Various places, various pics!

I got back from Khuzestan border today at noon. I'm very lazy and don't want to write any thing at the moment so I post some of the pics and at the end of the week I will make more written posts. These are not the best photos that I took but they give a general idea of what I'vebeen doing. Enjoy.




An Alley, Yazd





walls of the old city at sunset, Yazd





Amir Chaghmagh Tekieh, Yazd





Oghab Koah (Eagle Mount)

Long time ... no post;

Hello people, I've been busy so there hasn't been a post in while, I just got back from a a trip along the southern Caspian Coast which was an experiance that got better as it went along (unlike my trip in Germany) A memorable in a unsavory kind of way beginning gradually became a rather pleasant beach experiance and a nice walk in the dense forst and the finally was in beatiful Masoleh where the hills are carpeted with green and the clouds spill over the tall mountais like foams of over heated milk.
I'm off to the south again a two night stop in Esfahan a one nighter in Yazd to finnish see things that were not seen and the off to Shiraz for pleasantness of the people (i'm not just saying it because my brother in law is from their) and then for a serious reality chack along the Iraqi borther from Khuzestan to Kurdestan and then back to Tehran.
Let me know what you want to see, and wish me and my two french travelmates a good one(Denis, they are cooler than you are ;)
I do a most of my writting about the north after I come back, still haven't finnished with the first Yazd post its gonna be a book, still in the first day and its two pages. Didn't have this luck when I had to write papers in Uni, always the minimum.
If you are wondering what I've would be doing if I were not in Iran at the moment I would tell you that
I would be in the
SDSU POLITICAL SCIENCE FACULTY TO DISCUSS ISRAEL, LEBANON, PALESTINE
CONFLICT
Teach-In Thursday, July 20 Is Free and Open to Public
Two Poli Sci profs and a ISCOR (I Score) Prof. go there by plain boat or on foot, you be a better person when you come out of it.
laters
Amir

Situation in Palestien

Well I wanted to keep my blog about Iran and my trip here but at now I find that rather difficult and more importantly selfish, I can keep from commenting on stupidity of merger between EuroStoxx and Nasdaq, I can keep away from commenting on Japan's approach to North Korea's fireworks, I can remain silent about the "Right wing theft of Mexican Election" as my friend Francisco described it. But the situation in Palestine is to disastrous and the abuse of power far too great to be ignored, once again people are being killed but the international community is aiding the oppressor by refusing to help the injured party.
Why the bbc reports the detention and holding of the Israeli troops while thousands of Palestinians have been in Israeli jails for years. Why, as W describes it, "Israeli has the right to defend it self and Palestinians don't? Is it just because their violence is projected with different methods or is it because of the alliances? Why does Iran and Syria are blame for supporting and supplying the Hizbollah and Hamas and the U.S's military aid to Israel is ignored by the EU, The UN and even traditional critiques of U.S; China and Russia. The dead peace process in Palestine didn't make the situation of the Palestinians any better than before Madrid Conference while Israel achieved an split in the Palestinian ranks.
It is hard to believe in the slogans of the liberal democracies such as "Never Again" and "Freedom" when such systems refuse to act as they say and condemn a people which have been robbed of their land to labels such as terrorist.
What does is it mean to be a terrorist? Doesn't meant to be the projector of terror? What does a highly advanced army do then? Don't they cut down people? Does any body dare to say that the American or the Israeli armies do not destroy house and they don't massacre civilians? Terrorist is the label for one that doesn't submit to force whether in Iran or Russia or Palestine, Ireland.
The west criticize the Countries of middle east for their lack of open government and violations of human needs such as freedom of communication (a criticism well deserved) but when the Palestinians chose a government to their liking the supposed pioneers of democracy from Europe to North America pressure the people to let them know that next time their vote should be for the corrupt Fatah and teach them a lesson not to vote for a movement condemned by the west. The current crisis did not began when Hamas took a Israeli soldier as prisoner of war (he was not abducted, Abduction is a work used for civilians he was a military man) it started when the "liberal democracies" decided to punish the Palestine's for their vote. Let me ask you this now, is the case that only Palestinian people should be held responsible for their vote or could the same formula be extended to the American people? then wouldn't the Americans be justifying the methods of September 11 Hijackers?
This scenario happened in Algeria in the 1990's an Islamic party got into power democratically (their were other democratically elected govs destroyed by the foreign pressure of course the religiosity of the Algeria and Hamas make this a good example). What happen was that the Americans and the French decided to undermine the government which plunged the country into war. As Professor Abdel-Nour would say "such parties can promise you the moon and the sun but shortly after taking office they will be isolated politically because they cannot deliver it" (my addition proof of it is Iran) so instead of undermining the elections the very educated and smart people in the European Foreign Ministries and in American State Dept should have allowed Hamas to make the first move, which is answer the which year question (1948 or 1967) then they could make the first move.
Israeli government cannot accept neither 1948 would men that they either would cease to exist or if the UN plan is enforced would create a stupid looking country 1/3 of current Israel. If they accept 1967 then they have to withdraw all their settlements from West Bank and perhaps most importantly leave what they have claimed as their capital; Jerusalem. Israel has been build a wall in the West Bank and not because they wanted to just stop operations by Palestinian fighters (they could've built it on Israeli soil if that was the case) not because they didn't know it was occupied land but because they want to make a new border which would make 1967 border obsolete in any future negotiations, Fatah would make the concession of Jerusalem but Hamas would've never

A visit to Mr Jones' farm

Tehran has major palace complexes
1) Golestan, the Safavid (1501-1736, dynasty of Azeri Turk origins) began construction (but their building was not preserve) which Afshar (17 and Zand (1750 began) dynasties continued and the first two Qajar (1780s-1920s dynasty of Turkmen origins) kings finished
2) Nivaran which had 5 buildings 2 of which are build during the middle and later period of Qajars and the remaining 3 buildings are done in Pahlavi era (1925-1979).
3) Marmar (marble) palace which is off limit now and I cannot get any info on but it was built during the Pahlavi era
4) Sa'ad Abad Complex of 18 palaces of Mohammad Reza Shah's brothers, sisters and kids. The buildings are in very western style of architecture and other than rugs lack any major Iranian Cultural futures such as mosaics monabat -wood carvings.

To make sure my point is not mistaken with anti this and anti that I clarify that not I'm not arguing that there is something wrong with western things (or isn't) but that in the age of Nation-States you don't sea Russians use Spanish design or the French build in Victorian English style, the public officials of a coutry present themselves in a way that stresses their aims. Americans government buildings are in Roman renaissance style, the English stick the Lion on anything that the Royal hand might touch.

This post is going to be about the White Palace of Sa'ad Abad Complex. I will be visiting the Caspian Coast tomorrow and upon return would catch up with posts from Yazd and Golestan Palace. The Rants are being formulated so wait a bit more



The outside façade of the White Palace (WP)








The main hall of the WP. First floor.

In the whole of White Palace (palace of the king) there are four paintings -in ceiling of the main hall of the second floor- with Iranian themes two of which are depictions of Bahram (a Sassanid, Preislamic King) hunting and the other two are from personal challenges of Roostam (Iranian Legendary solider) one with Ashkaboos and the other with the Khan of China.

Ceiling of second floor hall, depiction of Roostam battling the Khaghan-e-Chin (Great Khan of China)



Private dining room, the informal dining area, the last guest entertained was Charles de Gaulle.


Formal Dining room, Last guest entertained was Jimmy Carter who famously uttered the words "Iran is the Island of Stability in middle eat" one year before the revolution. WTF?



The steps of the WP. Note the pair of feet, they belong to Reza Khan statue, during the revolution people cut him in half faith shared by many statues of the Father and the Son and Somoza's and Stalin and Marcos's.


There are also various other palace Complexes around Tehran such as Firozeh Palace (Firozeh is name of light blue/ greenish gem, don't know the English word) and Morvarid palace (Pearle Palace) both of which are Build in Pahlavi era in contract with American companies.
The Basij (the irregulars paramilitary, sometimes armed) has moved into some of the palaces Sa'ad Abad hosts the HQ of the Women and Morvarid in Karaj which used to belong to Shams, the all powerful sister of the Shah serves as another HQ.
Salute to Orwell because modern Iran is indeed the cross between the "animal farm"
I finish off this rant by saying that:

Why the animals drove off Mr. Jones?
Certainly not because they wanted to be looking in the house from the window and not be able to tell the difference between the pigs and the humans.

Continuation: Iranian National Museum Pre Islamic Era II

Well people, I have a problem and that is I took too many picture in Yazd (well to many as far as my camera and memory stick are concerned) so you are gonna get more pictures of the National Museum and Tehran's Numerous palace complex's until I can figure something out.



This piece is from the Ilami Era, a dynasty that ruled in the area approximately from Tigris (west) to Zagros Mountains in the east and Persian Gulf to South and Kurdistan to the north. Ilamis were the last pre Indo European rulers in Iran they were dislocated from power by the alliance of the Medes (central Zagross) and the Persians (Southern Zagross and Fars) which propelled the Medes into power. The piece shows the sun and a lion and some writings.
The sun and the lion are very important figures in stories and symbolisms of the area and all the civilization that dwelled here and in Iran they continued to be important well into 20 century.
The Embelem of the Iranian monarchies from Safavid until the Islamic Revolution used to be a lion holding a sword while the sun is dawning from behind the body of the lion. In some official documents, and carvings there are two lion of the same posture facing each other while a Two horned Crown (the story of which I with hold until the post on Iranian National Jewelry Museum) is in between.



The Cross stamps, these stamps are from the Period of the Medes who with alliance with the Persians ruled over the area that constitutes Western Iran short of today's Azerbaijan and eastern Iraq short of Kurdish Iraq and Syria (this area was the kingdom of Ashur or as the Greek say the Assyrians, who were destroyed by the Persian later on in time of Cyrus the second or Cyrus the Great) the cross has been a important symbol all around Mesopotamia and Iranian Plateau. The last king of the Medes was the Grandfather of Cyrus.



This is the picture of the royal court of the Achaemenians (The Persians) in Pasargad (Persian name of it) itor Perspolis (Greek name of it, meaning Place of the Persians). The king is seated on the throne, and behind him are the crown prince, the High Priest, royal arms holder carrying the short sword, the axe and the bow and two members of the royal guards (Known as Eternal Guards). In front, is the royal Treasurer who was also the person in possession of the royal stamps (bad idea if you ask me, you don't give both the coin and the stamp of approval to the same guy he could get a bill from his brother in law ot items not delivered and just pay him who his gonna ) followed by two royal guards.

It is not sure who is king if the king is Darius then the person behind him is Xerxes (Khashayarsha) who in continuation of his father campaign in Greece, defeated the Spartans in the battle of Thermopolis and occupied and burned Athens and on the way back by the see was routed by the Athenian navy, who had taken to the sea in face of the approaching Persian Army, in battle of Salamis, in an early demonstration of importance of having a strong navy. In any case, if the king is Xerxes (Khashayarsha) then the crown prince is Ardeshir deraz-dast(Artaxerxes I) (Ardeshir the far reacher, meaning that he could reach the farthest) who in time of the Peloponnesian wars was funding the Spartan side of the war, according to Thucydidus.



This person is the royal arms holder, the sword is the short sword and it is know as the persian sword, below are the engravings on the handle of the sword, please keep in mind that these are all made in stone and there can be no room for error.