Thirty Years of Solitude
Iranian Women Photographers and Film Directors
At New Hall, University of Cambridge
16 - 24 February 2007
Friday 16 February at 8.15 p.m.
Introduced by Goli Taraghi
“House is Black” (1962, 20 mins) directed by Forough Farrokhzad
“Old Man of Hara”(2004, 37 mins) introduced by director Mahvash Sheikholeslami
Saturday 17 February at 2.30 p.m.
“Bou Bou in Tehran” (3 mins) directed by Maryam Mehrjui
“Juste une Femme” (29 mins) directed by Mitra Farahani
Saturday 17 February at 7.30 p.m.
“The Day I Became a Woman”(1999, 90 mins) by Marzieh Meshkini
Friday 23 February at 8.15 p.m.
“Guilaneh” (84 mins) introduced by director Rakhshan Bani-Etemad
Saturday 24 February at 3.00 p.m.
“Friday Afternoon” (76 mins) introduced by director
Mona Zandi-Haghighi
Saturday 24 February at 7.30 p.m.
“A Few Days Later” (78 mins) Introduced by director Niki Karimi
Films will be shown in Buckingham House Lecture Theatre;
Photography exhibition 17 February to 11 March, in the Long Room
Admission free; all welcome
Further details from the College Secretary ep208@cam.ac.uk; 01223 762789
www.newhall.cam.ac.uk/events
New Hall, University of Cambridge, Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DF
How does this work?
The map above relates the content of this site to physical locations within Iran where ever possible. This has been produced by assigning latitude and longitude to the articles. So how does it work? Well follow theses instructions:
- If you click on the pushpin above, you will see a window with details and a link to that article. Leave this open to begin with.
- Now if you click on hybrid, you will get the satellite image to accompany the borders of Iran
- By moving the slider, you can zoom in and see high level satellite image of these locations
- To reset to the start of the map, press the star icon in the middle of the compass point.
The scale bar automatically updates as you zoom in on the map and there is also a collapsible pan widget in the bottom right corner for speedy movement around the map.
Any comments and feedback gratefully received. Maps put locations into context in our minds.
You can also download a Google Earth overlay file (still building this.)
Persepolis
Persepolis (Old Persian: 'Pars', New Persian: تخت جمشید, 'Takht-e Jamshid') was an ancient ceremonial capital of the second Iranian dynasty, the Achaemenid Empire, situated some 70 km northeast of modern city of Shiraz, not far from where the small river Pulwar flows into the Kur (Kyrus). To the ancient Persians, the city was known as Parsa, meaning the city of Persians, Persepolis being the Greek interpretation of the name (Περσες (meaning Persian)+ πόλις (meaning city)). In contemporary Iran the site is known as Takht-e Jamshid (Throne of Jamshid).
The largest and most complex building in Persepolis was the audience hall, or Apadana with 36 columns, accessible by two large sets of stairs.
The first scientific excavation at Persepolis was carried out by Ernest Herzfeld in 1931, commissioned by the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. He believed the reason behind the construction of Persepolis was the need for a majestic atmosphere, as a symbol for their empire and to celebrate special events, especially the “Nowruz”, (the Iranian New Year held on 21 March). For historical reasons and deep rooted interests it was built on the birthplace of the Achaemenid dynasty, which was not the centre of their Empire.
The main characteristic of Persepolitan architecture are its columns. They were made of wood. Only when even the largest cedars of Lebanon or the teak trees of India did not fulfil the required sizes did the architects resort to stone. The bases and the capitals were always of stones, even on wooden shafts, but the existence of wooden capitals is probable.
The remains including the bas-reliefs and sculptures provide an insight into hearts and beliefs of the ancient Iranians. The buildings at Persepolis are divided into three areas; military quarters, the treasury and the reception and occasional houses for the King of Kings. These included the Great Stairway, the Gate of Nations (Xerxes), the Apadana palace of Darius, the Hall of a Hundred Columns, the Tripylon Hall and Tachara palace of Darius, the Hadish palace of Xerxes, the palace of Artaxerxes III, the Imperial Treasury, the Royal Stables and the Chariot house.
The site is marked by a large 125,000 square meter terrace, partly artificial and partly cut out of mountain, with its east side leaning on Kuh-e Rahmet ("the Mountain of Mercy"). The other three sides are formed by a retaining wall, which varies in height with the slope of the ground. From 5 to 13 meters on the west side there is a double stair, gently sloping, which leads to the top. To create the level terrace any depressions that were present were filled up with soil and heavy rocks, and they joined the rocks together with metal clips.
Gray limestone is mainly used in the buildings at Persepolis. To reach the top of the terrace the construction of the broad Stairway, which is 20m above the ground and was planned to be the only main entrance, was begun around 518BC. This dual stairway, known as Persepolitan stairway, was built in a symmetrical manner on the western side of the Great Wall. The 111 steps were 6.9 meters wide with treads of 31 centimeters and rises of 10 centimeters, so a horseman could ride up them without difficulty.
The top of the stairways led to a small yard in the northeastern side of the terrace, opposite the Gate of Nations. After the natural rock had been leveled and the depressions filled in, the terrace was prepared. Major tunnels for sewage were dug underground through the rock. A large water storage tank was built inside the rock at the eastern foot of the mountain. Professor Olmstead believed that it was constructed at the same time the construction of the towers began.
The uneven plan of part of the foundation of the terrace acted like a castle whose angled walls enabled its defenders to target any section of the external front. The first wall was 7 meters tall, the second 14 meters and the third wall, which covered all the four sides, was 27 meters in height, though no presence of the wall exists in modernity.
The Shahnama Project
This project aims to stimulate research into the role of Firasui's epic in Persian history and culture (c. 1010 CE), by investigating the relationship between the text of the poem and the many minature paintings that have been created to illustrate it. A facet of this research will be to create an electronic corpus of the paintings in Shahnama manuscripts over 600 years.
Zurkhaneh: between tradition and change
This project aims to research the history of wrestling in Iran, the contemporary role of Zurkhaneh wrestling in Iran, and the contemporary ritual and religious role of Zurkhaneh wrestling in Iran. This sporting institution, which is specific to the Persian-speaking world, is vastly expanding within and outside Iran. The Persian term javanmardi, often translated into English as “chivalry”, has a history that stretches back at least to the Arab conquest of Iran in the 7th century.
It is interesting to note how the term developed from one that included attributes of courage, bravery and generosity, into a more Sufi-inspired term, so that by the 11th century treatises were written by Sufis on javanmardi alone. Of interest too is how the concept was appropriated by the Caliphs in Baghdad for political purposes, as an attempt to impose their order over the fragmenting empire. Subsequent research will investigate the nature of javanmardi that appeared in the Safavid period in the 16-18 centuries. These tend to be associated with the trade guilds, and as such they inform us of the nature of Sufism during this period, since the texts were loaded with references to Sufi terms and concepts. As such they are particularly interesting, especially in light of the common belief that, in the later Safavid period at least, the ruling authorities frowned upon the Sufi tradition. This is an ongoing project that investigates a range of topics including identity formation, myth, nationalism, Sufism and social history.
The Journal IRAN
IRAN is a refereed journal which is published annually and enjoys a high international reputation. Volume 45 will appear in December 2007.
IRAN includes articles on the whole range of Persian Studies and not only on work sponsored by the Institute. There is also a section on recent archaeological excavations in Iran. As one of the foremost journals in the field, IRAN is sold and distributed to a wide range of libraries, institutions and individuals throughout the world.
Editors of IRAN are:
Professor CE Bosworth and Dr Cameron A. Petrie
Copies of IRAN can be purchased for £36 (incl. postage). Enquiries should be made and orders and contributions sent to the Secretary of BIPS.
Submission Guidelines for IRAN
The journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies
1. IRAN is a refereed journal published once a year, which presents articles on Persian arts, archaeology, history, linguistics, literature, philosophy and religion, and it is the foremost international journal in its field. The journal has two joint-editors, Professor C.E. Bosworth and Dr. C.A. Petrie, and a board of editorial advisors comprised of international specialists in the relevant fields. The journal publishes articles that are of the highest academic standard across a diverse range of fields, and articles submitted for consideration are assessed by the editors, and are peer-reviewed by the editorial advisors and other scholars as appropriate, before being accepted for publication.
2. To be considered for publication in any year, all manuscripts must be submitted by the last day of March of that year. Even if manuscripts are submitted by this date and accepted for publication, there can be no guarantee that the contribution will appear in that year. Contributors are asked to submit manuscripts that are formatted according to the guidelines outlined below, and the joint-editors reserve the right to return manuscripts that are not formatted accordingly before they will be considered.
3. Manuscript Format:
All manuscripts should be submitted in Word .doc or .rtf format, using a generic font such as Arial or Times New Roman. Hard copy manuscripts (see 5. below) should be double spaced throughout (i.e. including notes), printed on one side of A4 paper or its nearest North American equivalent, and in 12 point type. Authors should avoid the use of complex formatting for headings and subheadings, as these must ultimately be changed in the typesetting process. Authors should provide an English language title, a 50 to 100-word abstract and a list of 5 keywords. Papers should normally be a maximum of 8000-10000 words in length, including end notes, but not including a consolidated bibliography. If a manuscript is likely to be longer than this, there should be prior consultation with the editors. When referring to dates, authors should use BC, AD or AH, not BCE and CE.
4. Reference Styles.
(a) Authors of articles on archaeological topics should use Harvard style in-text references i.e. (Author Date: Page), and where additional comments are deemed necessary, they are to appear as end-notes, numbered consecutively, after the main body of text. Papers should have a consolidated bibliography that includes all references cited in the main body of text. Bibliographic references should follow a format such as that shown below.
Articles
Stein, M.A. 1936. “An Archaeological Tour in the Ancient Persis”, Iraq 3: 111-225.
Books
Stein, M.A. 1940. Old Routes in Western Iran , Macmillan and Sons, London .
Papers in edited volumes
Sumner, W.M. 1999. “The Birds of Anshan ”, in A. Alizadeh, Y. Majidzadeh and S.M. Sharmirzadeh (eds.), The Iranian World: Essays on Iranian Art and Archaeology Presented to Ezat O. Negahban , Tehran , Iran University Press: 85-100.
(b) It is recognised; however, that this style may be less suitable for articles on other topics, e.g. history, literature, linguistics, art history, architecture etc. Here contributors may use the Harvard style or the more traditional form of presentation (e.g. see the articles of Morgan, Anisi, Digby, Green and Ridgeon in IRAN 2004, or those of Treadwell, Harrow, Kadoi, Barrett and Tsadik in IRAN 2005).
Authors should also use the periodical and book title abbreviations listed at the end of each issue of IRAN in the preparation of their bibliography.
5. Manuscript Submission.
Authors should submit one complete hard copy AND a complete digital copy on CD/ DVD of all contributions, including illustrations. Manuscripts and disc should be sent to -
Secretary of BIPS
The British Academy
10 Carlton House Terrace
London , SW1Y 5AH
6. Images
Printed size for images can be up to 218 x 165 mm.
Up to 20 figures may be included if they are warranted.
Maps, drafted drawings, and photographs can be submitted in either digital or hard copy.
For digital submissions, greyscale images should be provided in .tif format at 600 dpi, and line drawings should be bitmap images in .tif format at no less than 1200 dpi. Hard copy images that are submitted should be produced to these specifications. Original photos should be crisp. Complex figures should be submitted as the author would like them to appear in print. Illustrations that do not meet these requirements may not be considered for publication.
7. Information relating to colour images
Authors may wish to submit colour illustrations with their papers. However, for colour illustrations to appear in the final issue, authors will be required to pay a subvention to cover the additional printing costs. There are two scales of costs - one price for printing between 1 and 8 colour images and another for printing between 9 and 16 colour images.
For between 1 and 8 colour images, the cost is £360.00
For between 9 and 16 colour images, the cost is £500.00
8. Authors will receive 25 off prints free, and will be provided with a pdf copy of the printed paper.
Awards and grants
BIPS welcomes applications to fund research programme to assist scholars at postgraduate and postdoctoral level wishing to pursue research in all fields of Persian Studies. Applicants should contact the Secretary or fill in the forms provided online, and return them to the BIPS before 15 May 2006. Grants are awarded once a year in the early summer.
BIPS also awards travel grants. Applicants should submit a brief A4-sized typed proposal outlining the project they have in mind, including the time scale, itinerary and breakdown of expenses. This should be accompanied by a reference in a sealed envelope from an academic who knows the student's work.
Students should not expect a bursary to cover all the costs of a journey to Iran; they should be prepared to supplement it from other sources. Grants will be paid after the students have obtained a visa.
Applications should be sent to:
The Secretary
BIPS
The British Academy
10 Carlton House Terrace
London SW1Y 5AH
Language Courses
BIPS is pleased to announce a new Persian Language Course which began in Autumn 2006. The next course will begin in Spring 2007.
Venue: The British Academy, Carlton House, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH
Time: Each Tuesday evening from 6.00 to 8.00 pm
Duration: 10 weeks
Tutor: Dr Narguess Farzad, Senior Fellow, Department of Languages and Cultures of the Near and Middle East, SOAS
Level: to be decided (please let us have an assessment of your level of Persian language expertise when you enrole)
Cost: £220 (exclusive of course material)
Welcome to the British Institute of Persian Studies
Welcome to the website of the British Institute of Persian Studies. We are an academic body founded in 1961, associated with and financially supported by the British Academy. We promote scholarship and research in all aspects of Iranian Studies. A purpose-built institute was opened in Tehran in 1976 on land leased from the British government adjacent to the Embassy compound in Qolhak. Why are Persian Studies important? Great cultures and dynasties have originated in what is now Iran.
Many distinguished scholars have explored its rich heritage, its history and the Persian Language. Although Oriental Studies have been under pressure in the UK for economic reasons, and despite the interruption in contacts for a period because of the Revolution, there are many British scholars, young and old, who are working on academic research relating to Iran in a number of disciplines: from art history and archaeology, to history and the social sciences. The work is now increasingly carried out in conjunction with Iranian scholars.
BIPS currently sponsors a series of academic projects including studies in:
- The Darabgird Survey
- Sasanian coins
- Pre-Mongol architecture
- Iranian steelworking techniques
- Afzal al-tavarikh of Fazli Isfahani
- Survey of stone lion tombs
- The Williamson Collections at the Ashmolean Museum
London office:
The British Institute of Persian Studies
The British Academy
10 Carlton House Terrace
London SW1Y 5AH
Tel: 020 7969 5203
Fax: 020 7969 5401
Email:mailto:bips@britac.ac.uk
Tehran office:
Qolhak
Khiaban-e Dr Ali Shariati
PO Box 11365-844
Tehran
Tel: (009821) 2260 1937
Fax: (009821) 2260 4901
Email: bips@parsonline.net