that the familiar Iranian network of narrow alleys is entirely absent, andinstead the flat roof of each levelof houses forms a pathway for thelevel above. The village has few facilities to offer the visitors, but its in spiring setting makes it a perfect antidote to travel in the dry and dusty central plateau, and well worth a day trip from Rasht. It`s bitterly cold in winter, with snow sometimes three meters deep, but the climate in summer is extremely pleasant and bracing. About Minar Jonban in Esfahan province The tombstone of Amu Abdollah bears the Hijrah date of 716 A.H. (1316 A.D.) and two minarets, one on either side of the mausoleum ivan, from the main attraction of this place, since any movement produced in one of them is automatically reflected not only in the other minaret, but even in the whole ivan. Hence, the popular name (Minar-i Jonban). The architectural style of the monument is that of the Mogul period. The ivan of the mausoleum has been ornamented with four-pointed and polygonal azure tiles, and an inscription on the tombstone reads as follows: (This is the tomb of the virtuous,god-fearing Sheikh, Amu Abdollah ibn Muhammad ibn Mahmud Saqla, my God less his soul. Dated (17th Zil-Hijja, 716 A.H.). One of the stunning historical buildings in Isfahan is Menarjonban which is located 6 kilometers west of the city of Isfahan, on the way to Najaf Abad in a village called Karlatan. The architectural style here belongs to the 14th century (Mongol style) complemented with dark blue tiles in the form of stars decorating two arches and the sides of the portico. If you climb up the very narrow stairway to the top of one of these two shaking minarets and lean hard against the wall it will start to sway back and forth, and so will its twin. This situation, according to experts has occurred gradually with the passage of time. About Naghsh-e Jahan in Esfahan province On the present site of Maidan-i-Imam before Isfahan became the Safavid capital, there used to be another square called naqsh-i-Jahan (Design of the world), much smaller than the square today. It was Shah Abbas the Great who made Isfahan his capital and then decreed that the square should be extended to its present size, and lovely buildings set around it. The length of this great square, which is actually rectangular, is 500 meters from north to south, and its width about 150 meters from east to west. It was laid out and beautified in the reign of Shah Abbas the Great, at the beginning of the seventeenth century. From that time until sixty years ago the square presented a very different aspect from the square to day. The whole area of the square within the limits of the water channels round it was quite level, while to the north and south stood two goal posts for the game of polo. Those two goals posts are still in position but replanning with large pool in the center, and lower beds round has transformed the square and given it a completely new look. Most of the buildings round are two-storied and the alcoves simply decorated. To the south of Maidan can be seen the great pile of Abbasi Jami (Masjid-i-Shah) - the Royal Mosque a vista of blue, - to the east is Sheikh Lutf Allah Mosque quite unequaled - to the west the royal palace of Shah Abbas the Great, Ali Qapo and to the north the Qaysariyeh gateway leading to the Royal Bazaar. The most noteworthy feature of the square is the way in which in sunshine and shade and the varying lights of the day, the whole wonderful expanse takes on a hundred different aspects each more attractive and lovely. If, as some foreign travelers have said, (Isfahan is the heart of the Orient), then Maidan-i-Imam is certainly the heart of Isfahan. We can still appreciate its wonder on viewing it today, but imagination is needed to recapture the glory of four centuries ago. Let us try to imagine Isfahan four centuries ago. First place a hundred and ten cannons a hundred and ten paces from each side of the entrance to Ali Qapo palace, for a hundred and ten computed in the ancient letters gives the name of the Prophet`s son-in-law, Ali, who was especially venerated by the Safavid King. The palace itself has all the dazzling beauty of the period, lovely doors and all kind of expensive objects and furnishings. Shah Abbas, of the piercing glance, sits there, surrounded by all the important personalities and ambassadors of the day, Persians and foreigners, and from the lofty gallery views the polo and other maneuvers of his Qezelbash guards below. This will give you some idea of Isfahan`s former greatness. The Qaysariyeh and the entrance of the Royal Bazaar, built in 1619, stand at the north end of the Maidan. The frescoes and painted pendentives of this gateway are still worth note. The frescoes, which picture the war of Shah Abbas, the Great with the Uzbecks, have faded badly in the air and sunlight, but the roof pendentives are still in good condition. Above the gateway here is some lovely mosaic tiling: these show the play of the star Sagittarius, the Archer, for in the old day eastern writers considered that Isfahan was under the influence of this star. The symbol of the archer shows a creature, half-man, half-tiger, with a large snake for its tail and this is depicted in the tilework here. The doorway of the Qaysariyeh opens into the Royal Bazaar, where you can find all kinds of hand-woven, hand-printed cloth being sold and you can also go in and see how the patterns are made and applied. This Bazaar has a wonderful painted crossroads, dating from Safavid times, the most beautiful and most important arches crossroads in Isfahan. At that same period, the upper galleries of the gateway used to contain bands of musicians and at sunset each evening the bands would strikes up, with kettle-drums, trumpets, horns and all kinds of military music. About Naghsh-e Rostam in Fars province About four kilometers from Haji Abad mountain on the northeast of Persepolis, there are some historical works belonging to Elamite, Achaemenid and Sassanid kings which are called Naghsh-e Rostam because of their grandeur and height. On the top of the mountain there are four tombs which are believed to be those of, Xerxes, Darius I Artaxerexes and Darius II, the Achaemenid kings. In the first relief which has been carved in the lower side of the mountain, Narssi, the son of Shapur I receives the royal ring from the symbol of Anahita. In this carving the clothing style, the crown, hairstyle, ornaments and the strips which were fastened to the ankles have been demonstrated. The second relief, which has been carved below the tomb of Darius the Great and includes two scenes, which have been separated by a relatively narrow line. Both scenes share similarities and the scene above demonstrates Bahram II (276 - 293 A.D) engaged in a battle with his foes. The third relief constitutes the biggest and the most luxurious carving of the Sassanid era in Naghsh-e Rostam and includes the victory of Shapur I (242 - 271 A.D.) over the Roman emperor Valerian. In this relief Shapur I is riding his horse in full glory and grandeur and the Roman emperor Valerian has bowed before him. Behind Shapur is seen the large inscription in Pahlavi plus the picture of the prominent and mighty Zoroastrian priest of his time. This inscription speaks of Shapur`s biography, background and endeavors for the reinforcement of the principles of the Zoroastrian faith. The fourth relief demonstrates the victory of Hormuz II, the Sassanid king (302 - 310 A.D.) who has crushed his enemy. The fifth relief shows the scene of the victory of Bahram II (276 - 293 A.D.) where the enemy of the king grips a broken lancer in his hand and his horse is down on the ground. The sixth relief demonstrates Bahram II,the Sassanid king in the company of his court people and viziers.The seventh relief which is one of the early reliefs of Naghsh - e -Rostam, displays Artaxerxes (226 - 242 A.D.) who is receiving the royal ring from Ahura Mazda. On the left has been carved Artaxerxes and to the right is Ahura Mazda, both riding horses. Under the hoof of Artaxerxes` horse has been carved a man who is said to be the last king of the Arsacids, and some others believe this man is a rival to Artaxerxes` throne. Nasir ol Molk This mosque is situated at the end of the Lotfali Khan-e-Zand Street. Nasirol Molk who was one of the elite of Shiraz, is the founder of this mosque. This mosque is unique for its tile work and architecture. The construction work of mosque began in 1293 AH. and was finally terminated in 1305 AH., by Mohammad Hassan Me`mar and Mohammad Reza Kashi Paz Shirazi . About Niasar fire temple in Esfahan province Niasar fire temple has been made of stone and lime and is a complete example of the architectural styles applied in the construction of the fire temples of the Sassanid era (841-1253). About Pasargade in Fars province This palace is 600 meters to the northeast of the Koorush shrine. The area of this palace is 2,620 square meters and includes a large hall (with eight columns) in the middle and four terraces in four directions and two rooms in the corners. To the east of the palace is Pasargadae, composed of a large hall with eight columns. There is a doorway on the north, east and western side of this hall. In the northern doorway, there is an impression of a winged human with two wings directed towards the sky and two wings to the bottom. Where as the hands are raised towards the sky in a gesture of prayer. This edifice with 3,427 square meters area, is located 15 km. northwest of the palace. The main hall has 30 columns made of white stone. A mass of black and white stones have been used as construction material. One of the characteristics of Pasargadae is the canals made of white stone, which were used, for irrigation. There are equally other remains distributed in the province, some registered as national heritage monuments. These include the ruins of the Achaemenian Dynasty (Saravan Village), the Dokhtar Palace (Rastaq Village) dating back to the 3rd century AD, the restored Sassanian Palace (Sarvestan) dating originally back to the time of Bahram Gour (year 420 AD), Ardeshir Babakan Palace (Marvdasht). About Persepolis (Takht-e-Jamshid) in Fars province On top of the rocky mountain of Rahmat in the plain of Marvdasht, the ruins of Takht-e-Jamshid palace are pre-eminent. Construction of these palaces started at the time of Darius I (521 BC) and was not completed in less than a period of 150 years. Takht-e-Jamshid is registered as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The entrance of the complex is formed by a two-ramp stairway composed of 110 rather wide and short steps. On top of the stairways is the main entrance or `The Great Gate`, marked by two statues of a bull with a human head and a pair of wings. There are two exits, one to the south and the other to the east. The south exit or gate connects to the Apadana Palace. Takht-e-Jamshid is 125 thousand sq.m. in area, and is composed of the main sections: - Official reception halls and palaces - Smaller and more private palaces - Royal treasury - Private fort and special fortification Various edifices or palaces that have been built are as follows: - The Small Palace or the Gate of All Nations - The Apadana Palace - The Palace of Darius,(one of the primary palaces constructed on the Takht-e-Jamshid rock, which was also called the `Tachar` Palace.) - Hall or palace of a Hundred Columns - The Semifinished Gate or palace - Treasury of Takht-e-Jamshid - The Three Doorway or Consultation Palace or Hall - The stone well - Tombs of Ardeshir II and III - The Palace of Khashayar Shah (called `Hadish`) Takht-e-Jamshid was set ablaze by Alexander the Greek (330 BC) after which only ruins have remained. From these ruins, the Apadana Palace, at the main entrance, with 36 columns and three balconies (12 columns in each) in the north, south and eastern sections of the palace have been remained. The northern and eastern terraces are connected to the gardens opposite. The height of the platform in the Apadana Palace is 16 m. and the height of its columns is 18 m. About Pir-e-Bakran Tomb in Esfahan province The tomb of Pir-e-Bakran, together with a gallery and courtyard date back to 8th. century A.H. (14th.century A.D.) and have been constructed in the reign of the Mogul Ilkhan Uljaitu. This complex of structures bears two dates, namely 703 and 712 A.H. (1303 and 1312 A.D.), and possesses excellent stucco decorations and tilework inscriptions in Thulth and Kufic calligraphy and a series of inscription plaster works add considerably to the grandeur and charm of this monument. The mausoleum is that of an eighth century pious man, Muhammad ibn Bakran and consists of a gallery, a courtyard, a portal and the actual tomb. The name of the constructor and decorator of this superb building, given in the inscription, is Mohammed Naghaash (the painter), and his work ranks among the masterpieces of the decorative arts in Iran. About Sad Abaad Palaces in Tehran province Known as the Saad Abad Cultural Complex, and bounded by Velenjak to the north and Kolak-Chal to the east, it occupies an area of 410 hectares. Actually, it is the greatest cultural complex in modern Tehran consisting of seven palace-museums (out of 18, turned into public museums after the revolution), not all open at the same time. However, they are clearly marked and signposted in English. With an area of some 410 hectares Saad Abad reaches Velenjak in the north, Tajrish square in the south, Darband region in the east, and the skirts of Kolak Chal heights in the west. During the Qajar era, Saad Abad was composed of seven districts. During the Pahlavi era some regions were annexed to it and in this manner the Saad Abad palace was extended. Saad Abad consists of 18 palaces, which were resided by the former Shah of Iran and his relatives. Following the revolution however seven palaces in Saad Abad were turned into museums and palace - museums open to public. These palaces included the White Palace (Nation Museum), Mother`s Palace (Museum of Reminiscence and Warning), Shahram (Museum of Military Implements), Shahnaz (Saad Abad Natural History Museum), Ministry of Court (Museum of Fine Arts), Shahvand Palace (Green Museum) and Shams Palace (Museum of Anthropological Research) About Serkis Church in Tehran province Construction of this splendid church, began in 1964 and finished in 1970. Serkis Church is located at Karim Khan Zand Boulevard. About Shamsolemareh Palace in Tehran province The Shams ol-Emareh which is one of the first high-rise buildings of old Tehran, Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar ordered Doostali Khan Nezam ol-Dowleh (Moayer al-Mamalek) to build it. He choose a site to the east of the Arg and finished the building in 1867 A.D. The building which was well planned and adorned with various decorations such as stucco, Ayaneh Karie, tile and murals is one of the most beautiful of Tehran`s historical buildings. Moayer al-Mamalek not only built with his own money, but bought also the carpets and furnishings and presented a complete building to Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar. This palace is located in the eastern section of Golestan palace and belongs to the era of Nassereddin Shah. The king was inspired in one of his visits abroad, by the multi - storey buildings he observed there. The building was constructed by Doost Ali Khan Moayerrol Mamalek in 1865 - 1867 . The structure of the building is strong and the symmetries have been formed beautifully. The building is brick made with thick walls. In some cases the thickness of the basement walls exceeds 600 centimeters and the thickness of the ground floor walls stands in the range of 510, 150 and 120 centimeters. Shamsol Emareh has been the tallest royal building with three stories and two towers on the top. This building used to serve as a place for official receptions and also the private harem of Nassereddin Shah. In his book entitled Meraat - ol - Boldan, Etemad - ol - Saltaneh describes its halls and chambers all equipped with high quality and premium curtains, chandeliers and posters. Address : Golestan palace complex, 15th Khordad Square About Mosque of Shaykh Lutf Allah in Esfahan province The Mosque of Shaykh Lutf Allah on the east side of Maydan-i-Imam (Naqsh-i-Jahan) is a pleasantly proportioned small sanctuary preceded by a shady square and a large pool It was built by Shah Abbas I between 1602 and 1619. It is named after scholar of Islam who was greatly venerated at the time. A native of Lebanon, this Shaykh was invited by the king, first to Mashhad, near the sanctuary of the Imam Reza, then to the capital where he has put in charge of the king`s mosque and the school of theology. The great originality of the cupola is due to the cream or ink according to the time of day-ground color to which the artist has added a very delicate decoration of serried arabesques and black and blue flowers. The turquoise and sapphire shades of classic Safavid art appear only on the drum and right at the top. The decoration of the entrance portal consists of vault with stalactite and blue and yellow mosaics, and anticipates that of the great ivans of the Imam`s Mosque. Here, however, the subjects are amazingly varied, as for instance on the panel showing two peacocks framing a flower vase filled with luxuriant branches. This small mosque has no central inner courtyard; there is only a small prayer hall which is approached by a corridor. But it is a real gem in which the art of mural mosaics in Isfahan reached its peak. There is not a flaw in the quality of the materials. The balance and harmony of the colors. The walls are entirely faced with sumptuous ornamental (carpets) of gilt geometrical designs on a splendid bluish-green background. All round the large panels are stringcourses on which the Persian calligraphers have drawn elegant white lettering. The inscription in the mihrab gives the name of the architect: a poor and humble man, seeking God`s mercy, called Ustad Mohammed Reza, the son of Ustad Hussein, architect in Isfahan in 1028 (of the hegira). The mihrab itself is a model of its kind with its high niche and ceramic facings. The entrance vestibule The decoration of the entrance portal consists of vaults with stalactites and blue and yellow mosaics, and anticipates that of the great ivans of the Imam`s Mosque. Here, however, the subjects are amazingly varied, as for instance on the panel showing two peacocks framing a flower vase filled with luxuriant branches. Polychrome tileworks The Safavid period marks a high point of the polychromatic decoration of buildings, techniques being developed that enable the builders of Isfahan to cover almost every surface that could be seen with brightly colored glazeness. Entrance to the Sanctuary To enter the Mosque, one passes hrough a narrow, bending passageway whose darkness confers an aura of mystery that contrast perfectly with the sudden impact of the softly lit spaciousness of the chamber. The Safavid period marks a high point of the polychromatic decoration of buildings, techniques being developed that enable the builders of Isfahan to cover almost every surface that could be seen with brightly colored glazeness. The Main Prayer Hall This small mosque has no central inner courtyard; there is only a small prayer hall which is approached by a corridor. But it is a real gem in which the art of mural mosaics in Isfahan reached its peak. There is not a flaw in the quality of the materials. The balance and harmony of the colors. The walls are entirely faced with sumptuous ornamental (carpets) of gilt geometrical designs on a splendid bluish-green background. All round the large panels are stringcourses on which the Persian calligraphers have drawn elegant white lettering. The inscription in the mihrab gives the name of the architect: a poor and humble man, seeking God`s mercy, called Ustad Mohammed Reza, the son of UstadHussein, architect in Isfahan in 1028 (of the hegira). The mihrab itself is a model of its kind with its high niche and ceramic facings. Dome of the Shaykh Lutf Allah Mosque This exquisite building, more private oratory than public mosque, was erected by Shah Abbas I between 1603 and 1618 on the Royal Maydan (Maydan-i-Imam) facing the Ali Qapo Palace. It is named after the Shah`s father-in-law who was a respected divine. There are a number of unusual features about the building: its squat and partly unglazed dome; the absence of a central court and ivans; the single sunken sanctuary chamber covered from top to bottom in mosaic faience of the highest quality. The 42 ft. wide dome rests on a drum pierced by 16 small windows, through whose double grilles the light plays. The tilework of the ceiling is perhaps the most intricate in Isfahan and has the quality of a finely woven carpet. The building was extensively and skillfully restored between 1954 and 1956. About Shazdeh Garden in Kerman province Some 42 kilometers south-east of Kerman, the road passes through Mahan, a town well known in the 10th century A.D., here is located the Shazdeh Garden (The Prince Garden). The edifice in the Garden was the summer residence of Qajar princes which is now restored and converted into a sumptuous restaurant. About Sho`ara Cemetery in East Azarbaijan province Known as the Shoara Cemetery, the Mausoleum is the resting place of many famous Iranian poets, mystic, scientists, and theologians. Bodies of ssadi Tousi, Khaqani Shervani, Zahir-e Faryabi, QatranTabrizi, Muhammad Shirin, Maqrebi, Homam Tabrizi, Salman Savoji, Falaki Shervani, Qazi Beizavi, and the celebrated contemporary poet of Tabriz, the late Muhammad Hussein Shahriyar are buried here. About Sialk Hills in Esfahan province Approximately 4,500 years BC., a community with an interesting civilization was settled in this area and their tools were of stone and bone. There is a possibility that the former residents of this region had succumbed to their successors. Here, Elamite slabs of clay have been found, and due to the links of this community with that of the civilization of Shoosh (Susa), about 5,500 years ago, they learned to write. Thereby, several clay slabs with the most ancient Elamite script are vestiges of this area. Evidences found in the cemetery between the two hillocks are related to the fresh immigrants to the Sialk Hill, which bears a strong resemblance to the discoveries in the Giyan Hillock of Nahavand and Khordin of Savoj Bollaq. About Si-o-Se pol in Esfahan province The Bridge of Allahverdi Khan across the Zayandeh Rud is a continuation of Chahar Bagh, the principal street in Isfahan. Built at the beginning of the 17th century at the order of Shah Abbas, it is named after the general-a famous war- chief- who was put in charge of the work. It is also called the Bridge of 33 Arches, or Si-o-Se Pol. It is 45 feet wide and 175 yards long but- although it is impressive looking- it does not have the same archaeological or aesthetic interest as the two other bridges farther downstream. This bridge is located in the southern end of Chahar Bagh Avenue in Isfahan and was named after its founder. It is also known as Jolfa bridge. The bridge is made of bricks and stones. It is 295 meters long and 13.75 meters wide. It is said that the bridge originally comprised 40 arches however this number gradually reduced to 33. According to numerous historical references concerning the buildings constructed during Shah Abbas the Safavid in Isfahan, it is so conceived that the construction work of this bridge was completed concurrent with the construction of Chahar Bagh in 1596. This bridge is called Si-o-Se Pol (in Farsi meaning 33 bridges) because it embraces 33 arches. About Tagh-e Bostan in Kermanshah province Only nine kilometers from Kermanshah city, there is Tagh-e-Bostan village with signs left in it from the Sassanid period (266 - 651 AD). One such sign is the coronation of the Sassanid kings which has been demonstrated on the rocks. On the left side of the reception of Artaxerxes the second`s coronation, there exist two vaults, a smaller one and a bigger one which belong to the Sassanids. The first vault which is the small one has been carved in the mountain during the reign of Shapur and includes two relief sculptures and two inscriptions in the Sassanid Pahlavi. According to the inscriptions the two pictures belong to Shapur the second. The smaller vault is of greater significance since the two inspcriptions have remained intact from events and act as introductions to the demonstrations of the vault.The bigger vault which contains more demonstrations and delicate carvings, has attracted the attention of historians. The mouth of the bigger vault is 7.4 meters; it is 7.17 meters deep and 9 meters high. This bigger vault belongs to the era of Khosrow the second known as Parviz. About Toghrol Tower in Tehran province The most ancient monument the town, Gonabad-e Sorkh or the Red Tower of 1147-8 AD, situated in the south west of the town, was built by the order of Sad Badim, the then ruler of Azarbaijan, according to a northern front Kuffic inscription. In the lower part of the structure, there is a crypt where a tomb can be seen. The monument is square; with its exceptionally beautiful blue tile and kiln-fired brick works and fine plaster moldings in a geometrical design. The entrance portal is on of the northern side of the structure, where seven steps lead to the tomb chamber and the crypt. Godard remarks on its historical importance for the first known appearance of glazed ornament on the exterior of a monument in northern Iran. The Red Tower also provides the most exciting solution in Iran to the problem of the squinch. It is not, of course, proven (too many monuments have been destroyed for us to tell) but it seems likely that the squinch- a corner arch connecting two walls at right angels – may be a Sassanian invention. If so, the dome of London`s Cathedral of St Paul`s (and all other domes before or since) is a development of this principle. The concept of squinch grew from the aesthetic urge to set a circular dome on square walls, squinches supporting the dome in each of the four corners. Roman engineers never solved this problem at all. Another outstanding decorative feature of the monument is the combination of turquoise colored and blue enameled tiles on a brick background. About Tower of Silence in Yazd province Dakhmeh or Qol-ye Khamushan (towers of Silence): These are three impressive buildings remaining from several other structures on hilltops outside and in the immediate vicinity of Yazd (about 15 km to the south-west) where the bodies of the dead Zoroastrians would be brought to the foot of the tower so that a ritual ceremony could be held in presence of the relatives and friends of the deceased. The body was then carried by the priests into the tower where it was laid on the flat stones on the ground –thus avoiding that earth, water, and fire, the divine elements be contaminated, the soul of the defunct person having already been by Ahura Mazda. In a short time the body would be torn apart by the passing vultures and crows. The bones were then thrown into a circular pit in the center of the tower. At the foot of the towers stand the remains of the buildings, which once served for the funerary ceremonies. When the towers were still used for Zoroastrian burials, only the priests were allowed into them. Nowadays, however, some of them have been opened to the public. Beneath the hill there are several other disused Zoroastrian buildings including a defunct well, two small bad-girs, a kitchen and a lavatory. The custom of exposing corpses in a tower of silence largely disappeared throughout the Zoroastrian world around 50 years ago, at about the same time that the eternal flame was transferred to the newly constructed Atashkadeh in the center of Yazd. As a matter of fact, the towers were used until 1987, after which all Zoroastrian dead were buried in the cemetery at the foot of the towers. The site can be reached only by taxi or private car. Vakil Bath It is located near the Vakil Mosque. Due to change in the conditions of public baths, it has lost its original shape. The Vakil Bath is a monument of the Zand period. About Vakil Bazaar in Fars province This bazaar is located in Darb-e-Shahzadeh (Gate of Prince), near the Vakil Mosque. It has five entrances with two rows of shops (Hojreh), situated north-south and east-west direction and perpendicular to each other. It displays a beautiful architecture with wide corridors and high ceilings along with openings which allow air circulation and penetration of light. About Vank Church in Esfahan province There are three churches in Julfa, of which the most important is the Vank church or (The Church of the Saintly Sisters). This church has been built in the reign of Shah Abbas II, in 1074 (1663 A.D.). It is most interesting as regards its architectural merits and tileworks. The Julfa Museum is also housed in this edifice. The portal inscription of the Church is an Armenian and contains the name of Shah Abbas II and other informative matter giving the Armenian calendar years of 1104 and 1113 (1692 and 1701 A.D.) as those of the start and completion of the construction. Other historical churches of Julfa include the church of Hakop, the church of George and the church of Mary. All savior`s cathedral (known as the Vank). Its design is very much similar to that of the domed sanctuary chamber of a Persian mosque, with the addition of a raised chancel and altar within a semi, octagonal apse. By contrast to its modest exterior, the cathedral`s interior is lavishly decorated. This cathedral is very famous among other of Isfahan in so far as the architecture and artistic decorations are concerned. Vank church was built on another church constructed in 1605 A.D. There are many inscriptions inside and outside the church whose contents invite the readers to pray for the constructor of the church and his descendants. The inscriptions also suggest that the church has been built in 1692. during the reign of Shah Abbas the second. About Veresk Bridge in Mazandaran province This bridge was constructed during the reign of Reza Shah, on the Veresk River in the vicinity of Savad Kooh. During world war II, it was reputedly known as the Pol-e-Piroozi, or the bridge of victory. The bridge is at an elevation of 110 m. and its arch measures 66 m. in length. The same is one of the master pieces of engineering to do with the railway track in northern Iran.

Iranian architecture

Architecture in "Greater Iran" has a continuous history from at least 5000BCE to the present, with characteristic examples distributed over a vast area from Syria to North India and the borders of China, from the Caucasus to Zanzibar. Persian buildings vary from peasant huts to tea houses, and garden pavilions to "some of the most majestic structures the world has ever seen".[1] Iranian architecture displays great variety, both structural and aesthetic, developing gradually and coherently out of prior traditions and experience. Without sudden innovations, and despite the repeated trauma of invasions and cultural shocks, it has achieved "an individuality distinct from that of other Muslim countries".[2] Its paramount virtues are several: "a marked feeling for form and scale; structural inventiveness, especially in vault and dome construction; a genius for decoration with a freedom and success not rivaled in any other architecture".[3] Traditionally, the guiding, formative, motif of Iranian architecture has been its cosmic symbolism "by which man is brought into communication and participation with the powers of heaven".[4] This theme, shared by virtually all Asia and persisting even into modern times, not only has given unity and continuity to the architecture of Persia, but has been a primary source of its emotional characters as well. In summary: "The supreme Iranian art, in the proper meaning of the word, has always been its architecture. The supremacy of architecture applies to both pre-and post-Islamic periods."[5] Fundamental principles A traditional pigeonhouse in Meybod, Yazd. Traditional Iranian architecture has maintained a continuity that, although frequently retarded or temporarily diverted by political internal conflicts or foreign intrusion, nonetheless has achieved a style that could hardly be mistaken for any other. In this architecture, "there are no trivial buildings; even garden pavilions have nobility and dignity, and the humblest caravanserais generally have charm. In expressiveness and communicativity, most Persian buildings are lucid-even eloquent. The combination of intensity and simplicity of form provides immediacy, while ornament and, often, subtle proportions reward sustained observation."[6] Underlying characteristics Iranian architecture is based on several fundamental characteristics. These are:[7] درون‌گرایی: Introversion (?) نیارش: structure(?) پیمون: homogeneous proportions(?) مردم‌واری: anthropomorphism (?) جفت و پادجفت: symmetry and anti-symmetry (?) پرهیز از بیهودگی: Minimalism (?) Categorization of styles A 19th century reconstruction of Persepolis, by Flandin and Coste.Overall, the traditional architecture of the Iranian lands throughout the ages can be categorized into the seven following classes or styles ("sabk"):[8] Pre-Islamic: The Pre-Parsi style The Parsi style The Parthian style Islamic: The Khorasani style The Razi style The Azari style The Isfahani style Materials Available building materials dictate major forms in trational Iranian architecture. Heavy clays, readily available at various places throughout the plateau, have encouraged the development of the most primitive of all building techniques, molded mud, compressed as solidly as possible, and allowed to dry. This technique used in Iran from ancient times has never been completely abandoned. The abundance of heavy plastic earth, in conjunction with a tenacious lime mortar, also facilitated the development of the brick.[9] The bi-millennium old citadel of Arg-é Bam: The world's largest adobe structure. The bi-millennium old citadel of Arg-é Bam: The world's largest adobe structure. Geometry Iranian architecture makes use of abundant symbolic geometry, using pure forms such as the circle and square, and plans are based on often symmetrical layouts featuring rectangular courtyards and halls. Design Ernst Herzfeld's depiction of Persian architectural column typology.Certain design elements of Persian architecture have persisted throughout the history of Iran. The most striking are a marked feeling for scale and a discerning use of simple and massive forms. The consistency of decorative preferences, the high-arched portal set within a recess, columns with bracket capitals, and recurrent types of plan and elevation can also be mentioned. Through the ages, these elements have recurred in completely different types of buildings constructed for various programs and under the patronage of a long succession of rulers. The columned porch, or talar, seen in the rock-cut tombs near Persepolis, reappear in Sassanid temples, and in late Islamic times it was used as the portico of a palace or mosque, and adapted even to the architecture of roadside tea-houses. Similarly, the gonbad on four arches, so characteristic of Sassanid times, is a still to be found in many cemeteries and Imamzadehs across Iran today. The notion of earthly towers reaching up toward the sky to mingle with the divine towers of heaven lasted through the 19th century, while the interior court and pool, the angled entrance and extensive decoration are ancient but still common features of Iranian architecture.[10] DevelopmentPre-Islamic architecture of Persia (Iran) See also: Parthian style (Iranian architecture) & Sassanid architecture It was not uncommon for ancient Iranian builders to make models such as this Adobe Ceramic maquette of a tower (dated 13th century BCE) in their work. Excavated at Chogha Zanbil, Iran.The pre-Islamic styles draw on 3-4 thousand years of architectural development from various civilizations of the Iranian plateau. The post-Islamic architecture of Iran in turn, draws ideas from its pre-Islamic predecessor, and has geometrical and repetiitve forms, as well as surfaces that are richly decorated with glazed tiles, carved stucco, patterned brickwork, floral motifs, and calligraphy. As such, Iran ranks seventh in the world in terms of possessing historical monuments, museums, and other cultural attractions[11] and is recognized by UNESCO as being one of the cradles of civilization.[12] The ruins of Persepolis, approximately 2500 years old. (see 3D modeling) Each of the periods of Elamites, Achaemenids, Parthians, and Sassanids were creators of great architecture that over the ages has spread wide and far to other cultures being adopted. Although Iran has suffered its share of destruction, including Alexander The Great's decision to burn Persepolis, there are sufficient remains to form a picture of its classical architecture. The Achaemenids built on a grand scale. The artists and materials they used were brought in from practically all territories of what was then the largest state in the world. Pasargadae set the standard: its city was laid out in an extensive park with bridges, gardens, colonnaded palaces and open column pavilions. Pasargadae along with Susa and Persepolis forcefully expressed the authority of The King of Kings, the staircases of the latter recording in relief sculpture the vast extent of the imperial frontier. With the emergence of the Parthians and Sassanids there was an appearance of new forms. Parthian innovations fully flowered during the Sassanid period with massive barrel-vaulted chambers, solid masonry domes, and tall columns. This influence was to remain for years to come. The roundness of the city of Baghdad in the Abbasid era for example, points to its Persian precedents such as Firouzabad in Fars.[13] The two designers who were hired by al-Mansur to plan the city's design were Naubakht, a former Persian Zoroastrian who also determined that the date of the foundation of the city would be astrologically auspicious, and Mashallah, a former Jew from Khorasan.[14] The ruins of Persepolis, Ctesiphon, Jiroft,[15] Sialk, Pasargadae, Firouzabad, Arg-é Bam, and thousands of other ruins may give us merely a distant glimpse of what contribution Persians made to the art of building. Post-Islamic architecture of Persia (Iran) Koochehs provided relief from dust storms and intense sunlight. This was an efficient and ancient form of urban design in Persia. Photo is from Kashan, Iran (Persia). The fall of the Persian empire to invading Islamic forces ironically led to the creation of remarkable religious buildings in Iran. Arts such as calligraphy, stucco work, mirror work, and mosaic work, became closely tied with architecture in Iran in the new era. Archaeological excavations have provided sufficient documents in support of the impacts of Sasanian architecture on the architecture of the Islamic world. Many experts believe the period of Persian architecture from the 15th through 17th Centuries to be the most brilliant of the post-Islamic era. Various structures such as mosques, mausoleums, bazaars, bridges, and different palaces have mainly survived from this period. Interior spaces in Persian architecture make optimal use of techniques for regulating light, temperature, and heat by usage of appropriate design and materials.Safavi Isfahan tried to achieve grandeur in scale (Isfahan's Naghsh-i Jahan Square is the 6th largest square worldwide) knowledge about building tall buildings with vast inner spaces. However, the quality of ornaments was decreased in comparison with those of the 14th cnd 15th centuries. In the old Persian architecture, semi-circular and oval-shaped vaults were of great interest, leading Safavi architects to display their extraordinary skills in making massive domes. Domes can be seen frequently in the structurae of bazaars and mosques, particularly during the Safavi period in Isfahan. Iranian domes are distinguished for their height, proportion of elements, beauty of form, and roundness of the dome stem. The outer surfaces of the domes are mostly mosaic faced, and create a magical view. In the words of D. Huff, a German archaeologist, the dome is the dominant element in Persian architecture. Another aspect of this architecture was the harmony it presented and manifested with the people, their environment, and their beliefs. At the same time no strict rules were applied to govern this form of Islamic architecture. The great mosques of Khorasan, Isfahan, and Tabriz each used local geometry, local materials, and local building methods to express in their own ways the order, harmony, and unity of Islamic architecture. And thus when the major monuments of Islamic Persian architecture are examined, they reveal complex geometrical relationships, a studied hierarchy of form and ornament, and great depths of symbolic meaning. In the words of Arthur U. Pope, who carried out extensive studies in ancient Persian and Islamic buildings: "the meaningful Impact of Persian architecture is versatile. Not overwhelming but dignified, magnificent and impressive." Architecture of Bridges. Sassanid or Safavid, bridges have a Special place in Iranian architecture. Architecture of Persian Gardens. Khalvat-i Karim-khani, in the gardens of the Golestan Palace. Architecture of shrines and monuments. Shrine of Omar Khayam, Nishapur. Places of worship: mosques and cathedrals. Thaddeus Monastery, 68CE, West Azarbaijan province. Architecture of houses: The 18th century Abbasian House, Kashan. Architecture of Palaces. Pasargad and Persepolis. Architecture of towers and tombs. A design of The Seljuki era. Qazvin Architecture of Bazaars. Timcheh-e-Amin o Dowleh, Bazaar of Kashan. Contemporary architecture in Iran Contemporary architecture in Iran begins with the advent of the first Pahlavi period in the early 1920s. Some designers, such as Andre Godard, created works, such as the National Museum of Iran that were reminiscient of Iran's historical architectural heritage. Others, made an effort to merge the traditional elements with modern designs in their works. The Tehran University main campus is one such example. And yet, others such as Heydar Ghiai and Houshang Seyhoun tried creating completely original works that were independent of any precedental influences. Iran Senate House Traditional persian mythology such as the chains of justice of Nowshiravan and essences of iranian architecture have been incorporated by Heydar Ghiai to create a new modern iranian architecture. Tehran city theater, Pahlavi period. Tehran's Museum of Contemporary Arts is based on traditional Iranian elements such as Badgirs, and yet has a spiraling interior reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim. Facade influences of Qajar era architecture on modern high rise buildings. Tehran University College of Social Sciences shows obvious traces of architecture from Persepolis. Iranian architectsSee main article: List of historical Iranian architects See main article: List of Iranian architects Persian architects were a highly sought after stock in the old days, before the advent of Modern Architecture. For example, Ostad Isa Shirazi is most often credited as the chief architect (or plan drawer) of Taj Mahal.[16] These artisans were also highly instrumental in the designs of such edifices as Afghanistan's Minaret of Jam, The Sultaniyeh Dome, or Tamerlane's tomb in Samarkand, among many others. Tomb of Humayun, India. Many Iranian architects built edifices outside their homeland. Taj Mahal has elements of Persian architecture. The medieval royal courtyard and its Chahar Bagh garden in Samarkand. Sassanid fortress in Darband Russia. UNESCO designated World Heritage Sites Ziggurats such as the UNESCO designated World Heritage Site of Chogha Zanbil, which relieved the flat monotony of the southern Khuzestan plane, were but "ritual imitations of the familiar sacred mountains which ring the Iranian plateau".[17]The following is a list of World Heritage Sites designed or constructed by Iranians (Persians), or designed and constructed in the style of Iranian architecture: Inside Iran: Arg-é Bam Cultural Landscape, Kerman Naghsh-i Jahan Square, Isfahan Pasargadae, Fars Persepolis, Fars Tchogha Zanbil, Khuzestan Takht-e Soleyman, West Azerbaijan Dome of Soltaniyeh, Zanjan Behistun Inscription Outside Iran: Taj Mahal, India - designed by the Mughal Empire Minaret of Jam, Afghanistan Tomb of Humayun, India Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasavi, Kazakhstan Historic Centre of Bukhara Historic Centre of Shahrisabz Samarkand - Crossroads of Cultures Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Darband, Daghestan AwardsThe Memar Awrad: An award set for the best Architectural designs of the year in Iran Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Winners: Bagh-e-Ferdowsi, Tehran. 1999-2001[18] New Life for Old Structures, Various locations. 1999-2001[19] Shushtar New Town, Shushtar. 1984-1986[20] Ali Qapu, Chehel Sutun, and Hasht Behesht, Isfahan. 1978-1980[21]

Persian embroidery

Persian Arts Visual Arts Painting Miniatures Decorative Arts Jewellery Embroidery Motifs Tileworks Handicrafts Pottery Literature Literature Mythology Folklore Other Architecture Cuisine Carpets Gardens Performance Arts Dance Music Cinema Persian embroidery is one of the many forms of the multi-faceted Persian arts. The motifs used in the Persian embroidery are mostly floral, especial Persian figures, animals, and patterns related to hunting. The Persian embroidered women's trouserings have rich patterns. They were very much in vogue up till the end of the 18th century. With a survival of Victorian modesty, these are usually known as "Gilets Persans". The designs are always of diagonal parallel bands filled with close floral ornamentation and are very effective. HistorySassanid era We know that the Persian embroidery existed from the ancient times and at least from the time of the Sassanids. Numerous designs are visible on the dresses of the personages on the rock-sculptures and silverware of that period, and have been classified by Professor Ernst Herzfeld. Also the patterns on the coat of Chosroes II at Taq-e Bostan are in such high relief that they may represent embroidery. Roundels, confronted animals and other familiar motives of Sassanid art were doubtless employed. It is probable that the famous Garden Carpet of Chosroes II was a piece of embroidery. Later The Persian embroideries we posses of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries are almost exclusively divan-coverings or ceremonial cloth for present-trays, while in the eighteenth century and later we have the addition of rugs for the bathing-rooms, prayer-mats, and women's embroidered trousers, known as 'naghshe'. PeculiaritiesThe earlier embroideries of Iran are almost all of a type in which the entire ground is covered by the design, while the reverse is true, in the main, of the later pieces, in which the background of one plain colour is made to play its part equally with the varied silks of the needlework. The earlier pieces are almost all closely allied in design to one or other of the many types of carpets. They are worked chiefly in darning-stitch on cotton or loosely-woven linen, while occasionally examples in cross- or tent-stitch are met with. It is perhaps reasonable to assume that the more important class of work, that of carpet-weaving, supplied the original design and that the embroideress adopted it from a type familiar to her. Also it must be remembered that the carpet-weaving was mainly done by men, embroidery by women, so that members of the same family worked at both trades.

Iran jewellery

Persian Arts Visual Arts Painting Miniatures Decorative Arts Jewellery Embroidery Motifs Tileworks Handicrafts Pottery Literature Literature Mythology Folklore Other Architecture Cuisine Carpets Gardens Performance Arts Dance Music Cinema Iran (Persia) possesses an extraordinary treasure of royal jewelry, including a copious amount of mother-of-pearl from the Persian Gulf. The Koh-i-Noor diamond was one of the most precious jewels smuggled out of Iran and never recovered again. The Iranian crown jewels are in fact the by far largest, most dazzling and valuable jewel collection in the world. The jewels are displayed in the vaults of the Central Bank of Iran in Tehran, and are one of the most appealing tourist attractions in Iran.

Miniatures

A Persian miniature is a small painting, whether a book illustration or a separate work of art intended to be kept in an album of such works. The techniques are broadly comparable to the Western and Byzantine traditions of miniatures in illuminated manuscripts, which probably had an influence on the origins of the Persian tradition. Although there is an equally well-established Persian tradition of wall-painting, the survival rate and state of preservation of miniatures is better, and miniatures are much the best-known form of Persian painting in the West. Miniature painting became a significant Persian form in the 13th century, and the highest point in the tradition was reached in the 15th and 16th centuries. The tradition continued, under some Western influence, after this, and has many modern exponents. The Persian miniature was the dominant influence on other Islamic miniature traditions, principally the Ottoman miniature in Turkey, and the Mughal miniature in the Indian sub-continent. The themes of Persian miniature are mostly related to Persian mythology and poetry. Western artists discovered the Persian miniature around the beginning of the 20th century. Persian miniatures uses pure geometry and a vivid palette. The allure of Persian miniature painting lies in its absorbing complexities and in the surprising way it speaks to large questions about the nature of art and the perception of its masterpieces. History of Persian miniaturesThe origin of the Persian miniature is difficult to trace. The art form reached its peak mainly during the Mongol and Timurid periods (13th-16th century), and was heavily influenced by Chinese paintings as the Mongol rulers of Persia brought with them numerous Chinese artisans to the court.[1] 1550 CE Persian miniature painting, depicting the Prophet Muhammad ascending on the Burak into the Heavens, a journey known as the MirajIn Ilkhanid and Timurid Mongol-Persian mythological miniatures, the mythical animals buraq and dragon was portrayed in a style reminiscent of the Chinese qilin and Chinese dragon, reflecting the Chinese background of painters who introduced watercolor techniques to Iran and initiated several medieval schools of Persian miniature painting. In fact, many religious paintings, including a famous one portraying the Prophet Muhammad's Miraj from the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem into the heavens, displays stylistic elements of undoubtedly Chinese origins. Islamic angels are depicted as wearing the tight robes of northern Chinese style. Persian miniature paintings of the Ilkhanid and Timurid periods, especially ones related to the Shahnameh stories, usually borrow landscape painting techniques from contemporary Chinese schools, developed during the Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty. Prominent Persian miniaturistsKamāl ud-Dīn Behzād Herawī: Leading miniaturist of the Timurid era, and founder of the Safavid school. Reza Abbasi: One of the most renowned Persian painters in the Safavid era. Hossein Behzad: Famous contemporary miniaturist Mahmoud Farshchian: Famous contemporary miniaturist

Iranian art

The Persian Fine ArtsThe Persian rug Main article: Persian carpet From the yarn fiber to the colors, every part of the Persian rug is traditionally hand made from natural ingredients over the course of many months.The art of carpet weaving in Iran has its roots in the culture and customs of its people and their instinctive feelings. Weavers mix elegant patterns with a myriad of colors. The Iranian carpet is similar to the Persian garden: full of florae, birds, and beasts. The colors are usually made from wild flowers, and are rich in colors such as burgundy, navy blue, and accents of ivory. The proto-fabric is often washed in tea to soften the texture, giving it a unique quality. Depending on where the rug is made, patterns and designs vary. And some rugs, such as Gabbeh, and Gelim have a variations in their textures and number of knots as well. The exceptional craftsmenship in weaving these carpets and silken textile thus caught the attention of the likes of Xuanzang, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, and Jean Chardin. In the words of Arthur Pope: "All around the world, Painting and miniature Main article: Persian miniature Oriental historian Basil Gray believes "Iran has offered a particularly unique [sic] art to the world which is excellent in its kind". Caves in Iran's Lorestan province exhibit painted imagery of animals and hunting scenes. Some such as those in Fars Province and Sialk are at least 5,000 years old. Painting in Iran is thought to have reached a climax during the Tamerlane era when outstanding masters such as Kamaleddin Behzad gave birth to a new style of painting. Paintings of the Qajar period, are a combination of European influences and Safavid miniature schools of painting such as those introduced by Reza Abbasi. Masters such as Kamal-ol-molk, further pushed forward the European influence in Iran. It was during the Qajar era when "Coffee House painting" emerged. Subjects of this style were often religious in nature depicting scenes from Shia epics and the like. Pottery and ceramics Main article: Iranian pottery Pottery Vessel, Fourth Millennium BC. The Sialk collection of Tehran's National Museum of Iran.Prominent archeologist Roman Ghirshman believes "the taste and talent of this people [Iranians] can be seen through the designs of their earthen wares". Of the thousands of archeological sites and historic ruins of Iran, almost every single one can be found to have been filled, at some point, with earthenware of exceptional quality. Thousands of unique vessels alone were found in Sialk and Jiroft sites. The occupation of the potter ("kuzeh gar") has a special place in Persian literature. Music Main article: Music of Iran During the course of Iran's recorded history, a unique distinctive music developed accompanied by numerous musical instruments, several of which came to be the first prototypes of some modern musical instruments of today. The earliest references to musicians in Iran are found in Susa and Elam in the 3rd millennium BC. Reliefs, sculptures, and mosaics such as those in Bishapur from periods of antiquity depict a vibrant musical culture. Persian traditional music in its contemporary form has its inception in the Naseri era, who ordered the opening of a "House of Crafts", where all master craftsmen would gather for designing instruments and practicing their art. Literature Iran is filled with tombs of poets and musicians, such as this one belonging to Rahi Mo'ayeri. An illustration of Iran's deep artistic heritage.Main article: Persian literature Persian literature is by far the most stalwart expression of the Iranian genius. While there are interesting works in prose, it is poetry where the Iranian literature shines at its most. Flourishing over a period of more than a millennium, it was esteemed and imitated well beyond the confines of the Iranian homeland. The literature of Turkey and India developed under its influence. Architecture Main article: Iranian architecture The architecture of Iran is one with an exceedingly ancient tradition and heritage. As Arthur Pope put it, "the meaningful Impact of Persian architecture is versatile. Not overwhelming but dignified, magnificent and impressive". Calligraphy Main article: Persian calligraphy Persian calligraphy has several styles. Seen here is a "shekasteh" style from a Safavid era manuscript. Says writer Will Durant: "Ancient Iranians with an alphabet of 36 letters, used skins and pen to write, Instead of ear-then tablets". Such was the creativity spent on the art of writing. The significance of the art of calligraphy in works of pottery, metallic vessels, and historic buildings is such that they are deemed lacking without the adorning decorative calligraphy. Illuminations, and especially the Quran and works such as the Shahnameh, Divan Hafez, Golestan, Bostan et al are recognized as highly invaluable because of their delicate calligraphy alone. Vast quantities of these are scattered and preserved in museums and private collections worldwide, such as the Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg and Washington's Freer Gallery of Art among many others. A poster of abbas Kiarostami's Palme d'Or winning film, Taste of Cherry.Styles: Shekasteh Nasta'liq Naskh Mohaqqaq ... Tilework The tilework is a unique feature of the blue mosques of Isfahan. In the old days, Kashan (kash + an which literally means "land of tiles") and Tabriz were the two famous centers of Iranian mosaic and tile industry. Cinema Main article: Cinema of Iran With 300 international awards in the past 25 years, films from Iran continue to be celebrated worldwide. Perhaps the best known director is Abbas Kiarostami or most recently come to fame is Dena Darvish Derakhshan. Motifs An example of traditional "khatam-kari" Since centuries, Iranian art has developed particular patterns designed to decorate Iranian produced craft. These motifs can be : Inspired by ancestral nomad tribes (such as geometrical motifs used in kilims or gabbehs). Islam influenced, with an advanced geometrical research. Oriental based,also found un India or Pakistan. Metalworks (Qalam-zani) to be filled Khatam-kari Delicate and meticulous marquetry, produced since the Safavide period: at this time, khatam was so popular in the court that princes learned this technique at the same level of music or painting. In the 18th and 19th centuries, katahm declined, before being stimulated under the Reign of Reza Shah, with the creation of craft schools in Tehran, Isfahan, and Chiraz. "Khatam" means "incrustation", and "Khatam-kari", "incrustation work". This craft consists in the production of incrustation patterns (generally star shapped), with thin sticks of wood (ebony, teak, ziziphus, orange, rose), brass (for golden parts), camel bones (white parts). Ivory, gold or silver can also be used for collection objects. Sticks are assembled in trinagular beams, themselves assembeled and glued in a strict order to create a 70cm diameter cylinder, which section is the main motif: a six-branch star included in a hexagon. These cylinders are cut into shorter cylinders, and then compressed and dried between two wooden plates, before being cut for the last time, in 1mm wide tranches. So this section is ready to be plated and glued on the object to be decorated, before lacquer finishing. The tranche can also be heaten to be soften to follow curves of a rounded object. Many objects can be so decorated, such as: boxes, chessboards, cadres, pipes, desks or some musical instruments. Katham can be used on Persian miniature, realising true work of art. Coming from techniques imported from China and improved by Persian know-how, this craft existed for more than 700 years and is still perennial in Ispahan and Chiraz. Relief and sculpture The Qajarid reliefs of Tangeh Savashi were made by order of Fath Ali Shah.Relief carving has a history dating back thousands of years. Elamite reliefs are still to be found in Iran with Persepolis being a mecca of relief creations of antiquity.

Flag of Iran

The current flag of Iran was adopted on July 29, 1980, and is a reflection of the changes brought to Iran by the Islamic Revolution. The basic design of the flag is three horizantal bands of green above white above red, symbolizing vigour, peace, and courage. This basic design has been used since the beginning of the 20th century. The coat of arms of Iran has been placed in the center of the white band which is meant to have multiple meanings, but is essentially a geometrically-symmetric form of the word Allah as well as overlapping parts of the Islamic phrase "la ilaha illa Allah" (there is no god but God), forming a monogram. The entire details, symbols and design has been explained in the national Iranian standard ISIRI 1 Current flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran, introduced in 1980 The symbol consists of four crescents and a sword. The four crescents form the word Allah: from right to left the first crescent is the letter 'Aleph', the second one is the letter 'Laam', the sword (straight line) is the second 'Laam', and the third and forth crescents together form the letter 'Heh'. Above the sword (central part) is a tashdid (a diacritical mark for gemination resembling a letter W). The sword represents a powerful and sovereign state. The shape of the emblem is chosen to remind people of a red tulip, for the memory of the (young) people who died for Iran, building on a legendary belief that red tulips grow on the blood of martyrs, valuing patriotism and self-sacrifice. It also bears strong resemblance to ancient Iranian Sassanid art forms usually found on royal crowns and coins. The symbol was designed by Hamid Nadimi, and was officially approved by Ayatollah Khomeini on May 9, 1980. A further change to the flag following the Revolution has been the addition of writing on the borders between the white, and the green and red bands reading, Allahu Akbar ("God is great"). There are 22 (2x11) copies of this inscription, symbolic of the 22nd day of the 11th month (Bahman) in the Persian calendar — the date of the Islamic revolution (22 Bahman 1357 = February 11, 1979). The addition of this writing renders the flag non-reversible. Physical requirements for the Iranian flag, the exact shape of the emblem and a compass and straightedge construction are described in the national Iranian standard ISIRI 1 (in Persian). The meaning of colors • Green : Symbol of happiness and glad (now it is known as symbol of Islam) • White : Symbol of Peace (Taken from Zoroastrian symbol) • Red : Symbol of the martyrs blood These three colors were being used from long time back in Iranian (Persian) symbols. ّFor example in the paintings of a palace in Susa you can see these three colors in this order. Part of an Achaemenian wall in Susa, showing three colors of the current flag of Iran. Historical Flags, standards and banners have always been important national and imperial symbols for Iranians, both in war and peace. Xenophon tells us that Cyrus the Great's standard was a golden eagle with spread wings mounted on a long shaft. In this use of the eagle motif as a national symbol probably lies the origin of the eagle symbols of such countries as Prussia, Russia, Austria, Poland, France and America in modern times for the Seleucids, Romans and Crusaders all adopted Iranian heraldic motifs. The best-known symbol of Iran in recent centuries, however, has been the lion and sun motif, which is probably a graphic expression of the astrological configuration of the sun in the sign of Leo, although both celestial and animal figures independently have a long history in Iranian heraldry. The lion and sun emblem is very ancient, and the Persian epic poet Ferdowsi writes in Shahnameh that it was used by Rostam, the legendary Iranian national hero. Late in the nineteenth century an earlier scimitar motif was combined with the lion and sun and superimposed on a tricolour of green, white and red, and, with minor modifications, this remained the official flag until the revolution of 1979. Achaemenid Empire (559–323 BCE) During the Achaemenid, especially at the time of Cyrus the Great, the Persian Imperial Flag was made of up of a kinglike image, rectangular in shape, split into four equivalent triangles. Each two of these four train triangles had the same colour. The national Iranian Flag was, however, the same as the Derafshe Kaviani as cited earlier. Since the excavations at Persepolis however, archaeologists have found a standard, depicting a hawk (shahbaz) with open wings, regarding which the current belief is that this was the official flag of Iran under the reign of Darius the Great and his heirs. Sassanid Dynasty (224–642 CE) The Flag at this historical juncture was again made of rectangular leather, covered with a thin layer of silk ornamented with jewels, in the center of which there was a four cornered star, pointing to the four corners of the world. This is the same star referred to as Akhtare Kaviani (the Kaviani star) by Ferdowsi in the epics of Shahnameh (the Book of Kings). This Flag was larger than the original Derafshe Kaviani installed on a long javelin, the tip of which was shown above the flag. At the bottom of this flag there were woven strings of yellow, magenta and scarlet, hanging from them were large jewels. The flag was destroyed by Arabs after the decisive Sassanid defeat against invading Muslim Arabs. Islamic Conquest of Iran The Sassanid empire collapsed with the emergence of an Islamic Empire in the Middle East. Since Islam strictly prohibited figurative or other expressive symbols as idol worship, all the traditional symbology used in Iranian flags was eliminated. Throughout this period there were no fixed flags within Iran and the use of Islamic banners was common. Ghaznavid Dynasty (998–1052 CE) In 976 AD the Samanid dynasty was routed by Mahmoud Gaznavi (998–1030) who reinstated the use of symbolic expressions on the Iranian flag. The flag developed by Mahmoud Gaznavi contained an inscribed golden moon drawn on a solid black background. Fifty five years later, the moon was replaced by the figure of a lion at the behest of Sultan Masoud Gaznavi, whose decision was merely a reflection of his personal habit of hunting lions. Allegedly The lion and Sun emblem remained a fixture on the Iranian flag from that date onwards until the Iranian revolution in 1979 Safavid Dynasty (1502–1736 CE) Among the Safavids, who ruled Iran over 220 years, only two kings, namely Shah Ismail I and Shah Tahmasp I, did not have the lion and the sun figures on their flags. The former opted for a solid green with a full moon at the top, while the latter replaced the lion with the lamb, which represented his birthday month, Farvardin the first month of the Iranian year (April 19 – March 20) and Hamal in Syriac calendar. In the remaining years of the Safavid rule, green was the official color of the flag with the lion and the sun emblems gold-embroidered on it. Although the lion was the inseparable part of the flag throughout the Safavid years, its posture changed many times. Often it appeared in a sitting posture, and occasionally in profile. The sun, too was sometimes attached to the lion and sometimes positioned right above and away from it. Following from the tradition set by Arab conquest of Iran, Safavid flags like their predecessors were always of triangular shape. The Flag of Shah Tahmasb I with a lamb Afsharid Dynasty (1730–1805 CE) Nadir Shah, the founder of Afshari dynasty and a self-styled ruler who salvaged Iran from a feudalistic state to form a unified country, made giant military advances toward India and China (on the eastern frontier), Khwarizm and Samarkand (located on the North Eastern part of Persia), and Kirkuk and Bagdad in today’s Iraq. As such, flags, especially military ones, would come to signify a lot during all these grand scale military adventures. Nadir's royal flag was made of yellow and red silk with the traditional sun and lion figures. On the other hand, the national flag, formed into a tricolour of green, white and red with a lion's profile in a walking posture with a half-risen sun, in the radius of which was a Koranic verse meaning, “the Earth is His.” Nadir Shah's choice of the three colors of green, white, and red was a groundbreaking decision in the formation of the modern Iranian flag. Until that point all the flags of Iran since the Islamic Conquests had been of a single colour, either red, green, or black. The use of a white base and a trim line was a dramatic break from tradition. At the time the tricolour was used as a trim line around the entire length of the flag. Since then, these colors have been the official colors of the Iranian flag, either royal or national. Qajar Dynasty (1779–1924 CE) Agha Mohammad Khan, the founding father of the Qajar dynasty, brought about some basic changes in the shape and color combination of the Iranian flag as well. For the first time the shape of the flag was changed from triangular to rectangular. Out of personal vendetta with Nadir Shah whom he had fought against, he ordered the established colors be removed and replaced with a solid red color as the background and a white circle in the middle with the sun and the lion. What was outstandingly different here was a sword placed in the hands of the lion. Later, Fath Ali Shah Qajar, devised two rather different flags suitable for war and peace purposes. A totally red flag with a sitting lion and the sun on its back served as the war flag; while a green flag with basically the same figures, was used as peace flag. Ironically, the lion on the peace flag was holding the sword. The Flag of Agha Mohammad Khan A coin with the name of Nasser-al-Din Shah Qajar, with the Lion and the Sun symbol During Fath Ali Shah's reign a third flag would also be introduced for diplomatic and protocol purposes. This third flag would be white and also utilise the lion and sword. In a painting depicting the Iranian special envoy to the Russian royal court, Abolhassan Shirazi, having audience with Czar, a white flag with the lion, sun and sword figures, is carried by the Iranian delegation. Fath Ali Shah is also credited with the introduction of a crown figure positioned on top of the sun. At this same time another great flag was introduced by one of the great Qajar bureaucrats, Amir Kabir. The flag he introduced was similar to that of the diplomatic flag of Fath Ali Shah except it was a tricolour and rectangular as opposed to triangular. Amir Kabir's flag contained a ten centimeter green band on top of the white flag and a red band on the bottom. Fath Ali Shah successfully requested that Amir Kabir's flag should not carry an image of the crown that existed on all other state flags at the time. Flag introduced during Fath Ali Shah Qajar's reign. Pahlavi Dynasty (1925–1979 CE) The Pahlavi Dynasty maintained the same flag as the Qajar Dynasty; however, the Qajar crown riding on the top of the flag was changed to a Pahlavi crown. Furthermore, in 1957, Manouchehr Eghbal, the prime minister of the time, issued a directive setting standards for the flag's exact measurements. The Imperial Standard consists of a pale-blue field with the official flag in the top corner next to the mast and the Pahlavi coat of arms in the centre. At the top of the coat of arms is the Pahlavi crown, created for the Coronation of Reza Shah in 1926.

Persian art

Iranian has many many arts on Iran some thing like moshabbak,moarragh,monabbat,khatam kary,carpet,ghalamkary,ghalamzany,.... moshabbak is a work that is with wood and make some little windows with that. in is work all of the angel should be 180,90and360 degrees. carpet Carpet is something that most of the people relate it to east .but no one doesn't know which people were fist people who made first carpet. Carpet is division to some groups: 1-Iranian carpet 2-turkman carpet 3-turk carpet 4-ghafghaz carpet 5-Indian&chines carpet To make a carpet we need color fiber we can do this job with coloration primitive people did it with tassel &shank &Clay: Plant-Color Roans-Red &dark red nill-Blue esparak-green Brown and gray Walnut &chest nut. They also used saffron. How to weave carpet? Weaving of carpet is doing by a scaffold .some one makes carpet with perpendicular scaffold and some on do this with recumbent scaffold. Texture of carpet is with knob we have two kind of knob for carpet first on Persian knob or sene and Turkish knob or ghaiordaz. Monabbat kary it is a work with wood and we have to make some holes to design becime 3d. this work is to beautiful.

our city after tropical storm noel oct 2007

dominican class diferences

been an underdeveloped country in latinamerica the dominican republic suffers a big gap beteween those who had and those who not, that express itself mostly in the ways of transportation (the rich uses all kind of nice and luxuries vehicles,, while the poor uses "conchos" vehicles made of distintes parts that nobady truly knows where they came from) and second in the houses and acomodations. its always surpriseing to left the capital city and moves to the neighboirng cities and see first hand how diferent and distant yet how close they are. another big diference comes in the form of the languaje they use as most of the rich children speak ingles as its first lenguaje in school, read newspapers from abroad while the poor use a form of spanish with inadecuate grammar.

Culture of Iran

To best understand Iran and her people, one must first attempt to acquire an understanding of its ancient culture. It is in the study of this area where the Iranian identity optimally expresses itself. Hence the first sentence of prominent Iranologist Richard Nelson Frye's latest book on Iran reads: "Iran's glory has always been its culture."[1] Iranians were not only open to other cultures, but freely adopted all they found useful for them. Thus an eclectic cultural elasticity has been said to be one of the key defining characteristics of the Persian spirit and a clue to its historic longevity.[2] Furthermore, Iran's culture has manifested itself in several facets throughout the history of Iran, as well as that of many Central Asian states. The article uses the words Persian and Iranian interchangeably, sometimes referring to the language and its speakers, and other times referring to the name of pre-20th century Iran, a nomenclature which survives from western explorers and orientalists. Both are not the same however, and the cultures of the people of Greater Iran is the focus of this article. Persian Arts Visual Arts Painting Miniatures Decorative Arts Jewellery Embroidery Motifs Tileworks Handicrafts Pottery Literature Literature Mythology Folklore Other Architecture Cuisine Carpets Gardens Performance Arts Dance Music Cinema Art Main article: Iranian art Iranian art has gone through numerous phases of evolution. The unique aesthetics of Iran is evident from the Achaemenid reliefs in Persepolis to the mosaic paintings of Bishapur. The Islamic era drastically brought changes to the styles and practice of the arts, each dynasty with its own particular foci. The Qajarid era was the last stage of classical Persian art, before modernism was imported and suffused into elements of traditionalist schools of aesthetics. Language and literature Enlarge picture Iranian cinema continues to produce acclaimed, often controversial works Main articles: Persian language and Persian literature The Persian language has been in continuous use for over 2500 years. Yet it is a subset of the superset of Iranian languages. Persian literature inspired Goethe, Ralph Waldo Emerson and many others, and it has been often dubbed as a most worthy language to serve as a conduit for poetry. Tajik language is also included into the family of Persian language(djafar). Cinema Main article: Cinema of Iran With 300 international awards in the past 25 years, films from Iran continue to be celebrated worldwide. Perhaps the best known director is Abbas Kiarostami. Music Main articles: Music of Iran, List of Iranian musicians and singers, and Persian music The music of Persia goes back to before the days of Barbod in the royal Sassanid courts. This is where many music cultures (e.g. Potatoes) trace back their distant origins to.[3] Enlarge picture Painting of Iranian female musicians from Hasht-Behesht Palace ("Palace of the 8 heavens"), Isfahan, Iran, dated 1669. Architecture Main article: Iranian Architecture Traditional teahouses of Iran There are nearly countless numbers of traditional teahouses (chai khaneh) throughout Iran, and each province features its own unique cultural presentation of this ancient tradition. However, there are certain traits which are common to all teahouses, especially the most visible aspects, strong chai (tea) and the ever-present ghaluyn. Almost all teahouses serve baqleh, steam boiled fava beans (in the pod), served with salt and vinegar, as well as a variety of desserts and pastries. Many teahouses also serve full meals, typically a variety of kababs as well as regional specialities. Persian gardens Main article: Persian Gardens The Persian Garden was designed as a reflection of paradise on earth; the word "garden" itself coming from Persian roots. The special place of the garden in the Iranian heart can be seen in their architecture, in the ruins of Iran, and in their paintings. Cuisine Main article: Iranian cuisine In Persian mythology, Persian food is so delicious and tempting that Ahriman (the devil) uses it to corrupt the King of the land, causing two serpents to sprout from the King's shoulders, turning him into an evil tyrant; Zahhāk The Dragon King. Dance of Iran Main article: Persian dance Enlarge picture Kurdish wedding dance in Sanandaj, Iran. Religion Main article: Islam in Iran Iran has been the birthplace of many of the world's most influential religions and religion in Iran has always had a direct impact on its culture. Zoroastrianism, Mithraism, Manichaeism, Mazdakism, Yazdanism, Bábí Faith and the Bahá'í Faith are some of the religions that originated there. Today, the Shia version of Islam continues to have an immediate bearing on Iranian culture and identity. Sports Main article: Sport in Iran * The game of Polo originated with Iranian tribes in ancient times and was regularly seen throughout the country until the revolution of 1979 where it became associated with the monarchy. It continues to be played, but only in rural areas and discreetly. Recently, as of 2005, it has been acquiring an increasingly higher profile. In March 2006, there was a highly publicised tournament and all significant matches are now televised. * The Iranian Zoor Khaneh Women in Persian culture Main article: Iranian women In the tales of the 1001 Nights, it is a woman, Scheherazade, who is the protagonist and heroine of the frame tale. Traditional Important Days Main article: Iranian festivals Iranians celeberate the following days based on a Solar calendar, in addition to important religious days of Islamic and Shia calendars, which are based on a lunar calendar. * Norouz (Iranian/Persian New Year) * Sizdah be dar (Nature Day) * Jashn-e-Tirgan (Water Festival) * Jashn-e-Sadeh (Fire Festival) * Jashn-e-Mehregan (Autumn Festival) * Shab-e-Yalda (Winter Feast) * Charshanbeh Suri Traditional cultural inheritors of the old Persia Enlarge picture Prince Muhammad-Beik of Georgia, 1620. Artist is Reza Abbasi. Painting is located at Berlin's Museum Für Islamische Kunst. Like the Persian Rug that exhibits numerous colors and forms in a dazzling display of warmth and creativity, Persian culture is the glue that bonds the peoples of western and central Asia. The Caucasus and Central Asia "occupy an important place in the historical geography of Persian civilization. Much of the region was included in the Pre-Islamic Persian empires, and many of its ancient peoples either belonged to the Iranian branch of the Indo-European peoples (e.g. Medes and Soghdians), or were in close cultural contact with them (e.g. the Armenians).[4] In the words of Iranologist Richard Nelson Frye: "Many times I have emphasized that the present peoples of central Asia, whether Iranian or Turkic speaking, have one culture, one religion, one set of social values and traditions with only language separating them." The Culture of Persia has thus developed over several thousand years. But historically, the peoples of Islamic Republic of Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Azerbaijan, and Kyrgyzstan originate from the same or similar stock, and are related to one another as part of the larger group of peoples of Greater Iran. Armenia, Georgia,[5] and Daghestan were also well within the sphere of influence of Persian culture as well, as can be seen from the many remaining relics, ruins, and works of literature from that region.(e.g. 1) (e.g. 2) In particular, Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan have been able to almost fully retain their Persian identity, while the other aforementioned entities still exhibit considerable traces of their Iranian past. Contributions to humanity in ancient history From the humble brick, to the windmill, Persians have mixed creativity with art and offered the world numerous contributions.[6][7] What follows is a list of just a few examples of the cultural contributions of Iran. * (10,000 BC) - Earliest known domestication of the goat.[8] * (6000 BC) - The modern brick.[9] Some of the oldest bricks found to date are Persian, from ca. 6000 BC. * (~5000 BC) - Invention of Wine. Discovery made by University of Pennsylvania excavations at Hajji Firuz Tepe in northwestern Iran.[10] * (5000 BC) - Invention of Tar (lute), that led to the development of the guitar.[11] * (3000 BC) - The ziggurat. The Sialk ziggurat, according to the Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran, predates that of Ur or any other of Mesopotamia's 34 ziggurats. * (2000 BC) - Peaches are a fruit of Iranian origin, as indicated by their Latin scientific name, Prunus persica,'' from which (by way of the French) we have the English word "peach."[12] * Tulips were first cultivated in ancient Persia.[13] * (1700 BC) - The windmill.[14] * (1400 BC) - The game of Backgammon appears in the east of Iran. * (1400 BC to 600 BC) - Zoroastrianism: where the first prophet of a monotheistic faith arose according to some scholars,[15] claiming Zoroastrianism as being "the oldest of the revealed credal religions, which has probably had more influence on mankind directly or indirectly, more than any other faith".[16][17] * (576 BC to 529 BC) - Under the rule of Cyrus II the Great, the Cyrus Cylinder was issued. This is considered to be the first universal declaration of human rights,[18] predating the Magna Carta by one millennium[19] It was discovered in 1879 in Babylon and today is kept in the British Museum. * (576 BC to 529 BC) - Under the rule of Cyrus II the Great, Cyrus frees the Jews from Babylonian captivity. See Cyrus in the Judeo-Christian tradition. * (521 BC) - The game Polo.[20] * (500 BC) World's oldest Staple (fastener). * (500 BC) The first Taxation system (under the Achaemenid Empire). * (500 BC) The first courier post. Also called the "Royal Road".[21] * (500 BC) - Source for introduction of the domesticated chicken into Europe. * (500 BC) - First cultivation of spinach An ancient ice house, called a yakhchal, built in ancient times for storing ice during summers. Spoon crafted in 550BC. Iranian chess (shatranj) set, glazed fritware, 12th century. New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. Figurines playing the ancestor of the Guitar. Excavated in Susa, Iran. Dated 2000-1500 B.C. National Museum of Iran. * (400 BC) - Yakhchals , ancient refrigerators. (See picture above) * (400 BC) - Ice Cream.[22] * (250 BC) - According to archaeological digs, the Parthians created the world's first batteries. Their original use is still uncertain, though it is suspected that they were used for electroplating. * (250 BC) Original excavation of a Suez Canal.[23] * (271 AD) - The teaching hospital * (700 AD) - The Cookie. * (762 AD) - Designing Baghdad: The original city was based on Persian precedents such as Firouzabad in Persia. The two designers who were hired by the caliph al-Mansur to plan the city were Nowbakht, a former Persian Zoroastrian, and Mashallah, a former Jew from Khorasan.[24] * (864 AD-930 AD) - First systematic use of alcohol in Medicine: Rhazes.[25] * (1000 AD) - Introduction of paper to the west.[26] * (935 - 1020) - Ferdowsi writes the Shahnama (Book of Kings) that resulted in the revival of Iranian culture and the expansion of the Iranian cultural sphere. * (980 - 1037) - Avicenna, a physician, writes The Canon of Medicine one of the foundational manuals in the history of modern medicine. * (1207 AD - 1273 AD) - Rumi writes poetry and in 1997, the translations were best-sellers in the United States.[27] * Algebra and Trigonometry: Numerous Iranians were directly responsible for the establishment of Algebra, the advancement of Medicine and Chemistry, and the discovery of Trigonometry.[28] * Qanat , subterranean aqueducts. * Wind Catchers , ancient air residential conditioning. * "Virtually all European scholars claim Arabic music has Persian origins".[29]

dominican ways of life

the dominicans are roughly nine millions people in the half island and more or lest two millions more abroad, and that part of the dominican population send millions of dolars each year(every year they send more euros also) last year it amount to more than three thousand millions dollars, money than came directly to their homes in the country and its used to pay goods, food and other expenses. another important source of money is the explotation of our beaches that are loved in all of europe,and northamerican, almost all the hotels are owened by foreign investors mostly from europe(spanish, some frenchs like "accor") those hotels represent the single most important source of international convertible funds. we also have big mines of niquel, and gold(the third largest gold mine its pueblo viejo in cotui in the northern part of the island) but not much people live from that we also export vegetables and a big part of the population still lives in the country farming and atending cattle earning poor incomes and having bad education and a lot of insalubrity. anyhow most of the dominican population live from the terciare sector of the economy :services, they sell, deliver,clean,ect in stores, banks,houses,in the street,ect there also another aspect that its sad but true: a big part of the dominican polutation are belonging to: the lumpenproletaitede they steal, prostituete themselves, sell drugs or other illegal things and so on...

the vicepresident of the dominican senate, cristiana lizardo

crsitiana lizardo and wilfredo bayonet talking with some politicians in santo domingo este dominican republic second largest city near the airforce base.

an open church cristian baptist

in santo domingo este, by private iniciative.

dominican way of life

being a small country on a small island(wich its also share with another small country)that it s located in the middle of the americas and the atlantic, we have a very rich and vibrant but also young cultural live(by young i mean lest than five centurys) the spanish wipe the indigenes population, their language and most of their tradition, also the spanish subjuyated a lot of africans and change their culture, later on we have been influence by the globalization and our cercany to the usa. we dance, eat, sing,study,and even pray in english at the rhitmic of the yanquis in the upper class of our sociaty, every singer that gets popular in the usa become popular in the dominican republic, same thing with tv shows, internet pages ect. but at the same time more the cultural live get energy from its own core and the biggest part of the population enjoy their countrymade movies, sing bachatas and merengues and eat dominicanized versions of the yanquis food(yanqui means from the usa)

dominican music

we have to very popular forms of dance music, both of then had europpeans thecnics, but africans rhitms, "el merengue" the oldest one its very popular in america, has a three part style and it is played with acordeoan, "tambora"( of african origin) and "guira" and original instrument made of metal. "the bachata" its a lot younger and was never as popular as the merengue but more and more young people had taken a like to it. its a dance also but lest rhitmic and its principal instrumnet is the guitarr also the lyrics of the songs are of the utmost importance. being always sad and written in a very popular style(popular meanig how the people talks)

arsacian's architecture

After that Alexander oust the akkamaneshian Indians used Iranian architecture.after solokian became after Alexander and made something between Iran and Greece architecture But arsacian came in Iran they were aria's (part group).They a different architecture's from akkamaneshian they made a cube put a gonbad on that.The architecture's of after Islam is a arsacian architecture's it has a gate at the first and then had a big court yard and rooms around that.

akkamaneshian

Great Cyrus oust the mad's and choose d Pasargad his capital.but after that darioosh became king choose d perspolis capital.perspolis has a ramp and then reach to a gate that is nations gate .The highest part of perspolis Is apadana this palace has a ramp that has lithograph people from all around of Iran goverment take some gift for norooz for king .there also has herish -sad soton -chest-dariosh palace-workroom of lithograph and tomb of some king's .perspolis is a flat land and most of the incorporations are doing by some Iron.and perspolis is a spring capital. akkamaneshian has a great architecture it usually have column on that and they usually working with stone.

akkamaneshian

Iran mean arians land.Arians was a group came from sibiria and deepseated on Iran plateau.They were mad's , pars's and part's. Mad's architecture was like asorian's architecture.It has some hight wall's around that and had some tower .They usually made their own houses om the mountain's . They made them houses on terraces.

After people in Silak(sialk) Ilamian cultire came in south west of Iran. They really love mountain's so they made some zggurat's like mountain's. Once of that zggurat's is in khozestan-hafttappeh.It is make from concentric square and had about 165 feet Height. They used brick and adobe and glazes in color's of blue and green and Lime to make this building.

Artichecture before Islam

Before Islam People lived in sparse village's(about 6000 b.c).After that people going to make a company they made it on sialk hill.they had made them house's by wood but after they made house's by adobe.They making some brick In the shape of oval made some dale's around that to have rigidity.they made domestic animal's and hushing.they also made some glaze in color's of red,brown,purple and orange.they made some tile too them usually had black glaze.

architecture of Iran

Iran has about more than 6000 year's history.and Iranian architecture expanse around the middle east(from Syria to India and China).Iran architecture more than every thing is disciple on religion .

santo domingo de guzman

Rap music in Iran

Rap is a kind of music that is illegal in Iran. All rappers in Iran don’t have a permission from government, because it’s type is not Islamic. Iran new culture is build on Islam. Despite they’re illegal, all of them are in Iran. They are underground rapers. They record their songs at midnight. Rap is here just from 7 years ago, but it’s growing too fast. Rap will be the most popular music in 15 years, because many people love it and because of people, government will give them permission. The best rap music composer is Mahyar. Rappers are just with their nicknames. Some popular ones are: Pishro, Hichkas, Zedbazi, Felakat, Eblis, Masoud, Tataloo, Tohi, Tighe, Qaf, Enzo, Emziper, 2pack, Farez, 0111, 0098, Tome, Ali King, Dyako, Satrap, Ghiamat band, Rezaya, Ahura,… .

Pop Music in Iran

This type of music came to Iran about 50 years ago. Pop is the most popular music here. Lots of Iranian pop singers are now abroad. It is because the government won’t give them permission to sing songs. The government says that they are not Islamic songs and if they sing songs here, they’ll be punished because it is illegal. So lots of singers are now abroad and singing Farsi(Persian) there. Women can just sing with men, not alone. But still many good singers are in Iran because they gave permission from government. Some famous pop singers are: Mohammad Esfahany, Sandy, Shahrokh, Shahram Solati, Mohsen Chavoshi, Omid Modiri, Mehdi Moghaddam, Nariman, Sam, Arash, Shadmehr,... .

Common ways of communication in Iran

Like many other countries, in Iran people have lots of ways for communicating, but some of them are special and interesting which are followed in article. The most popular way is telephone. Many people phone each other to communicate. Nearly all people in Iran have phone lines. In recent years, government spent lots of budget for it, esp. village phone lines and now all Iranian have phone lines. The second popular way is sending SMS by mobile phones. Cell phones are growing fast here. About 10 years ago, mobile phones were less than 0.5 million. But nowadays there cell phones for more than half of people (nearly 35-40 million).Iran has 2 cell phone operators. Next way is computers and internet.15 years ago, just few important organizations had it, but know many people have at least one at home, especially children. Iranian hackers are also famous and dangerous. In Iran, most children use computer for playing. Computer games are really cheap here, because those hackers crack games and copy them and sell games to people very cheap, it means that they’re not original. Very few teens work with computers. These are some talented teens. In some big cities in Iran, there are more teenagers like. In Iran there are lots of computer classes around, but many professional teens prefer to learn by themselves, except computer programmers who have to get classes. The problem for communicating with computer in Iran is viruses and hackers, which antiviruses can’t stop them… Like many other countries, people go to party, see each other outside, etc. But in special days like new years’ holidays, young people come to older peoples’ house, specially parents and grand parents. Young people give gifts from old people. They also eat fruits and nuts there. Then old people come to young peoples’ house. All relative and friend do this. It is a tradition here. There are many other ways like some other phone services and post, which has lots of facilities, but they’re not popular. Just few people use them.

dominican geography

the dominican latitud is 17 30" and 20 00" paralel of the north and 68 20" and 72 00" of the west longitud in the wester hemisphere. our country ocupped the 64% of the territory of the hispaniola or santo domingo island, with 48670 km2 of superficie with a costline of 1567 kms our biggest mountian is "pico duarte" our biggest lake is"enriquillo" 44 mts beneath the sea level, salad water and threee litle islands on its interior with 286 km2 biggest adjent island its "saona" with 105 kms2 and a population of lest than 500 people our biggest rivers is the "yaque del norte" with 296 km of longitude and carries water for 80mts3/seg. enciclopedia ilustrada dominicana

dominican economy

acording to the cia factbook 2007 the economy of the dominican republic has a side of 35,490 millions of dolars placing it at the 72th place of the world. its was for more than a century based in the agriculture, especially "the dessert" economy:the explotaition of cacao, coffee, and sugar. when that economics model went down in the 80s our economy crashed and the goverment togheter with the elit try to change it by changing the model, and we pass from an agriculture economy to a services one, the beaches became full with tourist( mostly europpeans) the factories were dismantled and turned into scrap metal and sold, our money lost it value but in the process our economy was transformed and now its more or less estable. half of the population its poor, but some parts of the country have a nice way of living most of it based in tourism of the servicies like: telecomunications, restaurants, ects.

dominican geography

the dominican republic comprise almost the 3/4 parts of the hispaniola island at the center of the caribbean sea in the greaters antilles of the american coninent. its has a bunch of small island near its coast(one of then artificial) the bigger one being the saona island (also the only habitaed one) the mountians system of great importance and some smaller ones(sierras) the central mountains sistem(la cordillera central) lies in the most fertile land and its the base for the biggest rivers:el yaque del norte, el yaque del sur, el yuna, others importants rivers are the yuma, and the multifluvial sistem of"the yabacao,the isabela and the ozama rivers(ozama means big in the arawack tounge that was spoken before the europpean came)the ozama rivers its the one the divides the capital city(santo domingo de guzman almost all the dominican coast it made of sand, rock formations being the second most common, so we have lots of beaches in the dominican republic. we also have forests and extensive plains(la gran llanura oriental) that was used to grow sugar by the spanierds up until the last part of the xx century a.d.

dominican geography

the mighty ozama river at its humble beginings

the dominican food

the dominican eat mostly food that comes either from europe or from europpean controled lands, or african food, the things that grows since before the time the europpean came are mostly forgotten, and being a small island our animals were not so good to eat. we ate rice, beans, and lettuce with meat(mostly chiken, but sometime cows) almost everyday, its called the flag also we enjoy eating platanos, that is something like a banana but needs to be cooked before it can be digested by our digstive sistem. we also eat a lot of "viveres" that is vegetables that grows underground and are mostly of african origens:names, yautias,ect that also needs to be cook. we are a big producers of chickens eggs and we even export them. we dosent eat a lot of fish(oddly enough been an island) and also eat a lot of pasta our most disguinted and unice recipe its: habichuelas con dulce" meaning beans with sugar and milk its goes like this" 2/4 of red beans 1/4 of sugar 1/4 of milk cooked togheter, for more than an hour at 100 degrees celsius and serve with either raisins or cookies or both.

Iran short introduction

Our country(Iran)is located in the middle east(south west Asia) and has about 70 million people.It i s also a big country,with 1,648,000 km2 expanse. Iran has an ancient History and great civilizations like Achaemenian and these are some highlighted points of the human history.Every year many tourists come here for visiting historical places and some natural attractions. Some tourist attractions of Iran are Perspolis palace,Pasargad,si-o-se-pol bridge,naghshe jahan square,etc.Also some echo touristic attraction like the Alborz and Zagros mountains,springs and also hot springs,beautiful sceneries,desert like"Kavir and Loot",Mazandaran's broad leaved jungles,and Persian gulf's beautiful beaches,etc.These are just a few things of Iran beauties. For further informations to become more familiar to Iran,you have to travel Iran and spend months here. Iran is one of the world few counties that is important in many different subjects,like it's history,politics,economy,geographical position,etc. It is one of the topest countries in having oil and gas resources and it has some important mines like copper,iron,massicot,zinc,manganese,coal and building stones too.

an artificial island in from of our country

dominican republic

the Dominican republic its a carriben sea nation on the island of "la espanola" o santo domingo was the home of an indian culture of arawaki origie called "tainos" wich meant good people they were conquest by the European (mostly Spanish) in the xvi century ad by the year 1526 only a small fragment of the population was still of arawaki blood, by then the Spanish had brought lots of people from africa (near the Senegal and Congo) and the ethic population began to mingle and breed so by the xix century ad the population were either black, white or Indian, we were "criollos" mulatos" or "mestizos" and we decide to break free from Europa and star living as a new country...this day 27 of February we are celebration our independence not from Spanish, but from our neihborg...but thats another tale.

Iran

Iran is a country which has a very very old civilization.But Persian people came there about 2500-3000 years ago.Persian people had a very good and strong government about 2500 years ago and the rulers and the king was from the Persian tribe,Hakhamaneshian. After 1000-1200 years, Islam came to Iran and many people are now Moslem.But some of them not.Iran was the best country 2500 years ago,but these late years it didn't perform and improve good.Now, there are just about 40-50 that Iran began improving another time.The best king of Iran was THE GREAT CYRUS.This perfect king was in the Hakhamaneshian time. The picture shows 2500 years ago of Iran.Alexander fired this palace and all things burnt,but not stones that you can see it. Other image is Iran hole view.