King Bahram and His Harpist on a Persian Pottery Piece

King Bahram and his harpist Azadeh, depicted on a 13th-century Persian pottery piece, are now housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. This artwork is inspired by the stories from Persia's national epic, the "Shahnameh" by Ferdowsi.

Persian Cemetery in Istanbul

Istanbul Persian Cemetery is located in Uskudar district, in the Asian side of the city. The cemetery created in ca. 1850 when the ecenomic ties of Persia (Iran) and Ottomans were growing.

The cemetery is still in use.

The Persian composer Samin Baghcheban (1925 - 2008) is among those who has been buried here.

Üsküdar, 

SEYYİD AHMET DERESİ İRANİLER MEZARLIĞI / KABRİSTAN 

Princess Fatemeh Pahlavi : A Rare Photo

Recently I have discovered a quite rare photo of the Persian princess Fatemeh Pahlavi.

Fatemeh (also spelled Fatimeh) was Reza Shah Pahlavi's 10th child and half-sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Persia (Iran).

Princess Fatemeh was born in Tehran in 1928 and died in 1987 in London at the age of 58.

The death cause seems cancer. Daily Telegraph was among the first Western media which reported the news but did not give the cause of death or say exactly when or where she died. 

Read more:

http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1987/Princess-Fatemeh-Pahlavi/id-5d7f9d9ddceb0c0a9b941d16111f9e6f

FURY: Killing from the beginning until the end !

I just watched FURY.
From the beginning until the end of the film they kill each other!

And similar to other Hollywood movies, the Americans are hero! 4-5 of them kill 200-300 Germans :)

But of course it's an entertaining movie; from technical point of view; + a wonderful music.

Dariush shines in Holland | De Doelen Repairs Its Image

On 11 Oct. 2014 Dariush, the legendary Persian pop star shined once again in a concert at De Doelen in Rotterdam.

 The venue was full of his fans who were singing with him during the event.

De Doelen before this concert was a hated place for many Persians in the Netherlands. During 2009 pro-freedom demonstrations in Iran which many people were killed by the Islamic goverment in Tehran and other cities, the regime tried to cover up its crime by organizing a so-called "Peace Concert" in Europe. Their agents hired famous venues in big European cities to give this impression that they are culture-oriented. In Holland they hired "De Doelen".

It was quite surprising that how De Doelen decided to accept Iran's Embassy offer to hire the hall in a time that human rights violations in Iran were every day in the news.

 For the concert in January 2010 the embassy sent free tickets to its own people. At the night of the concert a big demonstration was organized by Iranian opposition groups in Netherlands against the event. Inside the hall the embassy's agents attacked the protesters and the concert was remained unfinished.
 See the photos here.

It seems De Doelen just cares about money and nothing else. Anyway it's good that finally a pro-freedom Iranian singer performed there. Maybe an opprotunity for De Doelen to repair its image for Persian-Dutch community.

Parts of Dariush Concert in Rotterdam can be watched here:

(VIDEO)

Western Union & US Paranoia !

US-based WESTERN UNION has canceled my 100,-- EUR transaction to a friend in Turkey.
They do not explain what is the reason of the cancelation; which shows how much the clients are important to them!
It seems, even as an European citizen, I am still in their black list or maybe they consider me as a potential Jihadist!!!
US PARANOIA ! :))))))))

Israeli Pianist performs Persian Composition

In 1978 the Israeli pianist Amiram Rigai performed various piano works in an album from various countries including Persia (Iran).

This piece is one of the most famous works of Aminollah (André) Hossein named "Persian Fable".

The piece is also known by its French title "Prelude et legende persane". Aminollah Hossein is one of the pioneers of Persian polyphonic music.
You can listen to Israeli interpretation of "Persian Fable" here:

Aminollah Hossein composed this piece in 1956 and the score was published on that time in Paris with financial support of Persian Ministry of Culture and Art.

Hossein passed away in Paris in 1983.
The actor Robert Hossein is his son.

Summer 2014 @ Mykonos Island of Greece (Photo Gallery)

Mykonos Island is one of the tourist attractions of Greece.

The above photos have been taken in August 2014 in this beautiful island.

The nature of the island is not something very special; it's something like water and desert! but the combination and also the weather have made it special.

 MYKONOS is the name of a beautiful island in Greece but for Persians it reminds 1992 assassination of 4 opposition leaders in Germany. They were assassinated at a Greek restaurant in Berlin named MYKONOS. 

Iran's New Wave of Crackdown on Journalists

Iran's government has started a new and huge campaign to crackdown on journalists.
Seraj Mirdamadi, the former contributor of various Persian media in Europe has been sentenced to 6 year imprisonment. Saba Azarpeyk who has been arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence is in a critical mental and physical condition.
Some others have been already sentenced to imprisonment. According to "Reporters without Borders", IRAN now is one of the biggest prisons of journalists in the world.

PARADE SCENE: Ceramic from Safavid Persia

This beautiful ceramic is coming from Persia. It has been made in 17th century during Safavid era; an important time in the history of Persian pottery and ceramic.

This ceramic is called "Parade Scene" and now is kept in the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada.

Persian Lion and Sun Flags in Toronto Streets

People from every country live in Toronto. In these days because of 2014 World Cup many of them are using car flags. Persian community is quite big in the area.
 "Flag" is a very controversial issue among Iranians. The symbol in the middle of the Persian flag represents certain political ideology. In Toronto most car flags are different from the official flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran which is in use since 1979 Islamic Revolution.
 It clearly shows that the majority of Persians are against their government.

WATCH  VIDEO:

Persian Bride and Groom in 1944

A Persian bride and groom in 1944. The photo has been taken in the city Isfahan.

---------

The photo is from my family archive. Copying and posting that in other websites, blogs, printed materials, etc is not allowed without written permission.

Seraj Mirdamadi is arrested in Tehran

The journalist Serajedin Mirdamadi is arrested in Tehran. Seraj's father has told BBC Persian Service that he has "no idea" where his son is kept now. Seraj Mirdamadi, who is also a reformist political activist, for some years was living in France with his wife and son; after the victory of President Hassan Rouhani he returned to Iran.

During his years in France, Seraj was studying at the university and also worked with some of Europe-based Persian media. More information about his latest situation can be found on the website of BBC Persian website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/2014/05/140511_l45_seraj_mirdamadi_arrested.shtml

It seems Seraj has been among the people who were too much optimistic toward the recent presidential election in Iran. And he was under this impression that situation will be better soon. Totally wrong idea !

President Rouhani is still inving exiled-Persians to return to return to Persia !

Persian Communities in front of European Parliament, 8 May 2014

Yesterday around 100 people of Persian communities in Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands were gathered in front of EU Parliament in Brussels.
Their intention was to express their anger because of the terrible situation of human rights in Persia (Iran).

Various speakers including Isabelle Durant (European Parliament Vice President) expressed their support Human rights activist in Iran and also in exile. Ms. Durant thanked Anvar Mirsattari (President of EuroPers Foundation in Brussels) who is quite active to inform the EU parliament about the ideas of Persians in exile. Ms. Durant mentioned: "In my December trip to Tehran I talked to Iranian authorities about human rights issues. In many cases they were not accepting the points but I am happy that on behalf of you I talked to them."

The demonstration was organized by Iran's Human Rights Solidarity Network.

VIDEO:

Photos of Maz Jobrani's Great Show in Amsterdam

Maz (Maziar) Jobrani is a talented Persian American comedian.

On 6th May 2014 he had a great show in Amsterdam's Meervaart Theater (which you can see its pics) and on 8 & 10 May he will be in Tilburg and Groningen.

More Info in the LINK

Maziar has been known as the Persian Pink Panther. He makes joke of both Persian and American culture is his shows. His Amsterdam event was sold-out!

Cute Cat Acrobat !

Today my cat devoted her entire time to clean herself but sometimes it was more close to acrobat! :)

Tagh-e Bostan during Nowruz Vacation | March 2014

This year, Tagh-e Bostan - again - was one of the attractions of Persian new year vacation.

This cite has been constructed in Sassanid Era (226 to 650 AD) and it's considered as a sample of Persian art in that time.

Sassanids was the last dynasty of Persia (Iran) before the Arab invasion in 7th century AD to brought Islam to Persia.

Photos have been taken by Samir Dolati.

Persian New Year Concert @ Oberhausen Arena, March 2014

Since around 10 years the biggest Nowruz (Persian New Year Concert) in the world is taking place at Oberhausen Arena, Germany. This year also the concert was organized on 22 March 2014.

The singers were who were invited this year were Sattar, Shahram Shabpareh, Andy, Shadmehr Aghili, Kamran-Houman and Shahab Tiam.

That was wonderful to see thousands of Persians at the venue but the sound quality of the concert was terrible; too much echo and high volume of percussions turned the hall to a sport club! It was almost impossible to recognize the voice of singers and the sound of the instruments! Hopefully the organizers pay more attention to this issue for the next events.

At the concert Shahmehr Aghili invited the audience to sing the patriotic anthem EY IRAN. That was an emotional moment which has been captured in this video:

Persian Fire-Jumping Festival in Holland

Tonight Persians in various parts of the Netherlands celebrated "Chaharshanbeh-Soori"; their ancient fire-jumping festival which its root goes back to thousands years ago.
Here are some photos of the celebration by the Delft Lake:

A so-called academic center : BRITANNICA !

This afternoon when I was checking various atlases at the library I came across with Encyclopedia Britannica World Atlas. In the Persian Gulf region maps I noticed that in all maps they have removed the adjective 'Persian' from the historical and internationally recognized term of the Persian Gulf.

Not far from the Persian Gulf region I saw the complete titles of "Gulf of Oman", "Arabian Sea", "Indian Ocean", etc. have been used. So the question is based on what evidence Britannica which claims to be an academic institution removes 'Persian' from the Persian Gulf. They should not be unaware about countless documents and maps which prove the accuracy of the historical name of this waterway; a fact which has been emphasized in the United Nations directive as well.

It is quite sad to see the so-called academic center has become involved in political/economical games. If Britannica believes "The Gulf" is the correct term of the Persian Gulf consequently they should mention the reasons in their atlas.
If they believe "Persian Gulf" shows the Persian ownership in the region, then they should stop using the terms "Indian Ocean", "Gulf of Mexico", "Arabian Sea", etc.

Kiwi Blossoms in Persia

Kiwifruit blossoms in Roudsar, northern part of Persia.

Latest Photos of Princess Ashraf Pahlavi

The Persian princess Ashraf Pahlavi is one of the most controversial figures of Pahlavi regime until 1979 Islamic revolution. There have been a lot of rumors about her moral/financial corruption and also her involvement in drug trade in Persia (Iran).
After the victory of Islamic revolution in her homeland, the princess has kept a very low profile media presence. There was not any new photo or video of her since early 1990s but recently two new photos of her have been published in various Persian-language websites.

Princess Ashraf now lives in Paris.