Culture Of Iran

Hotel in Isfahan.]]
The first sentence of prominent Iranologist Richard Nelson Frye 's last book on Iran reads:

"Iran's glory has always been its culture."

This culture has manifested itself in several facets throughout Iran's History , which are discussed in this article.

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. {Link without Title}

''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 ''. 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 Kabab s 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

Main article: Iranian Festivals

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

, 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. 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

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. {Link without Title}

( 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 {Link without Title}

( 5000 BC ) - Invention of Tar, that led to the development of the Guitar [http://www.iranian.com/Music/2002/November/Guitar/index.html

( 3000 BC ) - The ziggurat. The Sialk ziggurat predates that of Ur or any other of Mesopotamia's 34 ziggurats.

( 2000 BC ) - Peach es 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." {Link without Title}

Tulips were first cultivated in ancient Persia [http://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/articles/tulips2.html

( 1700 BC ) - The windmill. [http://web.utk.edu/~persian/windmill.htm

( 1400 BC ) - The game of Backgammon appears in the east of Iran.

( who were closely related to Persians.

( 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. It was discovered in 1879 in Babylon and today is kept in the British Museum . [http://www.iranchamber.com/history/cyrus/cyrus_charter.php

( 576 BC to 529 BC ) - Under the rule of Cyrus II The Great , Cyrus frees the Jew s from Babylonian captivity. See Cyrus In The Judeo-Christian Tradition .

( 521 BC ) - The game Polo . {Link without Title}

( BC ) The courrier post. [http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0839873.html

( 500 BC ) - Source for introduction of the domesticated Chicken into Europe.

( 500 BC ) - First cultivation of Spinach

Iran

( 400 BC ) - Yakhchal s , ancient refrigerators. (See picture above)

( 400 BC ) - Ice Cream [http://www.mmdtkw.org/VAncientInventions.html

( 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 . {Link without Title}

( 250 BC ) Original excavation of a Suez Canal. [http://web.utk.edu/~persian/benevolent.htm

( 271 AD ) - The Teaching Hospital

( 700 AD ) - The Cookie .

( AD ) - Designing 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)

(. {Link without Title}

( 1000 AD ) - Introduction of paper to the west {Link without Title}

( 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. to the CSM, referring to 1997

. [http://www.iconbooks.co.uk/book.cfm?isbn=1-84046-011-3 .

Qanat , subterranean aqueducts.

Badgir s , ancient air residential conditioning.

SOURCES

. An illustration of Iran's deep artistic heritage.]]
# 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