Paradise lost: Persia from above
The Independent / The Independent
19-Apr-2011 (2 comments)


Swiss photographer Georg Gerster undertook a dangerous mission to capture the beauty of Iran from the air on film, sticking his camera out a of a plane to do so

Flying on business over Iran, I had been struck by the thought that Persia’s natural and cultural landscape was predestined to be viewed from the air, with its salt deserts, gardens like slices of paradise, and waterless wind-sculpted wastelands. Its settlements are textbook examples of architecture without an architect, and the qanats, underground aqueducts, form graphic patterns. The idea of the bird’s eye view certainly wasn’t incongruous: the Homa, half eagle, half bird of paradise, is a mythical beast of Persian mythology, a harbinger of good fortune. On 12 October 1975 I delivered a letter by hand to the imperial court in Tehran, suggesting that I should produce a book, ‘Persia through the eyes of the Homa’.

 

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Hafez for Beginners

Brilliant Photos

by Hafez for Beginners on Wed Apr 20, 2011 10:05 AM PDT

Thanks for posting this. The aerial view of Cyrus's Tomb and Shah (Imam) Mosque in Esfahan, look amazing! Wow!I didn't like the word "lost" - this man took the photos 30 years ago, he might be "lost" but Iran is still there! The British Museum also had an exhibit - a great one - in 2005-06 the first of its kind on the Persian Empire - they called it: "Forgotten Empire" - Just becausse the Brits aren't in Iran - doesn't make it "Lost" or "Forgotten" - a nod to their somewhat colonial perspective, in my humble opinion. Otherwise, a great exhibit and fascinating story!

Afsaneh


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Simorgh5555

You can still see it in London

by Simorgh5555 on Tue Apr 19, 2011 12:02 PM PDT

Paradise lost: Persia from above' is at the Wilmotte Gallery at Lichfield Studios in London from 7 April until 20 May 2011


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