Mumbai harbour has been the gateway to the world for commerce and travel since the British took control of the island city from the Portuguese in 1660s. However, the group of seven islands acquired the name ‘Bombay’ from the Portuguese, the first Europeans to set their foot on these islands. In 1508, the Portuguese explorer… Continue reading The Harbour That Gave the Name ‘Bombay’ to Mumbai
Category: History
Persia: Ancient Soul of Iran
The August 2008 issue of the National Geographic has “Persia: Ancient Soul of Iran” as its cover story. I just finished reading the printed issue. The photographs as usual are fantastic. The stories are very interesting in a very non-political way and brings out the remnant traces of the glory that was Persia. If you… Continue reading Persia: Ancient Soul of Iran
The Last Parsis: Tales of Survival and Extinction
Kaevan Umrigar, a filmmaker, and good friend of Parsi Khabar runs his own blog. His latest article in on Uran Next on my itinerary was Mora Bunder at Uran, a small fishing village across the harbour from Bombay. The agiary wasn’t far from the jetty, and as I walked towards it I saw a couple… Continue reading The Last Parsis: Tales of Survival and Extinction
Shahnameh: The Great Poem That Came Out of Persia
By ROYA HAKAKIAN My earliest memories of the Shahnameh, the greatest work ever written in the Persian language, belong to my childhood in Iran. I and other girls in my elementary school recited verses of the epic poem, rounding out our chests and puffing our cheeks in our best effort to strike the pose of… Continue reading Shahnameh: The Great Poem That Came Out of Persia
2200-year-old gemstones found in Iran
Ancient priceless gemstones and jewels belonging to postdated Achaemenid era have been unearthed in Iran’s southern province of Fars. Archeologists succeeded in discovering over 20 pieces of 2,200-year-old bracelets, necklaces and earrings adorned with agate, ruby and opal in ancient graves behind Salman-e Farsi Dam in Iran’s southern city of Yarj. “The discovery of such… Continue reading 2200-year-old gemstones found in Iran
Eeda Par Agiary
Eggs and toddy jars for a fire temple? The good-life-loving Parsis are not finicky about mixing the sacred and the secular. Still, I was intrigued by the E&T detail in Nauzer Bharucha’s report on the 300th anniversary of the Banaji Limji Agiary last Thursday. Mumbai’s oldest fire temple was badly damaged in a fire in… Continue reading Eeda Par Agiary
Around the world bicycle trip memoirs to be released after 80 yrs
Vadodara, April 18 One of the three men was a Barodian; almost 80 years after it was first published, his son will release a new edition of the book today Just in their twenties and living off a shoestring budget, three young Parsis, one from Baroda, ventured on the first ever trip around the world… Continue reading Around the world bicycle trip memoirs to be released after 80 yrs
