Happy 800th Birthday, Rumi

Today’s Washington Post extensively covered Persian poet Rumi, who’s been dead for hundreds of years but must be tickled about UNESCO’s declaration that 2007 is the International Year of Rumi.

Rumi was born in present-day Afghanistan and died in present-day Turkey, and according to Wikipedia, he wrote primarily in Persian but also penned some verses in Arabic, Turkish, and Greek. This year I’ve just attended one Rumi-oriented event: Red Hot + Rumi (see some photos here), which was a collaboration of Iranian and American artists. But be sure to check out the free International Rumi Conference at the University of Maryland in late September if you’re on the East Coast, and leave a comment if you know of any other related events happening this year.

If you haven’t read any of Rumi’s work, here’s a snippet from one (sort of racy) poem:

If anyone asks you
how the perfect satisfaction
of all our sexual wanting
will look, lift your face
and say,

Like this.

When someone mentions the gracefulness
of the nightsky, climb up on the roof
and dance and say,

Like this.

See more of his poetry here ( and thank you to Leslie for sending the link to the Washington Post article).

Related posts on Pars Arts:
- Rana Farhan
- Forough Farrokhzad

[Photo: Viking]

“History of Persian Philanthropy” Video from PARSA

This is a quick history lesson in Iranian philanthropy from PARSA. (It’s also the first YouTube video I’ve seen with a legal warning before it begins, which was a little jarring.) I think this would benefit from more text on screen, particularly because there are a lot of Persian terms and old Iranian leaders mentioned, but overall it’s informative and quite interesting.

In the News: Shirin Ebadi’s lawsuit, an Iranian lesbian’s deportation, and more

From Publisher’s Weekly:

Canadian author Shahir Shahidsaless is suing the Nobel Prize winner and Iranian human rights activist Shirin Ebadi. Shahidsaless says Ebadi went back on her word regarding getting a publisher for a book the two had coauthored after Ebadi was warned by her publisher and agent that the book’s publication might spoil sales of her other books.

From the AP:

Italian politicians said Rome could grant asylum to an Iranian lesbian who faces deportation from Britain and a possible death sentence back home. Meanwhile, gay rights proponents and left-wing politicians rallied for her cause in a protest Monday outside the British embassy here.

Pegah Emambakhsh, 40, who fled to Britain from Iran in 2005 after her partner was arrested and tortured, is due to be expelled this week after her bid for residency was rejected, according to a British advocacy group.

From the New York Times:

In his first major foreign policy speech as president, Nicolas Sarkozy of France said Monday that Iran could be attacked militarily if it did not live up to its international obligations to curb its nuclear program.

From the LA Times:

Across this city and other areas of relatively prosperous Mazandaran province in northern Iran, one of many rural regions where Ahmadinejad has enjoyed enthusiastic support since his election in 2005, there are growing worries that the trickle-down oil revenue the president promised has trickled only so far. As the Islamic Republic increasingly struggles with deep-rooted economic problems, some here are starting to mutter about broken promises.

Kaleh Pacheh and Bebin.tv

Bebin.tv has revamped their site since the last time I checked out the site, and it looks great! It features more content, including a blog, embeddable videos, RSS feeds and it works on Macs. Nice work, Bebin! I love this cooking segment on Kaleh Pacheh:

Iran’s Mojaz Culture

Pars Arts usually focuses on culture and media that is mahdood (forbidden) in Iran. But Iran has no shortage of mojaz (permitted) culture – music, films and television approved by the regime. While it is true that the many Iranian families have satellite TV beaming in Voice of America and Tapesh, there is no shortage of native media grabbing the attention of Iranians.

Earlier this summer, the most popular program on Iranian television was undoubtedly Shabeh Shisheyi (“Glass Night”), a talk show hosted by Reza Rashidpour. The program spanned forty nights and featured interviews with famous Iranians, including soccer player and Team Melli captain Ali Daei (YouTube clip), esteemed Iranian filmmaker Ebrahim Hatamikia (YouTube clip) and even the conservative activist and war veteran Masoud Dehnamaki (YouTube clip), who is director of the popular 2007 film Ekhrajiha (more on the film below). The show’s finale featured Iranian heartthrob Mohammad Reza Golzar, the star of one of the highest grossing films in Iranian cinema, Atash Bas. That finale garnered over a million viewers and nearly four hundred thousand votes in that night’s Shabeh Shisheyi poll. You can watch it here:

The clip below, featuring Iranian actor Hamed Komeili, demonstrates why Shabeh Shisheyi was the talk of Iran and why Rashidpour as a host was so novel:

Not usually one to flatter his guests, he had a rather acidic tongue that often put his subjects on the spot. (In this clip, he asks TV actor Hamed Komeili if he believes he would get roles if he wasn’t attractive.)

Television also featured countless serial shows, most similar to telenovelas or soap operas. Story lines often dealt with social taboos such as drug use, addiction, and spousal abuse. One anomalous serial was Madar Sefr Darejeh, an extremely popular show and a groundbreaking affair in Iranian television. Filmed in Budapest and Paris as well as Iran, and featuring French and Hungarian actors alongside Iranians, the series is set during the Second World War and revolves around the complicated and difficult decisions faced by Iranians living in France, some of whom collaborate with the Resistance, and others who follow Reza Shah and support the Nazis. It is interesting to note that the series – broadcast on Iranian state television – makes no secret of the dangers facing the Jewish population. One of the main characters of Madar Sefr Darejeh is Sara, a young Jewish student who flees occupied France for Iran using passports forged by her Iranian friend. [If anyone can find embeddable clips of this show online, please let us know and we'll update this post to include them.]

The biggest Iranian film of 2007 is undoubtedly Ekhrajiha (“The Outcasts”), the directorial debut of conservative journalist and activist Masoud Dehnamaki. Set in 1988, its plot revolves around Majid, a thug from Southern Tehran who decides to join the Basij (voluntary militia) on the Iran-Iraq war-front in order to impress a local girl and her pious father. Majid takes along his friends and the plot follows this group of misfit thieves and criminals in training camp and on the war front. Released in March 2007, Ekhrajiha is the highest-grossing film in Iranian history, although it was criticized by some who felt that it treated the Iran-Iraq war and the subject of martyrdom too lightly. Personally, I felt that although the film has comedic moments, it certainly wove the weight of war in among those jokes. Here’s the trailer:

Ekhrajiha plays off a new stereotype in Iranian youth culture: the javad, a noun used to denote a crass, lower-class male. Similar to the American redneck or British chav stereotype, I heard “javad” mentioned by youth across Tehran, and jokes about javadi habits – from their dance moves to their affinity for motorbikes – popped up everywhere. In the tradition of blockbusters all around the world, the film also spawned its own trademark phrase: “Ey val,” chanted at the beginning of the film, was in the everyday vernacular of many of the youth I met in Tehran this summer. Ekhrajiha is playing now in selected theaters across North America, so check your local listings.

Elahe is Dead

Iranian singer Elahe (also spelled “Elaheh”) died recently, following by just a few months the death of Mahasti. There are a few great videos of her on YouTube, below. This one is very scratchy but it looks like it’s from the ’50s, and the camera work is so strange:

This video is more recent but unfortunately mostly features shots of her accompanist:

And here’s another older video of Elahe singing, accompanied by famous Iranian pianist Anoushirvan Rohani:

Elahe became a controversial figure after the revolution because of her alleged support of the MKO. In an interview with Elahe, Anne Singleton, formerly a British MKO supporter, quizzed her at length on her involvement with that organization and Elahe essentially says she was conned into performing at the MKO’s concerts. Of Elahe’s political entanglements, Darius Kadivar writes:

Elahe never became a full member of the MKO but as explained in her interview had accepted to sing for Iranians abroad and was seductively approached by MKO members and isolated from her initial apolitical audience. Ironically Elahe was actually at the forefront of the Former Imperial Regime’s campaign of modernization that was spearheaded by the Shah of Iran in the aftermath of the Mossadegh years.

See Kadivar’s piece on Persian Mirror or BBC Persian (Persian text only) for more.

Beyond Persia’s “Celluloid” in San Francisco

They’ve only been around for about a year, but Beyond Persia is already making waves in the Bay Area with their frequent arts and culture events. Their latest offering is Celluloid, a film and photography exhibit running at Gallery One in San Francisco through September 8. The event includes prominent Iranian-American artists Shadi Yousefian, Sara Rahbar, Dustin Ellis, and Ahmad Kiarostami, among others.

Beyond Persia’s mission is to “provide a venue for contemporary Iranian-American artists an opportunity to show-case, promote and sell their art to the public who are interested in collecting and acquiring art produced by Iranians living outside Iran.” To this end, the artists come from diverse backgrounds and all walks of life, collectively carving a new niche in Iranian-American art. To learn more about the artists, visit Beyond Persia’s events page.

The International Center for Persian Studies

Fall term at the University of Tehran’s International Center for Persian Studies (ICPS) begins September 8th. Housed at the Dehkhoda Institute, the center offers Persian classes for everyone from complete novices to advanced speakers. Classes include general language courses, courses in history and classic and modern Iranian literature, as well as remedial classes in reading and handwriting. The general language courses are intensive: they include reading, writing, and oral components and assign a fair amount of work outside of the classroom. In addition to excellent Persian instruction, ICPS also boasts a diverse student population of both hyphenated Iranians and foreign students from all over the world.

Housed in a beautiful building on Tehran’s scenic Vali Asr Street (not on the University of Tehran campus in Southern Tehran), the center also features an extensive library, language lab and cafeteria. For those who don’t have a place to stay in Tehran, registering at ICPS allows you to procure residence in University of Tehran dorms. Also note that ICPS is very flexible at accommodating students, so if you’re not concerned about certification, faculty and staff will normally allow you to work in classes around your schedule. Visit the International Center for Persian Studies to see more details or send them an email at dehkhoda@ut.ac.ir.

The Iran Cheetah Project

Despite continued political tensions between the United States and Iran, the Iran Cheetah Project, a joint effort of the U.S.-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Iran’s Department of the Environment (DOE), is working to study and save the Asiatic cheetah (also referred to as the Iranian cheetah, and “yuz palang” in Persian). Just 60 to 100 of these cheetahs remain in the world, and their only home is Iran’s desert plateau. I discovered this project on a recent trip to the Bronx Zoo and called Luke Hunter of the WCS to find out more.

Initially funded by the UNDP, the project began in 2001 after the Iranian government asked the WCS to lend its expertise in conservation methods. Earlier this year, the U.S. granted its permission to the WCS to begin radio collaring the animals (though the WCS is apolitical, Hunter says it must adhere to U.S. laws and restrictions because it is an American organization), and in March, two male cheetahs were captured and collared. Now data is being collected to determine what the needs of these cheetahs are and how best to conserve them. Hunter says the goal is to collar eight cheetahs, representing about 10% of the population, in order to gather enough data. The DOE’s website has some really cool photos and video of the animals, an impressive list of progress made, and lots of reports. It may just be the most useful, well organized English-language Iranian site I’ve seen in a while.

The Iranian cheetah has become a symbol of Iran’s conservation efforts, and Hunter explained that Iranian student groups, such as the Iranian Cheetah Society, are quite proactive in starting their own wildlife NGOs and running independent, albeit smaller, projects. Hunter is returning to Iran in November and hopes to initiate studies of other animals there; these WCS projects would have the added benefit of being opportunities for Iranian students to do field work. Unfortunately, the WCS is restricted from hiring Iranian nationals in Iran (the Iranians are employed directly by the DOE), but Hunter says the WCS can provide training to the Iranian students and did so when work was done earlier this year to collar the cheetahs.

Rooz Online recently reported that Iran’s Department of Environment is in crisis, but I have not found other English-language reports to corroborate this story and Hunter says that the Iran Cheetah Project has not been affected in any way. To support the project and help save the Iranian cheetah, donate to the WCS (you can specify “Iran Cheetah Project”).

If anyone has knowledge of Iran’s other conservation and environmental efforts, or information about the DOE story, please leave a comment.

[Photo: Wildlife Conservation Society]

Update 8/24/07: The Persian text of this post is now available on Radio Zamaneh. Many thanks to Sourena Mohammadi for translating.

Nima Taherzadeh, Fashion Designer

Nima Taherzadeh may be the only Iranian man in the world who can pull off a ponytail. You can’t see it in the photo above, but he’s got one and he wears it well. When I met with him in Chelsea on a lazy Sunday afternoon a few months ago, he was wearing a black hoodie and sneakers, and with his quick clip down the sidewalk to the cafe, he looked like any young New Yorker. But Nima is decidedly not ordinary: he’s only 24, and his Parsons senior thesis collection got picked up by Saks last year. Now he’s designing $900 dresses from his Chelsea studio, but he’s cool enough to say he couldn’t afford them yet either.

His collection, like the dress above, has received a lot of praise for being easy to wear for lots of body types, but beyond that it’s just really beautiful – pretty fabrics, good shapes, versatile. I love the huge tie-collar on the dress here, as it’s such an unexpected twist on the ubiquitous shirt dress and a good example of his style. No doubt his training in interior design and work in fashion trending, on top of studying at Parsons, have given Nima his great eye for wearable, beautiful clothing and really smart business sense. I can’t wait until he gets really big and has collections in lower-end retailers that I can actually buy. I haven’t seen his latest collection (this one’s from last year), but if anyone has, please leave a comment! He doesn’t have a website, but you can read more about him in this Fashion Wire Daily article.

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