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Showing posts from December, 2008

Arg-e Bam

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Bam was hit by an earthquake of the magnitude of 6.6 early in the morning of December 26, 2003. First, the death toll was assumed to be beyond 80'000, but the official number of casulaties was given as 56'000, and the latest estimates were about 26'000. See the official website of the movie Bam 6.6 here .

Christmas in Iran

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For the second time since 2006/07 I am spending Christmas and New Year in Iran. The last time, I joined a group of Kuwaiti pilgrims who visited the city of Mashhad on a pilgrimage to Imam Reza’s holy shrine. For me, it was a time of spirituality, good feelings, great Iranian and Kuwaiti hospitality, friendship, adventures, new insights in the semi-tribal life of the Baluchi people, and so much more. And, of course, an inevitable but failed attempt of an Iraqi Seyyed of converting me to Islam. I have reported about this wonderful, in fact even miraculous, journey to Khorasan in the northeastern corner of Iran somewhere else in my blog . The Astan-e Qods Razavi was, by the way, decorated and illuminated because of Eid-e Ghorban . That Saddam had been hanged in Baghdad early in the morning added, of course to the overall happiness of Kuwaitis, and Iranians as well. This year, I hope to participate in the Christmas mass in Esfahan’s marvelous Vank Cathedral in the Armenian Quarter. Among t

Stained Glass Windows

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Masjed-e Vakil , close to one of the entrances of the bazaar-e vakil , was built in 1773 by Shiraz’ wise and modest ruler Karim Khan. Most of its decoration, though, was added in the later Qajar period. It is one of Shiraz’ gems. The colors interchange between light blue, pink, red and yellow and floral motifs predominate. The mosque expresses a serene but cheerful, almost Mediterranean, atmosphere. The stained glass windows yield incredible plays of light in the alcoves and porches surrounding the courtyard.

A Kurdish Kilim from Khorasan

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Kurds are not only living in Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and northwestern Iran. Shah Abbas I (d. 1629) had moved about 15’000 Kurds to the northeastern borders of Khorasan as protection against Uzbek and Turkoman invasions. As their folks in Kurdistan, these so-called Kordish people in northeastern Iran weave pile carpets, kilims and soumaks. The colorful carpets show typical geometric designs displaying octagons, hooked squares, and a star design, called naqsh-e setare (not in this piece), and knots are symmetric. So, it is no surprise to see characteristic colorful rugs and flat weaves of Kurds for example in the carpet bazaar in Mashhad. The kilim here (59 cm x 145 cm) is a nice example indicating different techniques of flat weave. When bought a couple of years ago, it was new. Four intensively orange major bands are separated by colorful stripes displaying arrow heads. They themselves are bordered by narrow black stripes with various, very delicate patterns of vines, zigzag bands, squar

The Farewell Sermon of the Prophet of Islam (S.A.W.)

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I was sitting in an airplane of Saudi Arabian Airline. It had turned out to be extremely difficult for me, the infidel, to get the visa for the, at least for foreigners, isolated country of Islam. Countless times I had to go to the Saudi Arabian consulate in Jabriah. I spent endless hours there and was usually treated in an unusual rude and impolite way. “The organizers will inform us if you are welcome!” I was told. “Come next week!” The organizers were the Saudi Arabian Association for Dental Research who had just started another attempt of organizing an annual meeting of the country’s dentists. Having lived and worked for a couple of years in Kuwait, I became more than curious to see whether they were interested in my research, too. Our Dean and my friend and colleague from Jordan wanted to accompany me. She also wanted to go to Makkah for Umrah , the lesser pilgrimage, but that was immediately declined by the authorities at the consulate. No way. Dhu al-Hijjah was coming soon, and