Saturday, February 27, 2010

Shadravan Bridge







Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Deyr Gachin Carvansary

The Deyr Gachin Caravansary, known as the mother of all carvansarays, is located 40 kilometers from Varamin in Tehran province. It was originally built in the Sassanid era as a fortified fire temple or a castle although its function was changed during the Safavid period. It was renovated several times during different Islamic periods, especially during the Safavid era which is why most of the architectural style we see today reflects this period. According to Borhan’e Ghateh, the structure was erected by Sassanid Emperor Bahram V (r. 421-438 CE) while the Tarihkh’e Qom gives the name of Khosrow I (r. 531-579 CE) as the patron of the Caravansary. The archaeological facts tend to confirm the building may have been constructed before Emperor Khosrow, but rebuilt or repaired during his time.

Situated in a desert area, this Caravansary was constructed on the northeast-southwest direction. Experts believe that this orientation was chosen so that the complex would be protected against the severe seasonal winds of this area which blow in a west-east direction. The Caravansary has an area of 12,000 square meters and 43 rooms, a backyard, 8 camel stables, 2 shops, one bath and a mosque. The Caravansary has four iwans to help desert winds pass through the adobe building. Two double storied towers can be seen on sides of the entrance gate while four others occupy each corner of the Carvansary. This structure has a large courtyard with small windowless chambers. These chambers are on a platform with the ceilings of the rooms made of bricks. On three sides of the courtyard are large balconies.

Archeological excavations in Deyr Gachin has led to the discovery of the public restroom of this complex. The restroom is located in a cubbyhole, behind the water reservoir of the bathroom of the Caravansary. The restroom consisted of six toilets which were located opposite each other while the walls of these toilets were constructed shorter than the other walls of the Caravansary. Further archeological studies and different plans provided from this monument revealed that Deyr Gachin had six towers and bulwarks. Since this architectural style was very common some 1,100 years ago in the construction of fortresses, most probably it was originally a fortress before changing into a caravansary.

There are some ambiguities about the real name of this fortress. While Gachin indicates the presence of plaster, however, the exact reason for choosing this name is not known. There may have been some stucco mines near this fortress considering the use of plaster in its construction. It is also possible that it had plaster pillars.

Deyr Gachin is reflected in Iranian legend as the place that Bahman was swallowed by a dragon resulting in him giving his kingdom to his daughter Chihrazad, who was known as Humay.

On 22 December 2003 Deyr Gachin Caravansary was registered on Iran’s National Heritage List.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Haji Firooz Teppe

Haji Firooz Teppe is an archeological site 2 kilometers southwest of Hasanloo in West Azerbaijan province and underlying Bronze Age settlements dating from the early to about the mid-2nd millennium BC. The site is thought to have been inhabited in several stages and was ultimately destroyed by Urartu in the late 9th century BC. Hasanloo was the focus of excavations carried out by the University of Pennsylvania Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York, and the Archaeological Service of Iran from 1956 to 1977. Haji Firooz Teppe was excavated as part of the Hasanloo site which in itself revealed rare painted pottery, a handful of which also have been decorated on their inside surface. Remains of domesticated dogs have also been found at this site, radiocarbon dated to 5500-5000 B.C.

Persians were known for their wine making, and the site of Haji Firooz is best known for the discovery of a jar containing the earliest known residue of wine in the world. The residue contained resin (a mix of tannin and tartrate crystals) from the Terebinth tree that grew wild in the region, and was possibly used as a preservative indicating that the wine was deliberately made and was not result of the grape juice fermenting unintentionally. Terebinth resin was widely used as a preservative in ancient wine because it killed certain bacteria. Pine resin is currently used in Greek Retsina wine.

The jar with the wine residue, had a volume of about 9 liters and was found together with five similar jars embedded in the earthen floor along one kitchen wall of a Neolithic mud brick building, dating back to 5400-5000 BC. Clay stoppers about the same size as the jars' mouths were located close by, suggesting that they could have been used keep out the air and prevent the wine from turning into vinegar. The building in which the jars were found consisted of a large room that may have doubled as a bedroom, a kitchen, and two storage rooms. The room thought to be a kitchen had a fireplace and numerous pottery vessels probably used to prepare and cook foods.

This the earliest firm evidence for wine making to date in western Asia. While most likely a fable, however, the story of the Persian woman and fermented grapes has many folklorists crediting her for inventing wine. As the story goes, a Persian Princess had found herself out of favor with the King of Persia. Upon hearing this news, she attempted to commit suicide by consuming a jar of spoiled grapes. Instead of dying, she found herself feeling better and acting a lot happier. Eventually she passed out, but when she woke up, she found that the King liked her new attitude so much that he admitted her back into his good graces.

At Godin Teppe, a 3500-3000 BC settlement six hundred kilometers south along the Zagros mountains, additional jars containing wine residues have been found.

It is unclear if the name of the site has any connection with the trickster who is supposed to make an appearance at Norooz.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Abyaneh Village







Saturday, February 13, 2010


Sepandarmazgan (or Espandegan) is the celebration day of love, friendship and earth in ancient Iranian culture. This day is dedicated to Spenta Armaiti, Spandarmad in Middle Persian, the Middle Iranian language/ethnolect of Southwestern Iran that during Sassanid times (224-654 CE) became a prestige dialect and so came to be spoken in other regions as well. It is celebrated on February 17th and modern folklore dates the celebration to ancient times and Zoroastrian tradition although it was commonly celebrated amongst all Iranians regardless of their religion.

According to Iranian tradition, the day of Sepandarmazgan was held in the Persian Empire in the 20th century BC. On this day, women and girls sat on the throne and men and boys had to obey them and bring them presents and gifts. In this way, men were reminded to acclaim and respect women. The holiday was also called mardgiran and on this day people would write spells on three pieces of paper and paste them on the walls of their home to keep away annoyances. They would also mix grapes and pomegranates into a fine blend and considered it the antidote for a scorpion's sting.

Sepandarmaz is another name for mainyu (earth) meaning holy, humble and passionate and is also Earth’s Guardian Angel. It is the symbol of humbleness and means modest toward the entire creation. These are the qualities attributed to Earth that spreads beneath our feet, thus the symbol of modesty and love. As human beings, there are creatures that we find unpleasant and repulsive but Earth embraces all creatures the same and loves them the same; like a mother who loves all children alike, even when they are occasionally not so pleasant on the surface.

There are various theories explaining the gradual shift from celebrating Earth to celebrating a loved one on Sepandarmazgan. One of such theories compares the Earth to a loving and expecting mother who nurtures those around her. Earth has traditionally been given a female characterization (hence the term motherland) much like how the sky has been labeled male. Further strengthening this theory is in ancient Iranian mythology; that the first couple in the human race, Mashi and Mashianeh, was created from the roots of the mandrake plant and thus the Earth or Sepandarmaz should be considered the mother of all human life.

In ancient Iran each day of the month had a name and all months had 30 days. Any time the name of a day coincided with that of the month, a feast was held. For example, the 16th day of any month is called Mehr and the feast of Mehregan is held on the 16th day of the month of Mehr which was one of the most important feasts of the past. As a result of the revision of number of days of the 1st six months of the year, the date of this holiday was revised from the original date of the 5th of Esfand to the 29th of Bahman.

The Association of Iran's Cultural and Natural Phenomena has been trying since 2006 to make Sepandarmazgan a national holiday, in order to replace its Western equivalent, Valentine’s Day.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Meymand Village






Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Nooshabad Underground City




