By David Robie

10 reasons why tourists must visit Iran

I stumbled on the scene by chance. Our host family in Iran’s second city Mashhad, a modern and beautiful metropolis that would comfortably fit in New Zealand’s entire population, was taking us on a drive to the outskirts to visit the tomb of the famous poet and chronicler Abul-Qasem Ferdowsi.

Apadana Staircase leads you to mythical arts of Persia

TEHRAN – Apadana Staircase is one of the most striking sections of the UNESCO-registered Persepolis, southern Iran.

Ancient Iran: a glimpse of Persian art and architecture under Sassanids

TEHRAN – The Sassanid era (224 CE–651) is of very high importance in the history of Iran. Under Sassanids, Persian art and architecture experienced a general renaissance.

A glance at essential elements of traditional architecture in Iran

TEHRAN - Persian architecture has a long and complex history. The Elamite, Achaemenian, Hellenistic, and other pre-Islamic dynasties left striking stone testaments to their greatness, such as Chogha Zanbil and Persepolis—both designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1979. 

Berlin exhibit to turn spotlight on medieval, modern ceramics from Iran 

TEHRAN – Dozens of medieval and modern Iranian ceramics, selected from two German collections, will go on display at the Bumiller Collection, Studio X-Berg, in Berlin from September 12 to November 30.

Tehran exhibit showcasing handmade jewelry

TEHRAN – Sets of handmade jewelry, made by a group of female Iranian jewelers, are currently on show at the headquarters of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization in Tehran.

Beat the heat with tasty Iranian cold soup “Ab Doogh Khiar”

TEHRAN – The summer heatwave here in Iran and many other places across the globe can be dealt with a refreshing recipe like the Iranian cold soup “Ab Doogh Khiar”!

Iran introduces gigantic handwoven carpet

TEHRAN –President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday unveiled a gigantic handwoven carpet during the opening ceremony of an international carpet fair, running in Tabriz from August 1 to 4. 

Retrospective shows delicacy of mirrorwork in Iranian architecture

TEHRAN – Delicacy of mirrorwork in Iranian architecture is in the limelight at the UNESCO-registered Golestan Palace in downtown Tehran, where a retrospective of a veteran Iranian artisan is underway.

Tirgan, a feast in honor of rain

Tirgan (also known as Jashn-e Tirgan) is a time-honored Iranian festival usually observed as a rain festival. Tiragan, along with Noruz, Yalda Night and Mehregan are amongst feasts widely celebrated in the ancient land.

Iranian Garden, microcosm of paradise on Earth!

For millennia, Iranian gardens have combined the beauty of nature with the aesthetic qualities of art and architecture to create a symbolic representation of paradise on Earth.

Books on child abuse prevention published in Persian

TEHRAN – Four books to teach young children how to resist uncomfortable touching have been published in Persian, Iranian publisher Nardeban announced on Thursday.

Try out New York Times recipe for Persian Sheveed Polo

Sheveed (Shivid) Polo is a traditional Persian food which may simply surprise your taste buds. In Iran, it is usually consumed with meat products such as chicken, fish, tuna fish, etc.

Anthology of Arabic poetry published in Persian

TEHRAN – A selection of Arabic poetry by writers from Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Tunisia, Algeria and Syria has been published in Persian in a single book named “Arab World’s Poetry”.

Remnants of Egyptian fortress once conquered by Achaemenid Persians discovered

TEHRAN – Archaeologists in Egypt have found vestiges of a prehistorical fortress, which was once conquered by Achaemenid Persians during their expedition to the country, IRNA reported on Tuesday.

Oriental Institute ready for delivery of ancient Persian artifacts

TEHRAN – The University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute has recently signaled its readiness to deliver the first batch of ancient Persian clay tablets to Iran, a senior cultural heritage official has said.

Persian version of R.G. Grant’s “Flight” introduced at Tehran book fair    

TEHRAN – Havanavard, an Iranian publisher of books on air and space, introduced a Persian translation of British historian A.G. Grant’s “Flight: The Complete History of Aviation” by Mohammad Razzazan at the 32nd Tehran International Book Fair on Thursday.

Envoys, cultural figures to mark Noruz in Tehran

TEHRAN – Tehran’s Milad Tower will host an international ceremony in honor of Persian New Year or Noruz on February 28.

Pouran Shariat-Razavi dies aged 85

TEHRAN - Fatemeh (Pouran) Shariat-Razavi, succumbed to illness on Friday. She suffered a stroke on Monday, 11 February.

Persian antiquities found in almost all museums worldwide

TEHRAN – People around the world visit countless pieces of antiquities from the Persian Empire in different museums every day, without ever asking themselves how those relics ended up thousands of kilometers away from their home in Iran, Press TV wrote in a recent article.

Noruz added to Vancouver calendar of events

TEHRAN – Vancouver City Council has added Noruz, the Persian new year festivity, to its official celebrations and observations calendar.

A peek into Iranian art and architecture under Sassanids

TEHRAN – In many ways, Iran under Sassanian rule witnessed tremendous achievements of Persian civilization. Experts say that during Sassanid era (224-651 CE), the art and architecture of the nation experienced a general renaissance.

Iranian scholar working on Persian-Ottoman Turkish dictionary

TEHRAN – An Iranian scholar is working on a dictionary that will contain over 15,000 Ottoman Turkish words and phrases originating from the Persian language.

Oscar Wilde’s plays translated into Persian

TEHRAN – Five plays by Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde have been translated into Persian by Abolhassan Tahami, who is mostly famous for his voice acting career.

Prehistoric “Persian guard” on the way home

U.S. judge rules return of Achaemenid-era relief to Iran

TEHRAN – A U.S. judge said on Monday an Achaemenid-era (550-330 BC) bas-relief should be returned to Iran, where the object was originally stolen from some 80 years ago.

Indian university offers course on Persian language 

TEHRAN – The Savitribai Phule Pune University is offering a course leading to a certificate in the Persian language at the basic level.

Handmade kilims on display at Carpet Museum of Iran

TEHRAN – On Sunday, an exhibition of hand-woven kilims and traditional textiles opened its doors to the public at the Carpet Museum of Iran.

Prehistoric Persian jar head to auction at Christie’s

TEHRAN - On July 3, Christie’s in London will auction tens of historical relics that includes a large Persian pottery jar, which dates from circa 3rd millennium BC.

Achaemenid-era objects seized in Fars

TEHRAN – Two relics dating from Achaemenid-era (c. 550–330 BC) have recently been confiscated in Marvdasht, southern Fars province.

Brief

Franck Evrard’s book on French theater published in Persian 

TEHRAN – French writer Franck Evrard’s book “The French Theater of the 20th Century” (“Le théâtre français du XXe siècle”) that chronicles the history of his country’s theater during the 20th century has been published in Persian in Tehran.