Salmiya

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...

When visiting Mashhad in December 2006/January 2007, I joined a group of Kuwaiti pilgrims who visited the holy shrine of Imam Reza. The beautiful Azim-e Gohar-Shad and the shrine with the golden dome have been described elsewhere in this blog. On one occasion, we also went to the city of Nishapur, some 120 kilometers west of Mashhad. It is the old capital of Khorasan, Iran's most northeastern province and home of the famous mathematician, astronomer and poet Omar Khayyam (d. 1122) and sufi Fariduddin Attar (d. 1220), whose tombs I have seen there, too. I have also reported on that trip earlier . Near Nishapur, Irans biggest turquoise mine can be found, and the city sports many turquoise shops. The beautiful semi-precious stone is regarded by many as the most typical jewel of the Orient . Unfortunately, the best pieces will be exported and are usually not shown or for sale in the small shops in Nishapur's or Mashhad's jewellery shops.

End of last year one of my Kuwaiti colleagues invited me to join her family and a group of Shi’a pilgrims heading for the city of Mashhad in the northeastern corner of Iran. For me it was to be the second visit of Emam Reza’s Holy Shrine after 2005 in hot summer. This time of the year, Christmas, the Christian New Year, Hajj, Eid-e Ghorban, Eid-e Ghadir, and the expected execution of Saddam Hussein would more or less coincide when I was in the wintry Holy City. It was a special experience I would not want to miss at all. I have heard that many Europeans nowadays follow the hype and hopes of hiking on St. James Way in Spain. A certain longing for spirituality and even mystic experiences may be the thriving force for bored Westerners searching for meaning. So, I was somewhat curious about what I could get from that trip. The nowadays more and more emerging problems for Westerners of getting a visa for Iran were to be solved by the Shi'ite organizers, who were located in Bayan, close ...