06
Hamedan Pottery
Feb. 21, 2010
A Californian publication selected Iraj Golzari, a pottery maker from
Hamedan province, as Artist of the Month. He has also exported 200
pieces of pottery worth $2.5 million to the US, particularly California.
Iranica
Sepandarmazgan
In Case You Missed
Tut Died From Malaria
Egypt’s most famous pharaoh, King Tutankhamun, was a frail
boy who suffered from a cleft palate and club foot. He died of
complications from a broken leg exacerbated by malaria and
his parents were most likely brother and sister.
Two years of DNA testing and CT scans on Tut’s 3,300year-old mummy and 15 others are helping end many of the
myths surrounding the boy king.
While a comparatively minor
ruler, he has captivated the public
since the 1922 discovery of his tomb,
which was filled with a stunning array of jewels and artifacts, including
a golden funeral mask, AP reported.
The study provides the firmest
family tree yet for Tut. The tests
pointed to Pharaoh Akhenaten, who
tried to revolutionize ancient Egyptian religion to worship one god, as
Tut’s father. His mother was one of
Akhenaten’s sisters, it said.
Tut, who became pharaoh at age 10 in 1333 BC, ruled for
just nine years at a pivotal time in Egypt’s history. Speculation
has long swirled over his death at 19. A hole in his skull fueled
speculation he was murdered, until a 2005 CT scan ruled that
out, finding the hole was likely from the mummification process. The scan also uncovered the broken leg.
The newest tests paint a picture of a pharaoh whose immune
system was likely weakened by congenital diseases. His death
came from complications from the broken leg--along with a
new discovery: severe malaria.
The team said it found DNA of the malaria parasite in several of the mummies, some of the oldest ever isolated.
“A sudden leg fracture possibly introduced by a fall might
have resulted in a life-threatening condition when a malaria
infection occurred,” the JAMA article said.
“Tutankhamun had multiple disorders ... He might be envisioned as a young but frail king who needed canes to walk,”
it said.
Egypt’s top archeologist, Zahi Hawass, who co-authored the
study, noted that more than 80 years after Tutankhamun’s discovery, technology was revealing secrets about the pharaoh.
Taiwan Attracting
Fewer Chinese Tourists
Taiwan said a push to attract Chinese tourists had fallen well
short of its target, drawing just over half the number the island
had hoped for since opening its doors to them in 2008.
On average 1,700 Chinese travelled to Taiwan everyday
from mid-June 2008 until the end of last year, against a target
of 3,000, the Cabinet-level Mainland Affairs Council said, reported AFP.
“Since the targeted daily visitor number of 3,000 has not
yet been reached...we will communicate with the mainland to
reach the policy objective of opening up for Chinese tourists,”
the council said in a statement.
The council said the situation was likely to improve once
the two sides swap travel and tourism offices.
The exchange of quasi-official offices, the first since Taiwan and China split in 1949, is expected to take place early
this year, local media have reported.
Ties between Taiwan and China have improved dramatically since Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou took office in
2008, although Beijing still claims the island as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.
A potential source of friction is a recent US decision
to sell billions of dollars’ worth of arms to the island, although so far the tension has been mostly between Beijing
and Washington.
Celebrating Love, Friendship
S
February, is due to the disorganized calendaring during
the past 20 years.
In ancient Iran, each day of the month had a name and
all months had 30 days. For example, the first day was
called Ahuramazda, the second day Bahman, which is
the first attribute of God, and the third day was called
Ordibehesht meaning truth and purity, which again are
attributes of God.
Similarly, the 16th day of any month is called Mehr
and the feast of Mehrgan is held on the 16th day of the
month of Mehr, which was one of the most important
feasts of the past.
A feast called Abangan was held in the month of Aban
and was an occasion to appreciate and worship water,
while Azargan in the month of Azar was the feast showing appreciation of fire.
Attributes
Sepandarmaz is another name for mainyu (earth)
meaning holy, humble and passionate.
It is also the Earth’s guardian angel and a symbol of
humbleness. It means being modest and loving toward
the entire creation. These are also the qualities attributed
to the Earth beneath our feet.
As human beings, there are people we find unpleasant and repulsive, but Earth is not like us. She embraces
all creatures the same way and loves them alike; like a
mother who loves all her children, even when they are
behaving improperly.
The fourth day is called Shahrivar, meaning ideal
kingship that belongs to God who rules the whole universe.
The meaning of this word is that in the same way that
God rules over the heavenly bodies, we should replenish
Reflections Abroad
Some countries have days similar to Sepandarmazgan
in their ceremonies:
In Finland, this day is called ‘Ystavanpaiva’ which
translates into ‘Friend’s Day’.
On such a day in Japan and Korea, women and men
give candy, chocolate or flowers to people they like.
However, there is a big difference between Persian’s
Sepandarmazgan with Friend’s Day marked in other
countries.
Sepandarmazgan is a day to honor women’s status and
shows Iranians respected women since ancient times.
Today, even in European countries which are identified as defendants of human rights, the rights of women
are not observed fully.
Gender pay gap in many western countries is a striking example.
Iranian women have never been considered second
gender in Iran. They have always participated in social
activities.
In ancient Persian culture, mother is symbolized by
Sepandarmaz or earth.
The original date of this ceremony was 5th Esfand,
which corresponds with 24th February in the Gregorian
calendar.
The popular revised date of 29th Bahman, or 18th
our bodies with good thoughts, words and deeds.
This brings us to the fifth day Sepandarmaz. Another
rule here was that whenever the name of a day coincided
with that of the month, a feast was held. So the feast of
Sepandarmazgan is held on the sepandarmaz day of the
month of Esfand (originally Spand or Espand).
In most western and even some eastern countries,
women are being used as tools to promote services and
goods.
Iranian celebrate Mother’s Day on the birthday anniversary of Hazrat Fatemeh (SA), the only daughter of
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
epandarmazgan is the day for celebrating love,
friendship and earth in the ancient Iranian culture.
Celebrated on the 29th of Bahman in the Iranian
calendar, which coincided this year with Feb. 18, the
custom dates back to the Zoroastrian tradition.
According to this ancient tradition, Sepandarmazgan
was observed in the Great Persian Empire in 20th century BC. It is also the national title of Earth, which is the
symbol of love and modesty. Persians have a rich culture
with many great feasts that are associated with happiness and joy. In the feast of Sepandarmazgan, the Earth
was worshiped and women were venerated. On this day,
women and girls sat on a throne and men and boys had to
obey them and present gifts.
This custom reminded men to honor and respect women.
Shroud of Turin
To Draw Tourists
Some two million people are expected to view the shroud of
Turin, the purported burial cloth of Prophet Jesus (PBUH),
when it goes on public display for the first time in 10 years
shortly, officials said.
“We have already reached a million” people who have reserved their chance to view the relic in the northern Italian city
from April 10 to May 23, Turin alderman Fiorenzo Alfieri told
a news conference, AFP reported.
Organizers said in a statement that two million people are
expected to view the relic, which is said to have been imprinted with an image of the prophet’s body, notably his face.
It is among the most revered as well as the most disputed in
Christendom.
Radiocarbon dating analysis in 1988 determined that the
fibers in the cloth date from the Middle Ages, sometime between 1260 and 1390, but those findings have in turn been
challenged.
Pope Benedict XVI will pay homage to the shroud on May
2.
The shroud of Turin last went on public display in 2000 on
the occasion of the Roman Catholic Church’s World Youth
Days, held that year in Rome.
Benedict said last June that his visit would be “a propitious
occasion to contemplate this mysterious visage that speaks silently to the heart of men, inviting them to recognize the face
of God.”
The rectangular piece of cloth measuring 4.4 by 1.1 meters
(14.3 by 3.7 feet) was discovered in the French city of Troyes,
southeast of Paris, in the mid-14th century.
Tourism Plans for Kashan, Arak
Six new tourism plans have become operational in Kashan, Isfahan province.
Announcing this, the head of Kashan
Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department, Abbas Soleymanian, told
CHTN that 31 tourism schemes were ceded
to private investors in line with the implementation of Article 44 of the Iranian Constitution.
“The scheme includes hotels, guesthouses,
traditional restaurants and tourism companies,” he said.
Soleymanian noted that six tourism
plans, including a restaurant, an aviary
and tourism institute (for teaching tourism services), became operational in the
presence of province’s officials during
the 31st anniversary celebrating the 1979
victory of the Islamic Revolution.
Meanwhile, the sport-recreational complex
of “Fadak-e Giti” is under construction in
Arak, Markazi province.
The complex, which is being built in cooperation with private sector, contains a pool,
museum and restaurant.
Arak is an ancient city with a host of historical sites mostly remaining from Qajar era.
UNESCO’s Tehran Office Sends Correction
The UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office has sent a correction to Iran Daily about a news titled “UNESCO Backs
Design for Iraqi Shrine” it carried from Mehr News
Agency on Jan. 18.
Qunli Han, the director of the office, pointed out that
his office “has no knowledge of the person named Mr.
Morteza Heidari, and has not received any designs mentioned in your article by such a person for the conserva-
tion work of Al-Askari Shrine in Samarra, Iraq”.
The belated correction has been forwarded to a number
of Iranian and foreign offices but, surprisingly, not to
Mehr News Agency, which is the source of this news.