CULTURE OF IRAN

(Redirected from Persian culture)

Safavid era painting kept at The
Grand Shah Abbas Caravanserai Hotel in Isfahan.

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.



Contents
Art
Language and literature
Cinema
Music
Architecture
Traditional teahouses of Iran
Persian gardens
Cuisine
Dance of Iran
Religion
Sports
Women in Persian culture
Traditional Important Days
Traditional cultural inheritors of the old Persia
Contributions to humanity in ancient history
Culture of Iran under threat
In history
Current
References
Further reading
See also
External links

Art


Main articles: 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

Iranian cinema continues to produce acclaimed, often controversial works

Main articles: Persian language, 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 articles: 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, 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.[3]
Painting of Iranian female musicians from ''Hasht-Behesht Palace'' ("Palace of the 8 heavens"), Isfahan, Iran, dated 1669.

Architecture

Main articles: 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 articles: 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 articles: 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 articles: Persian dance

Kurdish wedding dance in Sanandaj, Iran.

Religion


Main articles: 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, 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 articles: 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 articles: 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 articles: 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


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, 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[15] 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




★ (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]

Culture of Iran under threat


In history

Current


University of Chicago's Persian Cultural Heritage crisis

References


1. ''Greater Iran'', Mazda Publishers, 2005. ISBN 1568591772 xi
2. Milani, A. ''Lost Wisdom''. 2004.ISBN 0934211906 p.15
3. See article on Iranian.com located at: http://www.iranian.com/Music/2002/November/Guitar
4. Edmund Herzing, ''Iran and the former Soviet South'', The Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1995, ISBN 1899658041 p.48
5. http://www.iranica.com/articles/v10f5/v10f504a.html
6. ''Iran's contribution to the world civilization''. A.H. Nayer-Nouri. 1969. Tehran, General Dept. of Publications, Ministry of Culture and Arts. OCLC number: 29858074 Perry-Castañeda Library Reprinted in 1996 under the title: سهم ارزشمند ایران در فرهنگ جهان
7. "The effect of Iran's culture and civilization on the world" (Taʼ̲sīr-i farhang va tamaddun-i Īrān dar jahān). Abbās Qadiyānī (عباس قدياني). Tehran. 2005. Intishārāt-i Farhang-i Maktūb. ISBN 9649422447 OCLC 70237532
8. Link: http://web.utk.edu/~persian/goat.htm
9. Arthur Upham Pope, ''Persian Architecture'', 1965, New York, p.15
10. Link: University of Pennsylvania http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/research/Exp_Rese_Disc/NearEast/wine.shtml
11. Link: Iranian.com http://www.iranian.com/Music/2002/November/Guitar/index.html
12. Link: http://www.birdnature.com/nov1899/peach.html
13. Links:

★ http://www.flowermonthclub.com/newsletters/vol3no4.htm

★ http://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/articles/tulips2.html
14. Links:

★ http://www.catpress.com/bplanet9/eeolica.htm

★ http://web.utk.edu/~persian/windmill.htm
15. Abbas Milani. ''Lost Wisdom''. 2004. Mage Publishers. p.12. ISBN 0934211906
16. ''Mary Boyce'', "Zoroastrians", London, 1979, 1.
17. Notes:

Zoroastrianism had an important impact on Judaism, and thus indirectly, on Christianity and Islam.

Zoroaster himself was not an ethnic Persian, but (possibly) an ethnic Bactrian who were closely related to Persians.
18. Links:

★ http://www.farsinet.com/iranbibl/cyrus_human_rights_cylinder.html

★ http://www.iranchamber.com/history/cyrus/cyrus_charter.php
19. Abbas Milani. ''Lost Wisdom''. 2004. Mage Publishers. p.12. ISBN 0934211906
20. Link: BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4272210.stm
21. Links:

★ http://web.utk.edu/~persian/benevolent.htm

★ http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0839873.html
22. Links:

★ http://www.krysstal.com/inventions_06.html

★ http://www.mmdtkw.org/VAncientInventions.html
23. Links:

★ http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1257.htm

★ http://web.utk.edu/~persian/benevolent.htm
24. Hill, Donald. ''Islamic Science and Engineering''. May 1994. Edinburgh University Press. p.10.
25. Link: http://www.free-definition.com/Abu-Bakr-Mohammad-Ibn-Zakariya-al-Razi.html
26. Link: http://web.utk.edu/~persian/paper.htm
27. Refer to article by the Christian Science Monitor - http://www.csmonitor.com/1997/1125/112597.us.us.3.html.
28. See:

★ Hill, Donald. ''Islamic Science and Engineering''. May 1994. Edinburgh University Press. p.10

★ Sardar, Ziauddin. ''Introducing Mathematics''. Totem Books. 1999.
29. ''The Golden Age of the Moor''. By Ivan Van Sertima. 1992. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 1560005815. p.17




Further reading



★ Michael C. Hillman. ''Iranian Culture''. 1990. University Press of America. ISBN 081917694X

★ George Ghevarghese Joseph.''The Crest of the Peacock: The Non-European Roots of Mathematics''. July 2000. Princeton U Press.

See also



Iranian media

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.

Taarof

Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran

Iranology

Ghelyan

Persianate

Persianization

Persian women

Magus

Flying Carpets

Cup of Jamshid

Golha Radio Program

Persian names

Iranian calendar

Afsaneh Art and Culture Society

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)

External links



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

Iran Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies

Iran a cultural profile

Forough Farrokhzad Poetry in English

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