Iran

by Loveday, Helen; Mirsadeghi, Jacqueline

• ISBN13: 9789622176096
• ISBN10: 9622176097
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-10-01
• Publisher: Odyssey Books & Maps

Summary

For more than three millennia Iran, or Persia as it was formerly called, was a melting pot of civilizations. Under Cyrus the Great, Persia was the centre of the world's first empire which stretched from the Mediterranean to Pakistan. Subsequent invasions by the Greeks, Arabs, Mongols and Turks have imbued the nation with an amazingly rich cultural and historical diversity.

Author Biography

Born in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1962, Helen Loveday has a BA in Chinese and a PhD in Chinese archaeology from Oxford University. Following time spent in Central Asia, she became attracted by Iran and began studying Farsi, the language of Iran. She is particularly interested in the Islamic architecture of ancient Persia and Sino-Iranian cultrual exchanges.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 10
Facts For The Traveller	p. 11
Climate	p. 11
Tour Operators	p. 14
Visas	p. 15
Getting There	p. 16
Customs	p. 16
Getting Around	p. 18
Maps, Books and Newspapers	p. 19
Tourist Offices	p. 19
Language	p. 21
Clothing	p. 21
Photography	p. 22
Health	p. 23
Accommodation	p. 23
Money	p. 24
Telecommunications	p. 25
Time Zone	p. 25
Opening Times	p. 25
Mosques, Museums and Historical Sites	p. 26
Calendar	p. 26
Festivals and Holidays	p. 27
Shopping	p. 30
Food and Drink	p. 31
History	p. 34
Prehistory	p. 34
The Birth of Cities in Iran: Susa and Elam	p. 34
The Medes	p. 35
The First Persian Empire: The Achaemenians	p. 35
Alexander the Great	p. 38
The Hellenistic Period: the Seleucid Dynasty	p. 38
The Parthian Empire	p. 39
The Sassanians	p. 39
The Arab Conquest: the Umayyad and Abbassid Caliphates	p. 40
The Turkish Dynasties: the Seljuqs	p. 43
The Mongol Invasions from the 13th to 15th centuries	p. 43
The Safavids	p. 44
Nader Shah and the Qajar Dynasty (1794-1925)	p. 45
The Pahlavi Dynasty and the Fall of the Monarchy	p. 47
The Founding of the Islamic Republic	p. 48
The Iran-Iraq War	p. 50
Post-war Reconstruction	p. 51
Chronology	p. 53
Geography	p. 57
The Plateau and the Mountains	p. 57
The Water Problem	p. 60
Flora and Fauna	p. 61
Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fishing	p. 63
Industry	p. 65
Population	p. 66
Ethnic Groups in Iran	p. 66
Islamic Art and Architecture	p. 74
Islamic Architecture in Iran	p. 76
Mosques	p. 76
Mausoleums	p. 78
The Madresseh	p. 80
The Dome	p. 80
Decoration	p. 81
Brick and Stucco	p. 81
Tilework	p. 82
Handicrafts	p. 85
Persian Carpets	p. 85
Textile Printing	p. 86
Woodworking and Inlay	p. 86
Metalwork	p. 87
Religion	p. 88
Pre-Islamic Religions	p. 88
Zoroastrianism	p. 88
Zervanism	p. 91
Manicheism	p. 91
Mazdakism	p. 92
Shi'ism	p. 93
Moharram and Ashura	p. 96
The City and Province of Tehran	p. 98
History	p. 98
City Tour of Tehran	p. 103
The City Centre	p. 103
Shemiran and the North of Tehran	p. 111
Excursions from Tehran	p. 115
The Caspian Coast	p. 117
Gilan Province	p. 117
Mazanderan Province	p. 119
The Northeast: the Provinces of Semnan and Khorassan	p. 124
Semnan Province	p. 124
Khorassan Province	p. 125
Mashhad	p. 129
The Northwest: Zanjan and Azerbaijan	p. 139
Zanjan Province	p. 139
Castles of the Assassins	p. 140
The Provinces of Azerbaijan	p. 144
Tabriz	p. 145
Western Iran	p. 154
Bakhtaran	p. 156
Bisotun	p. 157
Hamedan	p. 160
Khuzestan Province	p. 165
The Iran--Iraq War	p. 166
Susa and the Susian Plain	p. 167
Pre-Elamite Susa	p. 168
The Elamite Empire	p. 168
Achaemenian Susa	p. 169
Visiting the Site	p. 169
Choqa Zanbil	p. 172
Isfahan Province	p. 175
Kashan	p. 175
The City of Isfahan	p. 179
North of the Bazaar: the Pre-Safavid Monuments	p. 182
The Safavid Royal City	p. 188
The Royal Square	p. 188
The Bazaar and Old Quarters to the North of Royal Square	p. 193
Chahar Bagh Avenue	p. 195
The Zayandeh-rud and Isfahan's Bridges	p. 197
On the South Bank: Jolfa	p. 199
Excursions around Isfahan	p. 201
Fars Province	p. 203
Shiraz	p. 204
Persepolis (Takht-e Jamshid)	p. 210
Visiting Persepolis	p. 214
Naqsh-e Rostam	p. 221
Pasargadae	p. 223
Excursions from Shiraz	p. 226
The Southeast: the Desert and the Straits of Hormuz	p. 228
Yazd	p. 228
Zoroastrian Community	p. 229
Kerman Province	p. 231
Hormuzgan Province	p. 233
Sistan and Baluchestan Province	p. 235
Hotels	p. 238
Language Guide	p. 243
Glossary	p. 247
Recommended Reading	p. 249
Index	p. 252
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