Culture of Iran
| The Persian Arts |
| Architecture |
| Miniatures |
| Literature |
| Folklore |
| Cinema |
| Cuisine |
| Dance |
| Music |
| Motifs |
| Jewels |
| Carpets |
| Gardens |
| Painting |
| Tileworks |
| Handicrafts |
Contents |
Persian art
See main article: Iranian art
Iranian art has gone throuigh numerous phases of evolution. The unique aesthetics of Persia 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.
Persian language and literature
- See main article: Persian literature.
- See main article: Persian language.
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.
Iranian cinema
See 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.
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. Flamenco) trace back their distant origins to.[1]
- See main article on Music of Iran
- See a list of musicians here.
- See also Persian music
Persian architecture
See main article: Persian 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 (hookah). 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 rugs
See main article: Persian rugs
Gottfried Semper called rugs "the original means of separating space". Rug weaving was thus developed by ancient civilizations as a basis of architecture. Persian rugs have a history dating back over two millennia.
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.
See main article: Persian Gardens
Persian 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; Zahak The Dragon King.
See main article: Cuisine of Iran.
Also see: Persian cuisine
Persian Sports
- 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 discretely.
- The Iranian Zoor Khaneh
See also Sports in Iran
Women in Persian culture
In the tales of the 1001 Nights, it is a woman, Sheherazade, who is the protagonist and heroine of the frame tale.
See main article: Persian Woman
Iranian traditional holidays
- Norouz
- Sizdah be dar
- 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
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. 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, Tajikestan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, 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, 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 Tajikestan have been able to almost fully retain their Persian identity, while the other aforementioned entities still exhibit considerable traces of their Iranian past.
Persian contributions to humanity
From the humble brick, to the windmill, Persians have mixed creativity with art. What follows is a list of some of the cultural contributions of Iran. The list is not meant as a device for displaying chauvinism or bellicism, but rather as a means to convey and illustrate the statement that as with many other ancient civilizations, Iran/Persia is proud to be a long-serving contributor to humanity and its heritage.
- (10,000 BC) - Earliest known domestication of the goat. [2]
- (6000 BC) - The brick. The oldest brick found to date are Persian, from ca. 6000 BC.
- (5400 BC) - Wine. Earliest known cultivation of the grape, and fermentation of wine 5400 BC [3]
- (5000 BC) - Development of the guitar [4] [5]
- (3000 BC) - The ziggurat. The Sialk ziggurat predates that of Ur or any other of Mesopotamia's 34 ziggurats.
- (2000 BC) - Peaches are a fruit of Persian origin, as indicated by their Latin name, persica, from which (by way of the French) we have the English "peach." [6]
- Tulips were first cultivated in ancient Persia [7] [8]
- (1700 BC) - The windmill. [9] [10]
- (1400 BC) - The game of Backgammon appears in the east of Iran.
- (1400 BC to 600 BC) - Zoroastrianism, a religion which had an important impact on Judaism, and thus indirectly, on Christianity and Islam. Some experts however, claim that Zoroaster was actually born in 6184BC, and was himself a follower of the religion called Mehr introduced by Mehabad who lived 3593 years before Zoroaster i.e. 9700 BC or 11705 years ago (retroactive 2005). [11] [12] It should be noted that Zoroaster himself was not an ethnic Persian, but (possibly) an ethnic Bactrian who were closely related to Persians.
- (576 BC to 529 BC) - Under the rule of Cyrus II the Great, the Cyrus Cylinder was issued. It was discovered in 1879 in Babylon and today is kept in the British Museum. [13] [14]
- (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.[15]
- ([500 BC]) The courrier post. [16] [17]
- (500 BC) - Source for introduction of the domesticated chicken into Europe.
- (500 BC) - First cultivation of spinach
- (400 BC) - Yakhchals , ancient refrigerators. (See picture above)
- (400 BC) - Ice Cream [18] [19]
- (250 BC) - According to archelogical 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. [20]
- (250 BC) Original excavation of a Suez Canal. [21] [22]
- (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, Iran. (p 10)
- (864 AD-930 AD) - First systematic use of alcohol in Medicine: Rhazes. [23]
- (1000 AD) - Introduction of paper to the west [24]
- (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 , America's most read poet, is an Iranian. [According to the CSM, referring to 1997]
- Algebra and Trigonometry: Numerous Iranians were directly responsible for the establishment of Algebra, the advancement of Medicine and Chemistry, and the discovery of Trigonometry. [25] [26].
- Qanat , subterranean aqueducts.
- Badgirs , ancient air residential conditioning.
Sources
- Islamic Science and Engineering. Donald Hill. May 1994. Edinb U Press.
- The Crest of the Peacock : The Non-European Roots of Mathematics. George Ghevarghese Joseph. July 2000. Princeton U Press.
- Introducing Mathematics. Ziauddin Sardar. Totem Books. 1999.
See also
- Persian empire
- List of Persia-related topics
- Iranian cultural continent
- History of Iran
- Higher education in Iran
- List of Iranian scientists and engineers of the pre-modern age.
- List of Iranian scientists and engineers of the modern age.
- Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran
- Iranology
External links
- Encyclopaedia Iranica (Definitive scholary 30-volume encyclopaedia of Iran's culture; edited and published by Columbia University & funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities)
- Secretariat of The High Council of The Cultural Revolution
- Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance
- Islamic Republic of Iran Physical Education Organization
- Islamic Republic of Iran Academy of Sciences
- Islamic Republic of Iran Academy of The Arts
- "Persian undercurrent in Islamic civilization"
- Islamic Republic of Iran International Center for Diologue Among Civilizations
- Culture of Iran
- Cultural Research Bureau of Iran
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