tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54801142009-12-18T05:06:56.243-08:00contains personal views on the history of iran in comparison with other ancient countries and information on persia for those interested to learn about our heritageMnoreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1156662064353403152006-08-26T22:55:00.000-07:002006-08-27T15:57:08.343-07:00

Bābak Khorramdin ( بابک خرمدین ) is considered as one of the most heroic leaders of Iran who initiated the Khorramdinan, ( Those of the joyous religion), movement. This was a local freedom fighting movement aimed to over throw the Abbasid Caliphate who came to power after the Arab conquest of Iran.Early Life:Babak Khoramdin was born in the 8th century AC in Balal Abad region of Southern

Mnoreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1153902167086355472006-07-26T01:03:00.000-07:002006-07-27T00:02:24.110-07:00

Narenjestan is not an old complex in comparison with other brilliont buildings of ancient Iran, but one look at this structure will lead to a love affair with the Iranian architect and art. Narenjestan is located in Shiraz and it's the perfect stop on a hot summer day as the gardens will refresh your very soul. The building has been occupied by many but the original builder was Mirza Ibrahim

Mnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1153529626608115272006-07-21T17:06:00.000-07:002006-07-21T18:21:26.370-07:00

JiroftJiroft is a city in Kerman province, Iran. It is located 230 kilometres south of the city of Kerman, and 1,375 kilometres south of Tehran. In the past it was also known as Sabzewaran, and on account of it being very fertile land it is famous as Hend-e-Koochak (the little India). Jiroft is located on the vast plain of Halil Rud which contains many of the ancient archaeological sites of Iran.

Mnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1137143083026665452006-01-13T00:48:00.000-08:002006-02-13T14:09:05.270-08:00

One of the most significant 13th century BC architectural works of Iran is the Chogha Zanbil Temple (1250 BC) located 45 kilometres from Susa. The western vaults of Chogha Zanbil Temple were so skillfully built that at present, even after three thousand years, they remain in marvelously good conditions. The vaults are constructed on prolonged corridors and over internal staircases of the temple

Mnoreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1087356786349972882004-06-15T19:48:00.000-07:002006-07-21T18:28:08.850-07:00

When Herodotus (490BC-420BC) the great ancient Greek historian traveled to Persia, he wrote a countless amount of information about how the society operated and how the kings saw themselves next to the Gods and rejected democracy all together. He wrote that the kings, possessing as they do all that heart can desire, ought to be void of envy; but the contrary is seen in their conduct towards the

Mnoreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1086837096538632162004-06-09T19:58:00.000-07:002006-08-24T01:14:58.343-07:00

Upon Cyrus' death, his vast empire was plunged into chaos. However, out of the midst of the trubulence,emerged another great leader, Darius, who managed to restore the Achaemenid Empire and set it firmly back on it's great path to greatness. He enhanced Cambyses' projects and built a huge temple, in which he is portrayed as being worshipped. He is also shown being fed by the hands of Egyptian

Mnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1086752925391804992004-06-08T19:33:00.000-07:002006-02-12T11:57:23.413-08:00

Kaveh Ahangar is perhaps a mythical figure who first appeared in Ferdousi's Shahnameh as the hero who rescued his people from the ruthless ruler in power at his time. Kaveh was such a man who stood up against the tyrant Zahak (known as snake-shouldered). Zahak was the son of Mardas an Arab ruler in Iran. Stories have it that Zahak killed his father in order to earn the kingdom. It was believed

Mnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1083545848662492622004-05-02T17:57:00.000-07:002006-02-21T12:29:19.870-08:00

The most ancient surviving component of Persian Music, with the use of words, is the Gathas of Zarathushtra. It is in the form of poetry that has its own unique rhythm. It is so composed that the rhythm smothes the human mind thus making it easy to remember. The Gatha were memorized for centuries before it was written down fot the first time ( same as Iliad and Odessay in the ancint Greece).

Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1082596270767223362004-04-21T18:11:00.000-07:002006-01-18T15:37:46.413-08:00

Marlik culture was discovered in the green and fertile lands of Northern Iran just South of the Caspian Sea. The amazing archeological founds on this site are associated to 10th-12th century BC. Some researchers believe that Marlik has attained its name from the innumerable snakes that have inhabited it. (As 'Mar' means snake in the Persian language). Whereas, some believe that, Marlik, the name

Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1081549391535773702004-04-09T15:23:00.000-07:002006-03-12T13:34:35.973-08:00

The Babylonian kingdom flourished under the rule of the famous King, Hammurabi (1792-1750 BC). It was not until the reign of Naboplashar (625-605 BC) of the Neo-Babylonian dynasty that the Mesopotamian civilization (todays Iran and Iraq) reached its ultimate glory. His son, Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 BC) is credited for building the legendary Hanging Gardens. According to accounts, the gardens

Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1080195929411530792004-03-24T22:25:00.000-08:002006-03-29T01:11:09.033-08:00

JASHN-E TIRGAN (The Rain Festival) The festival of Tiragan is observed on July 1st, and it is primarily a rain festival and it is one of the three most widely celebrated feasts amongst Iranian peoples. Tir in modern Persian,Tishtar in Middle Persian or Pahlavi; and Avestan Tishtrya, is the Yazad presiding over the Star Sirius, brightest star in the sky, and of rain, and thus Tir Yazad especially

Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1080192845975655062004-03-24T21:34:00.000-08:002006-02-12T12:01:05.360-08:00

The traditional herald of the Noe-Rooz season is called Haji Firooz. He symbolizes the rebirth of the Sumerian god of sacrifice, Domuzi, who was killed at the end of each year and reborn at the beginning of the New Year. Wearing black make up and a red costume, Haji Firooz sings and dances through the streets with tambourines and trumpets spreading good cheer and the news of the coming New

Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1079481996007612772004-03-16T16:06:00.000-08:002006-02-12T12:06:59.663-08:00

The primary religion in Iran today is the Shia sect of Islam but the far older faith of the prophet Zoroaster is still openly practiced, particularly in the central and northwestern regions of the country. The name of the founding Prophet of Zoroastrianism is not Zoroaster, which is a Greek transliteration of the name, but Zarathushtra, which means, in ancient Iranian, "yellow camel."(zara =

Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1079125992076518152004-03-12T13:13:00.000-08:002006-03-29T01:05:34.736-08:00

No Ruz, new day or New Year as the Iranians call it, is celebrated in harmony with the rebirth of nature and always begins on the first day of spring. It has been celebrated by all the major cultures of ancient Masopotamia. Sumerians 3000BC, Babylonians 2000 BC, the ancient kingdom of Elam in Southern Persia 2000BC, Akaddians all have been celebrating it in one form or another. What we have today

Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1077323014415378172004-02-20T16:23:00.000-08:002006-03-02T02:02:50.003-08:00

Born in Shiraz in 1705, Karim Khan was the founder of Zand dynasty in Iran. Of humble tribal origin, Karim Khan became one of the generals of his predecessor, Nader Shah. In the chaotic aftermath of Nader’s assassination in 1747, Karim Khan became a major contender for power but was challenged by several adversaries. In order to add legitimacy to his claim, he in 1757 placed on the throne the

Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1077267858197646572004-02-20T01:04:00.000-08:002004-02-20T02:24:10.186-08:00

There is a place I know, high up in the mountains of Kurdistan. Where the crow roams freely and the snow finally meets the sun. Where you can fall wild like a mountain and run with a stone in your hand. This is where our story sleeps. There was a brave man called Farhad, who loved a Princess named Shirin, but the Princess did not love him. Farhad tried in cain to gain access to the love-cell of

Mnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1074755945375105392004-01-21T23:19:00.000-08:002006-03-14T16:25:06.750-08:00

The origins of chess are obscure, and it is not until the 7th century that there is a reference to the game in literature. The first mention of chess is found in a Persian poem according to which the advent of the game took place in India. Chess migrated to Persia (Iran) during the reigns of King Chosroe-I Annshiravan (531-579) as described in a Persian book of this period. This book described

Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1074584390086049332004-01-19T23:39:00.000-08:002006-03-02T02:07:52.486-08:00

Just as Mani's eclectic Faith was a pointer at the germs of decay in the Sassanian body-politic, so also Mazdak's teaching was a pointer at the inevitable downfall towards which the Sassanian Empire was heading. Mani came within one generation of the establishment of Sassanian rule in Iran; Mazdak came towards the end of that rule, about a century before the Empire was overthrown by the Arabs.

Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1074149227205139712004-01-14T22:47:00.000-08:002004-01-14T23:28:36.780-08:00

The origins of wine are as cloudy as the first vintages must have been. We will never know who first allowed grape juice to ferment to the point that it became wine, just as we will never know who ground grain and baked it to produce the first loaf of bread. But the impossibility of tracing the very first batch of wine ever made has not deterred archaeologists and historians from searching for

Mnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1073266680256615992004-01-04T17:38:00.000-08:002004-01-27T22:38:43.780-08:00

There are three thrones located in Tehran. The Sun Throne (also known as the Peacock Throne), the Marble Throne and the Naderi Throne. Chair-like thrones like this were used in ancient Iran by Achaemenid dynasty in the 5th century BC, as well as the 17th century Safavid dynasty. The Naderi Throne: The Naderi throne be taken apart into 12 separate sections. It was intended to be portable, to be

Mnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1073173953477683042004-01-03T15:52:00.000-08:002006-03-03T18:05:27.220-08:00

The richest archaeological site in central Iran is the mound of the Tappeh-ye Sialk which is located close to Kashan. This site was excavated by Ghirshman in the 1930s. The excavations revealed that the site is more than 7000 years old. Apparantly the Indo-European Aryans or Iranians arrived on the plateau during the second millennium BC, and it is at Tappeh Sialk that the remains of their most

Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1072835133430296362003-12-30T17:45:00.000-08:002004-01-04T00:45:32.030-08:00

(This summery is for those who find the persian history too complicated) Archaeological studies during the first half of the twentieth century indicate that as early as 10,000 BC, tribes lived on the southern shores of the Caspian, one of the few regions of the world, which according to scientists escaped the Ice Age. They were probably the first men in the history of mankind to engage in

Mnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1072688609730885262003-12-29T01:03:00.000-08:002006-02-21T12:40:47.636-08:00

The very first civilization which has ever lived in Iran was The Shoosh Civilization.8000 years ago, there was a civilization which lived in today's Khoozestan, their name was "Shoosh Civilization," or in English "Susa Civilization." So far this has been reported as the oldest civilization which have ever existed on Earth. By civilization, we mean civilized city government or city state or Empire

Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1072682022382521362003-12-28T23:13:00.000-08:002003-12-29T00:22:13.043-08:00

Uncovered in the debris of the Treasury were hundreds of clay tablets with inscriptions in Elamite cuneiform. These tablets, originally sundried, were baked in the heat of the immense fire that destroyed the building, so that many were found intact instead of having crumbled to dust long ago. These tablets, written for the most part in Old Persian and its corresponding translations of Elamite and

Mnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480114.post-1072494436342028492003-12-26T19:07:00.000-08:002006-02-25T17:33:50.956-08:00

Bam is located 193 Kms, to the southeast of Kerman in the plain, between the Jebal-e-Barez and Kabudi Mountains, on the Silk Road. The oldest sign of civilization are found in the Bidroun hills located 10 Kms to the west of the city dating back to 4th millennium BC. People have lived in Bam and its vicinity from 6,000 years ago. In ancient times, people lived in a citadel which is now known as

Mnoreply@blogger.com