The earliest reference to the city, as Tirazis, is on Elamite clay tablets dated to 2000 BC. In the 13th century, Shiraz became a leading center of the arts and letters, thanks to the encouragement of its ruler and the presence of many Persian scholars and artists. Shiraz was the capital of Persia during the Zand dynasty from 1750 until 1781, as well as briefly during the Saffarid period.

Shiraz is known as the city of poets, wine and flowers. It is also considered by many Iranians to be the city of gardens, due to the many gardens and fruit trees that can be seen in the city. Shiraz has had major Jewish and Christian communities. The crafts of Shiraz consist of inlaid mosaic work of triangular design; silver-ware; pile carpet-weaving and weaving of kilim, called gilim and jajim in the villages and among the tribes.

In Shiraz industries such as cement production, sugar, fertilizers, textile products, wood products, metalwork and rugs dominate. Shirāz also has a major oil refinery and is also a major center for Iran’s electronic industries: 53% of Iran’s electronic investment has been centered in Shiraz.

Hamadan has a green mountainous area in the foothills of the 3574-meter Alvand Mountain, in the midwest part of Iran. The city is 1850 meters above sea level. According to archaeologists and historians, this ceramic producing city has a long historical record dating back 7500 years to ancient Persia, as revealed by excavations in recent years at Ecbatana Hill, Gyan in Nahavand and Nushijan in Malayer in Hamedan Province.
During the invasion of Mongols, only seven craftsmen survived the barbaric onslaught and these artisans managed to revive the ceramics industry once again.



As you stroll through the ancient city, you see how people from all walks of life are heavily involved in their ancestors’ tradition of creating works of art.
The majority of local residents earn their bread and butter from this craft ranging from utensils to decorative items.
The Khoshuei Brothers are among the outstanding artisans of Lalejin who have created the most significant works of art over the last half a century.These craftsmen not only have preserved the traditional Persian arts but also have introduced a number of innovations themselves.



Most foreign and domestic tourists are enthusiastic to purchase local handicrafts such as ceramics, leather products, traditional Iranian glasses, kilims, wooden crafts and a variety of other traditional items.
Deputy Director of the Hamedan Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization, Behjat Abbasi said, “With 900 workshops and 3900 employees, Lalejin is the capital city of ceramics in Iran.”

According to the official, pottery production in recent years has undergone a process of major change, including changes in coloring compounds both in traditional and industrial paintings, and the introduction of modern furnaces to replace the traditional ones.”

Afrasiyab, the Tur, asked the wise and the astrologers why it was not raining. Zu Tahmasp answered: “You turned faithless, because Faridoun had allotted to you Turkestan (only) and entrusted it to you whereas he had allotted Iran to us and given it to us. You turned away from that covenant and set it aside.
It is for this reason that, owing to this sin of yours, it does not rain.” Afrasiyab asked how this could be ascertained. Zu Tahmurasp said: “I shall throw an arrow from here, and where my arrow falls, there will be the boundaries (of your territory).”

Afrasiyab accepted it and entered into a compact thus: “I shall consent to have as the boundaries (of my territory) that place where your arrow settles and I shall go out of Iran.
” When this compact was entered into, it was on the day Tir of the month Tir that Zu Tahmasp uttered the name of God and threw the arrow from the country of Iran and that arrow fell in the country of Turan by the command of Lord Ohrmazd.

When that arrow settled in the country of Turan, Afrasiyab took this witness that the rains did not come on account of his faithlessness. Then Afrasiyab arose from that place and went out of Iran with his army and settled in the country of Turan. The intelligence of this spread on the day Govad and heavy rains poured down on the day Govad.

Then they assented to institute a festival in the country of Iran on the day Tir of the month Tir and up to now the Dasturs of Iran write a Nirang (formula) and tie it on the hands of the faithful and remove it from their hands on the day Govad, throw it into the sea on that day for the reason that the glad tidings of the return of Afrasiyab to Turan had reached on the day Govad. It is for this reason that this nirang is untied from the hands and thrown into the sea so that all calamities may sink into the sea.

Performance length: 2 acts with one 15 minute intermission,
7 PM- 9 PM
Ticket

Zal, son of a Feridun chief named Sam, was born with snow white hair. This curious condition aroused fear that he might be a daeva’s son, and Sam was forced to abandon the boy on a mountaintop. A simurgh, a bird with magic powers, snatched up the crying baby and raised him with its own nestlings.



Upon dreaming that his son still lived, Sam prayed to be reunited. The simurgh instructed Zal that he must return to his father, but gave him a feather that would ensure Zal’s safety if he were ever in danger. Sam welcomed his son and eventually put him in charge of Zabulistan where he performed his duties well.

Zal regretted his ignorance of world, however, and decided to visit other places including Kabul. The chief of Kabul was a descendant of Zohak, an enemy of Zal’s father Sam and the king of Persia. Zal knew that he should avoid contact with the chief, yet he yearned to meet the chief’s daughter Rudabeh who was described as “fair as the moon with ringlets of dark hair that reached her feet and whose presence made men think of heaven.” Rudabeh in turn had heard of Zal’s exceptional white hair and strange upbringing.



Her attendants sensed her interest in Zal and ventured to gather roses in a stream bed by his camp. When Zal shot a bird rising from the waters, he received a message that Rudabeh could be his if he were worthy. The maidens returned to Rudabeh with gems, robes, and rings from Zal. She invited Zal to her palace retreat. After calling to him from a balcony, she let down her tresses which Zal climbed. The two realized their great love for each other, but feared their families’ enmity.

The days that followed were grim because the king of Persia vowed to destroy all descendants of Zohak. When Zal confessed his love for Rudabeh to his father, Sam consulted astrologers, and learned that the offspring of the two lovers would become a great conqueror. He sent Zal with a letter fo the king of Persia beseeching permission for the marriage. When the king received the same sign from the astrologers, he consented, and Rudabeh and Zal were married on the palace balcony. The king of Persia also made peace with the ruler of Kabulistan.



When Rudabeh was ready to bare her child, she became gravely ill. Zal placed the simurgh feather on the fire. The simurgh appeared and instructed that Rudabeh be drugged with wine. Her side was opened, her child drawn out, and the incision rubbed with an herb and another feather from the simurgh’s wing. The child named Rustam revealed himself immediately to be a hero and the fulfillment of the simurgh’s prophecy.

Performers in the Character:
Enton Hoxha: as Zal
Maria Tikhomirova: Rudabeh
Shahla Sarokhani: Narrator (Naqqal)
Kenwa Li Newell: Narrator (Naqqal)
Mehrdad Naghibian: Musician (Drum & Daf)
Kourosh Moradi: Musician (Daf)

Company Dancers:
Alex Crawford, Alina Ananian, Athenia Barouni, Talin Davidian, Tina Mirzakhanian, Talita Ghazanian, Tania Mangasarian, Rubina Vartanian, Melanie Hartenian, Anoush Akopyan, Biayna Ayvazian, Christine Dashdemirians, Catherine Eskandar, Maryam Ghukasian.

In this multimedia report, we are guided through the great ancient bazaar of Tabriz, one of the largest cities of Iran. Its residents are now hoping it will be registered as a World Heritage Site in 2011. While many other town and city bazaars in Iran may have lost their original function as the main trade hub of their locality, and have turned into attractions, in Tabriz the bazaar has kept its original purpose and many of the features from the middle ages, Tamerlane’s era and the last few centuries.

Evocative yet practical names of the past greet us, seeming to challenge any assumption of a modern monopoly of the concept of shopping malls, centres or precincts: ‘caravanserai’ (a central courtyard for the pack animals and caravans, surrounded by warehouses and traders’ shop fronts, now often abbreviated to ‘sara’), ‘hojra’ (a cell, kiosk, office or small shop), ‘rasteh’ (a row of such shops), ‘chahar soo’ (an intersection of two thoroughfares), ‘teamcheh’ (a small version of the caravanserai, often a chamber) and ‘dalan’ (alleys and pathways connecting all these together, lined with shops). We are invited to receive and enjoy the ancient hospitality of the residents and merchants of the bazaar of Tabriz.
Source: jadidonline.com

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Nowrouz with different spelling shows up in official calendars of Iran, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Albania, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Autonomous Region of Kurdistan (part of Iraq).

While not a national holiday, there are many more countries or regions that celebrate Persian New Year, such as Crimea, India, France, Republic of Tatarstan (part of Russian federation), United States, United Kingdom, Georgia, Canada, Netherlands, Israel, Germany, Lebanon, China, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Pakistan, Sweden,…

Read more about Nowruz or Nowroz (Persian: نوروز)

Nowruz (Norouz) make it into Unesco heritage list

Nowruz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the Iranian year. It is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox (the start of spring in the northern hemisphere), which usually occurs on March 21 or the previous/following day depending on where it is observed.

The term Nowruz first appeared in Persian records in the second century AD, but it was also an important day during the time of the Achaemenids (c. 648-330 BC), where kings from different nations under the Persian empire used to bring gifts to the emperor (Shahanshah) of Persia on Nowruz.

More about Nowruz or Nowroz – نوروز

ارغوان
شاخه همخون جدا مانده من
آسمان تو چه رنگ است امروز؟
آفتابی است هوا؟
یا گرفته است هنوز؟

من درین گوشه که از دنیا بیرون است،
آسمانی به سرم نیست،
از بهاران خبرم نیست،
آنچه می بینم دیوار است
آه، این سخت سیاه
آن چنان نزدیک است
که چو بر می کشم از سینه نفس
نفسم را بر می گرداند
ره چنان بسته که پرواز نگه
در همین یک قدمی می‌ماند
کورسویی ز چراغی رنجور
قصه پرداز شب ظلمانی است
نفسم می گیرد
که هوا هم اینجا زندانی است

هرچه با من اینجاست
رنگ رخ باخته است
آفتابی هرگز
گوشه چشمی هم
بر فراموشی این دخمه نینداخته است
اندر این گوشه خاموش فراموش شده،
کز دم سردش هر شمعی خاموش شده،
یاد رنگینی در خاطر من گریه می‌انگیزد
ارغوانم آنجاست
ارغوانم تنهاست
ارغوانم دارد می گرید
چون دل من که چنین خون آلود
هر دم از دیده فرو می ریزد

ارغوان
این چه رازی است که هر بار بهار
با عزای دل ما می آید؟
که زمین هر سال از خون پرستوها رنگین است؟
وین چنین بر جگر سوختگان
داغ بر داغ می‌افزاید

ارغوان
پنجه خونین زمین
دامن صبح بگیر
وز سواران خرامنده خورشید بپرس
کی برین دره غم می‌گذرند؟

ارغوان
خوشه خون
بامدادان که کبوترها
برلب پنجره باز سحر غلغه می‌آغازند،
جام گلرنگ مرا
بر سر دست بگیر،
به تماشاگه پرواز ببر
آه بشتاب که هم پروازان
نگران غم هم پروازند

ارغوان
بیرق گلگون بهار
تو بر افراشته باش
شعر خونبار منی
یاد رنگین رفیقانم را
بر زبان داشته باش
تو بخوان نغمه ناخوانده من

ارغوان،
شاخه همخون جدا مانده من
هوشنگ ابتهاج

ه. ا. سایه
فروردین ۱۳۶۳