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Naqqali
Naqqāli (), or Persian epic storytelling, is the oldest form of narrating tales in Iran and has long played a significant role in society. A naqqāl is a storyteller who recites epic tales, primarily revolving around the stories of Persian mythology, Iranian mythological kings and heroes. Naqqāl (نقال) A naqqāl is a storyteller who recites poetry or prose using gestures, expressions, and sometimes music, along with descriptions of inscriptions and paintings. A naqqāl requires an exceptional memory to retain poems and texts, as well as improvisational skills and eloquence. Their attire is typically simple, though they may wear an ancient-style hat or armored coats during performances to depict battle scenes. As guardians of folk culture, epic and ethnic stories, and Iranian folk music, naqqāls were historically known for their performances in coffeehouses and historic sites such as caravanserais. However, with the decline of traditional Coffeehouse, coffeehouses, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Persian Theatre
Persian theater () goes back to antiquity. Ancient Persian theatre and dance was significantly researched by the Greek historian Herodotus of Halikarnassos, who lived during the Persian rule in Greece. In his work ''Book IX (Calliope)'', he describes the history of Asian empires and also the Persian wars until 478 BC. Historical Persian theatre These are a few of the dramatic performing arts that became popularized in Iran in 7th century AD, long before the advent of cinema. A few examples include: * Naghali (storytelling) * Ghavali (minstrelsy) * Shahnameh-khaani (singing storytelling performance of the story of Shahnameh) * Rowzeh Khani (mourning performance) * Saye-bazi (shadow plays) * Mirnouroozi (comic play during Nowruz) * Kachalak bazi or Pahlavan Kachal (comic play with a bald clown-like character) * Baghal bazi (comic play that takes place at a grocery store) Naqqāli ''Naqqāli'' is one of the oldest forms of the traditional Persian theatre. The Naqqāl is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Murshid
''Murshid'' () is Arabic for "guide" or "teacher", derived from the root ''r-sh-d'', with the basic meaning of having integrity, being sensible, mature. Particularly in Sufism it refers to a Spiritual director, spiritual guide. The term is frequently used in Sufi orders such as the Naqshbandiyya, Qadiriyya, Qādiriyya, Chishti Order, Chishtiya, Shadhiliya and Suhrawardiyya. The path of Sufism starts when a student (murid) takes an oath of allegiance or ''Bay'ah'' (''bai'ath'') with a spiritual guide (''murshid''). In speaking of this initiatory pact of allegiance, the Qur’ān (48:10) says: ''Verily they who pledge unto thee their allegiance pledge it unto none but God. The Hand of God is above their hands''.Cf. Martin Lings, ''What is Sufism'', Islamic Texts Society, Cambridge, p. 125. The murshid's role is to spiritually guide and verbally instruct the disciple on the Sufi path, but "only one who has himself reached the End of the path is a spiritual guide in the full sense of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Middle East
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western European nations in the early 20th century as a replacement of the term Near East (both were in contrast to the Far East). The term "Middle East" has led to some confusion over its changing definitions. Since the late 20th century, it has been criticized as being too Eurocentrism, Eurocentric. The region includes the vast majority of the territories included in the closely associated definition of West Asia, but without the South Caucasus. It also includes all of Egypt (not just the Sinai Peninsula, Sinai) and all of Turkey (including East Thrace). Most Middle Eastern countries (13 out of 18) are part of the Arab world. The list of Middle Eastern countries by population, most populous countries in the region are Egypt, Turkey, and Iran, whil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Persian Mythology
Iranian mythology, or Persian mythology in western term (), is the body of the myths originally told by ancient Persians and other Iranian peoples and a genre of ancient Persian folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities of deities, heroes, and mythological creatures, and the origins and significance of the ancient Persians' own cult and ritual practices. Modern scholars study the myths to shed light on the religious and political institutions of not only Iran but of the Greater Iran, Persosphere, which includes regions of West Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, and Transcaucasia where the culture of Iran has had significant influence. Historically, these were regions long ruled by dynasties of various Iranian empires, that incorporated considerable aspects of Persian culture through extensive contact with them, or where sufficient Iranian peoples settled to still maintain communities who patronize their respective cultures. It roug ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caravanserai
A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a variety of names including ''khan'', ''funduq'' and ''wikala.'' Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information, and people across the network of trade routes covering Asia, North Africa and Southeast Europe, most notably the Silk Road. In the countryside, they were typically built at intervals equivalent to a day's journey along important roads, where they served as a kind of Stage station, staging post. Urban versions of caravanserais were historically common in cities where they could serve as inns, depots, and venues for conducting business. The buildings were most commonly rectangular structures with one protected entrance. Inside, a central courtyard was surrounded by an array of rooms on one or more levels.'''' In additio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coffeehouse
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargile'' in Levantine Arabic, Greek, and Turkish), flavored tobacco smoked through a hookah. An espresso bar is a type of coffeehouse that specializes in serving espresso and espresso-based drinks. Some coffeehouses may serve iced coffee among other cold beverages, such as iced tea, as well as other non-caffeinated beverages. A coffeehouse may also serve food, such as light snacks, sandwiches, muffins, cakes, breads, pastries or donuts. Many doughnut shops in Canada and the U.S. serve coffee as an accompaniment to doughnuts, so these can be also classified as coffee shops, although doughnut shop tends to be more casual and serve lower-end fare which also facilitates take-out and drive-through which is popular in those countries, com ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Persian Art
Persian art or Iranian art () has one of the richest art heritages in world history and has been strong in many media including architecture, painting, weaving, pottery, calligraphy, metalworking and sculpture. At different times, influences from the art of neighbouring civilizations have been very important, and latterly Persian art gave and received major influences as part of the wider styles of Islamic art. This article covers the art of Persia up to 1925, and the end of the Qajar dynasty; for later art see Iranian modern and contemporary art, and for traditional crafts see arts of Iran. Rock art in Iran is its most ancient surviving art. Iranian architecture is covered at that article. From the Achaemenid Empire of 550 BC–330 BC for most of the time a large Iranian-speaking state has ruled over areas similar to the modern boundaries of Iran, and often much wider areas, sometimes called Greater Iran, where a process of cultural Persianization left enduring results even w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shahnameh
The ''Shahnameh'' (, ), also transliterated ''Shahnama'', is a long epic poem written by the Persian literature, Persian poet Ferdowsi between and 1010 CE and is the national epic of Greater Iran. Consisting of some 50,000 distichs or couplets (two-line verses), the ''Shahnameh'' is one of the world's longest epic poems, and the longest epic poem created by a single author. It tells mainly the Persian mythology, mythical and to some extent the historical past of the Persian Empire from the creation of the world until the Muslim conquest of Persia, Muslim conquest in the seventh century. Iran, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and the greater Greater Iran, region influenced by Persian culture such as Armenia, Dagestan, Georgia (country), Georgia, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan celebrate this national epic. The work is of central importance in Persian culture and Persian language. It is regarded as a literary masterpiece, and definitive of the ethno-national cultural ide ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ferdowsi
Abu'l-Qâsem Ferdowsi Tusi (also Firdawsi, ; 940 – 1019/1025) was a Persians, Persian poet and the author of ''Shahnameh'' ("Book of Kings"), which is one of the world's longest epic poetry, epic poems created by a single poet, and the greatest epic of Persian-speaking people, Persian-speaking countries. Ferdowsi is celebrated as one of the most influential figures of Persian literature and one of the greatest in the history of literature. Name Except for his ''kunya (Arabic), kunya'' ( – , meaning 'father of Qasem') and his Takhallus, pen name ( – ''Ferdowsī'', meaning 'Paradise, paradisic'), nothing is known with any certainty about his full name. According to Djalal Khaleghi-Motlagh, the information given by the 13th-century author Bundari about Ferdowsi's name should be taken as the most reliable. Bundari calls the poet al-Amir al-Hakim Abu'l-Qasem Mansur ibn al-Hasan al-Ferdowsi al-Tusi. From an early period on, he has been referred to by different additional na ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hamzanama
The ''Hamzanama'' (Persian/Urdu: ''Hamzenâme'', ) or ''Dastan-e-Amir Hamza'' (Persian/Urdu: , ''Dâstân-e Amir Hamze'', ) narrates the legendary exploits of Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib, an uncle of Muhammad. Most of the stories are extremely fanciful, "a continuous series of romantic interludes, threatening events, narrow escapes, and violent acts". The ''Hamzanama'' chronicles the fantastic adventures of Hamza as he and his band of heroes fight the enemies. The stories, from a long-established oral tradition, were written down in Persian, the language of the courts of Persianate societies, in multiple volumes, presumably in the era of Mahmud of Ghazni (r. 998–1030). In the West, the work is best known for the enormous illustrated manuscript, the '' Akbar Hamzanama'', commissioned by the Mughal emperor Akbar about 1562. The written text augmented the story as traditionally told orally in dastan performances. The dastan (storytelling tradition) about Amir Hamza persists far an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
