Tuesday, October 29, 2013

"Envoy from Persia" by Richard Greenbury, 1626


ENVOY FROM PERSIA is one of the famous paintings by the British painter Richard Greenbury which was painted in 1626.
The painter in this work had been under the impression of Persian clothes in the 17th century when the Safavid dynasty was in power in Persia.
The original version of this painting is now kept at British Library.

According to the British Library's blog:

"One of the oldest oil paintings in the British Library’s collections is a massive portrait of Naqd ʻAli Beg. It was commissioned by the English East India Company in 1626 and painted by Richard Greenbury (fl.1616-1651). In that year, Naqd ʻAli Beg came to London as the envoy of Shah ʻAbbas of Persia (r.1587-1629), to meet the British monarch, King Charles I (r.1625-1649).
His mission to England went so badly that he killed himself on the journey back to Iran in 1627. The circumstances behind his suicide relate to a violent quarrel that arose between him and Sir Robert Shirley at the court of Charles I. Both men claimed to be the true envoy of Shah ʻAbbas, claiming the other was an imposter, so the king ordered them to return to the Shah’s court and resolve their differences. The shame of failure was too great for Naqd ʻAli Beg to bear, hence his suicide.
It seems as if the East India Company was responsible for this terrible incident. According to a document in the British Library, Sir Robert Shirley was, in fact, the true envoy of Shah ʻAbbas, and had returned to England in 1624, two years before the arrival of Naqd ʻAli Beg. However, Shirley had angered the East India Company by trying to negotiate a monopoly for the trade in Persian silk with the King of Spain. Such an agreement would have undermined the silk trade with England. The East India Company’s response was to slander Shirley, and to put in place another envoy to the Shah of Persia, who would support trade with London..."

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Dirty Souvenirs of Amsterdam ! :)


One of dirty souvenirs of Amsterdam which can be found almost in every Dutch souvenir shop in Amsterdam! :)
A happy country! I like that.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Persian Gulf from Kuwait coast


Persian Gulf from Kuwait Coast, September 2013
Kuwait is one of the oil-rich Arab states in the Persian Gulf region.
The country was formed in 1960s. Prior to that time, Kuwait was often a part of Persian and Ottoman Empire. In 1990 Kuwaiti oil facilities were hugely damaged because of Iraqi attacks during the first Persian Gulf war but the country is now among the richest states of the world.
The official language of Kuwait is Arabic but in view of big expat communities, English and Persian are spoken as well.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Persian Music Ensemble @ Shiraz Art Festival, 1970


Persian Music Ensemble at Shiraz Art Festival 1970
The photo has been taken during one the concerts at Hafez tomb.
Left to right: Faramarz Payvar, santur, Jalil Shahnaz, tar, Hassan Nahid, ney, Abdolvahab Shahidi, barbat (oud0, Ali-Asghar Bahari, kamancheh and Hossein Tehrani, tombak.
The photo has been originally published in the Persian-language monthly Majaleh-ye Musighi.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Mohammad-Reza Shah & Queen Farah of Persia | Radio Iran Magazine cover, Dec 1959


A rare photo of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi and Queen Farah of Persia.

The photo has been published originally on the cover of Persian-language monthly "Radio Iran" in December 1959 in Teheran.

The Shah was on power until 1979 revolution in his country. He passed away in 1980 in exile. The queen lives in Paris and Washington DC and the former crown prince, Reza, is a political and human rights activist in exile. Two children of them (Alireza and Leila) committed suicide in 2001 and 2011.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Dutch Magazine Interviews Persian Queen in exile: Farah Diba


The Dutch-language magazine "Royalty" in its latest issue (No. 8, 2013) has interviewed Farah Diba, the last queen of Persia.
The interview has been conducted by Marc van der Linden in the queen's house in Paris.

In the interview Farah has talked about his life in Tehran before the revolution, what happened to her in exile and her current life. Various family photos also have been published alongside of the interview.
The Dutch TV channel also has announced that "Royalty" in his latest issue has interviewed the Persian queen Farah Diba (Pahlavi).

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Persian Fritware from 13th-Century AD


This artistic work has been created in Persia in 13th-century; when the country was ruled by Seljuq dynasty.
was a Turkish Sunni Muslim dynasty that gradually adopted Persian culture and contributed to the Turko-Persian tradition in the medieval West and Central Asia.
This work is now kept at the Museum of The Hague City Hall.

Monday, October 7, 2013

A Factual Interview by Israeli Prime Minister about Iran


Israeli Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu recently has been interviewed by BBC Persian TV.
The interview has attracted huge attention in both Persian and International media.
Except for one comment about wearing jeans, it was one of the most factual interviews that I have heard in recent years about the situation in Iran.

Israel also is not a completely free country but Netanyahu is right. People in Iran have voted to Hassan Rouhani just because they had no any other option and opposition is not allowed to participate in the election.
I hope to see Mullas leave Persia as soon as possible and we also gain freedom in our homeland.
I also hope that Israel does not support separatist groups in Iran. Persian people are quite sensitive on this issue and it's not the way to remove the current government.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Dariush at Hospital after Acid Attack in Oct 1977


In October 1977 the Persian pop star Dariush was injured by acid attack, carried out by a young woman who was in love with him. She was 28 and the mother of six children.
The above photo which was originally published in the Persian-language weekly "Etelaat-e Haftegi" (Weekly Information) shows Dariush at the hospital in Tehran.
The woman who was introduced my media as Maryam immediately arrested at Khorram Cabaret, whete she attacked Dariush during the performance. 

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Radio Iran in 1959, Rare Photos


The first radio station in Persia was launched in 1940. It used to be called Radio Tehran but few years later it was renamed to Radio Iran.
Here are some rare photos of Radio Iran studios which have been taken in 1959. The photos has been originally published in the Persian-language monthly "Majale-ye Radio Iran" (No. 40, December 1959).


Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Shohreh Aghdashloo and Houshang Tozie Wedding Photo


A rare photo of Shohreh Aghdashloo and Hooshang Tozie wedding ceremony in California.
The photo was originally published in the Persian-language weekly "Javanan" in Los Angeles around 1987.
Shohreh and Hooshang on that time were quite active to perform Persian popular theater plays for the exiled community.