Persian Poems is now available from the App Store. This is a perfect app for all Persian-speaking literature lovers.

Persian Poems app is a complete collection of works of the greatest heroes of the Persian literature Ferdowsi, Hafez and Saadi. These great poets kept the Persian (Farsi) language alive and left us their wisdom and this app is homage to them.

Persian Poems lets you browse four complete poetry books, save favorites and even search through the collection.

The Persian poems app is completely in Persian, and was developed by talented Iranian developers Soroush, Sohrab and Ali. Keep an eye out for our other upcoming versions!

In memory of 20th anniversary of death of Morteza Hannaneh

For first time in Iran History, Memorial stamp of Ferdowsi and Hannaneh, the great Artists of Iran.

In 1980, Morteza Hannaneh, was performed “Omaggio a Ferdowsi” in Italian embassy. This work was composed for Piano solo and vocal(soprano).

A while ago we posted that Persian Poems iPhone app was under development by Ali, Sohrab and Soroush. We are pleased to say that the app is all finished and submitted to the Apple App Store.

Persian Poems is completely in Persian (Farsi) covering some of the best loved Persian Poetry. Ferdowsi, Hafez and Saadi all covered. As a huge Persian literature fan I think this is a must have app…

emmm yes we do need to have an English version too. Well if the demand is there, we promise that we would do an English version too. So do let us know what you think.

We have been very busy recently polishing some of our half finished app. So I’m very pleased to announce that Persian Poems app and our ‘I’m a Movie Buff’ app are ready to be release.

Persian Poems is a great app with a collection of wonderful works of Ferdowsi, Hafez and Saadi. The app is in Persian but if there is a take up and demand we will prepare an English version too. So do let us know if you are interested.

‘I’m a Movie Buff’ was originally a simple movie quiz but it has ended up being quite a quiz! We have become addicted to this app ourselves and with almost 2000 questions, the quiz is always fresh. The fun thing is that not only you can enjoy a challenging game on your own but you can also play with a friend. We are very excited to share this app with you. Do let us know what you think.

Both of these awesome apps were created by our guys Ali, Sohrab and Soroush and will be available from the app store very soon.

Considerato che non sono credente, che non ho parenti siciliani e che non so l’arabo, l’unica spiegazione che mi riesco a dare del motivo per cui mi sono emozionata ed incantata a lungo di fronte ad una pagina di un Corano scritto a Palermo nel 982-983, ultimo pezzo superstite di tutta la produzione dell’epoca fatimide in Sicilia, è quello dell’età che avanza.

Anche i Corani minuscoli turchi di forma ottagonale che stanno nel pugno di una mano, comunque, hanno dovuto sopportare a lungo molti miei sguardi, mentre progressivamente mi sentivo sempre più appagata, ma anche sempre più piccola.

E molti altri ancora.

Specialmente quelli dell’Iran.

Ma non solo.

Praticamente tutti, diciamo.

Roba da sentirsi microscopici di fronte alla caparbietà ostinata di ripetere un lavoro, spesso anonimamente, con umiltà e con risultati sorprendentemente originali e pieni di grazia pur nella costrizione della limitata libertà di azione, tutta concentrata sulla forma da attribuire alle stesse, identiche, parole.

E ora la domanda: è troppo tardi per introdurre nelle legislazioni dei Paesi civili il divieto di smembrare libri antichi per rivenderli in singoli fogli, come ha fatto per esempio un uomo – di cui non citerò il Paese per non passare per antiamericanista – nei confronti di uno dei più begli esemplari del persiano Libro dei re (Shāhnāma), realizzato a Tabriz, in Iran, tra il 1520 e il 1530?

A chi interessasse, qui ci sono molte foto degli oggetti esposti (quella del Corano di Palermo non c’è, mi pare). Guardate che questo è l’unico link di tutto il blog su cui valga la pena cliccare, quindi lo ricopio qui. E qui.

In rete c’è anche qualche foto della Shāhnāma di Houghton, l’uomo di cui dicevo sopra: basta digitare Houghton Shāhnāma o Houghton Shahnamah o Houghton Shahnameh in Google Images. Sempre a chi interessasse.

در این خاک زرخیز ایران زمین
نبودند جز مردمی پاک دین
Dar in xâk-e zarxiz-e irân zamin
Nabudand joz mardomi pâk din

همه دینشان مردی و راد بود
کزان کشور آزاد و آباد بود
Hame dinešân mardi-yo râd bud
Kazân kešvar âzâd-o-âbâd bud

نگفتند حرفی که ناید به کار
نکشتند تخمی که ناید به بار
Nagoftand harfi ke nâyad be kâr
Nakeštand toxmi ke nâyad be bâr

چو مهر و وفا بود خود کیششان
گنه بود آزار کس پیششان
Co mehr-o-vafâ bud xod kišešân
Gonah bud âzâr-e kas pišešân

همه بندۀ ناب یزدان پاک
همه دل پر از مهر این آب و خاک
Hame bande-ye nâb-e yazdân-e pâk
Hame del por az mehr-e in âb-o-xâk

پدر در پدر آریایی نژاد
ز پشت فریدون نیکو نهاد
Pedar dar pedar âriyâyi nežâd
Ze pošt-e Fereydun-e niku nahâd

بزرگی به مردی و فرهنگ بود
گدایی در این بوم و بر ننگ بود
Bozorgi be mardi-yo farhang bud
Gedâyi dar in bum-o-bar nang bud

کجا رفت آن دانش و هوش ما
که شد مهر میهن فراموش ما
Kojâ raft ân dâneš-o huš-e mâ
Ke šod mehr-e mihan farâmuš-e mâ

که انداخت آتش در این بوستان
کز آن سوخت جان و دل دوستان
Ke* andâxt âtaš dar in bustân
Kaz ân suxt jân-o del-e dustân

چه کردیم کین گونه گشتیم خوار
خرد را فکندیم زین سان ز کار
Ce kardim kin gune gaštim xâr
Xerad râ fekandim zin sân ze kâr

نبود این چنین کشور و دین ما
کجا رفت آیین دیرین ما
Nabud in conin kešvar-o din-e mâ
Kojâ raft âyin-e dirin-e mâ

به یزدان که این کشور آباد بود
همه جای مردان آزاد بود
Be yazdân ke in kešvar âbâd bud
Hame jâ-ye mardân-e âzâd bud

در این کشور آزادگی ارج داشت
کشاورز خود خانه و مرز داشت
Dar in kešvar âzâdegi arj dâšt
Kešâvarz xod xân-vo marz dâšt

گران مایه بود آن که بودی دبیر
گرامی بد آن کس که بودی دلیر
Gerân mâye bud ân ke budi dabir
Gerâmi bod ân kas ke budi dalir

نه دشمن در این بوم و بر لانه داشت
نه بیگانه جایی در این خانه داشت
Na došman dar in bum-o-bar lâne dâšt
Na bigâne jâyi dar in xâne dâšt

اگر مایه زندگی بندگیست
دوصد بار مردن به از زندگیست
Agar mâye-ye zendegi bandegist
Do sad bâr mordan beh az zendegist

بیا تا بکوشیم و جنگ آوریم
برون سر از این بار ننگ آوریم
Biyâ tâ bekušim-o jang âvarim
Borun sar azin bâr-e nang âvarim

به یزدان که هرگز جهان آفرین
نه با بنده ای مهر ورزد نه کین
Be yazdân ke hargez jahân âfarin
Na bâ bande’i mehr varzad na kin

ز نیک و بدت هر چه آید به سر
ز خود بین و وز کردۀ خود شمر
Ze nik-o-badat har ce âyad be sar
Ze xod bin-o vaz karde-ye xod šemar

از آن روز دشمن به ما چیره گشت
که ما را روان و خردتیره گشت
Az ân ruz došman be mâ cire gašt
Ke mâ râ ravân-o-xerad tire gašt

از آن روز این خانه ویرانه شد
که نان آورش مرد بیگانه شد
Az ân ruz in xâne virâne šod
Ke nân âvaraš mard-e bigâne šod

چو ناکس به ده کدخدایی کند
کشاورز باید گدایی کند
Co nâkas be deh kadxodâyi konad
Kešâvarz bâyad gedâyi konad

چو دانش پژوهنده بیند زیان
که بندد به دانش پژوهی میان
Co dâneš pažuhande binad ziyân
Ke* bandad be dâneš pažuhi miyân

به یزدان که گر ما خرد داشتیم
کجا این سرانجام بد داشتیم
Be yazdân ke gar mâ xerad dâštim
Kojâ in saranjâm-e bad dâšim

بسوزد گرت در آتش جان و تن
به از بندگی کردن و زیستن
Besuzad garat dar âtaš jân-o-tan
Beh az bandegi kardan-o zistan

بیاریم آن آب رفته به جوی
مگر زان بیابیم باز آب روی
Biyârim ân âb-e rafte be juy
Magar zân biyâbim bâz âb-e ruy

شود مردمی کیش و آئین ما
نگیرد خرد خرده بر دین ما
Šavad mardomi kiš-o âyin-e mâ
Nagirad xerad xorde bar din-e mâ

ز فردوسی ام آمد این گفته یاد
که داد سخن را چو او کس نداد
Ze Ferdousi-yam âmad in gofte yâd
Ke dâd-e soxan râ co ou kas nadâd

چو ایران نباشد تن من مباد
بدین بوم و بر زنده یک تن مباد
Co Irân nabâšad tan-e man mabâd
Bedin bum-o-bar zende yek tan mabâd

اگر سر به سر تن به کشتن دهیم
از آن به کشور به دشمن دهیم
Agar sar be sar tan be koštan dahim
Az ân beh ke kešvar be došman dahim

سرشت من از مهر میهن بود
من از میهن و میهن از من بود
Serešt-e man az mehr-e mihan bovad
Man az mihan-o mihan az man bovad

*Ke: Ce kasi

Die Übernahme der Inhalte jeglicher Art bedarf der schriftlichen Zustimmung durch Fartâb Pârse

Har gune bahre va be kâr giri az neveštârhâ tanhâ bâ dâštan-e parvâne-ye nevisâyi az Fartâb Pârse šodani ast

In the middle of the second milleniumB.C various tribes crossed the Oxus River and the CAUCASUS  mountains and entered the iranian plateau.These tribes  were of white Indo-European origin and had separated from tribes of similar origin  approximately 3000B.C then migrating to central asia.There they  wandered  from locality  and occupied  themselves with raising  livestock..Like all nomads  they were  skilled in horseback riding  and archery.For long period these tribes lived together in the wide region of central asia consisting of the pamir plateau  and the fertile valleys of the Oxus  and Jaxartes River.In additionone group of theme apparently  lived in the region  near lake khwarasm called” AIRYANEM VAEJA” IN THE AVESTA , the sacred  scripture  of the zoroastrians.As whole this tribes were divided  into two main groups.the First, itself composed of several powerful branches ,was known at the SAKA ,and the Second ,more civilized than the first , the Arya….SAKA=Scythians. two group of them were, DAHA and the Saimira.During the Median  and achaemenian periods certain groups of these tribes attacked  the Aryans peaples of Iran  several times. DARIUS  the great was the first person able to bring  the majority of these tribes under the control of the Iranian monarchy for a time.The Prolonged  wars…between the peaple of Iran and the Sakas  had an immense  influence  upon  the Iraian national epic, from the AVESTA  to the SHAHNAME>written by great artist Ferdowsi,since they provide  the material  for many  of the heroic legends  of the Iranian peoples .

Research for vision the realities of an  ancient culture. I think that Dialogue is more important than music because I can feel the Rhythms of  for example:RUSSIAN language very good…from Caucasus to Shiraz “KERAZZ”??? and to KERAMANNIA= In southern part of Luth Desert ..The village Baravat=Barvat=Barbad=Barbod.BARBOD was great luth player and musician in Sassanian period.Before Islamic period in Iran.

Amir ali Hannaneh…Tehran .Iran…..special for IMC-Forum..2009Tunis

Dedicated to Year of Astronomy 2009

Ferdowsi

Imagine Goethe’s inner gaze marveling at majestic Mount Damāvand, the highest peak in the Middle East, immortalized in Persian literature through masterful works like Ferdowsi’s Shâhnameh. From its seemingly timeless lofty heights, Mount Damāvand, remains as unconstrained as the wind, in contrast with the social, political and historical changes unfolding all around it.

I was looking for the fertile, picturesque places with names like warm valley and seven creeks where the judge’s grandson grew up when I came across images of Mount Damāvand and learned of its history.

Illustrations inspired by Abolghassem Mansour-ibn-Hassan Firdausi Tousi (Ferdowsi)’s epic work entitled Shâhnâmeh (Book of Kings) (1010) were submitted by Iran for inclusion inclusion in the Memory of the World Register in 2007. They now host a gallery of illustrations.

“Abolghassem Mansour-ibn-Hassan Firdausi Tousi (Ferdowsi) was a prominent figure in Iranian poetry and the nationalist poet of the Persian Empire. He was born in the Iranian city of Tous in 941 and died in 1020, ten years after he finished his major epic work, the Shâhnâmeh (Book of Kings). This is one of the classics of the Persian-speaking world and is on a par with the ‘Iliad’ and the ‘Aeniad’ of the Greco-Romano cultural communities. An important feature of this work is that although during the period of its creation, Arabic was the main language of science and literature, Ferdowsi used only Persian and therefore helped to revive and maintain this important world language. Today Persian is spoken by over 65 million people in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan and diaspora communities. The Shâhnâmeh has also become an important text throughout Central Asia, India and the former Ottoman Empire. It has been copied countless times and three of these copies could be said to have universal value: the “Demotte Shâhnâmeh” made in the early 1300s for the Il-Khanid patron, Giyath al-Din ; the 16th Century “Houghton Shâhnâmeh” ; and the “Bayasanghori Shâhnâmeh”, which was made in 1430 for Prince Bayasanghor (1399-1433), the grandson of the legendary Central Asian leader Timur (1336-1405). Only the “Bayasanghori Shâhnâmeh” has survived and is kept under lock and key in the Imperial Library of the Golestan Palace in Tehran. The Shâhnâmeh represents the quintessence of aesthetic and literary values of the elite rulers of the Timurid Renaissance who dominated Central and Western Asia in the 15th Century.”

In the nineteenth century, Goethe considered Persian literature to be one of the four main bodies of world literature (Ferdowsi 2006) and his “Verstandnis des West-Ostlichen Divans” was inspired by Persian literature.

“When we turn our attention to a peaceful, civilized people, the Persians, we must — since it was actually their poetry that inspired this work — go back to the earliest period to be able to understand more recent times. It will always seem strange to the historians that no matter how many times a country has been conquered, subjugated and even destroyed by enemies, there is always a certain national core preserved in its character, and before you know it, there re-emerges a long-familiar native phenomenon. In this sense, it would be pleasant to learn about the most ancient Persians and quickly follow them up to the present day at an all the more free and steady pace (Goethe 1819 in Wiesehofer and Azodi 2001: Preface).”

For over 2600 years Persia has been at the geographic centre of trade and cultural exchange, friction If you draw lines from the Mediterranean to Beijing or Beijing to Cairo or Paris to Delhi, they all pass through Iran, which straddles a region where East meets West. Over 26 centuries, a blending of the hemispheres has been going on here—trade, cultural interchange, friction—with Iran smack in the middle.
 

“If we could realize that great works such as the Shahnameh [of Ferdowsi] exists in the world, we would not become so much proud of our own works in such a silly manner (Saint-Beuve cited in Wiesehofer 2001-08-18).”

Notes
1. This UNESCO site entitled Memory of the World hosts digital images like this 1430 illustration from the “Bayasanghori Shâhnâmeh” for Prince Bayasanghor (1399-1433). It illustrated one of the stories in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameb (1010) showing the tyrant Zahhak, nailed to the walls of a cave in Mount Damavand.

2. Some Poems in English

3. “FERDOWSĪ,ABU’L-QĀSEM (329-410 or 416/940-1019 or 1025), one of the greatest epic poets and author of the Šāh-nāma, the national epic of Persia. See also ŠĀH-NĀMA. [...] The sum of such heartfelt, mature, and eloquently expressed views and ethical precepts regarding the world and mankind have led to his being referred to, from an early period, as ḥakīm (philosopher), dānā (sage), and farzāna (learned); that is, he was considered a philosopher, though he was not attached to any specific philosophical school nor possessed a complete knowledge of the various philosophical and scientific views of his time. [His sobriquet or pen name], Ferdowsī means “[man] from paradise” (Khaleghi, 1988, p. 92). From Encylopedia Iranica“

4. The concepts of freedom and human rights allegedly originated in the first Persian Empire, as early as the c. 539 BC with the Achaemenid Persian Shāhanshāh Emperor Cyrus the Great (c. 600/576 BC – c. 530/29 BC). His successors including Darius ruled over a stable global superpower, the world’s first religiously and culturally tolerant empire administrated with the first human rights charter (Farrokh 2007:44, Robertson and Merrills 1996:7, Lauren 2003:11, Xenophon and Hedrick 2007:xiii) with a central government in Pasargadae for more than a thousand years. The borders of the Persian Empire ultimately extended from the Mediterranean to the Indus River, encompassing 23 different peoples and including nations and regions that by 2008 were called Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Jordan, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, and the Caucasus region (Del Giudice 2008-08:5).” It was Emperor Cyrus the Great who freed the enslaved Jews of Babylon in 539 B. C. providing them with necessary funds to rebuild their in Jerusalem through the Edict of Restoration. (Del Giudice 2008-08:5)”

5. Cyrus the Great Cylinder, The First Charter of Rights of Nations: (Farrokh 2007:44, Robertson and Merrills 1996:7, Lauren 2003:11, Xenophon and Hedrick 2007:xiii)

“In short, the figure of Cyrus has survived throughout history as more than a great man who founded an empire. He became the epitome of the great qualities expected of a ruler in antiquity, and he assumed heroic features as a conqueror who was tolerant and magnanimous as well as brave and daring. His personality as seen by the Greeks influenced them and Alexander the Great, and, as the tradition was transmitted by the Romans, may be considered to influence our thinking even now (Frye 1963).”

6. Richard N. Frye (1920- ), now a professor emeritus at Harvard devoted more than sixty years to teaching, learning and research on Persian history. He founded the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard and is the Aga Khan Professior of Iranian history at Harvard University. Frye’s books entitled the Nation of Archers (1954) and The Heritage of Persia (1962) The Heritage of Persia (Bibliotheca Iranica, No 1). Islam and the West. Proceedings of the Harvard Summer School Conference on the …
His mentor and predecessor, Arthur Pope was director of the Asia Institute in Shiraz.

“Thus, to refer to the Sasanian period of Iran’s history, Vahram-i Varjavand, seems to me to be a greatly heroised example of the millenary tradition, for he is a truly messianic personality, even though probably a greatly heroised form of the historic Bahrám Chobin. As I have frequently stated, in the past of Iran, for the people, history was not what really happened, or even what they thought had happened, but what they thought should have happened. This is a fundamental characteristic of the view of the past among a people who have a strong epic tradition and a messianic tradition of time speculation (Frye, 1974:57-69 1964: 36-54 cited in Buck 1998).”

7. Some useful translations
Shâhnameh Shahnameh (Farsi) Emperor
Kūrošé Kabīr or Kūrošé Bozorg Kurose Kabir or Kurose Bozorg (Farsi) Emperor Cyrus the Great
Koresh (Hebrew in Bible) Emperor Cyrus the Great
Dhul-Qarnayn (Arabic in Qur’an) possibly referring to Emperor Cyrus the Great.
Damāvand – Damavand
West-Ostlichen (German) West-Eastern

Webliography and Bibliography

Buck, Christopher. 1998. “Bahá’u'lláh as Zoroastrian saviour.” Baha’i Studies Review. 8. London: Association for Baha’i Studies English-Speaking Europe. pp.14–33.

Farrokh, Kaveh. 2007. Shadows in the Desert: Ancient Persia at War. History.

Frye, Richard N. 1963. The Heritage of Persia: The pre-Islamic History of One of the World’s Great Civilizations. World Publishing Company: New York.

Ghasemi, Shapour. “The Cyrus the Great Cylinder.” History of Iran. Accessed February 24.

Knappert, Jan. Ed. 1999.Encyclopaedia of Middle Eastern mythology and religion. Longmead, UK.

Robertson, Arthur Henry; Merrills, J. G. 1996. Human Rights in the World: An Introduction to the Study of the International. Political Science.:7.

Lauren, Paul Gordon. 2003. The Evolution of International Human Rights: Visions Seen. Political Science. p.11.

Xenophon; Hedrick, Larry. 2007. “Xenophon’s Cyrus the Great: The Arts of Leadership and War. History. p.xiii.

Del Giudice, Marguerite. 2008-08. “Persia: Ancient Soul of Iran: A Glorious Past Inspired by a Conflicted Nation.” National Geographic. PP. 34-67.
Ferdowsi, Abolqasem. 2006. Translated by Davis, Dick. 2006. Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings. Viking.

Goethe. 1819. Noten and Abhandlungen zu besserem Verstandnis des West-Ostlichen Divans.

Levinson, Von David; Christensen, Karen. 2002. Encyclopedia of Modern Asia. Charles Scribner’s Sons.

Wiesehofer, Josef; Azodi, Azizeh. 2001-08-18. Translated by Azodi, Azizeh. “Preface.” Ancient Persia: From 550 BC to 650 AD. I. B. Tauris. New Ed Edition.

Nurian, Mahdi. 1993. “Afarin Ferdowsi az Zaban Pishinian [The praises of Ferdowsi from the tongue of the ancients].” Hasti Magazine. 4. Tehran: Bahman Publishers.

Effendi, Shoghi. 1991. “Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster.” The Compilation of Compilations.Volume I. Baha’i Publications Australia.

Effendi, Shoghi. 1944. God Passes By. Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust.

Frye, Richard N. (1992), “Zoroastrians in Central Asia in Ancient Times.” Journal of the K. R. Cama Oriental Institute. 58: 6–10.

Richard Frye, 1974. “Methodology in Iranian History,” in Neue Methodologie in der Iranistik. (Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1974): 57-69 [66]. Cf. idem, “The Charisma of Kingship in Ancient Iran,” Iranica Antiqua 6 (1964): 36-54.

http://www.traveljournals.net/explore/iran/map/m5119241/garmabdar.html

http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/map-machine#s=h&c=35.6907639509368, 52.032623291015646&z=9

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Damavand

The Rebirth of Rostam DVD

This DVD is based on the epic story of Rostam and Suhrab  from Shahnameh by Ferdowsi.

The DVD’s story is different interpretation of this masterpiece tragedy.

The item is in Persian with English Subtitle

 Shahnameh;, The Persian Book of Kings  is the national epic of Persia.

This extraordinary narrative, composed by the poet Ferdowsi between the years 980 and 1010, tells the story of ancient Iran, beginning in the mythic time of Creation and continuing forward to the Arab invasion in the seventh century. The book has been translated or its stories have been adopted in variety formats. However the latest translation in English is by Dick Davis.

 Dick Davis, the  modern translator of Persian poetry, has revisited that poem, turning the finest stories of Ferdowsi’s original into an elegant combination of prose and verse. For the first time in English, in the most complete form possible, readers can experience Shahnameh in the same way that Iranian storytellers have lovingly conveyed it in Persian for the past thousand years. ( Dick Davis bioghraphy  is available in our Literature Resource Center.)

Other translation by Reuban Levy and other selected stories from Shahnameh for children and adult in Farsi , English , and Spanish are: 

The wonderful story of Zaal : a Persian legend: Bilingual books

Farsi-English

Hasht qasaahai guzidahi az Shahnamah Ferdawsi in Farsi

Rustam va dīv-i sifīd / az Shāhnāmah in Farsi

 Rustam va Isfandiyar in Farsi 

Stories of Shahnameh DVD in Farsi

The epic of the kings: Shah-nama, the national epic of Persia, by Ferdowsi; translated by Reuben Levy

Shāhnāmih : Ardishīr pādishāh-i Sāsānī in Farsi

La triste batalla : la leyenda iraní de Rostam y Sohrab / Hamid Reza Beidaghi ; traducción, Eduardo Campelo