Welcome to ancient Persia

Photo essay: Ancient Iranian artifacts in British Museum and the Louvre

by Jahanshah Javid
05-Aug-2009
 
I got to London last weekend. But before I left Paris, I spent a quick couple of hours at the Louvre where most of the Iranian objects are from Shush (Suse). On Sunday Mehrdad and Marjan accompanied me to the British Museum which houses not only the Cyrus cylinder but many other spectacular artifacts including those from Achamenid, Sasanian and Parthian periods. If you have never been to either museums, here's a real treat for you! Enjoy :o)
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Darius Kadivar

FYI/Vintage Radio Show: Omar Wizard of Persia (1935)

by Darius Kadivar on


rosie is roxy is roshan

Oh Ari,

by rosie is roxy is roshan on

As Gomez would say, 'Tish, that French...",

Ari, that Klingon.

Take helm, Warf. Take Helm. Piciard's busy at a pot luck dinner. Guess what he brought to the table.

lol


Ari Siletz

Rosie, Qupla'

by Ari Siletz on

Didn't know you were a trekkie.

Buy' nqop, buy' nqop (Klingon: good news, good news)

Sad, we're not as "fluent" in Old Persian. But here's a great site with many words Cyrus would have used. For instance, the phrase "hostile comment" could be translated using the Old Iranian words dipi [inscription] and partara [battle].

Now we can each go back to fighting our "inscription battles." 

 

 

 


rosie is roxy is roshan

Ari...Q?

by rosie is roxy is roshan on

I believe you were referring to me? Or maybe it was a Freudian slip. We are all Q.

By the way, do you ever watch Star Trek?

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDk8j9H31jE

_______________________________ 

As for the 'pot', what about the pot belly? And all the 'pot shots' he takes? Doesn't he look like Harry Potter?

Well anyway, they're just rhetorical questions.

______________

Take helm, Captain Picard. Take helm. Zendeh baad, Javid Iran.


Ari Siletz

Q, #14

by Ari Siletz on

Meaningful photo in the context we're in. By the way, we shouldn't try to read too much into the "pot" in the background .

Q

Ari Siletz, I see your point!

by Q on

Although I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a "national treasure" (which not ironically just like all the other treasures resides in a foreign land), but I have to say the contribution of Iranian.com is not so much "democracy" but "introspection." But maybe we are saying the same thing....

What this site has allowed a group of Iranians to do for the first time, is speak without inhibition, but also with enough depth to make sense.

Without government control (which is not even 50% of what causes inhibition in our culture), without the real life versions of "abe-roo", "hamsayegi", and "gheirat", some inner truth has come out. It's still far from all of it, but we sure got a lot of fascinating soulfull observations, as well as a lot of disgusting and morally flawed aspects of our culture revealed to the world.

I suppose it's both eye opening and frightening to know that on this site, we have an indication of what Iranians really think... indications that are hidden from ourselves in real life.


Iraniandudeee

DAMN

by Iraniandudeee on

Iran/Persia's history is truly something we should be proud of, and hopefully in the future, with the help of the Iranian people, we can yet again achieve  as much as the past Persian empires.

 

Long live all Iranians/Persians around the world.


Takavar

Thank you JJ

by Takavar on

for sharing with us.


Maryam Hojjat

Thanks JJ

by Maryam Hojjat on

for sharing these pics with us.  I felt more than ever proud of my haritage.

Payandeh IRAN & Iranians 


rosie is roxy is roshan

It's really incredible..

by rosie is roxy is roshan on

how over the millennia these artefacts endure, to inspire us with the nobility of the Persian genius. This one, for example. You can just hear the ancient winds of the soul of Iran singing right through it:

//iranian.com/main/image/75871

 


Princess

Totally agree with Ari on this one.

by Princess on

Thank you JJ for sharing these beautiful photos.


Ari Siletz

farrokhzad

by Ari Siletz on

In my view this site is one of our national treasures. Without exaggeration, if I had to choose between these precious artifacts and iranian.com, I would be undecided. This site is our people's first unequivocal democracy.

farrokhzad

shame on roozegaar

by farrokhzad on

JJ

You worked for 14 years on this site and put yourself and this magazine  in a position to make a difference.  Now that "the time" has come, you are strolling around aimlessly. and iranian.com is useless these days.

azizam, I know it must've been hard dealing with iranians all these years. but you weren't doing this for iranians to be discouraged by them. you wre doing this for iran.

wake up and take helm. 


NASSER SHIRAKBARI

Iranian Heritage

by NASSER SHIRAKBARI on

JJ thank you for displaying pictures of Iranian history and treasure.  I looked at them with great interest.  While it disheartens me to see our treasures in foreign hand, I am also happy to see them safe for the world to see.  The Islamic Republic is effectively destroying Persian heritage.  The CAIS, The Circle Of Ancient Iranian Studies recently announced that the folowing sights has been damaged by the Islamic Republic: NAGSH-E-JAHAN SQUARE, the SHAH ABBAS MOSQUE, ALI QAPU PALACE, QEISARIEH BAZAAR.  The Nagsh-e-Jahan Square in Isfahan was put in UNESCO'S World Heritage list in 1979.


SamSamIIII

A pictorial worthy of that sacred legacy

by SamSamIIII on

 

been to Louvre & never seen London but it never cease to amaze one even after seeing them a thousand times. I can see that JJ took great care to do these artifects justice with clear & well-focused pictures, good job.

btw* Brits museum intro on Cyrus cylinder is funny;

"...Cyrus claimed to have restored the temples & free the cults..."

No domwits, you had 2500 yrs to verify these so called claimes & you did by virtue of Jewish, Babylonian,Arab, Greek & Roman accounts/historians ...so it,s no longer a claime but a verified fact..I tell you what is a claime & that is you calling Ahmadi "the elected president" on BBC...& what,s even funnier is the way they refer the visitors to their web site to see the translation of the Cyrus cuniform..space issue may be ;).

//www.iranianidentity.blogspot.com/

//www.youtube.com/user/samsamsia


Khar

Sassanid site in Iran becomes garbage dump

by Khar on

At least these Iranian cultural treasures in Europe are protected for the world to see and cherish. Thanks for sharing.

Sassanid site in Iran becomes garbage dump!

TEHRAN, Aug. 4 (Mehr News Agency) -- The Sassanid site of Barm-e Dalak has been turned into a garbage dump. Located in southeastern Shiraz in Fars Province, the site is home to two Sassanid bas-reliefs both carved on a small rock, the Persian service of CHN reported on Tuesday.
//www.mehrnews.com/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=...


che khabar e

Thank you JJ

by che khabar e on

It gives me chiles just seeing you standing by these incredible bits of history.  Yes, Peykan, that is sadly ironic.


Peykan

خدا پدر فرنگیها را بیامرزد

Peykan


The most magnificent historic artifacts of Iran are in London, Paris, Saint Petersburg, Chicago, etc. which make them accessible to millions of visitors and researchers all around the world, promoting the Persian civilization at a global level.

It's a sad truth that although the majority of the Iranians will never get a chance to see them, the level of exposure and maintenance provided by the foreign museums could have never been achieved if they had been kept inside the Iranian borders.


Darius Kadivar

Persia Ain't Forgotten After All ;0)

by Darius Kadivar on

Superb Photos.

JJ Really Kheily Loos Hasteeya ;0(

You should have called me and we would have visited the Louvre Together ...

Next Time I hope You won't chicken off before

heading to London. ;0)

Thanks for Sharing these superb Photos. I noticed the British Museum has made a great effort in displaying the Persian Artifacts with more care and elegance than the last time I visited it a decade ago.

This is thanks to the curator's Dr Vesta & her husband Dr. John Curtis who organized the Forgotten Empire Exhibition.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=daSbADLP0Dk

Warm Regards,

DK