Persian Medicine: Islam & Science

After the midterm exam, our class watched a fascinating documentary about the contributions to medicine and science from the Islamic world.  Inspired by this film, I collected a number of images from Arabic and Persian manuscripts which contain anatomical drawings. Below are some photo-collages that I made.

Optometry and pharmacology were fields that were especially advanced during the time of the "Translation Movement" (800 A.D. to 1150 A.D.) which was centered in Baghdad. Medical textbooks were collected from all parts of the world and translated into Arabic-- culminating into the world's most sophisticated and expansive resource of medical knowledge in Medieval times.

More on Zoroastrianism

The significance of the Faravahar, the symbol of Zoroastrianism

1. The figure inside is that of an old man, representing wisdom of age.  

2. There are two wings which have three tiers of feathers. These three tiers symbolize "good thoughts, good words, and good deeds".

3. The lower part of the Faravahar consists of three more tiers of feathers which represent "bad reflections, bad words and bad deeds" --the causes of  misery and misfortune for human beings.  

4. There are two ribbons on each side of Faravahar which symbolize positive forces and negative forces.  The former is directed toward the face and the latter is located at the back. This also indicates that we have to proceed toward the good and turn away from bad. 

5. The ring in the center symbolizes the eternity of the universe or the eternal nature of the soul. As a circle, it has no beginning and no end.  

6. One of the hands points upwards, indicating that there is only one direction to choose in life and that is forward. The other hand holds a ring. Some interpreters consider that as the ring of covenant, representing loyalty and faithfulness--the basis of Zarathustra's philosophy.

Since, the ring of covenant which located in the center of the Faravahar's trunk is the symbol of the immortality of the spirit, it can be inferred that the more human beings try to promote their own Faravahar, the more their spirit will be elevated in heaven after they pass away.

(article from Iransara.info)

Tribute to Zoroaster / Zarathustra / زرتشت

This week I'm giving a presentation in Persian about Zoroastrianism -- one of the oldest religions in the world. Zoroaster was its founder and I've collected a number of portraits of him from the internet. Zoroaster's message was simple: 

Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds.

Whirling Dervishes

Sufi whirling is a form of Sama or physically active meditation which originated among Sufis, and is still practiced by the Sufi Dervishes of the Mevlevi order. It is a customary dance performed within the Sema, or worship ceremony, through which dervishes (also called semazens) aim to reach the source of all perfection, or kemal. This is sought through abandoning one's nafs, egos or personal desires, by listening to the music, focusing on God, and spinning one's body in repetitive circles, which has been seen as a symbolic imitation of planets in the Solar System orbiting the sun.

This video was filmed in Istanbul. The female dervishes are wearing the red, yellow, and lavender skirts, while the men are in white.

When spinning, the right hand is lifted, palm-out, towards god and his gifts. The left is palm down towards the earth, to both draw forth its sustenance and to deliver god's gifts of the spirit to humanity.

Calligraphy

Introduction to Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Calligraphy
Watch on YouTube:
http://youtu.be/ANGFytWNQ5s

Persian Grammar

The University of Texas at Austin has developed a wonderful website for learning the foundations of Persian. I've used it everyday since class started! The "vocabulary lists" under "resources" are very convenient :)

http://sites.la.utexas.edu/persian_online_resources/

Summer Recipes

Marinated Heirloom Tomato Salad

Recipe by Tori Avey, The Shiksa in the Kitchen

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs heirloom tomatoes in a variety of colors

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 fresh lemon, juiced

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

4-5 drops tabasco pepper sauce (optional - adds spice)

Preparation

Slice the heirloom tomatoes into 1 inch chunks and place them in a large mixing bowl. Add fresh chopped basil to the bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, sugar, salt, black pepper and tabasco sauce. Pour dressing over the salad and toss to coat all ingredients evenly.

Cover salad with plastic wrap and let the tomatoes macerate for 30 minutes.

Serve salad at room temperature with a slotted spoon. Liquid from the tomatoes will collect in the bottom of the bowl, and the slotted spoon will allow you to serve the salad without making a wet mess of your plate. You may also wish to drain off some of the excess liquid from the salad bowl prior to serving—or use it to dip your bread into and soak up that flavorful juice!

Cevizli Bulgur Salatasi, Bulgur and Walnut Salad

Recipe from The Sultan's Kitchen  by Ozcan Ozan

1-1/2 cups fine-grain bulgur
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup tahini
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely diced (1 cup)
1/3 cup finely chopped scallions, some green parts included
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp Turkish red pepper or ground red pepper
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Romaine lettuce
Lemon wedges
Pita bread

Place the bulgur in a large bowl and add 1-1/2 cups boiling water. Cover the bowl and let the bulgur stand for 20 minutes to absorb all the water. Meanwhile, using a mortar and pestle, lb the walnuts into a paste. (If you prefer, you can use a food processor.) Mix this paste with the tahini and set it aside.

Stir the bulgur with a wooden spoon and fluff it with your fingertips. Add the tomatoes, scallions, parsley, mint, basil, Turkish red pepper, lemon juice, and oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss well. Add the walnut-and-tahini mixture and stir well. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Serve at room temperature on a bed of romaine lettuce with lemon wedges and pita bread.

Pashto Dictionary پښتو

This is the cover to a new tri-lingual (English-Pashto-Dari) dictionary I purchased online. I have other Pashto dictionaries but most of them are outdated, difficult to read, or only function as Pashto to English. For my Pashto language classes, I would usually use http://www.qamosona.com/ when I needed English to Pashto translation. But S. Yarzi's book has turned out to be an amazing source! It's easy to use, has good typeset and contemporary vocab. Now that I'm learning Persian I'm always thinking about its Pashto equivalent--and this book has been really helpful. Recommended for anyone learning Afghan languages or anyone interested in Eastern vs. Western Iranian linguistics.

Videos on Ancient Persia

In preparation for taking 'Middle Persian/ Pahlavi language' next semester with Professor Choksy, I've been trying to brush up on the history of Pre-Islamic Persia.  So far, I've watched two documentaries that review the empires of the Achaemenids, Seleucids, Parthians, and Sassanids with Cyrus the Great, Darius the Great, Xerxes, and Ardashir playing the leading roles.  While these documentaries are not very thorough, they do provide some great footage of Pasargadae, Persepolis, and Ctesiphon-- especially the incredible architectural and engineering achievements of the ancient Persians.

Here's a documentary available on YouTube in 5 parts titled Engineering an Empire -The Persians :

The second documentary, titled Iran: The Forgotten Glory, is available on NetFlix for instant viewing.

Worlds within Worlds

A new exhibit is opening at the Smithsonian Sackler Gallery in DC.  Here are the details and a few images from some of the featured manuscripts:

Worlds within Worlds: Imperial Paintings from India and Iran
July 28, 2012 - September 17, 2012
Museum: Sackler Gallery
Location: Sublevel 1

Between 1556 and 1657, the greatest Mughal patrons -- emperors Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan -- formed grand workshops that brought together and nurtured India's leading painters, calligraphers, and illuminators. This artistic legacy is on view with 50 of the finest folios and paintings from the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery collections, which form one of the world’s most important repositories of Mughal and Persian paintings. The exhibition opens with a selection of Persian book arts, then focuses on the groundbreaking synthesis achieved by Persian emigres and local Indian artists, and ends with superb works created under Akbar's son and grandson. Highlights include six folios from the Late Shah Jahan Album, which have sumptuous borders that exemplify the emperor's love of jewels, flowers, and grandeur.

Summer Garden

One of the benefits of living in Bloomington is a long growing season and this summer, I've added a lot of new plants to my apartment deck-- giant ferns, coleus, caladiums, geraniums, petunias, tomato plants, and even an eggplant!  Adding a garden outside my door has really improved the energy of the space and reminds me of the importance of how entrance-ways can set the tone of an environment. Persian gardens like many other Islamic gardens are considered to be portals to paradise--earthly representations of heavenly gardens filled with fruit trees, water channels, fountains, archways, and high walls to create an intimate space. The Persian idea is that gardens not only help us connect to the earth but to heaven as well. While my deck is far from a being a living paradise--it's certainly brought me a lot of joy !

Lovers in a Garden, Persia, c. 1625 

Safavid 16th c. miniature from "The Seven Thrones" of Jami

Karbala & Shi'ism

Today I finished watching a documentary available on Netflix titled "Pilgrimage to Karbala".  It follows the journey of a 'pilgrimage bus' from Tehran to Karbala, Iraq--where Imam Hussein's shrine is located. The film does a terrific job explaining the concept of martyrdom in Shia Islam and connects this concept to the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the Iran-Iraq war of the 80s, and Iran's continued resistance to foreign domination. The pilgrims were a diverse group of men and women of various ages and professions who find themselves making this precarious trip to Iraq in the summer of 2006.  For anyone interested in understanding what conservative Shi'ism looks like today and how it influences political ideology--this is a good place start.  :)

New Books

It's time for some cooking and some reading! These are my latest Amazon.com orders:

Persian Cooking by Nesta Ramazani is a collection of 322 authentic recipes from one of the world's oldest culinary traditions. Persian cooking is based on vegetables, fruits, grains and meat used in subtle and varied combinations.

The Sultan's Kitchen by Ozcan Ozan contains over 130 tantalizing recipes, complete menu suggestions, and stunning images that will inspire any cook to create dishes fit for a sultan.

Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam translated by Peter Avery.

The Poems of Hafez translated by Reza Ordoubadian

A History of Iran: Empire of the Mind by Michael Axworthy

Amir Khusro: The Nightingale of India - Selected Persian Odes translated by Khalid Shaida

Me and Rumi: The Autobiography of Shams-I Tabrizi translated by William C. Chittick, forward by Annemarie Schimmel

The Rose Garden (Gulistan) of Saadi translated by Omar Ali Shah

Ghalib, the Indian Beloved: Urdu Odes translated by Khalid Shaida

The Essential Rumi translated by Coleman Barks and John Moyne

Humanities & Foreign Policy

This is a short lecture presented by IU professor, Jamsheed Choksy, who specializes in Iranian Studies, Indian subcontinental studies, Zoroastrianism, Islam, and Manichaeism. He also writes about Middle Eastern politics for the Huffington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and FP.  I had the pleasure of taking his course--Iranian Civilization: Poets, Prophets, and Kings during my first semester at IU.  His presentation to the National Humanities Alliance (Sep. 2011) highlights the importance of funding the humanities as academic scholarship can contribute to improving American foreign policy and national security.

Seeing Iran

Traveling to Iran poses several challenges to American citizens and many friends of mine who major in Iranian Studies have traveled to Tajikistan to study Farsi. One well known photographer from LA named Mark Edward Harris, however, flew to Tehran in 2007 with the mission to photograph scenes of daily life little seen or understood by the West.  His photographs offer a fascinating look at a society of juxtapositions--ancient and modern, commercial and spiritual, serene and intense, political and personal.

Inside Iran (Chronicle Books 2008) is the first contemporary photographic book to document all regions of the country and is highly recommended for anyone interested in seeing what Iran looks like today.
Here's the link to his gallery page: http://www.markedwardharris.com/gallery_iran.html

Landscape & Architecture in Painting

Persian Landscapes & Architecture (Link), a set on Flickr.

Today I found the motherload of beautifully digitized Persian manuscript paintings. In 2005, the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art showcased over 300 classical paintings dating from the 14th century to 17th century (Timurid and Safavid eras). Unfortunately the Museum website removed their digital images of the paintings, but a fellow blogger: pruned.blogspot.com has been able to resurrect a number of them and here is a slideshow of what was retrieved. Many of the miniatures depict scenes from the Qur'an, One Thousand and One Nights, the Shahnameh, and a few portraits. A real visual feast!

Click on the link above to view the whole set or click on the pruned.blogspot link. The flickr slideshow option tends to blur the images :(