This is the second part of my journey through Iran (part 1 is here). I'm using the names Persia and Iran quite interchangeably, as Persia seems invoke more pleasant (and mysterious) connotations - at least in me.
You may want to check out my earlier Iran photo albums: Women of Iran (with an introduction to Persia and Iran), and Ashura (on Iran's Islamic festival of grief).
Uploaded on: 2019-01-27.
Map showing Iran location (opens in OpenStreetMap)
Part two will focus more on the south of Iran. Although our trip was three weeks long, we were unable to visit all sites of interest (notably, we missed Mashhad and the smugglers' island of Qeshm [1]), as I underestimated the size of the country. In the photo, the ancient necropolis of Naqsh-e Rustam.ISO 100, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/2500s.
But we could not miss the pre-Islamic Persia. Not far from Persepolis, the modest ruins of Pasargadae, once a Persian capital, still stand. Although its main attraction is the Tomb of Cyrus (the Persian emperor who liberated the Jews from their captivity in Babylon, an event echoed in the music of Bob Marley and more broadly in the Rastafari religion), I also had a look at the Toll-e Takht fortress, pictured here. It makes one realise how well preserved or restored the Greek or Egyptian or Cambodian edifices of antiquity are.ISO 200, 23mm, f/7.1, 1/1000s.
The capital of the empire moved often - from Pasargadae it was moved to Susa, and then Darius the Great founded another here, in Persepolis. [2] At least that's what the Greeks called it, while the Persians referred to it as Parsa. [3]ISO 200, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/600s.
The three sites (Pasargadae, Persepolis, and Naqsh-e Rustam) lie in relative vicinity. The necropolis of Naqsh-e Rustam spans both the Achaemenid (BCE) and Sassanid (CE) Empires, housing the tombs of the leaders of both dynasties. This relief depicts Shapur I triumphing over the Roman Emperors Valerian and Philip the Arab. Valerian was the first Roman Emperor to be captured in battle, which sent shock waves across the empire - he was then supposedly humiliated and killed by the Persians. [4] Those were difficult times for the Roman Empire, as it was fragmented and nearly collapsed; it would survive though, and be reunited by Aurelian. [5]ISO 200, 23mm, f/8.0, 1/500s.
The Sassanid Empire would ultimately outlive the Western Roman Empire, to fight exhausting wars with the Eastern Roman Empire instead, a massive drain on both that would lead to the rise of Islam.ISO 100, 24mm, f/9.0, 1/640s.
The ancient tomb of Cyrus the Great was visited once by Alexander the Great, who also happened to burn Persepolis to the Ground. Although we don't know for certain that this was the tomb of Cyrus, Greek historians claim Alexander believed it was. [2] Supposedly, Alexander's men found an inscription inside, but it no longer survives. [6] Passer-by, I am Cyrus, who founded the Persian Empire, and was king of Asia. Grudge me not therefore this monument.ISO 100, 70mm, f/2.8, 1/3200s.
The ancient Persian Empire united many nations under one ruler. The emperor Xerxes (the son of Darius the Great) had therefore this gate built, known as the Gate of All Nations. Darius ruled the empire at its peak [7], as it stretched from the Balkans to Sudan to the Indus Valley, while his son Xerxes oversaw the construction of various architectural projects, like Susa and Persepolis. Both father and son are buried in Naqsh-e Rustam.ISO 100, 35mm, f/2.8, 1/2000s.
Ka'ba-ye Zartosht or the Cube of Zoroaster. I briefly wrote on Zoroastrianism earlier. 46 metres from the mountain, this rectangular structure built of limestone stands, 12 metres tall. [9] The stones are not connected using mortar - dovetail joints were used instead. It was built in the sixth century BC, and while we refer to it as the Cube of Zoroaster, its original name is not known. Its purpose also eludes us, interpretations ranging from it being a tomb to a fire temple to a documents cache.ISO 200, 23mm, f/8.0, 1/1100s.
This is a shop in Isfahan - I can't say that it enthralled me with its items, but I did notice a curious rendition of the Last Supper.ISO 180, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
From ancient Persia, we jump centuries into the future to Islamic Persia. This is the Ali Qapu palace in the Naqsh-e Jahan Square of Isfahan. Ali means "great" in Persian, while qapu means "gate" in Azerbaijani. Indeed, the palace was originally designed as an impressive portal. [10] The Safavid dynasty that built this place used it to entertain foreign emissaries. In the photo, the music hall that's meant to have superb acoustics.ISO 200, 23mm, f/2.0, 1/320s.
Eight kilometres west of the centre of Isfahan, a Sassanid-era Zoroastrian fire temple stands called Atashgah-e Esfahan. Luca used the photo on the cover of his book on his travels across Eurasia.ISO 200, 38mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
We stayed on the hill until dark while our taxi driver was having a fit of anger below. A jolly Persian took us on a journey around the rock in pitch black, so I was glad to find the well-lit path back down.ISO 12800, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/40s.
This used to be the Zayanderud river. "Poor planning and populist politics have led to years of mismanagement and overuse which resulted in seasonal dry-outs and ultimately caused the river to dry out completely before reaching Isfahan." [11]ISO 200, 23mm, f/8.0, 1/220s.
Piers of the Si-o-se-pol bridge, another prime example of Safavid architecture. Some [18] consider the Safavid architecture to be excellent, but ultimately inferior to that of 14th and 15h centuries, some of which we saw in Samarkand - that's Timurid architecture, a legacy of the "Persianate Turco-Mongol" [19] Timurid Empire.ISO 200, 24mm, f/4.5, 1/50s.
The majestic entrance to the Shah Mosque of Isfahan, yet another Safavid landmark in the city. Registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it's considered to be a masterpiece of Persian architecture of the Iranian era. [12] It was commissioned by Abbas I of Persia, who also moved the capital here, to Isfahan (from Qazvin). Look the Sultan in the eye in this Italian painting.ISO 100, 14mm, f/3.2, 1/125s.
When Abbas I inherited the throne in 1588, the country was in a turmoil. The greatest rivals of the Iranians, the Ottomans and the Uzbeks, busied themselves taking over Safavid territory. As the English helped to modernise the army, Abbas recovered land from them as well from the Portuguese and the Mughals.ISO 100, 14mm, f/3.2, 1/320s.
The war with the Ottoman Empire began when the Iranians tired of the arrogance of an Ottoman diplomat, seized him, and shaved off his beard, which was then sent to Constantinople (an event echoed in the lore of Warhammer, except it was a dwarf whose beard was shaved off by the elves).ISO 1800, 28mm, f/3.5, 1/50s.
After the death of Abbas I, the Ottomans managed to reclaim the territory, and those borders then became pretty much today's borders between Turkey and Iran.ISO 200, 23mm, f/4.0, 1/1250s.
A statue of Abdol Hossein Dastgheib, who was a representative of the Supreme Leader of Iran in Shiraz. [13] In 1981, he was killed in a terrorist attack organised by People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) - an organisation that wishes to replace the current Iranian regime with its own government, and is supposedly based on a more modern interpretation of Islam. MEK was once listed as a terrorist organisation in the West, but that's no longer the case. Iraq and Iran still consider them a terrorist organisation though. The MEK opposed the Shah of Iran, but pursued the establishment of a democracy, and so Khomeini banned the organisation. [14]ISO 100, 60mm, f/2.8, 1/2500s.
Holy Savior Cathedral is commonly referred to as the Vank (monastery), and is a curious mix of Islamic influence (domed sanctuary) and that of Western Christianity (apse and raised chancel). From the inside, it's decorated with gruesome frescoes as well as Persian-style floral motifs. [15] Here too the bad guys are the Ottomans, depicted torturing Christian saints, and there's a memorial to the Armenian Genocide.ISO 100, 40mm, f/2.8, 1/2500s.
Colourful umbrellas helped to offset the solemn atmosphere of Ashura somewhat. We met a great deal of Iranians who rolled their eyes at the virtue signalling believers.ISO 200, 23mm, f/8.0, 1/90s.
This wooden structure is used during the Nakhl Gardani ritual of Ashura. It symbolises the coffin of Imam Husayn, and its shape is meant to resemble the cypress tree. [16] A nakhl will vary in size, with some of them requiring hundreds of men to be carried (I don't think women do the carrying).ISO 200, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/950s.
This is Arg of Karim Khan - an 18th century citadel in Shiraz built by the short-lived Zand dynasty. Shiraz was their capital, and despite their rule lasting only about 40 years, they managed to produce a distinct style of art. It was in Shiraz that I purchased a modern Persian miniature that I refer to, rather literally, as "the two fat birds", and its style is inspired by Zand art.ISO 140, 62mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
We decided to visit the Sar Castle near Yazd. It's a fascinating monument of Sassanid Persia that was once used as a secure storage.ISO 2000, 23mm, f/2.0, 1/60s.
We arrived at the castle taken here by the driver who would later betray me, I believe (reporting me to the police for flying the drone, see below).ISO 100, 29mm, f/2.8, 1/2500s.
This is what the Sar Castle looks like from above. I got in trouble for taking this photo as well as other drone pictures in Iran, but I'll come back to it in another installment of my Iran photos.ISO 100, 4mm, f/2.8, 1/500s.
This is what they put on top of the so called Turkish toilet so that a Westerner can sit down, relax, and use their phone. It funnels your waste with great precision!ISO 200, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/2500s.
This is Kharanaq. The birth place of sun, literally. The village is 4000 years old, while the buildings are about a millennium old. It's almost completely deserted due to the lack of water. [20]ISO 100, 24mm, f/11.0, 1/200s.
As in other places in Iran, there is some concern here too that economic factors may outweigh the cultural ones, and the place may be damaged in the process of extracting minerals and metals.ISO 200, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/1500s.
An older man we met in Yazd. I thought he looked like a traveller from a Renaissance painting, and was really happy to snap his portrait.ISO 200, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/60s.
I love this - this is an ancient Persian fridge, a giant, cool storage for food that kept low temperatures inside all year long due to its clever construction.ISO 4500, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
The last photo of Luca with a straight face before I said he looked like the professor of the Sciortino School of Faqqa (has to be said with a fake Italian accent for effect).ISO 100, 52mm, f/2.8, 1/100s.
The time was for us to return to Tehran. We had a domestic flight booked, but it got allegedly cancelled, and we had to go by coach instead, with Luca risking missing his flight, but it was all fine in the end.ISO 200, 23mm, f/2.0, 1/60s.
The more I read about Iran, the less I seem to know. Thousands of years of history and warfare isn't something that can be easily comprehended. There were empires that ruled over Iran for hundreds of years having great impact that we in the West don't even know about. What seems to be a common theme though is that although Iran was often invaded and conquered, it was the Persian culture that prevailed and changed the invaders in the end - it all started with a Persian Empire, that of Achaemenids, but then there came the Greeks bringing their own influence (Seleucid Empire), for Persian culture to prevail as the Parthian Empire, replaced with the Sassanid Empire, and then came the Arabs and later the Turkic peoples. After that, there were dynasties with Arab and Mongol and Turkic and Persianate influence (e.g. the Seljuk, Khwarazmian, or Timurid Empires), until the Safavid dynasty took over in 1501, and that's the first empire in 900 years to be considered properly Persian again. [21] [22]ISO 100, 70mm, f/3.2, 1/800s.
After the Safavids, there was the Afsharid dynasty, and then there came the Qajars (all still Persian). Then, we enter the period of modern Persia with the Pahlavi Dynasty, the Iranian Revolution, and the current Islamic Republic. I will focus on modern Iran in one of my later galleries.ISO 2000, 70mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
