Sights of Iran, Chehel-sotoon

My hometown (Esfahan) has been the capital of Persia in 17th century. Here are some pictures of Chehel-sotoon which is one of the buildings that has been used as one of the King's residnese at that time. I can't call it a Palace exactly, nevertheless it has some beautiful miniature paintings inside on walls. Chehelsotoon means Forty (Chehel) column[s] (Sotoon). The exterior of the building has 20 columns and since there is a pond in front of it the reflection of the 20 columns has been added to the actual number in its name. We like to boast!

Fucking beautiful dude.

What a beautiful structure. I am sure that it has many years of history behind it. Really stunning!
Tell me something, does your gangsterbb name mean anything in your language?

Don Cardi

Thank you Guineapig for the kind words and your concern, I really appreciate it. From the time we chatted here I remember you knew a lot about Iran which is really admirable. I'll try to post more pictures later. Yes, most people of Iran are Muslim and they practice Shi'i branch of Islam, this is quite the only country in the Middle East that Shi'as are dominant, I'm not really sure about Syria though. Sunnie branch is more common among Arabs, I think the only reason Iranian went toward Shi'i branch was because they couldn't get over the fact that their country was invaded by Arabs, so they still wanted to be different. Esfahan has other minorities in religion too. There are Jews and Christians living in Esfahan. Esfahan has some beautiful churches. Although the branch of Christianity is different with all that are being practiced in the US and has come from Russia. Some of their practices are strange. For example they celebrate Jan 6, instead of Christmas on Dec. 25th because of the difference that once was between the Russian calendar and Roman calendar. You know Russians celebrate their October revolution in November. And thank you, I'm doing great, I hope you too are doing fine. Congratulations on Red Soxs, if you are a fan of your hometown team of course. I like Boston for one other thing and it is because of my favorite show Cheers!


Don Cardi thank you, yes, my GBB screen name is my real name which is a female name in Persian. I'm a girl of course. Afsaneh in Persian means "Myth". My signature and avatar is misleading. Sorry about that.

Gorgeous pictures, Afsaneh! I've heard Iran is indescribably beautiful. I want to go there one day... I'll go when I do my Turkey/Armenia/Russia trip, whenever that will be. :rolleyes:

By the way, Afsaneh is Esfahan with the letters mixed up.

Thanks Zia, that was really smart, I never noticed. Maybe because we spell "s" in these two words with different letters and they both sound "s". I really liked it!

I hope we get to meet here someday, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that relationship between us and the US restores so people can travel easier between the two countries.

Here are more pix of Chehelsotoon.

This is one of statues at the corner of the pond:




These are more detailed pictures of canopy and columns:

Beautiful pictures Afseneh! I know very little about your country and wasn't aware of it's beauty and art.

Thanks for sharing.

TIS

Wow, that's really gorgeous. The work on it is so intricate! Can you imagine how long it took for all that inlaid canopy and stuff? Beautiful. I bet seeing it in person can take your breath away.

One thing alot of people especially guys dont know is that Iran has some of the most beautiful women in the world. I have known several women from Iran, and even when they have their heads covered, they were gorgeous.

Not to mention the Persian 'pro-Shah' women that live in this country. My God. They are on another level all together. I sat next to one at a blackjack table in Vegas and proceeded to lose every hand cause I could not take my eyes off of this beauty. WOWZA! she was hot.

btw....Persian food rocks also!

Just my two cents about Iran and its people (of what little I know).

TIS, Thanks a lot. About Iran's art, I'm sure you've heard about Persian rugs. Those are the kind that if you bring with you to the US, custom officials are very interested to find out about and tax a huge percent on it! I don't blame them, no one has ever died of not having a fancy rug!

DeNiro, Thank you. US Southern and South-West cooking rocks too! I really loved it while I was there.

Zia, I'm not sure exactly how long it has taken to build Chehelsotoon but it has all been ordered by Shah Abbas the great in early 17th century maybe even earlier than 1600 (Shah means King in Persian). He wanted to have a pleasure pavilion and audience hall for the Safavid kings, to receive and entertain foreign dignitaries there. Shah Abbas ordered for many more construction here in Esfahan and hired the best artists and architects in the country to do their best job for a sturdy yet dazzling architecture. Speaking of breath-taking, you should see the huge square (almost more than 20 acres) that his Palace has a balcony overlooking it also the architecture around it, or walking on the old bridges and looking down on the river, now that really takes my breath away. I'll post pictures of that square and bridges, I just thought their beauty would fade one of my favorite landmarks so I started with this building. Finally here are three more pictures I thought it would be interesting.

This one is Chehelsotoon and its reflection in the pond at nights:



These two are some more miniature paintings inside on walls. The second one really looks 400 years old!

Iran looks nice, i never thought the middle east had such beauty,


but the roman ruins in cyprus are truly a sight to behold, a sign of europe's past

I resurrected this thread because I finally got the chance to take some pictures myself. Enjoy!

Wow. Breathtaking, beautiful and fascinating.

Those are some amazing pictures, Afs! Your country has some fantastic artwork and architecture! Simply beautiful!

Afs, great pics!

Thanks for these pics, and please send more. What beauty!

BEAUTIFUL PICTURES!
WHAT A PIECE OF ART!

Thank you Klydon, XDCX, svsg, Dontomasso and Don Zadjali!

Dontomasso, I've taken plenty of pictures of this building but many are duplicates and these are pretty much the best of the lot. I can upload any of these pictures in bigger scales if you are interested. So if that's the case, just let me know. I'll continue to post pictures of other architectural beauties my town has to offer over the time.

Please post it Afs. Now that I am on a dial-up it will take me forever to view large images, but I've got forever with me

Back home on winter break? Well, I can cope with dial-up wherever my mom is there to spoil me! I too have a dial-up and it takes a long time to upload and download larger pictures, so please be specific which one you'd like to see bigger. And of course I wish you a wonderful time with your family.

Thanks Afs, yes I am on winter vacation. I am having great time here, being pampered by my mom with delicious food everyday. Dial-up is a minor price I can pay for this royal treatment
If possible, please upload these pics for me:
1) nader1.jpg
2) middle-room.jpg (high priority!)
3) main-hall1.jpg
4) back-right.jpg
5) 4.jpg (high priority!)

Sure, I'll do that first thing tomorrow morning. I'm only wondering, do you want a high resolution for print, or merely a large scale 72dpi?

This thread reminds me in a way of the responses to a post I made some weeks ago about my home in Arizona. Just as most people don't realize that Arizona isn't just a hot desert, I think even more people don't recognize that Iran isn't just another "mideastern nation." It is a large nation (three times the size of Arizona) with varied terrain and climate: not just desert but high mountains (18k feet) to the north, and bordered by two large bodies of water: the Caspian Sea to the north, the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman to the west and south. Not only that, Persia is one of the oldest civilizations in world history and was a major center of commerce, art and military activity throughout its history. So it's not surprising that so many beautiful art treasures are to be found. Thanks for sharing them, Afsaneh.

thanks Afs, I won't be printing them, I want to use as wall-papers for my desktop and laptop, so anything that will fit a 17-inch screen with decent resolution is good enough. It need not be very large. I can do any crop/resize myself.

Actually TB, Arizona is 113,998 sq miles while Iran is 636,372 sq miles, roughly 5.5 times bigger than Arizona.

But who's counting?

I am, Ice. Before I put down permanent roots, I want to make sure I've got room to spread out:

"Give me land, lots of land under starry skies above,
Don't fence me in.
Let me ride through the wide open country that I love,
Don't fence me in.
Let me be by myself in the evenin' breeze,
And listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees,
Send me off forever but I ask you please,
Don't fence me in."

svsg, Enjoy! And if there's anything else, please let me know.

Thank you Turnbull, for your perfect description of Iran. Persia, has seen good and bad rulers to herself throughout history that have not always made her proud, but she was founded by the greatest of rulers, Cyrus the great, and makes me proud to say the founder of my homeland had the best of people in his mind and heart, believed in free practice of religion or lack thereof for all and his declaration of human rights still stands out to this day. And thank you for visiting this thread. You are too kind.

These sights are absolutely breathtaking, Afi. Thanks for sharing them. No need to say I'd love to visit your country.

Thanks Afs

Naghshe Jahan Square


Southern View


This square is from the period of Shah Abbas The Great (I), around 400 years old. Its length is 500m. (1640.4ft) from North to South, and has a width of approximately 165m (541.3ft), making it roughly over 20 acres, surrounded by two story Arcades and historical buildings. To the North of the square, you'll find the Qaysarieh Portal. To the South there is Shah/Emam Mosque. On East side you'll find Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, and located to the West is Ali Qapoo Edifice, the palace and the gateway to the other royal establishments of that era. During the reign of Shah Abbas I and his successors, this square was an area where festivities, polo, dramatics and military parades took place. This square is listed by UNESCO's World Heritage center as "Meidan Emam".


South-East view



Northern View



"Naghshe Jahan" or "Illustration of the World" is the name given to this square, because in architectural details and mural paintings of its buildings, there are hints of other cultures. It also rhymes with the folklore saying of "Esfahan, Nesfe Jahan", meaning "Esfahan is half the world."





Eastern view from Ali Qapoo's Terrace



Shah Mosque



Sheik Lotfollah Mosque



Ali Qapoo Palace



Detail of Two Story Arcades



A Handcraft Shop


Stay tuned for a detailed look into each building.

Thanks a lot. Keep them coming. Is the horse drawn carriage a familiar sight there?

Great pics Afs, If possible, can you also post some pics of a typical street with houses or office buildings, just to have an idea how iran is? Not the famous tourist places, but just an average street maybe.

Klydon, actually this is the only place I get to see them. I remember when I was younger we were driving all the way around this square in our car, even over the old bridges. Luckily, right now they've closed down the central and southern side of the square to cars to preserve its historical feeling, and you can enjoy a carriage ride around this part if you'd like. The small part in North of the square is open to cars via a East-West street going through the square. You can see that street in the Northern view, also even better and clearer in the first picture. This square is in the heart of the downtown and is surrounded by streets jammed with traffic. Some days, you can't have a clear view of other side of the square because of smog.


svsg, I've not many pictures handy, I'll keep that in mind the next time I go photo shooting. But right now, here is a picture of a street that goes in between Chehelsotoon Palace and Naghshe Jahan Square. Keep in mind, the photo has been taken on 2pm of a weekend, where there's almost no heavy traffic. You can also check out Tehran24 for more photos of the kind you are looking for of many Iranian cities.

Not sure how I missed your comment, I'm sorry Lav! Thanks dear, I can't wait to travel to your country as well. One of these days...

Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque


Eastern View by Pool at Sunset


Esfahan is also famous as "The City of Blue Tiles", but this mosque has broken the mold. Tiles of its khaki dome is one of a kind, making her to stand out among all other monuments. This mosque has been built in early 1600 by the order of Shah Abbas (I), and has been named after a religious figure form today's Lebanon, who has been a guest in Shah Abbas's court at that time. This mosque has been build mainly for women who wanted to have a separate place for worship, especially the women of the royal family.

The inner diameter of the dome is almost over 39 feet, laid over walls with the thickness of over 5½ feet. The architecture of this mosque, with its complicated and dazzling windows is based on playing with sun light, in order to raise the spiritual feelings in every visitor.


Main Entrance



Detail of the Main Entrance



Left side of the Main Entrance



Hallway



Hallway Ceiling



Entrance- Wooden Door



Front (Inside)



Inside of the Dome



Ceiling Detail



On the left (Inside)



On the Right (Inside)



Upper Right Side



Detail of a Window



One of the Four Corners



Above the Entrance (Back Opening)



Detail of the Back Opening



Dome and Front Upper Windows

What is the material used in those blue walls?

Those are tiles.

I can't believe I missed this thread. Those pics are fantastic.

These photos are dazzling, the best yet. The art work is very beautiful.

Thanks Capo!

Thanks Klydon, I think that's because this is the most magnificent monument in this square. Granted that it's much smaller compared to Shah's mosque, but more heart has gone into her tile works.

Me too Greats pics,make me feel ashamed of where im from when i see pictures like this..

This thread inspired me to take pictures of some of the sights where I live and post them, but I think you all know what the Olive Garden and JC Penney's look like.

Wow Afs, these are AMAZING! Especially these latest ones from the mosque. It's unbelievable. All of them are amazing. Thanks for posting them! And thanks for posting a picture of a normal street too. It looks like a beautiful city.

By the way, on this topic-- Today, I saw a car with an engraved steel license plate frame, on the bottom it said ESFAHAN, and on the top it said "4BAAGH 33POL". I thought of you when I saw it, of course. What do those other numbers and letters mean? Are they something in particular, or must it be significant only to the person whose car it was?

Thanks guys!

DeNiro, why being ashamed of where you are? And Klydon, Pennsylvania is like one of the oldest states in the US. I'm sure everyone can share some pictures of their favorite landmarks that could be new and interesting to many of us here.



That's interesting! Well 4BAAGH or Chahar-Baagh, meaning Four Gardens, is the name of the old (not to mention with a heavy traffic) street that runs through Esfahan connecting the North to the South. The story behind the name comes from the arrangement of the hedges and trees of this street. There are three huge tracks in this street, and therefore four lines of hedges and trees separating them. The middle track is saved for the pedestrians just the same as side walks on each side. As for 33POL, that stands for Sio-Se-Pol, or Thirty-Three Bridges. ZayandeRud, is the name of a river running through West to East of Esfahan, and the Southern part of the Chahar-baagh is connected to the Northern part through this old bridge. Chaharbagh and SioSePol are the iconic features of Esfahan. I'll be posting pictures of these sights as soon as I get a chance. It is freezing cold out here. It's a good thing on one hand, because the sights are less crowded and there is a better chance to take photos, but on the other hand it is so cold, you feel your blood is freezing.

Wow, that's really cool that it was so recognizable! I guess they had a lot of hometown pride with their landmarks and stuff. Most of my Persian friends are from Tehran, though. Which also has a lot of beautiful places, from the pictures I've seen. That Esfahan mosque in your latest bunch of photos was something else, though. Amazing.

Thank you so much for sharing these beautiful pictures ASF, and please post more!

Thanks everyone!

Let's take a detour from the monuments in Naghshe-Jahan, to two of the most famous and iconic features of Esfahan, which I explained in the previous post.

Here is a picture of Chahar-Bagh, built in 1596, still carrying the main traffic of North-South:




East and West band each have three lanes. The middle band and sidewalks are saved for the pedestrians. There are four rows of hedges and trees separating each band, hence the name "Chahar-bagh" or "Four Gardens".


And here are some pictures of Sio-Se-Pol (33 Pol or 33 Bridges/Arches), built in early 17th century by the order of Shah Abbas I. There are 33 Arches in the foundation, hence the name 33 Arches. On each side, in the middle of the Alcoves there is a walkway separated from the middle of the bridge. It has been over 20 years that cars are not allowed over the bridge, but I remember traveling over it in our car when I was very young.



Eastern view at sunset



Entrance



Western view



One of the sideways



Eastern views from over the bridge:





Western views from over the bridge:





Finally here are some photos of ordinary streets and boulevards in downtown Esfahan:

Might be my PC,but i can't see the latest pictures

I can't see them either. Just vertical lines.

Those last few pix take awhile to load. Be patient my children.

Nice pix, afs! Thanks for posting them.

My pleasure SC!

I'm too having problem with previewing some, it seems that my image hosting service is not so kind today. I'll check this problem tomorrow and if it still gave me a hard time, I'll upload photos somewhere else, but since SC has been able to see them, I'm guessing the problem could be temporary.

Who's my daddy?

I echo the sentiments Afs. Very lovely indeed. Do you live near any of these sites?

Great pics, as always Afs. I especially like the one of the sideway. It's like looking at a mirror through another mirror, like that shot from Citizen Kane.

Thanks for sharing, Afs!

Thanks XDC and Beth!

Nice observation XDC. This pattern happens in Shah's mosque as well, but for tile decorated sideways. I'll be posting those pictures soon.

Beth, I live roughly 4 miles away from them, but I work in downtown and when I get out of the office, I'm practically there.

Thanks Afs for posting the pics of your typical city roads. I am always fascinated to know how the roads of different countries look.

You're welcome svsg. Of course I understand the fascination to see other countries streets, but either I've been here too long, or roads and streets look too ordinary to me to photograph them.

Of course, you'd have to keep in mind that you don't see high-rise buildings in downtown Esfahan as we try to maintain a low and clear skyline near historical sights and the river. Also a UNESCO code prevents building any high-rise structure near Naghshe-Jahan square for the same reasons.

Those are beautiful, Afs! I love how the eastern view of Sio-Se-Pol reflects on the water. And I have a fascination with seeing normal roads in other countries too, so thanks for posting those as well.

Thanks Zia! I've learnt that Eastern khaki facades in front of a body of water at sunset is a quick recipe for a beautiful scenery.

Ali-Qapoo Edifice



Built merely as a portal in 15th century, it was developed over many stages, mainly in early 17th century to a palace. Ali Qapoo (meaning "exalted portal") is also the gateway to the other royal establishments of that era, namely Chehelsotoon and Hasht-behesht Palaces. This building is six story, shy of 157½ feet tall, and has a terrace with a view over Naghseh-Jahan square, supported by 18 wooden columns. This building has endured more damages through time than any other monuments of her vicinity and age, and most of her valuable doors and windows have been stolen during wars.

The Entrance and Bazar to the left of the Entrance:



Inside the Portal:






Some of the stairs with dazzling tile works and wooden windows up to the third floor:






Terrace and entrance to the third floor hall:





The third floor hall:






One of the two circular staircases from the third floor up to the sixth floor:




This is a terrace on the fifth floor in the back of the building. It is good to take a little break up here from those cylindrical staircases halfway to the music room. It is hard to identify the Chehelsotoon Palace's roof behind the trees, but it is in front of that extraordinary tall building. I should mention that UNESCO has required to destroy the last floor of that building, which is still under construction; because it has violated the skyline of the Naghshe-Jahan square.




Finally the sixth floor known as the music room. The plaster works of this floor is well worth walking up those stairs. Serving as an acoustic ceiling, the shape of these cut outs resemble pots and vessels.

Again,they are beutiful pictures

Thanks DeNiro.

Thanks Afi, these pix are wonderful. I love everything old so much.

Might that explain your obsession with the 66 yr old Al?

EDIT-(Sorry, I had to. On with the pictures! )

JM, thank you! I'd love to see you give a tour of Moscow and especially Saint Petersburg here.

Very nice. I bet those spiral staircases are amazing. Thanks for the photos. There's undoubtedly a treasure of history in them.

Very nice. I bet those spiral staircases are amazing. Thanks for the photos. There's undoubtedly a treasure of history in them.

Thanks Klydon. They are sure hard to climb though, or I might be getting old.

You really call him old? C'mon. He's but 66. What we are talking about is some centuries older.

Another detour from Naghse-jahan to the South of the river, the Armenian quarter of the New Julfa:

The Vank (The All saviour) Church

At the beginning of the reign of Shah Abbas I in 1588, Persia had almost fallen apart. Uzbeks and Afghans had moved into the North-Eastern lands and Ottomans were attacking the North-West, invading parts of Azerbaijan. It took Shah Abbas 14 years to build an outstanding army to conquer both enemies and take back what was lost of the Persian soil. After his victory, he moved his capital from Qazvin to Esfahan and brought with himself thousands of Christian Armenians from the old Julfa in Azerbaijan.


Esfahan was a known city on the silk road and he was hoping that the new Christian population in Esfahan, with their influential merchants make the Persian ties with Spain and other Western countries stronger, so a monopoly in the silk trade could be achieved and the Persian silk and rugs could be exported through other routes than Turkey. Moreover, the Armenians were excellent craftsmen and they could contribute to the industrial achievements and wellbeing of Esfahan. As another motif, he hoped that this would be a great example of tolerance and understanding among diverse ethnic and religious groups in the region and would encourage the foreign merchants to pass through Iran with peace of mind. Therefore he gave the Southern part of the river to the immigrants so that they could build their parishes and houses upon it, and gave them great freedom, enough finances and equal rights, something extraordinary for that era among lands ruled by Muslims. Immigrants called the new founded quarter of Esfahan the New Julfa and started building churches among other things. Shah Abbass's plan paid off. Esfahan entered its golden era of all time and merchants flooded the city, the showcase of the civilization of the Safavid era.




The Vank Church is the finest church of all in Esfahan. Founded in 1606, it didn't fully develop to today's condition until the time of the rein of Shah Abbas II. The building of the new praying room of the church was begun in 1655 under the supervision of Archbishop David and by donations of Armenians, and was completed in 1664. The clock tower was added in 1931.




Detail of the tile work over the main entrance:




View from the main entrance:




Church and belfry to the left:




The belfry, added in 1702 after the belfry of the original church in Julfa, which was demolished by Ottomans:




The arcade and some of graves:




The Western entrance to the church:




The Eastern view and hallway:




The Northern entrance:




Taking photo is not allowed Inside the praying room. I actually had to buy the CD of the photos they've taken themselves. The Illustrations are too gorgeous not to share.

Here is the Altar:






The Illustration of Heaven and Hell:




Various biblical illustrations:











The building of library, built in 1905:




Here is the Museum building, built in 1971. Among its valuable items, there are decrees of Safavid kings for the manner of treating the immigrants. They don't let anyone to take photos here as well.




Memorial for the victims of Armenian genocide of 1915 by Ottoman government:

As if your more recent pics were not amazing enough Afs,
I recently watched a program on PBS about the rise of the Islamic empire, and the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque pictures they showed were obviously amazing. The scholars noted the detail of all the blue tiles, especially in the ceiling and main entrance. They praised this as simply the most wonderous and beautiful piece of architecture in ALL of Islamic architecture.

I think you might be mistaking this mosque with Shah/Imam mosque. If there's any talk about blue tiles, and the most outstanding example of Islamic architecture/tile work/calligraphy, that's definitely the Shah mosque next to this one. I've not posted any picture of that one yet.

I guess I am mixing the two up, after all, the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque is simply amazing. Looking at the ceiling is like looking at a 3-D art picture!!!

I hope you post pictures of the Shah/Imam mosque though Afy!

The dazzling mixture of vibrant colors is beautiful.

Amazing... keep these coming!

I've been quite busy and though I've taken some photos of the other mosque, another bridge and a small palace, I've not had a chance to upload them all, or prepare some introduction for them. It is spring and very lovely out here, so I decided that without any further ado; share some photos of a public garden in the city center, which I took this Thursday.

Thank you for the wonderful pictures of Spring. Looks like a beautiful place on a beautiful day.Am I mistaken, or do I see birch trees in the background of the second picture?

You're welcome! Those with white trunks, right? Yes, they are pretty common around here. They look better in Autumn actually for their combination of orange, yellow, red and white!

Beautiful. You take excellent pictures, Afs.

Thank you bogey!

Nice pics Afs, your city is beautiful

Thank you dear!

Breathtaking pics...whats the name of that garden?

Request for next time: can you take pictures of the streets, the people, the persian market, the houses etc - you know the "daily" stuff, not just the heavenly gardens and structures.

Show us the "heart" of the city....and show us your carpet collection (if you have one)...

The name of the Garden translates "Flower's Garden". It is supposed to be the showcase of different flowers that can bloom in different seasons here in Esfahan.

I did actually went there in the hot mid-day to escape the crowed and get photos of only sights, not the people, because it the afternoon, roughly three hours later than I went, there's not a chance of taking photos in peace.

I did put some photos of the heart of the city in the second page; the city itself is nothing extra ordinary for many, although there are not that many high rise buildings because of special instruction codes near the river and historical sights.

As for the Persian market, it is vastly different. There are supermarkets, flee markets, bazars, but mostly there are small shops. I personally don't feel comfortable taking photos of people. I usually try to skip it for many reasons. Some don't like being photographed, and even if they don't mind, this is a very reserved society. Women have to comply with restrict dress codes. You see some with black veils that only shows their faces. Others who are more liberal have to cover their hair with a scarf. It's so plain for my taste to tempt me taking their pictures.

Anyway, as for rug collections, I don't exactly have a collection. We've two semi-fine rugs at home. Rest are all new machine wovens. I assume I could take photos of a rug gallery here, but I'm not sure if the owners allow their collections to be photographed... That's one thing that you'd have to see for yourself and very worthwhile too, for no other rug can beat a silk Persian rug, in design and material.

All right, all right, you leave me no choice, I'm coming over to visit these places. You'll be my guide.

P.S- dont forget to send me the money for the plane ticket.

Well, if you ever get your visa, I'll buy you a ticket! Though I'd have to be cautious, it actually can happen. Last December while taking photos of that mosque, I met a fellow from San Francisco. It turned out he had to get a German Passport from his father's native country to be able to get a visa. I guess when there's a will, there's a way.

Cool, it's all settled then.
Tell your mom to stop bothering you about marriage. I'm single and you have nothing to lose....besides your money. So here's the deal: you make all the arrangements, find us a nice place to get married, find a good violinist (only make sure she wont wear a red dress for the wedding...as you know I'd like to invite your foreign minister)...and we're set.

Well, my mom has lost all hope already to see me getting married. Of course the last thing that I care about losing in marriage is my money. BUT, I have an objection toward your guest list. Why he of all people? And what has he got against red dresses?

If you want to have a free ticket with no commitments, you may as well say so.

Funny that I have to tell you about it, but here's the story:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/05/04/iraq.conference.ap/index.html

And I thought that Persians love rice

And I guess you didnt hear about your president as well, so here you go:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6619077.stm

And I DO want to marry you....but I can have more than 1 wife there, right?

A better link for the rice story:

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/05/04/iraq.violinist.ap/index.html

Your photos never cease to amaze me, Afs. They're absolutely breathtaking.

Thanks XDC! You are too kind!

Fame, that's hilarious. Of course I've not been paying much attention to the news lately. I've been in my own little world.

You can only marry again with consent of your first wife, which now commonly comes as a clause in marriage license. If she doesn't allow you, which I wouldn't, then you can't.

C'mon, I thought you wanted to share me with JustMe and Lavinia

Where are they anyway? stalking Pacino again?

I don't like the idea of sharing, unless it involves Matthew Macfadyen, Clive Owen, Hugh Grant and George Clooney on the side.

I've heard from JM recently, but have not checked on Lav. I should, one of these days...

*Friendly Reminder for Afy*
-Please don't forget to post pictures of the Shah/Iman Mosque and those bluuuue tiles.

I've uploaded those pictures, but I've not been in the mood to write an introduction or to settle what I'd like to show and what not. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to do it justice, but I'll try my best one of these days...

The New York Times travel section did a nice piece on Esfahen in yesterday's issue--in fact, it was the section's cover story.

There's an amazing photo of Imam Square that spreads across the two page piece. In re: to the Sheik Lotfollah Mosque the author writes, "It's tiled dome was covered by twirling black-and-white veines and turquoise flowers, a design with the precision more of fine china than of monumental architecture." And that's what astonishes me most about both the Lotfollah and Imam mosques, all of the seemingly infinite intricacies that went into the work...it's really unlike anything else in the world. After all, there's a centuries-old saying that Esfahan is "half the world," meaning it contains fully half of the earth's wonders.

I was especially able to enjoy this piece, Afs, b/c of the wonderful mini-lesson you've given us on your home-city. It truly is one of the world's great wonders.

Thanks for mentioning that Ice, I had not seen that.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/travel/10Iran.html

There's only one word for the pictures in this thread: beautiful. Thank you Afsaneh. Please do keep em comin.

Thank you Don Jasani! However I'm a retired photographer, and this thread has been resurrected from the depth of GBB!!