Qanats were probably invented in Iranian Kurdistan – or so says this month’s Saudi Aramco magazine. I’m not so sure. And I think it’s a lost opportunity that they don’t mention the water crisis which is threatening the very existence of the qanat, at least in Iran. Click here to read about the dry qanat that …
Look at these two gorgeous art-works, included in the Magic of Persia / Sotheby’s exhibition / sale in Los Angeles! Check out the fine detail on this one below: The Red Love, Alireza Astaneh I saw them (electronically …
The Iran water crisis is getting noticed. At last! A senior professor of sociology at Tehran University told Al-Monitor: “All these years we were discussing economy, politics, society and democracy. Now, however, these discussions all sound absurd to me. Given the current situation, we will either die of thirst or run away. I am no longer …
Goncheh Ghavami went to watch a men’s volleyball match in the Azadi (freedom) stadium – and was arrested. Since June 2014 she has been in solitary confinement in the Evin prison in Tehran Goncheh has dual British-Iranian citizenship. Amnesty International has called for an Urgent Action for her. Amnesty believes Ghoncheh has been put under psychological …
Ziegler & Company was the first company to produce handmade Persian carpets while catering to European tastes and needs – even accepting designs from Western retailers. What are considered as ‘Iranian’ patterns in carpets were “often affected by European imperialism and process of globalization”. Kimia Maleki has described how Ziegler was “instrumental in shaping how …