culture of iran

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 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 the peoples of these lands have many sides and aspects to them, discussed below:

Persian language

The Persian language has been in continuous use for over 2500 years. See Persian language

Persian Art

Persian Music

The music of Persia goes back to before the days of Barbod in the royal Sassanid courts. See article on Persian Music and here for a list of musicians.

Persian Architecture

See Persian Architecture

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. See Persian rugs

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 Persian Gardens

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 Persian Woman

Persian literature

Persian literature inspired Goethe, Ralph Waldo Emerson and many others. ''See Persian literature and the List of Iranian authors and poets.

Persian contributions to humanity

From the humble brick, to the windmill, Persians have mixed creativity with art. Here are some of the cultural contributions of Iran:

Original excavation of a Suez Canal 1 2
(1400 BC to 600 BC) - Zoroastrianism, a religion which had an important impact on Judaism, and thus indirectly, onChristianity 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). 1 2
(1400 BC) - Backgammon appears in the east of Iran.
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)
The ziggurat. The Sialk ziggurat predates that of Ur or any other of Mesopotamia's 34 ziggurats.
The brick. The oldest brick found to date are Persian, from ca. (6000 BC).
The courrier post. 1 2
The windmill. 1 2
Earliest known domestication of the goat. 1
Introduction of paper to the west 1
Ice Cream (400 BC) 1 2
(521 BC) - Historical documents and artifacts point to the earliest recorded games of Polo. The game spreads to the rest of the world from Iran.
Cultivation of the grape, and fermentation of wine 5400 BC 1
(576 BC to 529 BC) - Under the rule of Cyrus II the Great, the world's first declaration of human rights appears. It is known as Cyrus Charter of Human Rights. It was discovered in 1879 in Babylon and today is kept in the British Museum. 1 2
(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.
(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. http://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/Science/battery.htm
(750? 813?) - Abu Nuwas, one of the most renowned poets of all time, set poetry free of prior artistic restraints.
Algebra and Trigonometry - Khwarizmi, also known as Al-Khwarazmi (780 - 845), is the father of Algebra. The word algorithm is derived from his name. His work was standard university reading in the west until the 16th century. He, along with Karaji http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Al-Karaji.html, Kashani, Marvazi, Khayam http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Khayyam.html, Nasiruddin Tusi http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Al-Tusi_Nasir.html, Mozaffar Tusi http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Al-Tusi_Sharaf.html, Abu Wafa http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Abu'l-Wafa.html, Biruni, Faresi http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Al-Farisi.html, Khazeni http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Al-Khazin.html, Khojandi http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Al-Khujandi.html, Kuhi http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Al-Quhi.html, Mahani http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Al-Mahani.html, Nasawi http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Al-Nasawi.html, Samarqandi http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Al-Samarqandi.html, Neyrizi http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Al-Nayrizi.html, Sajzi http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Al-Sijzi.html, Avicenna http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Avicenna.html, Geber, Rhazes, and numerous others, were directly responsible for the establishment of algebra, the advancement of medicine, and the discovery of trigonometry http://ebs.allbookstores.com/book/074860457X http://www.iconbooks.co.uk/book.cfm?isbn=1-84046-011-3. Abu Nasr Mansur, (930 - 1036), discovers the sine law.
First systematic use of alcohol in Medicine: Rhazes (864-930)1
Development of the guitar 1 2
(870 - 950) - Al-Farabi, a prominent philosopher and scientist, made many contributions to the arts and sciences.
(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.
Tulips were first cultivated in ancient Persia 1 2
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." 1
(980 - 1037) - Avicenna, a physician, writes The Canon of Medicine one of the foundational manuals in the history of modern medicine.
Rumi, America's most read poet, is an Iranian. to the CSM, refering to 1997
Abu Musa Jabir Ibn Hayyan, known to the west as Geber, is the father of chemistry, according to some experts.
Al-Biruni, one of history's greatest scientists. Wrote more than 120 volumes of work contributing greatly to world understanding of astronomy and geometry.
(1565 - 1635) - Riza Abbasi, one of the greatest Iranian painters, worked at the court of Shah Abbas I.

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.

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)

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