Nowruz, Sabzeh
Photo by Alisher Primkulov / Shutterstock

Nowruz, meaning new day, is an ancient celebration on the occasion of the arrival of spring and the New Year on March 21 (or the day before or after) in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Because of its cultural heritage values, Nowruz was registered on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010 and 2016.

Having been the most important celebration among all Iranians, Nowruz bonds all Iranian ethnic groups and communities together to practice special traditions in around two weeks. According to Shahnameh (the most popular Iranian epic poem book written by Ferdowsi in 1010 CE), Nowruz was the day when Jamshid, a mythical Iranian king, sat on a throne shining like the Sun and defeated cold and dark winter demons. The ceremonies of Nowruz are also depicted on the bas-reliefs of Persepolis remained from the Achaemenid Empire (550-330 BCE).

The Nowruz customs that start every year from around two weeks before the day of Nowruz and lasts for 13 days are divided into three parts; before Nowruz, Nowruz day, and after Nowruz. The most prevalent customs of Iranians before Nowruz include singing, house cleaning, shopping, and Charshanbe Suri.

Singing

Iranians have some musical rituals, promising the arrival of Nowruz, among which Nowruz Khani (singing for Nowruz), Takam Gardani, Hajji Firuz, and Dhol and Sorna are the most distinguished ones. Nowruz Khani is a tradition that originated from the north of Iran, in which people ask Nowruz Khan (singer) to roam around neighbors and sing poetry loudly to mark the beginning of spring.

Iranian Azeri people have also a ritual called Tekam (meaning wooden goat puppet) Gardani in which a man plays a doll while singing melodies to welcome Nowruz. Nonetheless, Hajji Firuz is the most well-known folkloric ritual in Nowruz among Iranians. Hajji Firuz is a character with a black face covered in soot and clad in bright red cloths, who dances, chants comical rhythmic verses, and plays tambourine in the streets. Another notable harbinger of Nowruz in Iran is Amu Nowruz (a character similar to Santa Claus) who gives gifts to children and tells old stories about Nowruz. Amu Nowruz is an old man with long white beards and a felted hat. What is more, the music of two ancient instruments, Dhol (a double-headed frame drum) and Sorna signals the arrival of Nowruz to Iranians.

House cleaning (Khaneh-Tekani) and shopping

Before the arrival of Nowruz and spring, all Iranians clean up their entire house- that is to say, they shake their house (Khaneh-Tekani in the local language). They, in fact, symbolically keep evils and impurity away from the house before the New Year commences. Iranians also go shopping to buy new clothes to dress them up in the New Year.

This is why some weeks before this event, people flock passionately into streets and cloth shops to browse clothes according to their allotted budget.

Nowruz, Charshanbe Suri
Photo by MilDen union / Shutterstock

Charshanbe Suri

The last Tuesday night of the year in Iran is called Chaharshanbe Suri during which fire plays the central role. People celebrate this night by setting up fireworks and/or jumping over the flames and singing “your redness for me, my paleness for you” (fire). In this way, prior to the New Year people symbolically leave their illness for fire and instead take its power and purity.

A fading custom in Charshanbe Suri is Qashoq-zani meaning spoon-banging (similar to trick-or-treating in Halloween) which people wear disguising clothes and hit a spoon on a plate in front of every house to receive some edible treats.

Customs of the Nowruz day

On the first day of the New Year, setting Haft-sin, cooking specific foods, and visiting friends and relatives are customary among Iranians.

Nowruz, Haft-sin
Photo by Youshij Yousefzadeh / Shutterstock

Haft-sin

It is a very common tradition that Iranian families sit around Haft-sin just accurate moments before the New Year, waiting excitedly for the March equinox and the New Year. Haft-sin includes a set of seven symbolic items that their names begin with the Persian alphabetical letter س (s).

Haft-sin consists of Sabze (i.e., wheat, barley, millet, or clover sprouts grown in a dish), Samanu (a sweet pudding cooked from germinated wheat), Senjed (Persian olive), Sekeh (coin), Sib (apple), Sir (garlic), and Somaq (sumac). Besides these seven items, Haft-sin involves some other symbolic items such as a mirror, book of wisdom (i.e., Quran, Hafez Poetry Book, Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, Bible, or Avesta), goldfish, painted eggs, candles, and flowers (mostly hyacinth).

After the New Year’s moment and the arrival of Nowruz, family members congratulate the occasion, hug, kiss, and express good wishes for each other. At this moment, as a gift, elder members of the family present new money bills called Eydi from inside a book of wisdom to youngsters.

Nowruz special foods

Iranians believe in eating special foods on the first day of the New Year. One of the special foods for this day is Sabzi-Polo and Fish. Sabzi-Polo is a pilaf comprised of chopped vegetables typically coriander, parsley, dill, fenugreek, and chives. Samanu as a sweet paste made of germinated wheat is another example of special food that can be found almost in every supermarket during Nowruz.

Customs after the Nowruz day

On the days after Nowruz, Iranians generally visit their family and friends, travel, and go to nature on Sizdah Be-dar, the 13th day of Nowruz.

Visiting family, relatives, and friends

The Nowruz period is the best time for Iranians to visit their families, relatives, and friends. Typically, elders stay at home on the very first days of Nowruz expecting younger generations to visit them. However, elder people will also return their homes in the following days.

Upon visiting, people kiss each other, congratulate, and wish for prosperity in the New Year. During the visit, the host gives money gifts (Eydi) to youngsters and mostly to children. Collecting Eydi in Nowruz visits is a sweet hobby for many Iranian children. Tea, mixed nuts, fruits, and cookies are among the most common snacks served in Nowruz gatherings.

Sizdah Be-dar

Nowruz period begins by the New Year moment, lasts for 13 days and ends with Sizdah Be-dar meaning Nature’s Day. On this day, families leave their houses for nature and a picnic. Throwing Sabze (one of the items of Haft-sin) away and knotting prairie on grassy lands by single individuals are the two main Sizdah Be-dar rituals. Iranian families keep their Haft-sin Sabze during the Nowruz period but they will finally return it to nature on Sizdah Be-dar day.

It is very common in the morning of Sizdah Be-dar to see many cars with diverse dishes of Sabze wrapped with a red ribbon, inside or on their bonnet that drive slowly in typically congested traffic in the hope of finding a spot in the surrounding parks and landscapes.

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Eram Garden, Shiraz, Fars Province, Iran

The first instances of gardens, as what we understand from the term today, began when the wild fruit trees were fenced for protection from the animals and other human. Later, Humans added another aspect to the practical function of such oases and the gardens became a deliberate attempt in imitating nature. The earliest traces of garden making in Iran goes back to the reign of Cyrus, who made a garden in his capital, Pasargadae, in a quadripartite arrangement. This garden was the beginning of a style of garden arranging which is known as Iranian Garden. The Iranian attempted to recreate an image of their Utopia or Paradise with this construct. Iran is a dry country and water is very precious for its people, naturally, garden as the manifestation of the abundance of water has an important place in the Iranian culture.

The Iranian Garden is an oasis surrounded by protective walls that have both technical and philosophical function. The technical aspect comes from the need to protect the garden against animals and people, as well as, the need to keep the inside moister and modify the weather. The philosophical purpose reflects that aspect of Iranian culture which emphasizes on separation of inner and outer spaces; this culture was intensified with the advent and flourishment of Islam.

Entering this garden is possible through a portal entrance that yet again is a reminder of the importance of the inner spaces. The visitors could not just pass through the door and enter the garden. This walled space acts as a filter for the garden to control those who had the permission to go inside and those who had to be rejected. Passing the portal entrance, you enter the garden that may be built on a flat or sloped land.

Fin Garden, Kashan, Isfahan Province, Iran

As it was mentioned, the Iranian garden has a quadripartite arrangement; it means that the garden was divided into four sections by the water channels that ran through it. On the side of the water channels shading trees like Pine, Poplar and Cypress were planted to save the passing areas from the sun and heat. Each of the four sections created a small garden that were filled with fruit trees and flowers. At the cross axis where the vertical watercourse reached the horizontal one, an artificial pond was made and just next to it, a Pavilion was constructed. If the garden has a flat setting, the cross axes and pavilion are made in the middle of the garden; but if it has slope then the garden will have a tripartite plan and the cross axes and pavilion are placed in the upper one-third of the garden adding to the garden’s length by creating optical illusion.

Naturally, passage of time caused changes to the original plan used in the Achaemenid time. Adding bathhouses to the construct, adding servants sections, changing the usual trees and the omission of pavilion (in Safavid era) are the most notable of these changes. The local social currents and ruler’s taste influenced how a garden would turn out until the Qajar Era, when the slightly changed Iranian Garden was remodeled based on the European Gardens. The small flower mounds, the bordering of passages with boxwoods, the shaping of trees and the use of statues are all the legacy of Qajar. They were not the first to make changes in the Garden but they were the first to make so many changes.

In general, surrounding walls, watercourses that ran through the garden, the portal entrance, the pavilion and all the shading and fruit trees are the main parts of a Iranian Garden.

In 2011, UNESCO registered the combination of nine Iranian gardens as a World Heritage which are as follows:

1. Garden of Pasargadae, Fars Province
2. Chehel Sotoun, Isfahan, Isfahan Province
3. Fin Garden, Kashan, Isfahan Province
4. Eram Garden, Shiraz, Fars Province
5. Shazdeh Garden, Mahan, Kerman Province
6. Dowlat Abad Garden, Yazd, Yazd Province
7. Abbas Abad Garden, Abbas Abad, Mazandaran Province
8. Akbarieh Garden, Birjand, South Khorasan Province
9. Pahlavanpur Garden, Mehriz, Yazd Province

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Chogan
Photo by Kento35 / Shutterstock

Chogan is a horse-riding competition in which participants attempt to pass a ball through the goal of their opponent using their wooden sticks. This sport is accompanied by storytelling and music. Chogan was a Royal sport in Iran played back over 2000 years ago.

Royal courts and public fields were the most common places to play Chogan. The ritual game of Chogan involved three groups; first, horse-riders (players), second, storytellers or narrators, and third, musicians who infused a more exciting atmosphere to the game and among the spectators. Therefore, Chogan is at some point bonded to the sport and has roots in art and culture.

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Dutar
Photo by ijavan.ir

Dutar is a traditional simple long-necked lute that has a dulcet and melodic tone despite its simplicity. The neck which is sometimes decorated with camel bone and precious stones ranges between one to two meters long. Dutar in Persian means two strings; some attribute one string that plays the main melody to female, and another that functions as the accord to male. The majority of Dutar players use their index and thumb fingers for playing.

Kalil Sheikh, Dutar player from Khaf region, Khorasan Razavi, Iran
Photo by Meysam Bazekavat

The images of Dutar in ancient inscriptions prove the antiquity of this instrument that is still popular in contemporary Iran. The crafting and playing Dutar are tied with the culture of many ethnic groups in Iran who play this instrument in a wide range of social and cultural occasions and ceremonies along with ethnic, cultural, epic, and historical lyrics strengthening their identity and cultural pride. Traditionally, the knowledge of crafting and playing the Dutar transmits from master to pupil.

Kalil Sheikh, Dutar player from Khaf region, Khorasan Razavi, Iran
Photo by Meysam Bazekavat

The Traditional Skills of Crafting and Playing Dutar was registered in the list of Intangible World Heritage of UNSECO in 2019.

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Qali Shuyan (Carpet Washing) Rituals of Mashhad-e Ardahal in Kashan, Iran
Photo by Abbas Torabzadeh / © ICHHTO, 2011

The holy shrine of Sultan Ali ibn Muhammad, the son of the fifth Shia Imam is located in the village of Mashhad Ardahal, 40 km far from Kashan city. This shrine is the origin of historical- religious rituals of Carpet Washing (Qali Shuyan) which is annually held on the second Friday of autumn by villagers, attracting a significant number of pilgrims and tourists. This event as the only Islamic religious ritual held in accordance with the solar Hijri calendar (in the Iranian month of Mehr in early October) was registered by UNESCO in 2012 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

What is the story?

Ali ibn Muhammad al-Baqir, mostly known as Sultan Ali, was the son of Imam Baqir (677-733 CE), the fifth Shia Imam. According to historical resources, Sultan Ali migrated to Mashhad Ardahal from Medina in 731 CE upon the request of some of the followers of Ahl al-Bayt (the family of the prophet Muhammad) who were from Chehel Hesaran and Fin counties in Kashan. The main purpose of his mitigation was to guide and train locals in the religious principles of Islam for three years. However, he was eventually martyred by Umayyad forces in Darband of Aznaveh County in 116 CE.

Before he was buried in a tomb in Mashhad Ardahal, turned gradually into a holy shrine for the Shia Muslims, his body was wrapped in a carpet by his followers and washed in a near stream. Since then, a special mourning ceremony, later called “Carpet Washing” is held annually on the occasion of the anniversary of this tragic event to mourn for Sultan Ali.

The shrine is located around the hillside of a mountain overlooking the vast and dry land of Ardahal. It is believed that the history of the primary site refers to the Buyid dynasty (934-1062) but was gradually changed and improved during the empires of Seljuq (1037-1187), Timurid (1370-1507), Safavid (1501-1736), and Qajar (1796-1925). At present, the shrine consists of three halls (Iwan) and three courtyards (Sahn) in its Eastern, Southern, and Western sides.

The Carpet Washing ritual is annually held gloriously in Mashhad Ardahal on the second Friday of autumn to commemorate Sultan Ali’s martyrdom.

The Ritual of Announcement

One week before the start of the Carpet Washing ceremony usually on the first Friday of autumn, another ceremony literally called “the Friday of Announcement” is held in Fin and Kashan. On this occasion, people are invited to attend the Carpet Washing ceremony in Mashhad Ardahal. In addition, town criers go to the markets and alleys of Fin, Kashan, and Khaveh to inform people of the upcoming Carpet Washing ceremony.

Day of Carpet Washing

The second Friday of the Iranian month of Mehr in early October is the Day of Carpet Washing in Ardahal, Known by the inhabitants of the village as “Carpet Friday” (Jom’e-ye Qāli). However, if it coincides with another religious celebration or mourning, it will be held one week sooner or later.

At the beginning of the ceremony, the elders of Fin get the remains of the sacred carpet, used before for the body of Sultan Ali, from the elders of Khaveh village in his shrine. The carpet is then carried by the villagers on their shoulders to a stream near the shrine to be washed in front of a huge gathering. The carpet is then turned back by mourners to Khaveh village from another path, delivered to the elders of the shrine of Sultan Ali, and finally kept there in a safe box.

Mythical Roots

Apart from the history of the Carpet Washing ceremony mentioned earlier, it is believed that the roots of this ritual can be found in the mythical and ancient stories and events in Iran. Some experts state that this ritual is a heritage of the Siavosh story that was changed after the advent of Islam. Siavosh was a major figure in Ferdowsi’s epic poem book and the rituals of his death and mourning are the origins of many Iranian mourning ceremonies. Also, some people believe that the ritual of Carpet Washing is a memorial of Tishtrya (a Zoroastrian benevolent divinity associated with life-bringing rainfall and fertility).

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Traditional Skills of Carpet Weaving in Fars
Photo by eFesenko/Shutterstock

Fars Province is located in the southwest of Iran. Suitable condition and weather in the province led to the popularity of the place among various nomadic tribes such as Qashqai (the largest one), Khamseh, Afshar, and Abade. One of the main income sources of these nomads includes handicraft products and most importantly carpet weaving. Historically, the oldest Fars carpet discovered is over three hundred years old.

However, the oldest document mentioning the Fars carpets refers to the treasury list of Harun al-Rashid (766-809 CE), the fifth Abbasid Caliph. Two books dating back to the 10th century CE also indicate the extent of Fars carpets were spread in the past. One of them is written by Estakhri, the geographer of medieval Islam and the other by an anonymous writer is entitled Hudud Al-Alam Al-Mashregh El Al-Maghreb (the boundaries of the world from the east to the west).

Nowadays, Qashqai tribes weave the carpets that are known as the Fars carpets. This form of carpet weaving, both in terms of style and pattern, is an example of the exquisite nomadic art in Iran.

Qashqai weavers braid the carpet according to symmetrical knots known as Turkish knots, while in some exceptional cases, asymmetric knots are used as well. Fars woofs are mostly in red or blue and are woven on small horizontal looms as in this way, it would be easier to be carried when migrating and then re-setup in another spot. This feature is of salient importance for these tribes that have to migrate frequently.

The most notable feature of a Qashqai carpet is its colors, just like the area they live in their carpets are colorful, while carpets of other Fars tribes like Khamseh consist of darker colors. The main reason behind such difference is that for some tribes like Khamseh, carpet weaving is a serious source of income and so they need to meet the costumers’ wants and demands. In contrast, carpet is an applied tool for the Qashqai tribe; they have not changed their traditional patterns or colors.

Generally, carpets in Iran have a pattern of an octagonal medallion at the center and bergamot in each corner of the carpet. However, the exclusive traditional style of Fars carpets is based on a pattern known as Dastur. This pattern is divided into two major forms, one that follows the traditional patterns or regular motifs including Moharamat, Afshan, Mahi Darham, Botee, and herbal motifs. The other form refers to patterns with imaginary motifs including asymmetrical geometrical structures. In the case of Bakhtiari carpets, the central area is divided into several squares each with a different motif turning the carpets into a collection of motifs and patterns. Qashqai carpets, like Bakhtiari carpet, is a combination of motifs and patterns most of which are imaginary and asymmetrical.

The rug is an outcome of weaving warps and woofs. In mountainous areas of Fars like Darab, Eqlid, Abadeh cotton warps, and woofs are used. Nowadays, Shiraz, Abadeh, and Neyriz cities are the most famous locations to find authentic Fars carpets with traditional motifs and materials and female weavers who know how to apply a mesmerizing amalgam of designs and colors. The traditional skills of carpet weaving in Fars was inscribed in 2010 on the Representative List of the Intangible Heritage by UNESCO.

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The Art of Crafting and Playing Kamancheh
Photo by Vigen M / Shutterstock

Kamancheh is an authentic old bowed string musical instrument with a bow (like a violin), long neck, small bowl, four strings (in the past it has three strings), and different parts made of wood, the skin of lamb or goat, bones, and metals. The bottom of Kamancheh has a metal base that is put on the thigh or ground when playing. This instrument is capable of being played individually or in bands to convey a vast range of themes including epic, spiritual, amusing, and happy themes.

According to pieces of evidences, the history of Kamancheh dates back to over one thousand years ago, played mostly in the classical music of Iran and Azerbaijan. Based on the available visual proofs from different historical eras, it can be argued that Kamancheh has been played in many Iranian ceremonies, out of which includes historical miniatures in Chehel Sotoun Palace in Isfahan remained from the Safavid dynasty (1501-1736).

The Art of Crafting and Playing Kamancheh
Photo by Levent Konuk/ Shutterstock

However, after the entrance of the violin to Iran, many of the Kamancheh players put this instrument away and started playing the violin. Given that they were unfamiliar with the principles of playing the violin, they played it based on the existing rules and principles of playing Kamancheh and the only difference lied in the way they held it in their hands.

In fact, Kamancheh is played while sitting down similar to a cello. Ali Asqar Bahari was the first contemporary Iranian musician who attempted to survive Kamancheh and managed to introduce it to the Western world.

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Located in the South-east of Iran, Lut Desert is an exemplar of this geographical feature involving a variety of desert landforms in a comparatively small area. It located in Provinces of South Khorasan, Sistan and Baluchestan and Kerman. Kaluts or yardang that are massive corrugated ridges are the most touristic attraction of the west of Lut Desert and in the east of the desert ergs and varied huge dunes prevail.

Gandom Beryan is a vast plateau of the Lut Desert covered in dark lava that according to NASA often records the highest earth temperature of around 70°C. Gandom Beryan meaning toasted wheat in Farsi probably gained its name when a load of wheat left in the region was scorched by heat after few days.

Mighty wind between June and October creates massive and awe-inspiring Kaluts. Kaluts of Shahdad are so stunning that resemble an imaginary city from a perspective outlook. Sunset and dawn offer a breathtaking view of these of natural castles of shimmering golden sands. The Kaluts of the Lut Desert reach to 155 meters high and are amongst the highest yardangs on the earth.

Lut Desert is also well-known for its active and moving dunes that at some point soar to 500 meters. Lut houses various forms of dunes such as linear-shaped, crescentic-shaped, star-shaped, and funnel-shaped dunes beside nebkas with the shield of plants. Similar to its yardangs, dunes, and nebkas of the Lut are of the highest of their kind on the earth.

The Desert also contains a wide variety of salt landforms such as playa or salt pans with polygonal fractured crusts, white crystalline riverbeds, gypsum domes, tepee fractured salt crusts, salt karren, and small salt blisters. Alongside salty features, there are some other desert landforms in Lut including hamada that is a type of stony desert pavement, bajada or alluvial fans, and gullied badlands. Besides, despite the low precipitation rate and harsh weather conditions, resistant flora and fauna live in this arid desert.

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Hyrcanian Forests – Gorgan, Golestan Province, Iran
Photo by Ramin Nouri

The unique Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests with an area and length of about 55,000 km2 (seven percent of Iran’s area) and 850 km are located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, covering parts of five provinces (North Khorasan, Golestan, Mazandaran, Gilan, and Ardebil). The history of these forests dates back to 25 to 50 million years ago during the Quaternary glaciations era. Hyrcania refers to the old name of Gorgan city in Greek language, known as Jorjan or Vorkan as well and “Vorkan” according to the inscriptions remained from Achaemenid era. Due to its various endemic flora and fauna, these forests were inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in Baku on July 2019, introducing them as the country’s 24^th site and the second natural site.

The plant biodiversity of this ecoregion with mountains ranging from low to high altitudes and 3200 species consists of 44 percent of the vascular plants that are found in Iran. For example, 150 endemic tree and bush species such as Parrotia, Buxus, Taxus baccata and Juniper can be found in these forests. In terms of fauna, these forests are habitat of 180 species of birds and 58 species of mammals such as Cervus elaphus, Persian fallow deer, Panthera pardus tulliana, brown bear, and wolf. The government of Islamic Republic of Iran and United Nations Development Program have started a common five-year project to protect biodiversity of these forests

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The Palace of Ardeshir, Firouzabad – Fars, Iran
Photo By Hamed Yeganeh/shutterstock

The archeological landscape of the Sassanid era in Fars region is composed of three historical-geographical areas of Bishapour, Firouzabad and Sarvestan. It’s the twenty-third Iranian landscape registered on UNESCO’s word heritage list and the fourth internationally-known site of Fars province.

The Sassanid axis of Fars region includes three cities: the Bishapour historical area includes  Bishapour city, Khandaq, the Valerian Palace, the Temple of Anahita, the fortification, monumental pillars, the historical bath, the fire temple, the ceremony hall, the Sassanid entrance, the Sassanid bridge, the mosaic porch in the Bishapour historical site, Ghale Dokhtar, Shapour cave, and Sassanid inscriptions in Chogan Strait. The historical site of Firouzabad includes the historical city of Firouzabad, the Ardeshir Palace, Ghaleh Dokhtar, the Mehrnersi Bridge, and stone inscriptions dating back to the Sassanid era. The historical city of Sarvestan includes the Sarvestan monument.

The Historical Bishapour Site

1) The city of Bishapour

the city has been founded by the second Sassanid king, king Shapour I (242-272 AD). It is located in the eastern part of Bishapour plain, 18 km northwest of the city of Kazeroun. It is some 155 hectares wide and was considered as one of the five administrational centers of Fars in the Sassanid era.

Natural traces have been used to pinpoint the boundary of the city in the north and the east. The Shapour River runs from the east to the west of the plain and marks the northern border of the city. A moat runs around the rest. The city is originally planned like a rectangle with streets that cut each other vertically. There were four gates at the sides of the city. Two main streets were used to connect the gates in one direction. The streets met in the center of the city. There were two main walls, each seven meters high, around Bishapour.

• The Valerian Palace
  The exterior of the entrance is made of polished stone. The stones have been tied together using iron holders. The structure is essentially Sassanian in nature. It has a huge gate. All the interior walls are covered with polished stones. The exterior has been painted white. There are designed with plaster pieces everywhere. Some of their most beautiful ones are kept at the Bishapour Museum. French archeologist Grischman believes that King Shaour I had ordered the palace to be built for captive Roman emperor Valerian. This shows the king’s kindness towards the emperor in jail.
• The Temple of Anahita
  a rectangular building with 14-meter-long walls. Simple stones have been used in building the structure and polished ones are used to design the interior. The building is covered with wooden logs. There were brooks running through the building in the past. That’s why the temple was associated with Anahita, the goddess of water in ancient Iran. Now it’s been learned that the place was used as a cleaning area that people entered before going to fire temples.
• The Fire Temple
  it’s a cross-shaped building that joins in the center, where there’s a narrow passage. The building has two entrances. Unpolished stones have been used in the central part of the building. There’s a dome, some 20 meters wide, in the central part. It’s probably the biggest dome built in the entire Sassanid era.
• The Fortification
  research says the city had two main fortification walls, each at least 10 meters high. The first fortification wall surrounded the royal arena and the other bounded the whole city. The thickest wall of Bishapour was some 7 meters wide and encircled all the neighborhoods.
• Monumental Pillars
  there are two pillars more than 6 meters high placed in the heart of Bishapour city. The two are based on two-step-high platforms. There are two stone inscriptions, one in Pahlavi Ashkani language and the other in Pahlavi Sassani. They’re carved on one of the pillars. The inscription explains about how the city of Bishapour was founded.
• The Bath
  it’s an octangular building, 100 m2 wide. It has three entrances. Stone and plaster are the two main materials used in constructing the building. Mixed tin and plaster has been used in the walls.
• The Ceremony Hall
  the hall has four porches covered by a huge dome some 23 meters high. There are passages that lead to the hall and the entrances join these paths. 64 shelves have been built in the hall. All of them are ornate with plaster and painted in bright colors. This hall was used for holding ceremonies, memorials and celebration parties.

2) The Historical Chogan Strait

Shapour cave and Shapour I’s statue, Bishapour – Fars, Iran
Photo By Kenneth Dedeu/shutterstock

• Shapour cave and Shapour I’s statue
  Shapour cave is located in the hills right of Shapour River. Nowadays 230 steps have made it much easier to reach the entrance of the cave. The entrance to the cave is some 16 meters high and 30 meter wide. The interior of the cave looks like a huge hall. It gets narrower, sloppier, and shorter in height as one proceeds into it.
  The statue of King Shapour I is the most important statue left from the Sassanid era (226-625 AD). It is six meters high and the the shoulders are two meters wide. It’s been carved out of a natural stalagmite inside the cave. The head of the statue (wearing a jagged crown) and the upper part of the body have been preserved. Much of the rest of the statue, including the hands, have been destroyed.

Firouzabad

1) Ardeshirkhoreh

the remains of the city are the most important Sassanian structure in Firouzabad plain. Historical texts say much of the plain was a lagoon before the city of Ardeshirkhoreh was built there. King Ardeshir I ordered the lagoon to be dried out to build the city there. Then the king partitioned the lands and brought water into it from Tangab river. This way, agriculture spread in the area.

Ardeshirkhoreh has a circular plan with a diameter of 1950 meters. The interior part of the city is like a wheel. It’s been divided into 20 huge similar areas using ten streets. The city center is itself another circle with a diameter of 400 meters. Streets are linked to this area. This circle was the official place of administrative, ceremonial and ritualistic buildings. Homes and business were located in the larger circle. There were four gates at the end of the main axis of the city. The city’s fortification wall was built of blocks. A 35-meter wide moat used to encircle the wall.

It should be noted that four-dome building plans were first invented in that era and later became the most notable achievement of the era developed during the rest of the dynasty.

Ardeshirkhoreh’s circular plan that was focused on a center was a symbol of Ardeshir’s ideal way of administration because it resembled the king sitting in the center and the other layers of power around it.

There are remains of a building called Takhtneshin in the city. Takhtneshin is said to have been a four-dome structure with the biggest dome in its central part (14 meter diameter). The place must have been Ardashir’s fire temple as cited in the book of Ardeshir Babakan’s record and other historical sources. It should be noted that four-dome building plans were first invented in that era and later became the most notable achievement of the era developed during the rest of the dynasty.

2) The Palace of Ardeshir

The Palace of Ardeshir, Firouzabad – Fars, Iran
Photo By Hamed Yeganeh/shutterstock

is the second most important Sassanian building in Firouzabad plain after Ardeshirkhoreh. Locals call it the fire temple sometimes. It is located in the northern part of Firouzabad plain, two kilometers away from the city of Ardeshirkhoreh. There are no towers or fortifying walls in the palace. It shows the building was built at a time that there were no need to protect the area from enemies. The palace was the official residence of the king outside the city. Nowadays, farms and a cemetery have encircled the palace.

3) Ghale Dokhtar

was a strong fortress used to block invasions in the valley of Tangab. When we compare the castle with those in Firouzabad plain we understand that it was built by founder of the Sassanid dynasty, Ardeshir Babakan. He defeated Parthian king Ardavan V in 224 AD and then built the castle.

The castle has two parts: the residential area and the royal part. The residential part is located inside a wider wall. The castle is simple but beautiful at the same time.

4) Stone Inscriptions

there are two stone inscriptions in Firouzabad. One tells the story of Ardeshir Babakan’s coronation (he founded the Sassanid dynasty). The other narrates the way Ardeshir defeated the last Ashkanid king Ardavan V.

Sarvestan

Sarvestan Palace is 13 kilometers south of the city of Sarvestan, in the middle of Shiraz-Fasa road. Locals call it the palace of Sasan or the four-dome building. But it’s generally known as Sarvestan Palace. The purpose of building the palace has been a controversial issue all the time.

The plan of the building shows a main porch, which forms the backbone of the palace. It leads to a rectangular hall with a dome above. Clay blocks have been used to build the structure. Inside the building and in each room’s corner there are twin short columns built on small walls. One can see large shelves and semi-circular shapes all along the walls. Archeologists say the palace dates back to the mid-Sassanid era (5th century BC). They particularly relate the building to king Bahram V and say his minister Mehr Narsi ordered the building of the structure. Large rocks, stones, and a mixture of plaster and lime have been used in the building.

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Radif Music of Iran (Persia), Persian Setar
Photo by Frank Middendorf / Shutterstock

The first written evidence of Persian music dates back to the Sassanid Period (224-651 CE). Barbad, a court musician of the Sassanid Empire of Persia created the first musical system in the Middle East, known as the Royal Khosravani, dedicated to the king Khosro II. Many of the current melodic figures of the Persian classical music in various tonal spaces (in Persian called Dastgah), have been survived from this period by the oral tradition.

However, many of them have been disappeared in the course of time. Radif comprises seven Dastgahs and five vocal Radifs, each with its specific number of melodies (20-40) called Gousheh. A typical performance of a Dastgahs includes prelude (Pishdaramad), introduction (Daramad), song (Tasnif), rhythmic (Chaharmezrab), dance (Reng) and a chosen number of Goushehs. of note is that Gousheh and Daramad are non-metric, while Tasnif, Pishdaramad, Reng and Chaharmezrab are rhythmic.

A typical performance of a Dastgahs includes prelude (Pishdaramad), introduction (Daramad), song (Tasnif), rhythmic (Chaharmezrab), dance (Reng) and a chosen number of Goushehs.

During the years, Iranian classical music has been combined with other musical genres (e.g., pop). Also, today the societal position of musicians in Iran is much higher than it used to be such that they are now considered artists who present their works in concerts (not just at parties like before), and this art is taught at universities and institutes. To introduce this art internationally and to value its significance, Radif of Iranian music was inscribed UNESCO in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

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Located in the heart of Iran plateau, the city of Yazd was close to the traditional Silk and Spice Roads. Residents of Yazd have been adapting themselves to live in this arid land for thousands of years. By employing indigenous techniques, qanat to draw underground water, Badgir or wind-catcher to cool their houses, people of Yazd have sustainably used their limited available natural resources to survive in the desert.

Yazd is also known as the city of wind-catchers. In the past, every house had wind-catcher and so, a forest of win-catchers could be seen above the roofs. Wind-catchers cooled the inside the houses via even small breezes. People of low income had small two-sided wind-catchers while affluents used to construct bigger four-to-eight-sided ones.

Dowlat Abad garden of Yazd has the world’s tallest wind-catcher reaching to some 40 meters with eight sides.

Yazd has also been hosting plenty of Ab Anbars. Ab Anbar is the oldest desert construction for reserving water. Some Ab Anbars were public and made in neighborhoods but some rich people had private Ab Anbars in their houses. Wind-catchers were constructed above some Ab Anbars to circulate air into the water reservoir and keep the water cool and fresh.

The old city of Yazd having kept its authenticity embraces many elements of Iranian urban design such as old houses, bazaar, water reservoir, and mosque. Each district is shaped in different eras in history. The district of Kushk-e Now is famous for its water reservoirs, hosayniya, and bazaar. The fame of Fahadan district is for its narrow and twisting alleys and authentic old houses. Lab-e Khandaq district is also known for its historical constructions such as bazaar Khan, hosayniya, caravanserai, Sa’at or Markar square in the vicinity of Jameh Mosque of Yazd, and its historic houses.  Ghale Kohneh, Sar-e Dorah, Chahar Menar, Mosallah, and Yaghoubi are among other historic districts of Yazd.

The historic districts of Yazd are fraught with religious elements. The city has long been one of the most religious towns in the country and a center for Zoroastrianism after the arrival of Islam. However, Islam became the dominant religion gradually, and the Islamic rituals in Yazd gained both national and international reputation. Amir Chakhmaq square and Shah Tahmasb hosayniya played central roles in Safavid and Zand dynasties. Nowadays, several sacred places of Muslims, Zoroastrians, and Jews have turned Yazd into a city of various regions, living in symbiotic peace for centuries.

Historic City of Yazd was registered in UNESCO World Heritage list in 2017.

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