Check out our new article: Queer and Trans Subjects in Iranian Cinema: Between Representation, Agency, and Orientalist Fantasies
“Historically, some European men who came into contact with the Middle East both fantasized about and denounced the closed-door sexual lives of Middle Eastern men and women, especially homosocial spaces and same-sex relations. European women, on the other hand, sought to save their Oriental “sisters” whom they viewed as oppressed by their religion and Oriental men, as elucidated by Harvard Professor Leila Ahmed in her book, Women and Gender in Islam. These attitudes toward Middle Easterners continue to this day, an example of which can be found in the movie Circumstance whose relatively positive public reception in the West arises from this conformity to Western Orientalist imaginaries, whereas the movie Facing Mirrors disrupts and challenges the hegemonic and Orientalizing narrative of Iran’s sexual and gender minorities, and is thus ignored and excluded from the cultural and artistic public domain.”
((Check out AjamMC’s newest article by one of its new editors! For those who haven’t gotten acquainted with AjamMC yet, be sure to head to their twitter, Facebook, tumblr, and web page for all their updates! ;) they’re a favorite of Ask-Iran!!))
bedhead-and-cigarettes asked: Hello! One of my mother's favorite friends often says that she's Persian as opposed to Iranian. I was wondering if there is truly a difference between one who identifies as Persian and one who identifies as Iranian, and if this is a common thing? I love the blog and find it very informative :D I'm happy to see something in the media that doesn't portray Iran as an angry hateful terrorist nation, because that's not what it is. Thank you!
((There are normally nationalistic and/or political reasons as to why some Iranians refer to themselves as Persian as opposed to Iranian, particularly in the diaspora. Sometimes it is to avoid association with Iran as the country doesn’t have the best reputation among Western nations [though Iran can be considered unpopular by Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia] and instead invoke the Iran of antiquity [what is commonly known as the “Persian” empire] or that they are, in fact, ethnically Persian. There are a multitude of reasons that go beyond what I’ve mentioned here, but as I’m not Iranian, I won’t assert my opinion on how Iranians define their identity in relation to the “Persian” vs “Iranian” debate. I suggest you read Ajam Media Collective’s article about “Ayranism: The Myth of a ‘Persian’ Iran” to maybe get an idea where these identities have become part of nationalistic and political discourse in Iran.
But to answer your question, there /is/ a difference between Iranian and Persian. In the modern context, Iranian is a nationality. Persian, on the other hand, is an ethnicity. These two terms are not synonymous, nearly half the population in Iran is NOT Persian but nonetheless Iranian [if they accept the label]. Calling an Iranian Azeri, Kurd, Baloch, Arab etc “Persian” would be incorrect in the sense that these groups within Iran do have their own cultural identities, but with that said, there is obviously a concept of syncretic identity. Iranian Jews are an example of such syncretic identities, as are Iranian Arabs who can be the subject of cultural fluidity between their Arab and Persian [or any other group within Iran] upbringing.
To sum it up, no, Iranian and Persian are not the same.
But thank you, I’m glad you enjoy this blog so much!! :) I appreciate your message!))
koreancalvin asked: hello there! id just like to tell you that this blog is really, really wonderful! you update often, and everything that you post is really accurate, and your art is really sweet. my stepmother is iranian, and even though lots of stuff here is very lighthearted, ive learned a lot about the culture here- that's wonderful. thanks so much!
((I’m so flattered by this message, thank /you/! :) I’m glad that even with all the silly stuff here on this blog that I can still educate and bring information about Iran! It’s the reason I still continue with this blog, it’s a labor of love and I’m more than happy to know you’ve learned some things!!
Thank you so much for the message, I really do appreciate it! And that goes out to all my followers who are kind enough to still like and reblog my posts, you’re all awesome!!))
((made rebloggable by request!
male!Iran and the lady Iran we’ve already been well acquainted with!!))
((PSA, A Word About the Book of Esther, and The Cyrus Cylinder
little Achaemenid Iran’s first interaction with Yehuda, or Ancient Israel :)
As we know, modern Iran has the largest Jewish population in the Middle East, aside from Israel. Iranian Jewry is considered one of the oldest of Jewish diaspora with a rich history extending back thousands of years to the pre-Islamic eras of Iran, and with a great amount of Jewish contribution to the Iranian social and historical fabric. Here is part 1 of my post series about Judeo-Iranian history on ask-Iran!
Pre-Achaemenid and Achaemenid Era: The Ancient Iranian empires [Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sassanid dynasties] held an extensive dialogue with Ancient Jewry for the majority of the pre-Islamic empires’ existence, and are looked upon positively in regards to the long history of Judeo-Iranian interconnection. However, Iranian Jewry did not develop at the inception of the Achaemenid empire. In fact, the first settlement of Jews in the ancient Iranian territories is said to have been at least 200 years prior to the rise of the Achaemenid empire, in Khorasan, due to the Assyrian empire’s incursion into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and later the Babylonian invasion of the Southern Kingdom of Judea in 586 BCE. [It is said in the Book of Kings 11:17, that the Assyrian king, in 721 BCE, “conquered the Kingdom of Israel, exiled parts of the tribes of Israel into the lands of Assyria and Media, and settled them in Hara and in Habor by the river of Gozan”, a northwestern area of former Mesopotamia]. A result of the latter Babylonian invasion was the complete destruction of the First Temple by the Babylonians, an excruciating and tragic loss for the Jewish people. Not only did they suffer the loss of the First Temple, but they were forced into exile and captivity from Jerusalem and into Babylon, “which occurred in two cycles during the years 598 to 597 BCE”, where they would remain for nearly 70 years.
Such forced exile and captivity came to an end at the arrival of Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid dynasty after defeating the Median empire, when he conquered Babylon in 539 BCE and annexed the lands into the growing Iranian empire. Upon his conquest of Babylon, Cyrus the Great allowed for Jews to return to Jerusalem and granted them the opportunity to build a Second Temple, in place of the ruins of the First, as well [though, the Second Temple would be completed during Darius the Great’s rule from 520-516 BCE]. This event in particular was a pivotal point in the cultural, political, and historical ties between Jews and Iranians, evident in the reverent place Cyrus the Great occupies in current Jewish and Iranian imagination as a pragmatic politician and liberator, and recorded in the Bible admirably and as “God’s Anointed” [some have even regarded him as a messianic figure or misah]. Though Cyrus the Great’s supposed benevolence may have been more of a political gesture, with the knowledge that to control an empire so vast would require allowing relative freedom. It’s also to be noted that while many Jews returned to Jerusalem, some Jews migrated to the area of Arya, the territory we associate with the current geographical boundaries of Iran, or remained in Babylon—continuing to exist within the diaspora. To participate vicariously in the return to Jerusalem, it is said that the Jews who chose to stayed offered goods, coins, and livestock for those traveling to Jerusalem. In regards to the lives of Jews in Babylon, during their exile and in the early years of their liberation [572-484 BCE], the Akkadian-language “Al-Yahudu” [“village of Judea”] tablets recorded and contained information on “customary agricultural and commercial activities, such as land leases, receipts for payments in dates and barley, sales of livestock, house rentals, silver loans, paying taxes, and slavery transactions”. By the time Cambyses the II’s reign, son of Cyrus the Great, the Achaemenid empire’s borders would stretch to the Indus and into Egypt as well, the latter being the origin of the Elephantine Papyri. The Elephantine Papyri, a collection of ancient Jewish texts of various subjects like legal contracts and letters, also documents “a community of Jewish soldiers loyally serving under the Persian king” from 495-399 BCE. Included in the Elephantine Papyri is a letter written in 407 BCE by the Jewish community addressed to the Persian governor or Judea, Bagohi. The letter asks for the Persian governor to provide assistance to rebuild the Jewish temple, which was previously destroyed in an anti-Semitic riot. Bagohi eventually granted the Elephantine Jewish community to rebuild the temple.
Under King Artaxerxes*, two biblical figures, Ezra and Nechemia, would also be important factors in documenting an obscure and mostly unknown period of Iranian Jewry. In the book of Ezra, Ezra returns to Jerusalem on the King Artaxerxes demand with a group of Jews from Babylon for a “a second wave of Jewish settlements….to ancient Palestine [the Land of Israel]” on religious mission. Nechemia, who served under Artaxerxes as his cupbearer [a position that would require Nechemia to put his life at risk often, as the cupbearer to the Iranian king would taste the wine to ensure there was no poison], was then appointed governor of Judea during the purported years of 445-433 BCE. In being appointed governor of Judea, Nechemia requests of Artaxerxes to be sent to Jerusalem in order to rebuild the walls that once surrounded Jerusalem. Nechemia spends 12 years in Jerusalem, completing the wall despite various opposition and obstacles, and eventually returns to the Iranian empire’s capital of Susa. The Iranian Jewish community remained resilient in numbers as they continued to inhabit the areas of western Iran, Babylon, and Iranian-ruled Mesopotamia, and played a substantial role in the development of Talmudic law.
*note: Various sources conflict regarding Ezra’s chronological timeline as the Book(s) of Ezra-Nechemia does not specify which King Artaxerxes’s reign they lived. Mehrdad Amanat in his book “Jewish Identities In Iran”, for example, writes that the second wave of Jewish settlements under Ezra occurred in 398 BCE which would situate Ezra’s return to Israel in Artaxerxes the II’s reign, but several sources cited in Encyclopedia Iranica’s entries on Iranian Jewry presume the events of Ezra-Nechemia occurred during Artaxerxes the I’s reign.
Next: The Parthians, The Sassanids and the rivalry with the Romans and Byzantines.))
Like all diplomatic relations, there have been ups and downs between Somalia and I. Still, I respect her and her resilience despite all that has happened to her. I hope my plans to open an embassy in Mogadishu will pave for greater cooperation.
((Yes, there have been some…rough times between Iran and Somalia, but the subject at hand is the opening of an embassy in Mogadishu and the Somali embassy in Tehran. It was reported in 2012 that Iran’s Foreign Minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, proclaimed that an embassy would open and there would be continuing support for the people of Somalia
also a quick design for a fem!Somalia! I apologize if it’s not your personal headcanon, but I needed a real speedy design for Somalia :) ))
Just examples of regional and ethnic dress all around Iran!
First example, with the face-mask, is nominally worn in Southern Iran—in areas like Hormozgan’s cities of Bandar Abbas and so forth. This area has a high concentration of Iranian Arabs, and the face mask is not always for religious observation, but rather to protect the skin from the wind and sand.
Second, is the ethnic dress of the Bakhtiaris, an ethnic group in Iran notable for their involvement in the ”Nehdzat Mashrooteh”, or Constitutional Movement, alongside Azeris in the early 20th century.
Lastly, is the ostensibly covered regional dress of the people in Quochan/Quchan/Gouchan, who can be from Persian, Turkic, or Kurdish descent.
I LIKE….DRAWING PRETTY OUTFITS
((Sorry for the lack of updates, guys! I’m having some Internet issues, but for now have some examples of ethnic dress in Iran! :) thank you all for being patient!!))
I drew this after I found your blog! The admin is really good at answering the questions and Iran looks so pretty! So I thought I wanted to try draw her :D Hope you like it! ((submitted by sumi0210 thank you so much!! This is a lovely drawing of Iran, she’s got such a cute little face!!))
Bah, what would I need to become a harem girl to him for? I mean, I’ve had my own harems in the past anyways.
Who still fantasizes about harems, is this still a thing?
![Salaam, friends! In a couple of days it will be Nowruz, or what is known as the Persian New Year, and I, and my people, will be celebrating it with a few other nations as well. I have haft seen table ideas in mind already and I hope those who will celebrate Nowruz this year will enjoy all the Sabzi Polo and Anaar you can eat!
Nowruz Pirouz!
((or Nowruz Mubarak! whichever you choose to say, Nowruz is happening on March 20th! Unfortunately, I won’t be having any Nowruz fun, but I hope everyone will have a great Nowruz hehe
As Iran said, Nowruz is the Persian New Year originated as an ancient Zoroastrian celebration to welcome the coming of Spring (the Spring Equinox)„and the beginning day of the Iranian calender. However, Nowruz is not limited to celebration by Iranians, it is also celebrated in quite a number of countries and communities. Nowruz is also celebrated in Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Armenia, Iraq, Tajikistan and several others, officially and unofficially!
The haft seen table [the table of “Seven S’s”] is a major decoration in the celebration of Nowruz and it traditionally set up with items that begin with the letter “s” or “seen/sin” in Persian. Common items for the haft seen are grass sprouts [sabzeh/Sabzi], apples [sib], samanu [an Iranian pudding], books [like Hafiz’s Divan, or a religious book such as the Quran], coins [Sekkeh], somaq [sumac berries], and garlic [sir], though there are other items not included that can be put on the haft seen table :)
and as you can see, there are several guest appearances from the countries mentioned above! From left to right: Uzbekistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan [who is rockin a unibrow]!
and now i’m offically off hiatus!!))](http://i.imgur.com/P4pQ45z.png)
Salaam, friends! In a couple of days it will be Nowruz, or what is known as the Persian New Year, and I, and my people, will be celebrating it with a few other nations as well. I have haft seen table ideas in mind already and I hope those who will celebrate Nowruz this year will enjoy all the Sabzi Polo and Anaar you can eat!
Nowruz Pirouz!
((or Nowruz Mubarak! whichever you choose to say, Nowruz is happening on March 20th! Unfortunately, I won’t be having any Nowruz fun, but I hope everyone will have a great Nowruz hehe
As Iran said, Nowruz is the Persian New Year originated as an ancient Zoroastrian celebration to welcome the coming of Spring (the Spring Equinox)„and the beginning day of the Iranian calender. However, Nowruz is not limited to celebration by Iranians, it is also celebrated in quite a number of countries and communities. Nowruz is also celebrated in Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Armenia, Iraq, Tajikistan and several others, officially and unofficially!
The haft seen table [the table of “Seven S’s”] is a major decoration in the celebration of Nowruz and it traditionally set up with items that begin with the letter “s” or “seen/sin” in Persian. Common items for the haft seen are grass sprouts [sabzeh/Sabzi], apples [sib], samanu [an Iranian pudding], books [like Hafiz’s Divan, or a religious book such as the Quran], coins [Sekkeh], somaq [sumac berries], and garlic [sir], though there are other items not included that can be put on the haft seen table :)
and as you can see, there are several guest appearances from the countries mentioned above! From left to right: Uzbekistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan [who is rockin a unibrow]!
and now i’m offically off hiatus!!))
