Everything you wanted to know about samovars but were afraid to learn Arabic for

Ari Siletz
by Ari Siletz
25-Aug-2010
 

Almost every samovar design I remember seeing in Iran can be found in this Russian video documentary on these useful art objects. The narration is voiced over for an Arabic speaking audience, but you don't need to understand the words to delight in these amazing designs.

 

Iran's handmade samovars are made in Boroojerd (varsho saazi). Sadly it is a disappearing art in Iran. This  Russian video with voiced over narration for an Arabic speaking audience shows an astonishing variety of these familiar and useful art objects, including some Iranian ones. Some say the Russians perfected the samovar from a Mongolian cooking urn, others mention a 3600 year old proto-samovar found in Shaki, Azarbaijan.

Video highlights:

1.  My mom's dowry samovar-- 4:24

2. Shah (Qajar) mentioned--8:40

3. Plenty of design action between 9:00 and 12:40 (with brief old Russian film interlude)

4. My favorite design (she's "hot")--9:22

5. How to stoke a samovar with your boot--15:10

6. Have no idea what cosmonaut Uri Gagarin has to do with samovars (he had tea with Queen Elizabeth?)--21:45 

7. Please someone, make a documentary of the Boroojerd samovar artists before they're all gone.

Balatarin
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Jambo

تقلید تاتار و　اوزبک المضحک

Jambo
Thu Aug 26, 2010 07:03 AM PDT

 


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Bavafa

Ari Jaan,

by Bavafa on Wed Aug 25, 2010 09:56 PM PDT

I will take a pic and see if I can posted here.  I may need JJ or others guiding me thru how to post pic in a blog.

Mehrdad


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MM

Touché

by MM on Wed Aug 25, 2010 08:32 PM PDT

.


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Ari Siletz

MM

by Ari Siletz on Wed Aug 25, 2010 06:36 PM PDT

If IRI supporters took our suggestions we would have them do more than translate. But since you ask: IRI supporting surfers, kindly translate the writings per MM's comment. 

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MM

Ari - pls have IRI-loving IC surfers translate the writings.

by MM on Wed Aug 25, 2010 05:46 PM PDT

.


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Ari Siletz

Majid

by Ari Siletz on Wed Aug 25, 2010 05:38 PM PDT

 

مشتاق دیدن فتو اسی هر وقت فرصت داشتی

 


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Ari Siletz

Divaneh

by Ari Siletz on Wed Aug 25, 2010 05:31 PM PDT

Nice one!

Reminds me, in declining eroonman's request:

عجایب جیغ پیچد اندر این دشت

سماور گر کنند آفتابه بر تشت


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Majid

Ari

by Majid on Wed Aug 25, 2010 05:28 PM PDT

 

 


بذار یه خورده سرم خلوت بشه ( از این بیشتر؟ دیگه مویی نمونده!) یه فتو اِسِی میذارم اینجا از اون سماور، انبر تریاک کشی پدر بزرگم، پیمونهء روغن کرمونشاهی مادر بزرگم، قبالهء عقد پدر و مادرم، تسبیح یَشم سجّادهء جدّم، و شایدم یه چیزای دیگه........

پانوشت  میدونین با چه مرارتی ذرّه ذرّه اونا رو آوردم اینجا؟


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Ari Siletz

Majid

by Ari Siletz on Wed Aug 25, 2010 04:51 PM PDT

Thank you for offering your samovar photo. I have sent you my direct email. If more convenient I would be happy to send you a postal address. Meanwhile, I think IC readers would appreciate a blog post from you with the photo and some commentary, maybe a few memories or stories of breakfast gatherings around that particular samovar.

 

I remember schoolmates coming to class with samovar burns. Kids never knew if the thing was turned on or not. Try showing up in class in America with recurring burns and your parents will end up in front of a judge on charges of child abuse.


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divaneh

عجایب صنعتی دیدم در این دشت

divaneh
Wed Aug 25, 2010 04:33 PM PDT

عجایب صنعتی دیدم در این دشت

که آتش در میان آب می گشت


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eroonman

Samovars? Sure, but who invented the Aftabeh!

by eroonman on Wed Aug 25, 2010 04:02 PM PDT

I want to see a 25 minute YT video of the history of the Aftabeh with Russian voice over. I'd even click on a Google ad link or two just for the privilege.


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Majid

Ari

by Majid on Wed Aug 25, 2010 03:56 PM PDT

It's not possible to attach a picture to a comment, however I  can send the picture of my grand mother's to you or post it here via a blog or somethinthe, (JJ has it too, from that event, since he was asking lots of questions about it, it's history, it's fuction and different parts etc....)


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Ari Siletz

bavafa, Majid

by Ari Siletz on Wed Aug 25, 2010 03:13 PM PDT

If it is convenient can you post a photo of your samovars  in a blog?

 

Interesting about Iranians trying to protect their samovar heritage, not allowing antiques from leaving the country.  

The mohr business mentioned by Majid must add a lot to the price of an antique samovar.  

I am also stunned by the filigree designs of silver tea glass holders. Contemporary tea glass holder designs are rare and really suck: Example. I think an Iranian artist could find his/her works in a lot of Iranian (and Russian) homes if she applied her modern Iranian sense of form to such useful art objects. 


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Majid

        وقتی

Majid
Wed Aug 25, 2010 02:48 PM PDT

 

 

 

 

وقتی من در منطقهء خراسان شمالی (کلات نادری) سپاهی دانش بودم (سنهء هزار و دویست و احمدشاه) خیلی از روستايی ها از این سماور های روسی داشتن و من میدیدم که وقتی اونهارو میاوردن سر چشمه که بشورن با کمی مالیدن کاه و گرد آجر  مثل طلا براق و تمیز میشدن!

بعد ها وقتی سؤال کردم گفتن جنس اونها بقول محلّی ها از «مِسواره» هست که در صد خیلی کمی طلا تو آلیاژشون هست، یک چیز دیگه که من مجذوبش شده بودم این بود که روی در پوش سماور چند تا «مُهر» ضرب شده بود که بزبان روسی بود، تعدّد این مهرها نشون میداد که این چند دست نسل به نسل گشته! بیشترین تعداد «مُهر» که من دیدم هشت تا بود.

دو تا از این سماور ها رو من از روستائی ها خریدم یکی بقیمت١٥٠ تومن (پنج مُهر) و یکی ١٢٥ تومن (سه مُهر). که هنوز تو خونواده باقیمونده!

ناگفته نمونه که اونموقع حقوق من ماهی سیصد تومن بود!

سماور جهاز مادر بزرگم رو هم من اینجا دارم که  بعضی از دوستان یکبار که دور هم جمع شده بودیم ازش چایی خوردن......(-:


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Midwesty

Well...

by Midwesty on Wed Aug 25, 2010 11:47 AM PDT

I think the giant kettle is to make some hot steam but since our Arab friends already knew that they might have been asking Israelis to drop some tea bags so we all can have a nice tea party for the-tea-party-goers

:O)


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Ari Siletz

Folks,

by Ari Siletz on Wed Aug 25, 2010 10:46 AM PDT

I should have paid more attention in those high school Arabic classes in Iran. If the teacher had explained that Arabic comes in handy outside the classics and the Koran maybe his student would have more Arabic in his head than just conjugations, and could possibly land a job as an Arab agent on IC. Heif!  Metaphorically though, this video does conjugate a basic design in every tense and gender imaginable. It is only missing its latest grammatical form ie. the one Iran and Russia are about to stoke to life in Bushehr.  I hope we can truthfully convince our Arab neighbors that it is really there for making tea.  

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Midwesty

maziar,

by Midwesty on Wed Aug 25, 2010 09:54 AM PDT

You know watching a series of Russian-rooted Iranian-desired vintage products on an Arabic translated Russian channel is twisted enough that I couldn't be anything but joking!

I like Ari's unmatched and elegant sense of humor!


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Rea

Amazing

by Rea on Wed Aug 25, 2010 09:40 AM PDT

Have always thought the cамовар was Russian exclusively.

We all learn as we go. And the more we learn, the better. 


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maziar 58

NICE VIDEO

by maziar 58 on Wed Aug 25, 2010 09:00 AM PDT

specially the young couple in the park ,thnks ARI khan. 

BTW  Midwesty hope you're joking;   ana takallem arabi (of course being raised in khuzestan you'll master in broken Arabic enough to get by the locals) .

 Don't be judgemental ; As we use to say in Iran SHEER SAMAVAR t......... DAVAR        Maziar


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Bavafa

These are some very lovely samavars

by Bavafa on Wed Aug 25, 2010 08:22 AM PDT

A few years ago when I visited Iran, I was going to bring one with me but they will not allow samavars that is Russian made to be taken out of Iran (historical value). Then I realized we had one in our 'madbakht/ganje' that belonged to my mom when she was still very young and unmarried. It is a samovar zoghali and I believe Russian made. It is here now and I have made tea with it. It is amazing how efficient it is and so lovely to have a piece from my late mother.

Thanks for posting it

Mehrdad


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Midwesty

Ari,

by Midwesty on Wed Aug 25, 2010 04:55 AM PDT

I see you are pretty proficient with Arabic, maybe a bit too much. You know from all the labels being awarded daily on IC we lack the Arab Agent. I am just saying bro ;)


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