Persian miniatureA Persian miniature (Persian: نگارگری ایرانی negârgari Irâni) is a small Persian painting on paper, whether a book illustration or a separate work of art intended to be kept in an album of such works called a muraqqa. The techniques are broadly comparable to the Western Medieval and Byzantine traditions of miniatures in illuminated manuscripts. Although there is an equally well-established Persian tradition of wall-painting, the survival rate and state of preservation of miniatures is better, and miniatures are much the best-known form of Persian painting in the West, and many of the most important examples are in Western, or Turkish, museums.
PersianizationPersianization (ˌpɜːrʒəˌnaɪˈzeɪʃən) or Persification (ˌpɜːrsᵻfᵻˈkeɪʃən; پارسیسازی), is a sociological process of cultural change in which a non-Persian society becomes "Persianate", meaning it either directly adopts or becomes strongly influenced by the Persian language, culture, literature, art, music, and identity as well as other socio-cultural factors. It is a specific form of cultural assimilation that often includes a language shift.
DerbentDerbent (Дербе́нт; Кьвевар, Цал; Dərbənd; Дербенд), formerly romanized as Derbend, is a city in Dagestan, Russia, located on the Caspian Sea. It is the southernmost city in Russia, and it is the second-most important city of Dagestan. Derbent occupies the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains connecting the Eurasian Steppe to the north and the Iranian Plateau to the south; covering an area of , with a population of roughly 120,000 residents.
Persian carpetA Persian carpet (فرش ایرانی ˈfærʃe ʔfarˈsi) or Persian rug (قالی ایرانی ɢɒːˈliːje ʔfarˈsiː), also known as Iranian carpet, is a heavy textile made for a wide variety of utilitarian and symbolic purposes and produced in Iran (historically known as Persia), for home use, local sale, and export. Carpet weaving is an essential part of Persian culture and Iranian art. Within the group of Oriental rugs produced by the countries of the "rug belt", the Persian carpet stands out by the variety and elaborateness of its manifold designs.
AzerbaijanisAzerbaijanis (ˌæzərbaɪˈdʒæni,_-ɑːni; Azərbaycanlılar, آذربایجانلیلار), Azeris (Azərilər, آذریلر), or Azerbaijani Turks (Azərbaycan Türkləri, آذربایجان تۆرکلری) are a Turkic ethnic group living mainly in the Azerbaijan region of northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. They are predominantly Shia Muslims. They comprise the largest ethnic group in the Republic of Azerbaijan and the second-largest ethnic group in neighboring Iran and Georgia.
Turkish peopleTurkish people or Turks (Türkler) are the largest Turkic people who speak various dialects of the Turkish language and form a majority in Turkey and the disputed state of Northern Cyprus. In addition, centuries-old ethnic Turkish communities still live across other former territories of the Ottoman Empire. Article 66 of the Turkish Constitution defines a "Turk" as: "Anyone who is bound to the Turkish state through the bond of citizenship.
TransoxianaTransoxiana or Transoxania ("Land beyond the Oxus") is the Latin name for a region and civilization located in lower Central Asia roughly corresponding to modern-day eastern Uzbekistan, western Tajikistan, parts of southern Kazakhstan, parts of Turkmenistan and southern Kyrgyzstan. Geographically, it is the region between the rivers Amu Darya to its south and the Syr Darya to its north. Historically known in Persian as (فرارود, fæɾɒːˈɾuːd̪ – 'beyond the [Amu] river'), (Фарорӯд), and (Варазрӯд), the area had been known to the ancient Iranians as Turan, a term used in the Persian national epic Shahnameh.
NowruzNowruz (نوروز noːˈɾuːz) is the Iranian or Persian New Year celebrated by various ethnicities worldwide. It is a festival based on the Iranian Solar Hijri calendar, on the spring equinoxon or around 21 March on the Gregorian calendar. The day of Nowruz has its origins in the Iranian religion of Zoroastrianism and is thus rooted in the traditions of the Iranian peoples; however, it has been celebrated by diverse communities for over 3,000 years in Western Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Black Sea Basin, the Balkans, and South Asia.
QanatA qanat or kārīz is a system for transporting water from an aquifer or water well to the surface, through an underground aqueduct; the system originated approximately 3,000 years ago in what is now Iran. The function is essentially the same across North Africa and the Middle East but the system operates under a variety of regional names: qanat or kārīz in Iran, foggara in Algeria, khettara in Morocco, falaj in Oman, karez in Afghanistan, auyoun in Saudi Arabia, et al.
SadehSadeh (سده also transliterated as Sade), is an Iranian festival that dates back to the Achaemenid Empire. Sadeh celebrates 50 days before Nowruz. Sadeh in Persian means "hundred" and refers to one hundred days and nights remains to the beginning of spring. Sadeh is a mid winter festival that was celebrated with grandeur and magnificence in ancient Persia. It was a festivity to honor fire and to defeat the forces of darkness, frost, and cold.
