The celebration of Nowruz is becoming better known these days, possibly because UNESCO recognized it in 2010 as...
Iran Articles
Majestic Naqsh-e Rostam under threat from climate change
TEHRAN – The hot summer, unauthorized deep-water drilling, and other challenges associated with the changing...
India, Iran to hold seminar on Iran and Zoroastrianism
The Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO) and India’s Cama Oriental Institute are to hold a seminar on Iran and Zoroastrianism on April 27. ICRO International Department Director Khalaj...
Iran: The Forgotten Glory: DVD
Iran: The Forgotten Glory is a two part DVD Movie about the Persia of yore. “Shot in over 60 locations in the province of FARS and 5 years in the making, “IRAN, The Forgotten Glory” is the...
Navroze at Pasargade
Here are some pictures of Navroze being celebrated in Pasargade. However I do not have the year this was. Probably 2009 or 2008.
The Persepolis Celebrations of 1971
From Teheran to Persepolis: All the Glitter of the Empire This is the title of a fantastic website that has the entire event in photographs and text. A definite must read. Website Link
2500 Years: The Persepolis Celebrations of 1971
Aryanmehr, an Iranian blog has a long write up about the Persepolis celebrations of 1971. We are awake 2,500-year celebrations revisited By Cyrus Kadivar The sky was dark on that Christmas Day in...
President Obama’s Norouz Message to The People of Iran
This is a fantastic video that was aired all over the Middle East Television networks. President Barack Obama uses the new year to greet the people and the leaders of Iran.
Cambridge Univ to observe 1,000 years of Shahnamah
Cambridge University will observe 1,000 years of the Shahnama or book of kings by the Persian poet Firdausi in 2010. This epic verse was compiled in 1,010 AD which narrates the history of the...
Ancient Zoroastrian Valentine’s Day Custom Remains Alive
Love conquers all but tradition Maryam Sinaiee, Foreign Correspondent Young people shop for Valentine’s gifts in a mall outside Tehran on Valentine’s Day. Newsha Tavakolian / The National TEHRAN //...
The permanence of Persia
The remarkable perseverance of Iran’s cultural identity By David Morgan Iran is now widely spoken of as a “regional superpower”. That status owes a good deal to the operation of a law that...
Norouz 2009 event at Philadelphia Museum of Art
Norouz 2009 event at Philadelphia Museum of Art on March 8th Silk Road Dance Company – click here for high resolution image The fourth annual Norouz (Persian New Year) event will be held at...
Persia: The Lost World
Eric Lurio writes a wonderful three part travelogue on modern day Iran. Titled Notes on the Iran/Persia Conflict: A Travelogue it runs on the famous Huffington Post website. Below is an excerpt from...
Zoroastrians Observe Sadeh Festival in Iran
Iran’s Zoroastrian community held the Jashn-e-Sadeh Festival for celebrating the discovery of fire on the 10th of the Iranian month of Bahman (which coincided this year with Jan. 29)....
Iran Re-opens Restored Bam Barracks
Iran is set to reopen the restored structure of the country’s historical city of Bam, which was devastated by an earthquake in 2003. According to the cultural heritage office of Kerman...
The Last of the Zoroastrians
Postcard from Yazd By Deena Guzder Tuesday, Dec. 09, 2008 Far removed from Tehran’s bustling tin-roofed teashops and Isfahan’s verdant pomegranate gardens, the deserts known as Dasht-e...
Pasargade: Plant Growth at Tomb of Cyrus
Iranfara reports on growth of mold and plants at the Tomb of Cyrus. See more pics and read text (in Farsi) here .
Iranian foundation to restore Pasargadae’s Islamic additions
The Parseh and Pasargadae Research Foundation plans to restore the structures added to Pasargadae during the different Islamic eras. The structures include a mosque dating back to the 12th century...
Iran Profound
The Iran Letters – Part III: A Survey of ‘Iran Profound’ by Barin Kayaoglu Beyond the constant squabbling between Tehran and the outside world, there lies another Iran. A product of...
Iran: A Call to the Emperor
Recently we linked to a National Geographic article on Persia. Here is a further analysis of the same by regular Parsi Khabar reader Zubin Wadia National Geographic (awesome photos) ran a story on...
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....
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...
A Passion for Persia, Disneyland and Dolphins
KISH, Iran — The indoor dolphin show was in full swing as Hossein Sabet walked in to a burst of applause from the 1,200 people in attendance. Clad in tight beige equestrian pants and tall black...
Dead as a dodo? Why scientists fear for the future of of the Asian vulture
You have to feel sorry for vultures. For animal campaigners they are a difficult case. Other, more photogenic, slightly less sinister creatures may gain the world’s sympathy at the drop of a...
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...
Possible Existence of a Sasanian Fire Temple in Sarab-e Mort
Archaeologists working at Sarab-Mort site in Kermanshah Province announced the news of the possible discovery of a Sasanian Fire Temple adjacent to the Parthian Manor house, reported Persian service...
Ancient game boards and compass discovered in southern Iran
Archaeological studies on some engravings on rocks on Khark Island have identified them as a compass and ancient game boards. The engravings are between 2000 and 3000 years old, archaeologist Reza...
US Takes 3D Shots of Iran Inscriptions
TEHRAN: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago has started taking three-dimensional pictures of Iran’s Achaemenid inscriptions. The pictures will enable people to read the various...
Iran to depict Shahnameh in miniatures
Renowned Iranian miniaturists are to portray parts of the stories told by the prominent poet Ferdowsi in his magnum opus, Shahnameh. Some 25 artists will take part in the project including prominent...
The Tomb of Cyrus in Danger of Fungus and Lichen
What experts have warned and feared for the past few years about the humidity level at the world heritage site of Pasargadae after the inundation of Sivand dam, has now become a bitter reality as...
Persian Day Parade In NYC
The Persian Day Parade was held in NYC to celebrate Navroze. The parade was organised by the Iranian-American association. Continue here for more pictures and a detailed report.
Sadeh Celebrations in Iran
Iran’s Zoroastrian minorities gathered at their temples across Iran on Wednesday to mark Sadeh _ an ancient feast celebrating the creation of fire that has been observed since the days when...
Godrej hosts Salman Rushdie, angers Muslims
An Islamic group in India is asking Muslims to boycott products of a top Indian business group if its owner does not apologise for hosting author Salman Rushdie on a brief holiday this week. Rushdie...
Iran Plans on Destroying Tomb of King Cyrus, Friend of the Jews
Iran is planning on submerging the tomb of King Cyrus (Coresh), the Persian King known for authorizing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Holy Temple. According to a report by...
Tower of Silence, Zoroastrian charnel house
A Tower of Silence is the place where Zoroastrians laid their dead to rest in the life-giving power of the sun. Zarathustra is the ancient Persian prophet who founded Zoroastrianism 3500 years ago....
Among the Zoroastrians
The Washington Post has a great feature titled “Among the Zoroastrians” Jackie Lyden vividly brings out the culture and lives of the few Zoroastrians still living in the desert plateau of Yazd,...
Experts to determine fate of Naqsh-e Rustam
Experts to determine fate of Naqsh-e Rustam TEHRAN, Sept. 23 (MNA) — A week-long study by experts will determine the fate of the Achaemenid site of Naqsh-e Rustam in southern Iran’s Fars...
Sons And Other Flammable Objects By Porochista Khakpour
Sons And Other Flammable ObjectsBy Porochista Khakpour. 398 pages. $24. Grove Press. By Judy Budnitz In the opening scenes of Porochista Khakpour’s novel “Sons and Other Flammable...
Kangelu Fortress waterproofed for Anahita rituals
Archaeologists surmise Kangelu Fortress waterproofed for Anahita rituals A team of Iranian archaeologists working on the Kangelu Fortress in northern Iran’s Mazandaran Province have put...
Railway Construction near Naqsh-e Rostam Stopped
Following strong oppositions made by Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) with construction of railway near Naqsh-e Rostam, security guard of ICHHTO has...
Zoroastrian Fires and Temples
Standing before a sacred fire, Zoroastrians pay homage to a creation that represents life and the power of Ahura Mazda. There are three kinds of sacred fires in Zoroastrianism, each standing for one...
Naqsh-E-Rustom In Danger Due to Railway Track Construction
Despite all oppositions made so far by Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) against construction of Isfahan-Shiraz railway only in 500-meter distance of Naqsh-e...
A war is but a loser’s game
by Farrukh Dhondy I can’t remember which teacher it was who ventured to tell us about the Battle of Thermopylae all those years ago. Three hundred Spartans held the pass at the aforesaid place...
Microphones, Planes, and Stereotypes: Those behind the Making of 300
Microphones, Planes, and Stereotypes: Those behind the Making of ‘300’ By Touraj Daryaee and Warren Soward, California State University, Fullerton I have been following reactions to the...
Bistoun Complex: Tourist Destination
Bistoun mountain with its world famous myths is annually visited by a great number of tourists from around the world at the beginning of spring. According to cultural heritage experts, the tablet of...
Discovering the Zoroastrian Temple of Yazd
The historic city of Yazd in central Iran is home to a Zoroastrian temple built nearly 1,500 ago. The holy fire which the Zoroastrians hold sacred is ritualistically preserved in the temple. Its...
The Islamization of Europe
Excerpt from a longer article here Mary Boyce, Emeritus Professor of Iranian Studies at the University of London, has confirmed the external validity of Bat Ye’or’s analytical approach...
Persepolis Today
Two videos showing Persepolis today and a glimpse of the grandeur of what it was in its day.
300 Evil-Doers
It’s been said that the movie “300” draws certain analogies about the US and its fight for freedom. People say that the Spartan’s fight with the Persian armies is a lot like...
Persepolis Recreated
An amazing video of Persepolis, completely recreated digitally.
Iranians Celebrate the New Year 1386
Right after midnight on Wednesday, 21 March, Iranians will be celebrating Norouz (new day), the start of 1386, the new Iranian year – a celebration which is at least 2,500 years old. The new...
The Persian king who is remembered every year
He was one of the most illustrious kings of ancient Iran (then called Persia) On 21st March, Parsis and Iranis the world over celebrate Jamshedi Navroze named after the Persian king Jamsheed of the...