As part of WAALM’s endeavour for Cultural Diplomacy, the institute has facilitated the artistic works in a duet by Iranian Meastro Sattar and Young Turkish Rising Star Ersin Faikzade singing the song “Simin Bari” in Turkish and Persian  This is yet another expression of WAALM’s  works to assist dialogue and understanding between civilizations (see for example WAALM’s Empower Africa Conference in April 7-10, 2010).

Sattar (left) and Ersin Faikzade (right) have lent their exemplary creativity and musical talents towards the initiative to re-awaken the long-standing and powerful cultural bonds between the Iranians and the Turks. 

WAALM’s initiative has been a significant first step in re-awakening the deep-rooted cultural ties between Turks and Iranians (Persians, Kurds, Azaris, Lurs, etc.). The Iranians and Turkic peoples have a shared (yet unappreciated) civilization known as the Turco-Iranian or Persianate civilization – see for example the articles below (for more see here…)

• Turkic-Iranian Contact Areas: Historical and Linguistic Aspects (Edited by Lars Johansen and Christiane Bulut), Turcologica 62, 2006 (pdf).
• Victor H. Mair (2005), Contact and exchange in the ancient world, University of Hawaii University Press, pp. 142-149 - these pages discuss the historical Irano-Turkic contacts.
• Iran’s Reza Shah conversing in Turkish with Turkey’s Mustafa Kemal Attaturk (video)
• -جریان فرهنگی ادبی-همواره از ایران به عثمانی- (The Literary Influences of Iran upon the Ottoman Empire-in Persian posted by the Iran-Azar website).

Sattar and Ersin Faikzade singing Simin Bari in Turkish and Persian. This is part of WAALM’s initiative to re-awaken the awareness of the strong and long-standing Turco-Iranian cultural ties known as the Turco-Iranian or Persianate civilization.  Note that the video is also under post-production. 

The song (Simin Bari) was originally composed by the late Iranian Singer and Songwriter Jamshid Sheybani (1922 – 2009). The first time this song was performed as a Turkish-Persian duet was in the 1970s by the Sheybani and the stunningly talented and beautiful Turkish singer, Emil Sayin. 

Emel Sayin and the late Jamshid Sheybani singing “Simin Bari” in Turkish and Persian. The keyboards are performed by Maestro Anoushirvan Rohani. As noted by the WAALM diplomatic journal “…Emel Sayin’s visit was in fact due to a fund raising tour benefiting the victims of a devastating earthquake in Turkey and fostering cultural exchange”. Iranians and Turks often rush to each others’ aid during such calamities.

Iranian and Turkish musicians often travelled to each other’s countries to perform songs in Turkish and Persian, with songs often being adopted and adapted in both language. Sattar’s “Gol-e Sangam” for example was performed by Emel Sayin as well and remians a favorite song among the Turks in the 1970s. 

The WAALM initiative in reviving Turco-Iranian cultural ties has been very well received by the Turks, as indicated by the Turkish media’s coverage of the Sattar-Ersin Faikzade duet.

At left is Radio Istanbul with their distinguished guest, the young and rising star, Ersin Faikzade and at right is Iranian legendary singer Sattar being cited by the Turkish press. Iranian-Turkish cultural ties predate and transcend the oft-used term “Middle East”, a term of 20th century Western origin. 

Readers are also invited to consult WAALM’s short interview with Dr. Mosi Dorbayani on the role of music in fostering dialogue, diplomacy, cooperation and friendship at the international level.  

Greek philosopher Aristotle (Hellenic: Ἀριστοτέλης, Aristotélēs)(384 BC – 322 BC) has noted that “Music directly represents the passions or states of the soul …gentleness, anger, courage, temperance…” (Politics, 8, 1340). Aristotle’s assertion is corroborated by modern research. Dr. Richard G. Pellegrino (Brain specialist & Researcher) has noted that music can “…trigger a flood of human emotions and images that have the ability to instantaneously produce very powerful changes in emotional states…take it from a brain guy…in 25 years of working with the brain, I still cannot affect a person’s state of mind the way that one simple song can…”.

Music is indeed a powerful learning medium, one which the Turks and Iranians share. It is remarkable that to this day, both peoples have a deep appreciation for the music and songs of each other. This is one facet of the long-standing Turco-Iranian civilization which spans from the borders of northern China to the shores of the Aegean Sea. It is a civilization that predates Islam, and one which has arisen from centuries of intermingling between Iranian and Turkic peoples. 

The Yulduz Turdieva Musical Ensemble of Uzbekistan. The above video displays Uzbek singer Yulduz Turdieva singing in Persian accompanied by Uzbek musicians composing Classical Persian music. Western historians and writers often refer to the non-Arabian civilizations of the Near East, Central Asia, Iran, etc. as “Islamic” or “MIddle Eastern” . What is often not acknowledged is that there is a powerful and very unique culture shared by Iranian and Turkic peoples known as the Persianate or Turco-Iranian civilzation.

Striking are the cultural modes of expression among Iranians and Turkic peoples. These parallelisms can often be encountered in everyday situations. 

Iranian actors Homayoun and Morteza Aghili depicting street-toughs known in Persian as “Jahel”  in the movie “Topoli” (the Chubby one). Interestingly, the almost exact type of street-toughs can be seen in Turkey – similar attire (hat, shirt, jacket, shoes), gestures, conversing,
codes of conduct and even the minutiae of drinking  tea, coffee or alcohol are strikingly parallel! 

The Persian language is also witnessing a revival of interest in Turkey as seen below…

Teaching Persian in Turkey – Turkish instructor teaching Persian grammar to students.  Note the enthusiasm of the instructor and the students.  Iranians and Turks in fact share many common traits, notably in culture, music, foods, etc. While considerably downplayed by Western writers and “nationalists” on all sides, the reality is that Iranians and Turks are (at the very least) cultural cousins. 

[Click Book Jacket to Enlarge] For information on obtaining this text, kindly consult Mohammad-Reza Mohseni’s site by clicking here… 

The book begins with a concise and informative overview of the philosophies of pan-Turkism. The author outlines how pan-Turkist philosophers  engage in the following processes:

• Re-writing history, including the falsification of  books in translations.
• Appropriation of the historiography and cultural figures of non-Turkic peoples.

It must be noted however that the originators of pan-Turkism were not of Turkish nationality. These were almost wholly of European origins, dating to the 19th century.

David Leon Cahun (1841-1900) proposed that the Turks were a superior race or more specifically “supermen”. The notion of racial superiority is an alien concept among the Turks who have always been (and remain) warm, open, friendly and hospitable to all who visit or settle in Turkey. Racism has never existed among Turks or Turkic-speakers – the importation of this concept can be traced to European thinkers such as Leon Cahun, Count Helmuth Von Moltke (1800-1891), Arminius (Hermann) Vambery (1832-1913), Konstanty Borzecki (1826-1876) and Elias John Wilkinson Gibb (1857-1901). Cahun placed a heavy emphasis on distancing Turkic peoples from Persianate civilization and Iranian peoples. 

A whole series of ancient languages and civilizations have been labelled by pan-Turks as “Turkic”, including Sumeria, the Elamo-Dravidian civilization, and even Etruscan (pre-Roman) Italy. With the exception of pan-Turkist activists, the Republic of Azerbaijan (thus named from 1918) and the Turkish Republic, these theses have failed to gain scientific and academic recognition at the international level.

Ancient Sumerian wheel and axle. The Sumerians are one of the progenitor peoples of civilization with inventions such as the wheel-axle. Pan-Turk activists claim that the ancient Sumerians spoke a dialect of Turkish and that they were Turks. Linguistic and archaeological studies by international scholarship fails to verify pan-Turkist claims. 

Mohseni’s book tabulates the claims of pan-Turks against Iranian Azarbaijan. The author then places these claims under scholarly scrutiny. 

A common pan-Turkist fallacy for example, is that since modern-day Azaris speak a Turkic language, they then must be Turks by race. Genetic studies have failed to show Iranian Azaris as being genetically related to Central Asian Turkic peoples. These same studies have in fact shown Azaris to be genetically related to other Iranian peoples such as Kurds, Persians, Lurs, etc. For more on these studies consult:

• Farjadian S, Ghaderi A. (2007). HLA class II similarities in Iranian Kurds and Azeris.The International journal of immunogenetics, 34(6), pp.457-463.
• Yepiskoposian, Levon; Margarian, Shot; Andonian, Laris; Rashidvash, Vahid (2011). The Location of Azaris on the Patrilineal Genetic Landscape of the Middle East (A Preliminary Report) (pdf). Iran and the Caucasus, Volume 15, Numbers 1-2, pp. 73-78(6).
• L Andonian, S Rezaie, A Margaryan, DD Farhud, K Mohammad, K Holakouie Naieni1, MR Khorramizadeh6, M H Sanati, M Jamali8, P Bayatian, L Yepiskoposyan (2011). Iranian Azeri’s Y-Chromosomal Diversity in the Context of Turkish-Speaking Populations of the Middle East   (pdf). Iranian J Publ Health, Vol. 40, No.1, pp.119-123.
• L Andonian, S Rezaie, A Margaryan3, DD Farhud4, K Mohammad1, K Holakouie Naieni1,MR Khorramizadeh, M H Sanati, M Jamali8, P Bayatian1, L Yepiskoposyan (2011). Iranian Azeri’s Y-Chromosomal Diversity in the Context of Turkish-Speaking Populations of the Middle East. Iranian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 40, No.1, 2011, pp.119-127. (pdf)

[Click photos to Enlarge] American actor Samuel B. Jackson (left) and New Zealand-born director Peter Jackson.  Both men share the name “Jackson”, as well as the English language. Being an Anglophone and having an English name does not mean that one is Anglo-Saxon by race. In that case, the entire Black, Asian, Hispanic, and Amerindian population of the United States and Canada are Anglo-Saxons! Likewise, being a Turcophone does not mean that one is Turkish or Turkic by race. National identity is based on a number of domains, only one of which is defined by language. Nevertheless, this simplistic logic (language = race) is being used by pan-Turkist activists, politicians, and lobbyists to attack the Iranian heritage of the people of Azarbaijan and Iran in general.

 Iranian Azaris and those of the modern-day Republic of Azerbaijan were linguistically  Turkified by conquering Turkic-speaking rulers, a process explained in detail by Mohseni. 

[Click Image to Enlarge] Professor Colin Renfrew’s diagram outlining the four ways in which language displacement can occur. These are (from top to bottom) (1) initial migrations (2) Farming dispersal (3) Late climate-related dispersal and (4) Elite dominance. It was the latter process (Elite dominance by Turkic-speaking elites) that spread the Turkic languages into not only Albania/Arran (modern Republic of Azerbaijan), Iranian Azarbaijan but also into Anatolia (diagram in “World Linguistic Diversity”. Colin Renfrew, Scientific American, 1994, p.116-120, 122-123).

Mohseni’s book is an important academic work on the study of pan-Turkist ideology. As noted previously in this book review, pan-Turkism never originated in Turkey or among the Turks – it is essentially a philosophy of European origins. For more on this little known topic  consult: Ideology, Founders and Objectives of Pan-Turkism

Kindly note that the pictures and their accompanying descriptions shown below do not appear in the original Financial Times article. 

The Financial Times and the Reuters News Service also reviewed Kaveh Farrokh’s 2011 text, Iran at War: 1500-1988 which features several chapters on the Iran-Iraq war as well as the role of Western support for Saddam Hussein’s war machine. 

 =============================================================

Margaret Thatcher’s government was covertly supplying military equipment to Iraq as early as 1981, according to newly released government documents.

Secret files made public on Friday contain an exhaustive list of equipment from Hawk fighter jets to military air and naval bases that the government was attempting to sell Saddam Hussein’s regime.

This came despite the fact that the UK was officially neutral in the Iran-Iraq war, which begun in late 1980. Britain had also signed up to a UN Security Council resolution calling on its members to “refrain from any act which may lead to a further escalation and widening of the conflict”.

[Click photo to Enlarge] An Iraqi T-55 training with an advanced British-manufactured tank gunnery simulator in 1987. Iraq’s armoured corps had undergone a massive training and rearmament program by 1987-1988 – thanks to the the assistance of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc, Egypt, India, Pakistan, England and numbers of Western countries (Picture Source: Armed Forces journal, July 1987 , pp.354; see also Farrokh, Iran at War, 2011, pp.400-402). British military personnel also refurbished and re-activated captured Iranian Chieftains for Saddam Hussein’s forces. 

The list shows 78 different types of military equipment including Land Rovers, tank recovery vehicles, terrain-following radar and spare tank parts that were in the process of being sold. Not all the sales on the list were completed.

All the equipment on the sales list was technically “non-lethal”, although equipment such as tank parts stretched the definition.

One prime-ministerial brief recommended that the best way to avoid public condemnation but to still make money from Iraq was to sell only non-lethal equipment but to “define this narrowly”.

[Click photos to Enlarge] Iraqi-Kurdish victims of Saddam’s chemical weapons attacks at Halabja in 1988. Many Iranian (and Iraqi Kurdish) civilians and soldiers were to be exposed to chemical weapon attacks during the war. Despite the brutal rapacity of these actions, Western lobbies (including the UK) continued to support Saddam Hussein right up to 1990 (Picture sources: Iran Photo Foundation). Less known are Iraqi Chemical weapons “experiments” on Iranian prisoners of war – a fact which was virtually ignored by the UK and Western press during the 1980s (Farrokh, Iran at War, 2011, pp.402). 

“Contracts worth over £150m have been concluded [with Iraq] in the last six months including one for £34m (for armoured recovery vehicles through Jordan),” writes Thomas Trenchard, a junior minister, in a secret letter to Mrs Thatcher in March 1981.

The letter also says that a meeting with Saddam Hussein “represent a significant step forward in establishing a working relationship with Iraq which … should produce both political and major commercial benefits”.

Mrs Thatcher wrote by hand at the top of the letter that she was “very pleased” by the progress being made.

Throughout her premiership Mrs Thatcher took a direct roll in securing deals for British defence companies, calling her efforts “battling for Britain”. Partly thanks to her efforts, the UK climbed from being the fifth- to the second-largest supplier of military equipment over the decade.

A pair of Saddam Hussein’s modified Scud ground to ground missiles known as the “Al-Hussein”. These were essentially improved versions of the Soviet-designed SCUD missiles; the range of these missiles had been enhanced with the assistance of mainly German, Egyptian, Argentinean and other Western engineers. More ominous was Saddam’s threat to mount chemical warheads on the Al-Hussein for firing against Iranian population centers (consult Farrokh, Iran at War, 2011, pp.404; Ripley, 1991, pp.14). The pro-Saddam stance of the Western (especially US and British) governments at the time meant that such dangers were either ignored or at best downplayed by the Western media. Iraq was to fire 189 Al-Husseins at Iran (135 at Tehran) in February-March 1988 (picture source: onwar.com)

Her greatest defence coup over the decade was the Al-Yamamah contract with Saudi Arabia in 1985 and 1988, which was one of the largest arms deals in history worth about £40bn to British Aerospace and other British companies.

The push to sell arms in Iraq, encouraged by the privatisation of British Aerospace in 1981, in the end caused serious embarrassment when, in 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. Britain then found itself at war with the country they had been selling weapons to just a few months earlier.

Another consequence was the Scott Report, which was published in 1996 and gave a damming assessment of the Conservative government’s role in selling arms to the Middle East through the 1980s.

[Click photos to Enlarge] Iran Air Flight 655 [1] was shot down by missiles fired from the USS Vincennes [2]. All civilians and crew aboard the doomed airliner were killed [3]. Investigations by John Barry and Roger Charles of Newsweek Magazine and ABC News’ Ted Koppel of Nightline revealed the ugly truth behind these events. In short the reports revealed that both Captain Will Rogers III (Captain of the Vincennes) [4]  and Admiral William Crowe (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) [5] had falsified information to mislead US and world public opinion. Barry and Charles concluded that “The top Pentagon brass understood from the beginning that if the whole truth about the Vincennes came out, it would mean months of humiliating headlines…the US Navy…told lies and handed out medals” (Barry & Charles, 1992, “Sea of Lies”, Newsweek, July 13, pp. 29; see also Farrokh, Iran at War, 2011, pp.411).

The newly released papers also show how some in the government were concerned about Mrs Thatcher’s aggressive arms sales policy. One prime ministerial brief in January 1981 warned that

“if we expose ourselves to serious accusations of breach of neutrality obligation [in Iraq] or deviousness our efforts could backfire”.

Ivor Lucas, the ambassador to Oman, writes:

“I should prefer a more balanced approach to arms sales in the Sultanate, for fear that an accumulation of sophisticated equipment largely for prestige reasons will be more than the defence capability of this country requires“.

[Click photos to Enlarge] Saddam’s “Wunderwaffe”: The Babylon Super-Gun. At right is the unfinished assembly of one of these super-guns and at right is an undelivered section of the weapon now in England. The project almost became an operational reality, thanks in large part to British technical and manufacturing expertise. Saddam Hussein planned to install at least 75 of these Super-guns for use against Iran. Each of these guns could then fire conventional or nuclear-tipped projectiles into Iranian population centers.  

The article below was originally posted on Iranscope  in 2004, followed later in 2004 by a  Greek site, Payvand news of Iran, and irandokht. Farrokh’s observations were also cited on the Russian academic-encyclopedia site, and Radio Free Europe,

The version below has been updated and revised in 2011.

============================================================

Hollywood released one of its epic historical-movie  blockbusters in 2004 entitled: Alexander,  directed by the distinguished director Oliver Stone.

The movie endeavours to recreate the events of the Hellenic conquests and the downfall of the first Persian Achaemenid Empire. It is important to note however, that simply because a movie is high budget, casts high profile Hollywood actors and is directed by top ranking directors, does not make it flawless.

Beyond the entertainment value of Oliver Stone’s latest project, a number of serious errors do exist in the movie, many which may appear trivial. These “trivial” errors are nevertheless of consequence to Iranians, Greeks and all viewers in general. Movies are a powerful medium of leanring and persuation, irrespective of how vociforously we are told that the movie is simply “entertainment”.

Ironically, it was my Greek friends and colleagues who brought the flaws of Oliver Stone’s “Alexander” picture to my attention. There are a total of five overall errors that are listed and discussed below.

(1) The Battle of Gaugamela

Oliver Stone has relied on Dr. Robin Lane Fox, one of the world’s foremost experts in the area of Alexander and Hellenic Studies. Unfortunately, Dr. Fox is essentially a Eurocentrist, a fact which is demosntrated in his writings and the Alexander picture he “advised”.

Thanks in large part to Robin Lane Fox’s tutelage. the movie promotes distortions against ancient Iran, Iranian culture, people and the Achaemenid army.

However it must be pointed out that the vast majority of modern-day scholars reject Eurocentricism as espoused by Dr. Fox in the Alexander movie.

Robin Lane-Fox, a Classical (Greco-Roman) historian,  is a Fellow of New College, Oxford and University of Oxford Reader in Ancient History. His writings and role in the 2004 movie “Alexander” has highlighted the power of Eurocentricism in academia and the media. Eurocentrist thinking, like all ideologically-driven biases, distorts historiography.

The Shahrbaraz Blog contains numerous Blogs that outline Dr. Fox’s distorted Alexandro-philia and his tendency to write with a patronizing and anger-ridden tone against ancient Iran. Dr. Fox’s book is a standard reference text in the area of Alexandrian Studies:  

Title: Alexander the Great., Author: Robin Lane Fox, Publisher: Penguin, Dates: 1986, 1994 and 2011, ISBN: 0140088784

Despite excellent reviews of his book by critics and scholars, Dr. Fox does not understand the military of ancient Persia.

A typographical movie shot of the battle of Gaugamela, shows the Greeks advancing in ordered and disciplined ranks. In contrast, the armies of Darius III are shown as little better than an amorphous mob. This is a false image of the Achaemenid army. The Achaemenids used drums and musical instruments to direct the marching tactics of their troops in battle.

Second, the Achaemeneans used the decimal system, which was in fact, unknown to the Greeks of the period. Persian units were formed in legions of 10, 100 or 1000 or 10,000. A typical term was “Hezar-Patesh” (roughly equivalent to “leader of a thousand men”). Dr. Fox distorts this information and thanks to his “advising”, the movie shows the Achaemenid army as a mob-like organization.

Dr. Fox also omits (or is unaware) that the Persians had developed a sophisticated system of heraldry and that their troops wore standard uniforms. The Greeks were certainly excellent fighters and were thoroughly organized, but this does not mean that the Persians were not. The Greeks were militarily superior at the time with respect to armaments, tactics and military training.

Bringing Classical Eurocentricism to life: Dr. Robn Lane Fox acts as one of Alexander’s companion cavalry in the 2004 Oliver Stone movie “Alexander”.  It is interesting that Dr. Fox portrays Iranians as cartoon-like “Arabian nights” characters despite numerous Greek art works that show both Greeks and Iranians as Caucasians. (Source: Archaeology.org website).

This military imbalance changed with the coming of the Parthian and Sassanian cavalry. The Iranian Savaran-اسواران ساسانی- (elite Cavalry) successfully halted and defeated many of the later Greek-Hoplite inspired Roman armies. Many Romans attempted to imitate Alexander and failed against Persia. These include Marcus Lucinius Crassus at Carrhae, Marc Antony at Tabriz (where he failed twice), Gordian III at Mesiche, Phillip the Arab near modern Syria, Valerian at Barbablissos, and Julian the Apostate in Mesopotamia. 

I personally doubt that Hollywood will recreate the spectacular Roman defeats suffered against Parthian and Sassanian Persia as these will challenge contemporary notions of the Alexandrian legacy.

In addition, the contemporary Iranian establishment has not emphasized the proud legacy of the Parthian and Sassanian Savaran.

Professor Fox’s elementary grasp of Iranian militaria should not inspire much confidence with respect to accurate portrayals of Iranians in general. You may wish to read the following books by Professors Sekunda and Head who are experts on the uniforms, dress and equipment of the ancient Greeks and Achaemenid Persians.

Title: The Persian Army: 560-330 BC, Author: Nick Sekunda, Publisher: Osprey Men at Arms Elite Series, Date: 1992, ISBN: 1855322501 

Title: The Achaemenid Persian Army, Author: Duncan Head, Publisher: Montvert Publications, Date: 1992, ISBN: 1874101000

There are many errors with the uniforms portrayed as “Persian”. As you will see in these books, the colors and materials of Achaemenid Persians were invariably bright with a mix of shades of purple, Saffron, red dyes, shades of blue and green, mixed with darker browns (almost Burgundy) and black. These fashions and regalia were resuscitated during the Sassanian dynasty (226-651 AD). Only the Persian archers (and a few guards) are shown with some accuracy; the same cannot be said with respect to the other “Persians” of the movie set.

More puzzling is the “Arabesque” way in which ancient Persians are portrayed in this battle. I was shocked to see Arabian camel riders used to portray one of the vanguards of Darius III’s attack on Alexander at the battle scene. Arabs were auxiliary units in the Achaemenean army at the time, and were not a major factor. I also noticed that an infantry troop of the Achaemenid advance guard was speaking in Arabic. Persian is not related to Arabic; it is an Indo-European language akin to the languages of Europe and India.

This may be the usual Hollywood habit however of portraying Iranians as Arabs, a topic we will re-visit later in this commentary.

(2) Confusing Persia with Babylon

It is very interesting that Professor Fox does not refer to the Achaemenid capitals in Susa, Maracanda (Samarqand), Media or Persopolis. The destruction of Persopolis by Alexander is a major event – instead the movie shows Alexander entering the city of Babylon, implying that this was the administrative capital of Persia. Babylon was simply another satrapy of the empire; not its capital. Babylon had already been incorporated into the Persian Empire in 539 BC by Cyrus the Great (559-530 BC). Why is Persopolis and its destruction not mentioned? There was also the destruction of the three major Zoroastrian texts by Alexander – also not referred to in the movie.

A possible reason for this may be found in Professor Fox’s interview with the distinguished journal “Archeology Today” (Riding with Alexander). Note the statement below, and how indicative it is of Dr. Fox’s lack of understanding of Classical Achaemenid Persia:

“We all understood that the separate “parts” of Oliver’s drama must be “color-coded” and … which could not totally depart from audiences’ expectations of Greek or Babylonian imagery“

Note the statement “expectations of Greek or Babylonian imagery“. What “expectations“  are being discussed here? 

But there is another dangerous point made by Fox – notice that he describes “Babylonian” and NOT Persian imagry. This ties into a trend among select scholars (usually in Assyriology, cuneiform and Baylonian studies) who view ancient Persia as a derivative of Mesopotamian civilization. Put crudely, this is the view that ancient Persia is essentially a “clone” or “copy” of the Mesopotamian. This interpreation is highly biased as it is categorically false.

The Iranian plateau has been host to complex civilizations of its own for thousands of years - these are in cases, more ancient than the Mesopotamian civilizations. For more on this topic consult the following:

• Shahr e Sookhteh: Reconstruction of the Face of a 5000-year old Woman in Iran
• 6000 Year old Mysterious Ritual uncovered at Sialk
• Jiroft: The Forgotten Civilizational Legacy of Ancient Iran -جیرفت زادگاهی از تمدن جهان- (Video in Persian)

The case of the 5000-year-old Shahr e Sookhteh (Burnt City). Skeleton of a young woman from the Burnt City. Note artificial eye in the eye socket of the skull. The site of the Burnt City has also yielded numerous interesting finds including an ancient measuring ruler, backgammon game pieces and an animation device.  Shahr e Sookhteh has no connection to other ancient civilizations in Western Asia although its close proximity to the site of Mohenjo-Daro (in present-day Pakistan) is possible. What is certain is that the Burnt City is neither connected to – nor derived from – the Mesopotamian plain.

Fox’s statement implies that Persia had no real arts worth mentioning, and that Persia is simply an extension of Babylon or at best interchangeable.  This same view pervades with respect to historical revisionism against Cyrus the Great and the legacy of his humanistic policies.

• Koorosh Ahmadi: Vandalization of the Cyrus Cylinder article in Wikipedia by Eurocentirsts {pdf) (2010).
• CAIS News: Axis of Prejudice – from Khalkhali to Jona Lendering and their Crusade against Cyrus the Great  (2009)
• Response to Der Spiegel Magazine’s Attack on the Legacy of Cyrus the Great (2008)
• Retort to Daily Telegraph article against Cyrus the Great; Posted originally in the Pasargard Foundation website (2008)

The West Wall in Jerusalem. After his conquest of Babylon, Cyrus allowed the Jewish captives to return to Israel and rebuild the Hebrew temple. It is believed that approximately 40,000 did permanently return to Israel. Despite Cyrus’ enlightened policies, a strong core of (mainly Assyriology-trained) academics have been attacking the history of Cyrus as “propaganda” .

As noted previously, Babylon was not a major power at the time of Alexander. Persian arts and architecture were an eclectic synthesis of indigenous (e.g Median, Elamite), Lydian, and Mesopotamian styles, including Babylonian. The city-palace of Persopolis is very distinct and cannot be crudely termed as Babylonian. It is, to put it mildly, shocking, that the treatment of Persian studies is addressed at such a shallow level by Professor Fox.

An important point must be made, especially with respect to the reason why Alexander was so violent in his conquest of Persia. The Greeks were simply taking revenge for the earlier invasion of their country by Darius the Great and his son Xerxes. The Greeks paid a heavy price for their battles at Marathon (490 BC), Thermopylae (17th September, 490 BC), Athens (27th September, 490 BC), Salamis (29th September, 490 BC), and Plataea (479 BC). It is significant that when Xerxes burned Athens, he ordered the sacred statues of the Greek gods to be removed and brought to Persia. The Greeks revered their gods and this Persian act was a national insult to them. Most contemporary Iranians are not aware of these facts. This certainly is not an excuse for what happened at Alexander’s time, but it does help put these events in perspective.

Although many Iranians demonize Alexander, the man did come to develop a great deal of respect for Persia. The more Alexander stayed in Persia, the more “Persian” he became, in manners and in dress. Alexander paid his respects at the tomb of Cyrus the Great and indeed saw himself as the heir of Cyrus. The Greeks so admired Cyrus the Great, that they saw his manner of government as a model. You may wish to read the Greek “Cyropedia” by Xenophon:

• Cyropedia of Xenophon translated by H.G. Dakyns (pdf)
• -زندگینامۀ کوروش بزرگ-خشایار رُخسانی-Cyropedia of Xenophon translated into Persian by Khaschayar Rochssani (pdf)

If Aristotle made racist statements about the Persians (and this is shown in the movie), it must also be made clear that many Greeks also praised the Persians (see the aforementioned Xenophon or Plutarch in his discussion of the Parthian general Surena). A very positive aspect of the Alexander movie is that Alexander praises the “east” for its architecture and civilization. It is possible that Alexander was poisoned by some of his officers for becoming too “Persian”.

(3) The Blondism of Alexander

A very serious concern of the Alexander movie is the promotion of the idea of the “Nordicism” of ancient Greece. Put simply, this is the thesis that ancient Greeks were not only predominantly blonde, but “Nordic”, in the manner of present-day Scandinavians and Northern Germans. Nordicists have long argued, since the late 1700s, that the people of ancient and modern Greece are unrelated.

Nordicism argues that the “ancient” Greeks were the “true” Greeks in contrast to the non-Nordic people of Greece today. This view is exemplified by the Austrian Hellenicist, Professor Fallmerayer, in the 1830s, who noted that “not a drop of pure Greek blood runs in the veins of modern Greeks…”.

Professor Jakob Phillip Fallmerayer (1790-1861), He promoted the thesis that ancient Greeks were predominantly blonde, like present-day Scandinavians and Northern Europeans. Fallmerayer’s writings, which could be construed as racist, state that the people of ancient and modern Greece have no relation. According to this thesis, ”ancient” Greeks were the “true” Greeks – these being wholly unrelated to the predominantly Mediterranean people of Greece today. Fallmerayer’s divergence from reality is illustrated by the fact that he never visited Greece during his lifetime. This is identical to a select number of contemporary historians who wish to re-write the history of Cyrus the Great, yet are unable to speak or read  modern Persian. 

To this day, Fallmerayer is recalled with bitterness and derision in Greece. It is worth noting that Fallmerayer never set foot in Greece in his entire lifetime. For further discussion on these issues you may wish to read:

Title: Guide to Peoples of Europe, (especially pages 207-216), Author: Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, Published: Times Books, Date: 1994, ISBN: 0-7320-0624-5

Fallmerayer’s analysis of Greece is not entirely correct. While true that the Ottoman Turks ruled Greece for 400 years and that previous Byzantine rulers (e.g. Emperor Nikopherous) had to import colonists from present day south Italy to help repopulate parts of Greece ravaged by wars, many of these “Italian” colonists were themselves ancient Greek, settled in regions such as Calabria and Southern France since the times of Darius the Great and earlier. In any event, there has always been a strong and predominant Greek element in areas such as the Peloponnesos.

As for the lack of mainstream Nordiscism in modern Greece, this has to do with the history of ancient Greece itself. Mainland Greece was already settled with indigenous Mediterranean peoples, such as the ancient Minoans, before the arrival of the Classical Greeks. Ancient Greece, like today, was a mixture of Mediterranean and “blonde” peoples.

This leads to a very crucial question: why were no Greek actors selected to portray classical Greeks such as Alexander, Hephaestion, Ptolemy I, Olympias, King Phillip II, Cassander or Antiginous? For a review of the cast, click here…

Israeli actor, Raz Degan who portrays Darius III. Predictably, Fox’s Darius III is virtually a cartoon-like character with no in-depth interpretation of who he could have been as a person or king.

If one were to use Classical Greek works of art (vases and statues specifically) as a standard for prototypical Greek physical appearance, one can then easily find a plethora of modern Greek actors and actresses today who can portray ancient Greeks. It is interesting as to why Oliver Stone did not select Hollywood actors of Greek descent or from mainland Greece.

Oliver Stone goes further however. Colin Farrell, a dark haired Irish actor, who plays Alexander, is portrayed literally, as a bleached blonde.

The notion of Alexander being Flaxen-haired or blonde is itself a matter of considerable doubt if not strong dispute. As noted by my friend George Tsonis, a Greek-Canadian and a scholar of Greek, Roman and Persian history, the Greek word for Alexander’s complexion is “Xanthenein” (fair). This description simply marks Alexander’s complexion as being fairer than the other Greeks of his time. Yes, he was relatively fair, but not necessarily flaxen-blonde in the Nordicist sense.

From the Tufts University Lexicon “Xanthenein” is roughly translated as fair or a yellowish-brown color. A related term, “Xanthizo”, can also be to “make yellow” or “brown”. No wonder there is confusion!

Plutarch, whom most western scholars rely on for their references, does not actually describe Alexander’s hair color, only his complexion. This is a quote from Aelian on the hair; below is the Anglisized Greek from Cyrillic and the English translation below that:

“Alexandron de ton Filippou apragmonos oraion legousi genesthai’ tin men gar komin anasesyrthai afto, xanthin de einai’“ 
“Alexander the son of Philip is reported to have possessed a natural beauty: his hair was wavy and fair“ 
Varia Historae, 12.14

To see the debates raging about Alexander’s true appearance consult the following discussion panel (click here…) 

A very non-Nordic portrayal of Alexander is evident in the Pompei Mosaic. It is agreed by a majority of scholars that the painting is a faithful rendition of an original Hellenistic painting of the 3rd century BC. As you will witness in the painting below, this Hellenic-Roman version of Alexander is very different from the contemporary Hollywood fantasy interpretation (see images below):

Re-writing History: the historical Alexander as portrayed by the Pompei mosaic (3rd century BC)(left) and Dr. Fox’s 2004 Eurocentrist interpretation of Alexander and ancient Greeks (right). Thanks in large part to Dr. Lane’s historical advising, tno Greek actors of note were hired to portray historical Greeks. Ancient Greeks were simply “Nordified” in the movie, meaning they are portrayed as fair-complexted Northern Europeans rather than Mediterraneans and/or southern Europeans. Arab and North African extras were overwhelmingly used to portray ancient Iranians – again a result of Dr. Fox’s Eurocentirst views of the ancient world.

What the Alexander movie Alexander (under Fox’s tutelage) has demonstrated is that:

a) Historians can be biased and insist on viewing history through a narrow viewpoint

b) the role of Eurtocentricism in both academia, media and entertainment

The role of Dr. Fox is vividly highlighted in a book he wrote in 2005, one year after the release of the Alexander picture:

Title: The making of Alexander: The Official Guide to the Movie “Alexander”, Author: Robert Lane Fox, Publisher: R & L, Date: 2005, ISBN-10: 0951139215, ISBN-13: 978-0951139219

Fox’s book not only highlights the fact that he was a consultant to the movie, but that he also acted as one of the members of Alexander’s Companion cavalry.  In the strict psychological sense, Dr. Fox appears to be “acting out” his version of history. This also entails the Eurocentirst view of ancient Iran as the nebulous, Oriental, irrational, backward and untrustworthy  ”Other”.

The Pompei painting challenges the notion of Alexander being blonde. Nevertheless, a number of western scholars remain determined to push forward an image of Alexander that may be false. There are scholars who are actually convinced that the Pompei mosaic is proof of Alexander’s Nordic blondeness!

Even in allowing for poor reproductions, the mosaic clearly shows a ‘brown’ haired person with a Mediterranean or modern Iranian profile. Many Greek and Iranian people today have auburn-brown hair, which can appear to be somewhat “blonde” in sunlight.

Not fitting into Dr. Fox’s “audience expectations”: Iranian actor Mohammad Reza Golzar who is virtually unknown in mainstream Hollywood.  Iranian actors as well as Arabs from countries such as Lebanon, Syria etc. who appear Caucasian are often discriminated against in Hollywood as they do not fit the so-called “Middle East stereotype”.

The point from the Greek perspective however, is not simply whether Alexander was blonde or not. After all, the Dorian Greeks were blonde as a rule, just as the Indo-European settlers of ancient Iran were as well. The issue is that of using the notion of blondeness to project a specifically non-Greek Nordic west European image. Irrespective of whether Alexander was blonde or not, he represented the culture of ancient Greece, which is not necessarily the same as that of modern Western Europe.

Ancient Greece and Rome, as we will note again further below, were Mediterranean empires, very different from the inhabitants of interior and northern Europe. The peoples of western and eastern Europe were very different from the Classical Greeks in culture, language and temperament. To obtain an introduction to the history of the northern Europeans, you may wish to read:

D. Rankin. Celts and the Classical World. London: Routledge, 1996. ISBN: 0-415-15090-6
A. Ferrill. The Fall of the Roman Empire: The Military Explanation. Thames & Hudson, 1986. ISBN: 0500274959

The “Europeans” adopted a great deal of their civilization and identity from the Greeks and the Romans. Even the name “Europe” is derived from the ancient Greek term “Oropia”. It may not be an exaggeration to state the following: with their adoption of Greco-Roman culture, west European scholars in particular, have essentially affected a “Nordic makeover” of the ancient Greeks and Romans. 

As Western culture has adopted the mantle of ancient Greece, it has also adopted Alexander as its own son; to the point that Alexander and ancient Greece are viewed as identical with ancient Western Europe and Scandinavia.

The Nordicising of favourite historical figures does not end with Alexander. Jesus Christ, is frequently portrayed as a slightly built, tall blonde Nordic man. Jesus or Jeshua, was a Jew from West Asia who spoke Aramaic. It is now acknowledged by a number of researchers that much of what we accept as the “appearance” of Jesus is not altogether accurate. Jesus would most likely have resembled a modern Fertile Crescent Arab or Jew from places such as Jerusalem, Amman, Hebron, Damascus or Basra. Scientists have recently reconstructed the image of Christ as he would have most likely appeared in his lifetime in ancient Palestine and Judea (see photo below):

The reconstruction that you witnessed above is very different from the icons we are used to seeing in the churches and Christian arts of Northwestern Europe. How many images have you seen in North American or Western European churches that show the Aramaic Christ?

It would seen that, like Alexander, the “real image” of Jesus has shifted in accordance with politics, ideology, dogma and popular culture over the centuries. Interestingly, many cultures across the world today interpret Jesus’ physical appearance in accordance with their own anthropomorphic image (for more on this click here…)

It appears that Hollywood has successfully associated a certain physical appearance with modernity, progress, success and rationalism. By implication, that which is not of that “certain look” is in danger of being associated with all that is the antithesis of that. With this logic, historical reality is bent to fit a manufactured reality: a fantasy.

(4) Greek or Macedonian?

This movie contains a number of concerns to Greeks in particular, such as Macedonia being “different” from the rest of Greece, a very contested issue in the Balkans these days. Although not generally reported, the government of Greece, which had originally supported the Alexander picture, withdrew its funding and support for Oliver Stone’s project (for more on this click here…)

There was to have been co-operation between Stone and the Greek government, but this was apparently changed when the details of the script became known (see also (5) below).

To be honest, I was left confused as to whether the Macedonians were Greek or not. This may be an attempt to placate those who view Macedonia as “different” from Greece, not unlike those who try to argue that Kurds and Azerbaijanis are unrelated to Iranians.

The Greeks, like the Iranians today, are now confronted with having to defend their historical heritage against those who have territorial claims against their nation. The Oliver Stone picture, in my opinion, does not clearly define Macedonians as Greeks.

In addition to these concerns, many Greeks are offended by the bisexual portrayal of Alexander. There were rumors in 2004 that many Greek associations had plans to sue Oliver Stone.

Again, ancient Greek terminology and its translations by western scholars may have played a role in the “bisexual” interpretation of Alexander. We have already seen how the term “Xanthenein” has been stretched to paint a “Scandinavian” Alexander.

(5) The Portrayal of Roxanna and the Perpetuation of the “Hollywood Persian”

Many iranians have found the portrayal of Roxanna insulting. This portrayal has again been defined by the aforementioned Professor Fox, whose portrayal of Roxanna indicates a lack of knowledge of Iran’s anthropological history.

The portrayal of ancient Iranians is outright comical, if not insulting. The inaccurate Hollywood portrayal of Iranians is exemplified by the selection of Rosario Dawson:

Dr. Robin Fox’s Roxanna: Rosario Dawson 

Rosario Dawson is a very talented, beautiful and intelligent Peurto-Rican actress, who was cast to star as Roxanna, an ancient Iranian queen from Soghdia-Bactria.

Roxanna however, was not black or Hispanic in appearance, anymore than Alexander was Scandinavian. Having Rosario Dawson portrayed as Roxanna makes as much sense as having Lucy Liu, an Asian-American, portraying Queen Victoria of Great Britain.

The term Roxanna is derived from Old Iranian “Rokh-shwan” or “face (Ruksh) – fair skinned-shiny (shwan)”. Roxanna was related to a North Iranian tribe known later as the Sarmatians, the remnants who survive in the Caucasus and Russia as the Ossetians (ancient Alans or Ard-Alans).

North Iranian girl from Rasht. Photograph taken in 1971 by Ali Massoudi of a girl from Rasht in Gilan province, Northern Iran (Source: R. Tarverdi (Editor) & A. Massoudi (Art editor), The land of Kings, Tehran: Rahnama Publications, 1971, p.116). Note that Roxanna is derived from Old Iranian “Rokh-shwan” or “face (Ruksh) – fair skinned-shiny (shwan)”.

Roman sources such as Pliny repeatedly describe ancient North Iranian peoples such as the Alans and Seres as “…flaxen (blonde) haired blue eyed nomads…” (see Wilcox, p.19). Rosario Dawson does not fit the description of an ancient Iranian woman, especially from Northern Iranian stock. The Ossetians of today, descendants of ancient Northern Iranians, predominantly resemble northern Iranians and Europeans and speak an archaic Iranian language (like the Avesta of the Zoroastrians). Blondism is very common among these descendants of ancient North Iranians in cities such as Beslan and Vladikafkaz. It can be argued that Roxanna was a brunette, however, she was of Northern Iranian stock, which would still make her very different from actress Rosario Dawson.

There are plenty of talented actresses of Iranian descent in North America alone that would well fit the historical Roxanna. Oliver Stone could have just as easily selected an Iranian actress, however he relied on the historical “expertise” of Professor Fox. The question that can be addressed to Professor Fox is this: what makes Rosario Dawson so representative of Iranian women and Roxanna in particular? Is the Professor aware of the anthropology and history of ancient Iran as it was at 333 BC?

More puzzling is the design of Roxanna’s costume in the movie. Note the photo showing the marriage of Alexander to Roxanna. Roxanna appears to wear a Burka-like veil constructed of strips of metallic mesh in which the face is partly hidden. See the photo

Fox’s personal view of ancient Iranian women. Note how Fox has placed a strange metal-strip-like face guard on Roxanna, almost identical to the clothes the modern-day Taliban or the Wahhabis impose on women. It is not clear how Fox is making the jump between the present, the post-Classical and Medieval Islamic era and ancient times. One possible explanation is that Fox’s choice of costume for Roxanna is propelled by Eurocentrist views. 

The headgear is partly correct if we base the costume on the Saka Paradraya Iranian speaking tribes of the present-day Ukraine (8-4th centuries BC). The decorations on the headgear are simply wrong and Iranian queens did not wear face masks of any type. For a discussion of the Saka Paradrya, known in the west as Scythians, consult:

Author: E.V. Cernenko, Title:  The Scythians 700-300 BC, Publisher: OspreyPublishing, Date: 1989, ISBN: 0850454786

See colour plate F from the above book shown below:

A reconstruction by Cernenko and Gorelik of the north-Iranian Saka or Scythians in battle (Cernenko & Gorelik, 1989, Plate F). The ancient Iranians (those in ancient Persia and the ones in ancient Eastern Europe) often had women warriors and chieftains, a practice not unlike those of the contemporary ancient Celts in ancient Central and Western Europe. What is also notable is the costume of the Iranian female warrior – this type of dress continues to appear in parts of Luristan in Western Iran.  it is clear that Dr. Fox has simply invented his own version of ancient Iranian female dress.

Once you have consulted Professor’s Cernenko’s book, it will be evident how flawed the costume design is, not to mention the colors. None of the reconstructions by Professor Gorelik, which Cernenko has consulted, show any type of face masks for ancient Iranian women. Ancient Iranian women, who were found in military, religious and political leadership roles, simply did not wear such attire during courtship, marriage or everyday duties. Already as noted before, Fox has chosen to be extremely selective as to his “vision” of Iranian women – note the picture of the Iranian woman from Luristan, a region with a strong Scythian (North Iranian) heritage:

Iranian woman from the Luristan region of Western Iran. Lur women were known for their combat and equestrian skills well up to the post-Islamic times  of Karim Khan Zand.

It is not clear why Professor Fox has chosen a Burka-like face mask for Roxanna at Alexander’s wedding. Variants of this face mask are present in Afghanistan today, mainly the result of former Taliban rule and very conservative Pashtoon tribal society, which very strongly identifies itself with the culture of ancient Arabia.

Perhaps even more disturbing is Fox’s Eurocentrist portrayal of Iranian women as passive pawns in society – historically and culturally this is pure myth. Readers are invited to witness the picture below: 

Iranian women from Malayer (near Hamedan in the northwest) engaged in target practice in the Malayer city limits in the late 1950s.  The association between weapons and women is nothing new in Iran; Roman references for example note of Iranian women armed as regular troops in the armies of the Sassanians (224-651 AD). Western media and Eurocentrist academics have worked hard to block such images from appearing in mainstream Western culture.

Even more interesting is the “Arabian Nights” portrayal of an Achaemenid harem. Harems certainly existed in Persia and the later Roman and Byzantine courts, however the specifically “Arabian” appearance accorded to the Achaemenids is simply consistent with the Hollywood tradition of portraying Iranians as Arabs.

Iranian acresses Saye Yabandeh who was a winner at the 11th Annual Beverly Hills Film Festival of 2011(left) and Nazanin Afshin-Jam (right) an international model and actress, 2003 Miss World Canada winner and ranked second in Miss World contest in 2003. Despite the large pool of highly intelligent, educated and talented Iranian actresses , Hollywood often discriminates against these, especially when producing “historical” or “true story” pictures related to Iran and/or Iranians.  

For more on the Iranian women in history and culture consult:

• Women of Persia

Interestingly, the movie portrays the “Persians” with Arabian styles of music and dance. This portrayal is not based on factual information; it is a Hollywood portrayal. From the scant evidence that exists, we do know that one of the Persian styles of dance strongly resembled the dances of the Kurds of today; a style also seen in western Turkey, Greece and the Balkans. As for music, we have no notes or scales from that period, and “Arab music” as we know it today simply did not exist at that time; it is a much later creation. Arabian music can trace its beginnings to the Bedouin tribes of Arabia – it later borrowing heavily of Sassanian and Greek scales (after the 7th century AD).

These errors are enough to question the historical accuracy of the Alexander picture. It seems that when it comes to Iranians and their identity, history is easily “re-written” for the benefit of popular entertainment.

As Professor Fox has duly noted in an interview interview with Archeology Today, the movie “could not totally depart from audiences’ expectations“. The “audience” (as defined by Fox) undoubtedly has “expectations” as to what Iranians “should” look like.

For a good introduction into the Indo-European arrivals into ancient Iran, you may wish to refer to:

Author: J.P. Mallory, Title: In Search of the Indo-Europeans: Language, Archeology and Myth, Publisher: London: Thames & Hudson, Date: 1989., ISBN: 0-500-27616-1

Read from the above Mallory book, pages: 9-23, 48-56, 78, 266-272. Related to this topic:

• Dr. Oric Basirov: Origin of Pre-Imperial Iranian Peoples

For color reconstructions of ancient Iranians see: 

Author: Peter Wilcox, Title: Rome’s Enemies (3): Parthians and Sassanid Persians, Publisher: OspreyPublishing, Date: 1986, ISBN: 0850456886 

Read also the book below:

Author: T. Newark,  Title: The Barbarians: warriors and Wars of the Dark Ages, Publisher: Concord Publications Company, Date: 1998, ISBN: 9623616341 

From the above book see Page 7 (the Saka – ancestors of today’s Lurs and Seistanis) and 30 (ancestors of the Ard-Alan). 

Iran today is very much a genetic tapestry that includes blondism in Northern and Western Iran (e.g. Parsabad, or Talysh), as well as among Iranian peoples such as Lurs, Azeris, Mazandaranis, Kurds and Boyer-Ahmadis. Iran is also home to Arabians in Khuzistan and the Persian Gulf coast, Asiatic Turcomens in the Northeast, as well as the Baluchis near Pakistan, who have a strong Elamo-Dravidian admixture. You may wish to read the very thorough and precise compendium of Iranian peoples today below:

Title: The Archaeology of Western Iran: Settlement and Society from Prehistory to the Islamic Conquest , Editor: F. Hole, Publisher: Washington, D.C. Smithsonian Institution Press, Date: 1987, ISBN: 0874745268 

See also the below volume:

Title:  The Cambridge History of Iran: Volume 1, The Land of Iran, Editor: W. B. Fisher, Publisher: Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Date: 2004, ISBN: 0521069351 

These books (especially the Cambridge History of Iran series) will provide a more informed and less misleading analysis of Iran’s anthropological history than that shown in the Alexander movie.

As seen in this commentary, Hollywood portrayals of Iranians are in stark contrast to reality. Greek and Roman references to classical Iranians do not refer to them as different in the “physical” sense; differences lay mainly in manner of government, philosophy and to a lesser extent, mythology. The Azadan nobility of the Parthian and Sassanian Savaran (elite cavalry), more than 500 years later than Alexander, are described by Peter Wilcox as “…very similar to the Celts…strikingly similar to Northwest Europeans…” (p.6). There are still many short stories in Southern Italy today which accurately portray the temperament and appearance of the Persians as they would have appeared in antiquity.

Concluding Notes

Despite the powerful historical revisionism of a number of mainly northwest European historians such as Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) or the aforementioned Fallmerayer, the Greco-Roman world and Persia have profoundly influenced each other in areas such as architecture, the arts and crafts, the sciences and medicine, mythology, military and engineering technologies.

While true that one can find a number of anti-Persian references in Greco-Roman sources, these were in the context of wars that broke out between these powers. A perfect example of this is how the movie explicitly shows Aristotle deriding the Persians as inferior to the Greeks. Modern Greeks place this in context and see Aristotle as expressing the political climate of his day. Iranians are very well liked and respected in Greece and are seen as the heirs of a great civilization. Alexander himself came to greatly appreciate the Iranians and their culture. It is a shame that the movie did not show Alexander as paying homage to the tomb of Cyrus the Great.

As noted previously, numbers of Greco-Roman historians were prepared to acknowledge and highly praise the Persians (e.g. Xenophon, Plutarch, etc.). Today’s popular culture, education systems and movie entertainment industries in particular, seem to be providing a very selective and distorted view of Persia with respect to antiquity. Many are simply not aware (or wish not be aware) of Persia’s importance and status in antiquity let alone her major contributions to world civilization.

Ancient Greeks, Romans and Persians had much more in common with each other than with the relatively unsophisticated Celtic and Germanic peoples who were roaming the Northern European forests. For an incisive discussion of these little discussed topics consult:

Title: Calabria, L’enigma Delle Arti Asittite: Nella Calabria Ultramediterranea, Author: Nik Spatari, Publisher: Italy: MUSABA, Date: 2003, ISBN: 8887935300

The above book by Spatari has not been translated from Italian to English. Still an excellent read, especially with the illustrations. See also:

Title: In Search of Zarathustra: The First prophet and the Ideas that Changed the World, Author: Paul Kriwaczek, Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Date: 2003, ISBN: 0297646222 

 It would be interesting to see blockbuster movies of Shapur I (241-272) who defeated three Roman emperors in his lifetime and destroyed a third of Rome’s armies. Even more dramatic would be to see movies made of the life and times of figures such as Zarathustra, Cyrus the Great, Darius the Great, General Shahrbaraz, Mani, Mazdak, Babak, Abu Ali Sina, Omar Khayyam, Shah Ismail and Nader Shah.

In 2005 a six-chapter on-line book by Kaveh Farrokh was posted in the Rozaneh on-line journal entitled:

Pan-Turanism takes aim at Azarbaijan(2005)

The book, originally intended for a general audience (laypersons and academics), ‘was essentially a descriptions of pan-Turkism and the dangers this ideology now poses in the international arena.

The publication was later posted at UN Association in Geneva. Despite being an on-line publication, the item has been cited in some academic venues.

There has also been peer-review of this book in Persian by Reza Saberi entitled: 

Review of Kaveh Farrokh Pan-Turanism Takes Aim at Azerbaijan-The Persian Book Review: A Quarterly on Arts and Literature, Winter 2005-2006, Volume XV Number 46, pages 89-95 (pdf). See also Reza Saberi’s most recent review in Persian posted in the Iranboom site: -معرفی کتاب پان‌تورانیسم آذربایجان را هدف می‌گیرد-

Nevertheless, the book’s contents (notably Chapters 1-5) are now somewhat dated as it was posted six years ago. However the final chapter of that book (Chapter 6) continues to bear relevance to the present – click on the “READ  MORE” item in the paragraph housed below the following map: 

Ralph Peters’ version of the Bernard Lewis Plan (Professor Bernard Lewis in inset). The above is a “revised” map of Iran and the Middle East as proposed by Ralph Peters (source: Peters, R. 2006. Blood Borders: How a better Middle East would Look. Armed Forces Journal, June Issue). Note that the Republic of Azarbaijan has absorbed Iran’s Azarbaijan province, a Greater Kurdistan has absorbed Iran’s Kurdish and Luri regions, Iran’s Khuzistan province has become joined to a southern Iraqi Arab state, Iran’s southeast is joined to a Greater Baluchistan. Interestingly, Peters has “compensated” Iran by “granting” it the city of Herat, which was in fact a part of historical Iran until its official detachment from the country by the British Empire in the late 1850s. Professor Lewis, who is a veritable world-class expert on the Middle East, has recently denied any associations with this plan but recent publications such as those by William Engdahl dispute this. READ MORE…

As shown in Chapter 6 of the item (click on the READ MORE above), geopolitical lobbies endeavor to promote the Lewis-Peters project by promoting pan-Turkism in Iran (also other “-isms” such as pan-Baluchism, pan-Kurdism, pan-Arabism, etc.)

Robert Olsen’s book has provided details on plans to dismember Iran and has also highlighted how pan-Turkism is being used in this process. (See review of this book by Mainuddin, Rolin. Journal of Third World Studies, Spring 2005, Vol. 22 Issue 1, p287-289 (pdf). To consult this book click here).

Chapter 6 of the Farrokh text on the dangers of pan-Turkism (2005) also notes of the role of Western activists such as Ruel Gerecht (see below):

A Racist man: Reuel Marc Gerecht of  the American Enterprise Institute is on record for having said “The Iranians …have terrorism in their DNA”.  The same Mr. Gerecht has been significantly prominent in trying to stir ethnic tensions in Iran. Gerecht’s role in attempting to foster ethno-separatist sentiments in Iranian Azarbaijan have been noted in the Asia Times article “Stirring the Ethnic Pot”  by Jason Athanasiadis (April 29, 2005).

With the exception of Chapter 6,, the other chapters of the 2005 on-line text by Farrokh is somewhat dated; Readers are encouraged to consult the contents laden in the following link on Kavehfarrokh.com:

Pan-Turkism

Below are some pictures and highlights from the above link…

Pan-Turks burning Persian language books in Tabriz (December 19, 2006) (left) and Nazi fascists (note Brown Shirt member of the SA)  burning ”un-German” books in Berlin’s Opernplatz on May 10, 1933 (right). Racist ideology resorts to censorship, revisionism, propaganda and even violence in an endeavor to re-write history.  Interestingly, Western lobbies, including Human Rights organizations, have remained silent with respect to the overt racialism, Persophobia and violent nature of pan-Turkism. READ MORE…

Count Helmuth Von Moltke (1800-1891) who was the first to suggest to the Ottoman Turks that they turn their gaze “to Asia” – meaning Iran and Russia. The Count was encouraging the Ottoman Turks to conquer Iran and the Turkic-speaking regions of Russia. READ MORE…

Ottoman officers in the Caucasus. After Russia’s collapse in 1917, they fought to implement the plan for a pan-Turkic super state that would join the Caucasus and northern Iran to Turkey. The scheme failed in northern Iran as the Iranian Azarbaijanis rejected both the Ottomans and the pro-Ottoman Musavats of Baku. Iranian Azarbaijanis such as Sheikh Mohammad Khiyabani protested against the Musavat’s use of the name “Azerbaijan” for their newly founded republic. READ MORE…

Reconstruction of Russian officers in Berlin in 1945 [left] and the Soviet-controlled “Azerbaijan Feda-iyan” [right] – note Gholam Yahya Daneshiyan standing at the right. The similarity of the uniforms of Pishevari’s troops with those of his Soviet supporters are striking. Despite the photo’s poor quality, Daneshiyan’s uniform is that of a Junior Lieutenant of the Russian Red Army; the two men standing next to him wear the uniforms and caps of Soviet NKVD officers (Red Army political/intelligence officers). The Red Army was the main force behind Pishevari’s puppet regime. READ MORE…

Falsifying history: Dr. Brenda Shaffer who has relied on Soviet-era propaganda and pan-Turkist writings to present a false history of the Caucasus and Azarbaijan. Dr. Touraj Atabaki (of Iranian Azarbaijani origin) has reviewed Shaffer’s book “Borders and Brethren: Iran and the Challenge of Azerbaijani Identity” and  noted  “Within the first two chapters, however, the reader becomes disappointed with the unbalanced and sometimes even biased political appraisal which not only dominates the author’s methodology but also shapes her selective amnesia in recalling historical data… shortcomings in Shaffer’s study are vivid, both in regard to methodology and the data she offers us…”   See more of Dr. Atabaki’s review here (Touraj Atabaki’s review in Slavic Review, 63:1 (2004) (pdf) … see also Evan Siegal’s review in Iranian Studies, Volume 37, Issue 1 March 2004 , pages 140 – 143 (pdf) see longer version of Siegal’s review (click here)…

The Baku regime’s pan-Turkist propaganda mouthpiece: Mr. Ahmad Obali as he appears in his study (picture source: Modern.Az). Interestingly, Mr. Obali is often touted as an ‘expert” in cultural, linguistic, and historical affairs by the Baku establishment, but in reality his main profession is in the restaurant business – he has faced legal troubles due to his sales of alcohol to children in Chicago (see the following document in pdf). Despite these controversies, Mr. Obali is also actively courted by Western officials as a “Human Rights” activist. READ MORE…

Under the section for “Iranuians’ Achievements” there is an article entitled “Iranians & Sci-Tech Achievements“.

====================================================================

UNESCO to Award 4 Iranian Scientists

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will award four Iranian scientists for outstanding contribution.

The four Iranian scientists have earned their prestigious own spot on the list of Islamic World’s top scholars, which is now being recognized by UNESCO as well, ISNA reported.

The Islamic World Scientists’ Network in conjunction with Iran’s national Biophysics and Biochemistry Association will be offering the prizes to the four senior Iranian experimental science researchers.

The awardees include Dr. Abbas Shafiee, Tehran University Pharmacology and Medical Sciences Professor, Dr. Mojtaba Shamsipour Professor of Chemistry in Razi University, Dr. Mohsen Nemat Gorgani, Tehran University Professor of Biochemistry, and Dr. Ali Akbar Sabouri Professor in Biophysics for Tehran University.

The award ceremony is slated for Saturday (August 27th) and will be held in the presence of the UNESCO National Commission Director General.

Iran’s scientific output rose 18-fold between 1996 and 2008, from 736 published papers to 13,238, making it, as argued by the “New Scientist” journal, as exhibiting the fastest rate of scientific publication increase in the world.

Iranian Researcher: Micro Oxygen Generators Fight Cancer Faster

A tiny oxygen generating device could help kill cancer tissues faster by increasing the influence of radiation and chemotherapy, says a new research.

The device, if implanted in tumours, could shrink them much faster, Purdue University researchers say.

Solid tumours are hypoxic at the core, meaning that they have low oxygen levels, which renders the fight against cancer even more difficult.

“Radiation therapy needs oxygen to be effective,” said Babak Ziaie, professor of electrical, computer and biomedical engineering, the journal Transactions on Biomedical Engineering reports.

“So the hypoxic areas are hard to kill. Pancreatic and cervical cancers are notoriously hypoxic. If you generate oxygen, you can increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy and also chemotherapy,” said Ziaie, who led the study.

The new “implantable micro oxygen generator” receives ultrasound signals… to generate a small voltage to separate oxygen and hydrogen from water, according to a University statement.

“We are putting these devices inside tumours and then exposing the tumours to ultrasound,” Ziaie said.

The ultrasound energy powers the device.

Researchers have tested the device in pancreatic tumours by implanting it in mice. The device generated oxygen and shrank tumours faster. They are slightly less than one cm long. They were created at the Birck Nanotechnology Center at the University’s Discovery Park.

Iranian Elite Ranks Top in the World Optometry Exam

Iranian optometrist Mehran Zarei Ghanavati was celebrated the best eye specialist in the world exam of the International Council for Optometry.

He has passed successfully the exam special for optometrist and received the “Dr. Piter Vatson” reward — six thousand dollars.

The council also awarded him special scholarship to go ahead with his studies.

The first such exam started in 1995 and all eye specialists of the world simultaneously and equally partake the exam every year.

The International Council of Optometry (ICO) is an international optometric organization representing 250,000 optometrists from 96 member organizations in 65 countries.

This year over two thousand of optometrists from 111 eye clinics of the world participated the exam which was held in 65 countries of the world.

The Iranian elite previously ranked top in the Iranian Matrix, exams for the Universities of medical sciences and the pre-internships exam.

He also ranked second in optometrists board exams and first in fellowship cornea exam.

Iran Ranks First in Scientific Growth

Iran’s Deputy Minister of Science, Research and Technology Mohammad Mehdinejad Nouri says the country has the fastest scientific growth in the world.

“Over the past 30 years, Iran has ranked first in the world, with the eleven-fold increase in science growth,” said Mehdinejad Nouri.

He referred to statistics provided by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) and pointed out that Iran has produced 12,000 articles in science and research during the first half of 2011, which has gained the country the 21st place in the world in terms of research articles contribution.

The senior official at the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology further pointed out that the number of university students in Iran has almost doubled over the past years.

Mehdinejad Nouri noted that Iran has localized 80 percent of communications and information technologies and also doubled its progress in areas of aerospace, stem cell researches, nuclear, aircraft designs, oil and gas, and biological and chemical engineering.

In March, a report released by UK’s Royal Society said Iran is the fastest growing country in terms of numbers of scientific publications in the world.

The report stated that Iran has had the fastest rate of increase in scientific publication in the world and its scientific output rose 18-fold between 1996 and 2008, from 736 published papers to 13,238.

The United States is still the world’s scientific leader in authorship of scientific research papers, but its share of global authorship has fallen to 21 percent from 26 percent, the report added.

China followed with a share of authorship rising to 10.2 percent from 4.4 percent, with Britain ranking third with a slight decrease in its share from 7.1 percent to 6.5 percent.

Turkey dramatically improved its scientific performance, at a close rate to China, with R&D spending increasing nearly six-fold between 1995 and 2007.

The report also indicated that China is overtaking ‘scientific superpowers,’ in the conduct and impact of science, and its ability to tackle global problems.

According to the report, despite the strained political relations between Iran and the US, the number of collaborative papers between scientists of the two countries rose almost fivefold from 388 to 1831 over the same period.

The report said emerging nations such as Brazil and India are rising above scientific leaders like the United States, Europe and Japan, while Iran, Tunisia and Turkey have entered the league of rapidly emerging scientific nations.

Iranians Win 6 Math Olympiad Medals

Iranian high school students were ranked 10th in the 52nd International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, during July 16-24.

Mohsen Jamali, the head of Young Scholars Club (YSC), said the Iranian students won two gold and four silver medals in the competition, ISNA reported.

Mojtaba Shokrian from Isfahan and Mina Dalir-Rouy from Tehran bagged gold medals and Mohammad Pedramfar from Rasht, Erfan Tavakkoli from Amol, Sahand Seif-Nashri and Alireza Fallah from Tehran bagged silver medals.

The competition opened with the participation of more than 560 contestants from 101 countries. The Iranian team had won 4 silver and 2 bronze medals in the previous round of the competition.

“The IMO is the largest and oldest Olympiad for sciences and we will have the honor of receiving around 600 incredibly talented young mathematicians from across the globe,” said Netherlands’ Education, Culture and Science Minister Marja van Bijsterveld before the competition.

The IMO is the top international competition held for high school students. The first IMO was hosted in 1959 by Romania.

With about half of the world’s countries and regions participating in recent years, it has become not only a mathematical competition for young people on the highest level, but also a great moment for international communication.

Iran Ranks 13 in Computer Olympiad

Iran’s national computer team has achieved the 13th place in the world computer Olympiad, which was held in Pattaya, Thailand.

Members of the Iranian national computer team have managed to win three silver and one bronze medals in the 23rd International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) this year, where 82 countries participated, Fars News Agency reported .

Seyyed Mehran Kholdi, Kasra Edalatnejad Khameneh, and Sajjad Jalali took silver medals and Mohammad-Reza Kasnavi won the bronze medal of the international competition which started on July 22 and ended on July 29.

The Olympiad is led by the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology (IPST).

Iran’s Deputy Minister of Science, Research and Technology Mohammad Mehdinejad Nouri announced the country has the fastest scientific growth in the world.

He referred to statistics provided by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) and pointed out that Iran has produced 12,000 articles in science and research during the first half of 2011, which has won the country the 21st place in the world in terms of research article contribution.

Iran Ranks 4th in Int’l Chemistry Olympiad

The Islamic Republic of Iran National Chemistry Olympiad Team, attending the 43rd Global Chemistry Olympiad in Turkey, gained two gold, a silver, and a bronze medal, ranking 4th across the globe.

According to Mehr news agency 273 students from 76 countries took part in the Global chemistry Olympiad in Turkey.

In regard to points gained throughout the Global Chemistry Olympiad, China and South Korea jointly hold the first spot, with Russia and the US respectively holding the 2nd and 3rd spots. Meanwhile, Iran in the company of Czech Republic, France, and India, jointly hold the 4th spot.

The 43rd International Chemistry Olympiad was held in Ankara, Turkey, as of July 9-18.

Iranians Bag 9 Olympiad Medals

Iran won five medals at the 42nd International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) and four medals at the 22nd International Biology Olympiad.

Mohsen Jamali, the head of Young Scholars Club (YSC), said Iran’s team at the 42nd International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) in Bangkok, Thailand, comprised Mehrdad Khani Shirkouhi from Karaj, Pouria Qajari, Masoud Mohammadi and Nima Mousavi from Tehran, and Alireza Kamalipour from Shiraz, ISNA reported.

Iran’s team won five silver medals to rank 10th among 85 countries.

Some 480 students attended the competition, which was held during July 10-18.

Students from Taiwan and China ranked first and second, respectively.

The organization of the 42nd IPhO in 2011 was previously entrusted to Belgium.

However, in 2010, Belgium’s organizers formally informed the IPhO Secretariat their decision to withdraw from organizing the Olympiad due to a substantial shortfall in funding.

After active efforts of the IPhO Secretariat, Thailand agreed to organize the event.

Iran won two silver and two bronze medals at the 22nd International Biology Olympiad held at Taipei, Taiwan, from July 7-17.

Mohsen Jamali said Iran’s team comprised Mahsima Shabani, Mehrdad Goshayeshi, Ali Vafaei and Ahmad Vafaeian, adding that Iran’s team will return home on July 20.

The Olympiad is the biggest international competition of secondary school students held for promoting different branches of studies by connecting young people from all over the world, giving them the opportunity to exchange experiences, forge new friendships and collaborations in the scientific community and ensure a bright future for the development of physics.

Iran Beats US In RoboCup Contest

Iran beats Japan and US in the international RoboCup competition held in Istanbul, Turkey.

In the first soccer match of Iran, MRL team from Qazvin Open University beat Japanese Hibikino Musashai in middle-sized robots 7-0, ISNA reported.

This is while in the small-sized robots’ soccer match, the Iranian team headed for the second round when it beat US Georgia Tech team 3-0.

The achievement is more valuable in view of the fact that some parts of these robots are among the items sanctioned by the US.

Some 40 teams are representing Iran in 14 leagues of this competition.

The small-sized robot, or F180, focuses on the problem of intelligent multi-agent cooperation and control in a highly dynamic environment with a hybrid centralized/distributed system.

A small-sized robot soccer game takes place between two teams of five robots each. Each robot must conform to the dimensions specified in the F180 rules: The robot must fit within an 180 mm diameter circle and must be no higher than 15cm. The robots play soccer with an orange golf ball on a green carpeted field that is 6.05 meters long and 4.05 meters wide.

More than 200 teams from 57 countries are participating in the competition that is held in three steps in different leagues, including RoboCup Soccer, RoboCup Rescue, RoboCup Junior and RoboCup@home.

Iranian Researchers Produce Nanovaccine for Leishmaniasis

Researchers at Tabriz University of Medical Science have produced Nanovaccine for Leishmaniasis.

Dr. Mohammad Ali Danesh, who led the research, said leishmaniasis is a protozoan disease, affecting 12 million people in different regions of the world with a wide spectrum of diseases, ISNA reported.

“Although several chemotherapeutic agents have been used for treating the disease, long-term therapy, limited efficacy and the development of drug-resistant parasites remain the major limitations,” he said.

To develop a new nanovaccine for leishmaniasis, recombinant Leishmania superoxide dismutase (SODB1) was loaded onto chitosan nanoparticles by the ionotropic gelation method.

He further said size and loading efficiency of the nanoparticles were evaluated and optimized, and an immunization study was undertaken on BALB/c mice.

“The mice received phosphate buffer saline (PBS), superoxide dismutase B1 (SODB1) in PBS and nanoparticles via subcutaneous injection,” he said.

“Soluble Leishmania Antigens (SLA) and complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) were also injected subcutaneously three times every three weeks (some groups received only a single dose),” he said, adding that three weeks after the last injection, blood samples were collected and assessed with ELISA to detect IgG2a and IgG1.

He explained that immunological analysis showed that in single and triple doses of SODB1 nanoparticles, IgG2a and IgG2a/IgG1 were significantly higher than the other groups (P<0.05).

Danesh also said the results revealed that formulations of SODB1 in biodegradable and stable chitosan nanoparticles can increase the immunogenicity toward cell-mediated immunity (TH1 cells producing IgG2a in mice) that is effective in leishmania eradication and could be presented as a single dose nanovaccine for leishmaniasis.

Detecting Metastatic Cancer Cells

Research by engineers and cancer biologists at Virginia Tech indicates that using specific silicon microdevices might provide a new way to screen breast cancer cells’ ability to metastasize.

The Virginia Tech researchers are: Masoud Agah, director of Virginia Tech’s Microelectromechanical Systems Laboratory (MEMS) in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Jeannine Strobl, a research professor in the same department; Mehdi Nikkhah of mechanical engineering and Raffaella DeVita of engineering science and mechanics and the director of the Soft Biological Systems Laboratory.

Nikkhah was Virginia Tech’s outstanding doctoral student in the College of Engineering for 2009, Eng.vt.edu reported.

Their work appeared in two journal articles they authored in the 2010 issues of Biomaterials, titled “Actions of the anti-cancer drug suberoylanilide hydroaxamic acid (SAHA) on human breast cancer cytoarchitecture in silicon microstructures,” and “The cytoskeletal organization of breast carcinoma and fibroblast cells inside three dimensional isotropic microstructures.”

Cell cytoskeleton refers to the cell’s shape and its mechanical properties, Agah explained. “Any change in the cytoskeletal structure can affect the interaction of cells with their surrounding microenvironments. Biological events in normal cells such as embryonic development, tissue growth and repair and immune responses, as well as cancer cell motility and invasiveness are dependent upon cytoskeletal reorganization,” the electrical engineer added.

Understanding how the cell interacts with the contents of its surrounding environment inside the human body, including the introduction of a drug, is a fundamental biological question. The answers have implications in cancer diagnosis and therapy, as well as tissue engineering, Agah said.

In previous experimentation by others in the field, researchers have exposed cells to mechanical, chemical and three-dimensional topographical stimuli. They recorded the cells’ various responses in terms of migration, growth and the ability to adhere. Also, in the past, researchers have created substrates of precise micro- and nano-topographical and chemical patterns to mimic in vivo microenvironments for biological and medical applications.

What distinguishes the work of Agah, a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award recipient, and his colleagues, is they developed a specific three-dimensional silicon microstructure for their work. Due to its curved isotropic surfaces, they were able to characterize and compare the growth and adhesion behavior of normal fibroblast and metastatic human breast cancer cells, they reported in Biomaterials.

“In invasive breast carcinoma, tumor cells will fill a milk duct, and the basement membrane,” they wrote. This action allows the carcinoma cells and the fibroblast cells of the breast tissue to be in close proximity, constituting “a critical pathobiological transition that leads to the progression of the disease,” Strobl said.

Using their uniquely designed three-dimensional silicon microstructure, they were able to incorporate three key cellular components found in any breast tumor microenvironment. Additionally, they were able to determine the detailed interaction of the cells within this environment, including the normal breast cells, the metastatic breast cancer cells, and the fibroblast cells.

Their understanding of the behavior of the cells within the microstructures is what leads them to believe their research could “provide important diagnostic and prognostic markers unique to the tumor, which could ultimately be used to develop new tools for the detection and treatment of cancer”.

Following their initial findings, Strobl, Nikkhah and Agah identified a unique application of the experimental anti-cancer drug SAHA in their studies with the silicon microstructure. SAHA, also known as Vorinostat, is the first drug of its type to receive Food and Drug Administration approval for clinical use in cancer treatment.

Unlike many of the conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy agents that target DNA to kill cancer cells, SAHA’s unique properties include its ability to inhibit a family of enzymes referred to medically as “histone deacetylases”. These enzymes are known to “increase levels of acetylation of many proteins, including beta-actin, alpha-, and beta-tubulin, and additional actin binding proteins comprising the cytoskeleton.

“The role of drugs such as SAHA in the control of cancer cell metastasis is only beginning to be understood,” explained Strobl,. “However, our work shows that SAHA elicits a very characteristic cytoskeletal alteration specifically in metastatic breast cells that provides a handle for predicting which breast cells in a cell mixture might have the ability to metastasize.”

Cell motility is “one hallmark of metastatic cancer cells involving the coordinated actions of actin and other cytoskeleton proteins”, Agah explained.

When metastatic disease develops, it is usually fatal.

They found SAHA caused cancer cells to stretch and attach to the microstructures through actin-rich cell extensions. By contrast, control cells conformed to the microstructures.

This result allowed them to “conclude that isotropically etched silicon microstructures comprise microenvironments that discriminate metastatic mammary cancer cells in which cytoskeletal elements reorganized in response to the anti-cancer agent SAHA”.

The Virginia Tech work in this area “is the first to address the use of microdevices to study this emerging class of anti-cancer agents”, Agah said.

Iran-Born Researcher Develops a Warning System For Bridge Dangers

While newer ‘smart’ bridges have embedded wired networks of sensors to monitor their structural integrity, the high cost of installing such systems on existing bridges is simply unaffordable for strained city, state and federal budgets.

According to a 2009 estimate by the US Society of Civil Engineers, more than one in four US bridges are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, Gizmag said.

Now University of Maryland electrical engineering researcher, Iran-born Mehdi Kalantari, has developed a tiny wireless sensor that monitors and transmits minute-by-minute data on a bridge’s structural integrity that he estimates is one-hundredth the cost of a wired network approach.

The wireless sensors, which Kalantari is marketing under the name SenSpot, measure all the variables reflecting the structural integrity of bridges that conventional wired systems do, such as strain, vibration, tilt, acceleration, deformation and cracking.

The sensors themselves are less than five millimeters thick and are comprised of four thin, flexible layers. The first senses and measures structural parameters; the second stores energy; the third transmits data to central computer for analysis; and the outer layer harvests energy from ambient light and radio waves.

While serious problems would quickly trigger an alarm, more subtle early-stage problems may take up to a few days until the system is confident enough to report a structural integrity issue.

Kalantari says the sensors are rugged and, because they are self-adhesive, require no potentially damaging drilling into the bridge structure. “They should last at least a decade with practically no maintenance required. As they harvest energy from ambient light and radio waves, they don’t require any wires, batteries or dedicated external power source,” he said.

With each unit costing about US$20, the total cost for an average-sized highway bridge needing about 500 sensors would be about $10,000.

“If this kind of technology had been available in Minnesota four years ago, there’s a good chance the fatal bridge collapse could have been avoided,” Kalantari says, referring to the August 1, 2007 bridge collapse along Minneapolis I-35W that killed 13 and injured 145. “This new approach makes preventive maintenance affordable–even at a time when budgets are tight. Officials will be able to catch problems early and will have weeks or month to fix a problem.”

In conjunction with the Maryland Department of Transportation, Kalantari has been testing the sensors by measuring the structural parameters of highway bridges in a real setting for almost a year. He says this has allowed him to optimize the device’s performance and energy consumption with the updated model smaller and 10 times more energy efficient than its predecessor. The field testing has also allowed him to track the bridges’ response to changes in weather conditions and traffic.

To commercialize his technology, Kalantari founded Resensys LLC through the University of Maryland’s Technology Advancement Program incubator. He expects to scale up production of the sensors in September this year.

Dr. Kalantari received his BSc and MSc degrees in electrical engineering from Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, in 1996 and 1998, respectively. After gaining several years of industry experience in control and communication systems during 1996-2000, he started his PhD studies in electrical and computer engineering at UMD in 2000.After receiving his PhD in 2005, he has worked there as an assistant research scientist.

Dr. Kalantari received Dean’s Honor Award of the Sharif University of Technology in 1996, Business Plan Competition Award of UMD in 2004 and the Award for Entrepreneurship of UMD in 2006.

Treating Refractory Diseases With Stem Cells

Iranian researchers at Tehran Medical University used embryonic stem cells to treat refractory diseases.

Ramin Heshmat, the deputy head of the university’s Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, said the scientists used embryonic stem cells to treat diabetes, MS, liver disease and dystrophy, IRNA reported.

“In this process, researchers inject these human cells into patients,” he said. “This is a much more controlled process and you basically are sure of getting the same quality of cell every time you do the implant.”

Heshmat pointed out that currently a patient would have to wait for a cadaver organ to become available and even then there is a high risk of the cells from that organ being infected or contaminated.

“If we use embryonic stem cells instead, we can also make unlimited numbers of these cells and have an unlimited source that we can stockpile and have available whenever a patient needs it,” he said.

Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst, an early-stage embryo. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist of 50–150 cells.

Dr. Hossein Ziai (1944-2011) was a professor of Islamic and Iranian Studies, the Jahangir and Eleanor Amuzegar Chair in Iranian Studies, and Director of Iranian Studies at UCLA where he had taught since 1988. He received his Ph.D. in Islamic Philosophy from Harvard University in 1976 and had previously taught at Tehran and Sharif universities, Harvard, Brown and Oberlin College. Dr. Ziai published widely on Illuminationist philosophy and the “Persian Poetic Wisdom. He served as Chair of the 2010 Biennial Conference of the International Society of Iranian Studies (ISIS).

روحش شاد و یادش جاودان

Dr. Hossein Ziai (1944-2011)

Readers are alo referred to a tribute to the late Dr. Ziai placed in the iranian.com website.  Below is moving  documentary which has been produced for the late Dr. Ziai by Dr. Tavakoli-Targhi :

The Power of Iranian Steel: From Iron to Crucible Steel

This will be held by the Cultural Institute of Bonyad in Tehran from February 16 to March 02, 2011. 

Dr. Khorasani worked as a historical arms and armor consultant for this exhibition. He guided the museum in selecting and describing 65 exquisite pieces of Iranians arms and armor including bronze and iron weapons, edged weapons (swords, qame, qaddare, daggers, knives), armor (shields, armguards, helmets), firearms (muskets and pistols) and some bowls and paintings depicting fighting scenes. 

Dr. Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani, the world’s leading expert on the history of Iranian and Oriental arms. armour and firearms.

Many of the items at the exhibition are decorated with beautiful gold-inlaid and gold-overlaid floral and vegetal designs.  Additionally, many items have gilded inscriptions on them.  To show the development of making the crucible steel, some selected bronze and iron weapons from Iran are also shown.  The central topic of the exhibition is the crucible steel showing the intricate crucible steel patterns.  The following items are presented in the exhibition:

Luristan (bronze and iron age): 1) a bronze macehead from Luristan, 2) a bronze macehead with sharp flanges from Luristan, 3) a bronze macehead from Luristan, 4) an iron mask sword from Luristan,

Hasanlu (bronze age): 5) a bronze macehead from Hasanlu,

Northern part of Iran (bronze and iron age): 6) a copper arrowhead, 7) an ear-pommeled bronze sword from northern part of Iran, another ear-pommeled bronze sword from northern part of Iran, 9) a bronze sword with a cotton-reel pommel from Dailaman, 10) a bi-metallic sword with a bronze cotton-reel pommel and an iron bade from Dailaman, 11) an iron sword with a cotton-reel pommel from Dailaman,

Sassanian period: 12) a magnificent Sassanian sword with silver handle and scabbard

Samanid period: 13) a Samanid bowl depicting a mounted warrior armed with a slightly curved sword, 14) a Samanid bowl depicting a mounted warrior armed with a slightly curved sword and a lance, 15) a Samanid bowl depicting a foot soldier equipped with a straight short swords and a shield,

Safavid period: 16) a gold-overlaid saddle axe from the Safavid period, 17) a six-flanged mace made of steel from the Safavid period, 18) a steel mace with a rounded head from the Safavid period, 19) a curved Persian shamshir from the Safavid period with a crucible steel blade (woodgrain pattern) and handle slabs made of stag horn; the gold-inlaid inscriptions read “Bande-ye shah velayat Abbas” and “The work of Kalbeali”, 20) a curved Persian shamshir from the Safavid period with a crucible steel blade (woodgrain pattern) and handle slabs made of stag horn; gold-inlaid inscriptions on the blade read, “Bande-ye Shah Velayat Safi” and “The work of Assadollah”, 21) a curved Persian shamshir from the Safavid period with a crucible steel blade (ladder of Mohammad pattern) and handle slabs made of stag horn, 22) a curved Persian shamshir from the Safavid period with a crucible steel blade (woodgrain pattern) and handle slabs made of stag horn, 23) a Safavid kard with a crucible steel blade and gold-overlaid inscriptions from the holy Qur’an with handle slabs made of walrus ivory, 24) a dated and chiseled Safavid axe head from Shah Soltan Hosseyn Safavid period, 25) a matchlock wall gun from the Safavid period,

Afsharid period: 26) a magnificent axehead made of crucible steel with gold-overlaid floral design from the Afsharid period

Zand period: 27) a Zand painting showing the battles of Karim Khan Zand, 28) a pishqabz from the Zand period with a silver scabbard, 29) a magnificent pishqabz with chiseled silver handle and scabbard fittings and a crucible steel blade with tears of the wounded balls,

Qajar period: 30) a Qajar painting depicting the battle of Shah Ismail I with the Ottomans, 31) a curved Persian shamshir from the Qajar period with a magnificent crucible steel blade (woodgrain pattern) and handle slabs made of elephant ivory, 32) a curved Persian shamshir from the Qajar period with a crucible steel blade (woodgrain pattern) and handle slabs made of walrus ivory, 33) a curved Persian shamshir from the Qajar period with a crucible steel blade (woodgrain pattern) with a central fuller and handle slabs made of walrus ivory; the blade is gold-inlaid inscription “The Father of Sword The Ruler Mohammad Shah Qajar 1264″, 34) a curved Persian shamshir from the Qajar period with a crucible steel blade (woodgrain pattern) and a handle made of crucible steel with a gold-inlaid inscription that reads: “The Work of Assadollah Isfahani”, 35) a curved Persian shamshir from the Qajar period with a crucible steel blade (woodgrain pattern) and handle slabs made of stag horn, 36) a curved Persian shamshir from the Qajar period with a crucible steel blade (woodgrain pattern) and handle slabs made of elephant ivory; the blade is inscribed with a gold-overlaid inscription “Shah Reza”, 37) a chiseled saddle axe from the Qajar period, 38) a three-pronged javelin from the Qajar period, 39) a two-pronged spearhead from the Qajar period, 40) a gold-overlaid tabarzin from the Qajar period, 41) a kard with a crucible steel blade and gold-overlaid inscriptions from the holy Qur’an with handle slabs made of walrus ivory, 42) a khanjar with a crucible steel blade and a carved handle made of walrus ivory from the Qajar period, 43) a khanjar with enameled handle and scabbard with Qajar portraits from the Qajar period and a crucible steel blade, 44) a qaddare from the Qajar period, 45) a qame from the Qajar period, 46) a kard with a crucible steel blade and handle slabs made of walrus ivory from the Qajar period, 47) a magnificent khanjar with chiseled and enameled silver handle and scabbard from the Qajar period, 48) a magnificent chiseled steel shield from the Qajar period, 49) a beautiful chiseled and gold-overlaid kolahkhud from the Qajar period, 50) another chiseled and gold-overlaid kolahkhud from the Qajar period, 51) riveted mail armor from early Qajar period, 52) percussion musket from the Qajar period, 53) a flintlock musket from the Qajar period, 54) a dated (1259 Hegira) percussion cap musket attributed to Mohammad Shah Qajar made by Mohammad Ja’far Afshar, 55) a double-barreled percussion cap pistol from the Qajar period, 56) a flint lock psitol from the Qajar period, 57) a percussion cap pistol from the Qajar period, 58) a steel shield with the central sun in the middle from the Qajar period, 59) a demon-headed helmet with gold-overlaid and chiselled surface, 60) a chiseled and gold-overlaid helmet from the Qajar period, 61) a magnificent lacquered steel shield from the Qajar period, 62) an armguard with chiseled and gold-overlaid decorations, 63) a fish-shaped priming flask made of crucible steel, 64) a priming flask made of crucible steel, 65) a brass black powder flask covered with fabric.

Dr. Khorasani has written the text for the exhibition catalogue which will be distributed as a high quality colored catalogue during the exhibition.  Khorasani’s most recent works include  Arms and Armor from Iran: The Bronze Age to the end of the Qajar Period and most recently the Lexicon of Arms and Armor from Iran. To rrder these books, please click on the Legat Publishers link or order directly from LEGAT Publishers: Alexander Frank (alexander.frank@legat-verlag.de)Tel. +49 (0) 70 73 / 30 24 49; Mobile +49 (0)179 / 453 61 21

A team of many experts have been working for months to realize this professional exhibition in Iran among them many art professionals, exhibition designers and photographers.  The pictures of the catalogue and its paper are of very high quality.  The opening day include a number of speeches by Iranian Studies and arms and armor experts, among them a speech by Ostad Mohammad Reza Farajian, the son of the late Ostad Hosseyn Farajian the legendary Iranian smith.  Mr. Farajian will talk about the life of his father and show some magnificent pieces made by him.  Another speech will be held by Ostad Joneydi on the weapons mentioned in the Shahname.  Dr. Khorasani will also give a presentation on Persian crucible steel and also expand on his future projects.  The opening ceremony will be also accompanied by recitals from Ferdowsi’s Iranian-epic, the  Shahname. 

See also original report by: The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies

A massive “construction” project at the Anahita Temple in Kangavar in Kermanshah Province in western Iran was finally halted in the last week of January. The damage however has been done.

Thanks to Mehr News Agency of Iran who raised the alarm about the destruction being wrought against the site, the “construction” crews have been forced to stop; hopefully, to never return. 

Who has been responsible for this latest assault on the pre-Islamic sites of ancient Iran? Before exploring this, it is necessary to briefly outline the backgound of the ancient Anahita Temple.

The Ancient Temple of Anahita

The general consensus is that the Anahita Temple was built during the early Parthian era around 200 BC, just over a century after the fall of the Achaemenid Empire. The site has seen continuous rebuiklding over the centuries, but it is generally believed that the Temple of Anahita was built during the Parthian era (248 BC – 224 AD). Nevertheless, definative judgements on the site await more excavations and studies.

The platform covers 4,600 square meters built over a mound 32 meters in height. It is generally believed that this ancient temple was established for the Zoroastrian-Iranic goddess ‘Aredvi Sura Anahita’ (Arədvī Sūrā Anāhitā). Anahita is the Iranic goddess of wisdom, purity, fertility, healing and Aban (the waters). 

Given its construction in the early Parthian era, Kangavar also shows some Hellenistic characteristics, notably the edifice. The remaining architectural traits, however, can be traced to a the rise of a unique architectural tradition that was underway during this time in ancient Iran.

The Iranian propensity for size and grandeur is seen in the very large dimensions of consturction seen in the foundations at the Anahita Temple. What is especially Achaemenid in chatacter are two lateral stairways ascending the platform- this echoes what is seen in the Apadana Palace of ancient Persepolis of the Achaemenid kings.

“Construction” or Damage? 

The Kangavar site was seriously damaged during an earthquake in 1957. Afterwards, some locals invaded the perimeter of the site, using stones from the temple to rebuild their homes at that location. In early 2010, however, serious damage was inflicted on the site as a result of “construction” activity. 

From what is know through Mehr News in Iran, the responsible parties are the provincial department of the Islamic Republic Endowments and Charity Affairs based in Kangavar. These began to build concrete foundations in December 2009. The objective is to lay the basis for Imamzadeh Ebrahim located on the environs of the Anahita Temple.

Incredibly, the building of a hotel at the Anahita location is another part of the ”construction”. This is in fact what happended at the ancient thousands-year old site of Susa in August 2008.

Asadollah Beiranvand, of the Kermanshah Cultural Heritage and Director of the Tourism and Handicrafts Department (KCHTHD) told the Mehr News Agency of Iran that:

“The construction project near the Anahita Temple was illegal so it was barred by a court order…the office had begun the project without receiving approval from the KCHTHD.”

In a repeat of the scenario of the disastrous “repairs” that were made on the Tomb of Cyrus at Pasargardae, Mehr News was again challenged, this time by Mohammad Qorbani (Director of KECAO).  

Qorbani has categorically rejected Beiranvand’s warnings. He also claimed that the construction project had been approved, based on an agreement that took place between the KCHTHD and KECAO. Specifically, avers  Qorbani, the development plan had actually been given the green light by the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization as ealry as 1994. Qorbani then notes that for “unknown reasons” the plan had been delayed until ealry 2010.

According to the current version of events, the ”construction” plan had been approved by the Governor General’s Office at Kermanshah in 2009. Qorbani then notes that the finalized version of that approval was signed during a meeting between KCHTHD KECAO and the Kermanshah governor general on December 19, 2009.

“Construction” or Damage?  What do the Photos Say?

The foundations for the Imamzade near the Anahita Temple. It is mystery why the builders would come so close to this ancient site. This would be analogous to having modern construction crews build new buildings near ancient Stonehedge in England.

Woman passes by steel frames dumped at the ancient Temple of Anahita.

Graffiti? This action is analogous to vandalism – it is certain that nobody would dare do the same to the columns of the ancient Acropolis in Athens, Greece.

Graffiti once again seen sprayed (or written) on ancient blocks at the Anahita site. It is not clear if this action is an act of deliberate vandalism, or is simply a leisurely action by the “construction” crews.

The BBC provided a television report on Sunday February 14, 2010 entitled “Azerbaijan-Iran tensions increasing” and posted a story on Iranian Azarbaijan on Tuesday, 16 February 2010 entitled “Azeris Feel iranian Pressure“.

There reports perpetuate a number of misconceptions with respect to Iranian Azarbaijan, the Republic of Azarbaijan (which did not historically exist until 1918) and the “language” issue in Iran.

Historically speaking, there was no “Azarbaijan” north of the Araxes River as these were a collection of Khanates subject the authority of Iran with the real historical Azarbaijan being a province in Iran’s northwest since antiquity.

Professor Mark Whittow’s map of Oxford University clearly shows the historically attested distinction between ancient Arran/Albania (modern Republic of Azarbaijan) and the original Azerbaijan in Iran (see below):

Note how the Araxes River separates Arran/Albania (modern Republic of Azarbaijan) from the historical Azerbaijan in Iran. For more information consult Whittow, Mark, The Making of Byzantium: 600-1025, Berkley: University of California Press.

Russia invaded Iran and forced her to relinquish much of her Caucasian territories in the early 19th century.

Map of Iran in 1805 before the invasions of Czarist Russia. Note the Caucasus, north of Iran and along the eastern Caspian littoral, which was Iranian territory. There was no independent kingdom named “Azerbaijan”  which was supposedly “divided” between iran and Russia. Russia invaded Iran and forced her to cede the Caucasus.   iran also lost important eastern territories such as Herat  which broke away with British support, Picture source from CAIS.

Note a British 1909 Map which again notes how the real historical Azarbaijan existed only in Iran’s northwest:

Map of Iran, the eastern marches of the former Ottoman Empire and the Caucasus. Note that the term “Azarbaijan” applies to Iran’s northwest province known as “Azarbaijan”. No such  name is used to designate those territories to the north of the Araxes River.

Ottoman maps of 1912 (just before World War One) also make clear that the historical Azarbaijan existed only in Iran’s northwest (below the Araxes River): 

Map of the Ottoman Empire, western and northwestern Iran and the Caucasus drafted in 1912 by the Ottoman Turks in 1912. Note that the term “Azarbaijan” is only applied to Iran’s northwest, which is a province with that name. The name was not applied to the territories to the north of the Araxes River.

The BBC report was responded to by Shervin Majlesi who sent the protest below to the news outlet:

Dear Sir/Madam,
 
Your story entitled “Azeris feel Iranian pressure” wrongly states “[m]ore than 20 million Azeris live [in Iran] and have done since the territory was annexed under the Shah after a settlement with the Russian and, subsequently, Soviet leaders.”
 
To state that Iranian part of Azerbaijan was annexed to Iran under the Shah is factually wrong and, at best, reflects a perplexing level of ignorance of history. It was in fact the Russian Empire which annexed parts of Azerbaijan and Caucasus after the Russo-Persian Wars of the 18th Century. And the Soviet Union, after WWII, used the opportunity of its military presence (occupation) in the Iranian Azerbaijan to create an autonomous, Soviet-supported state in 1946 which was dissolved during the same year.
 
To give only a few instances of Azerbaijan’s particular integration and vital role in Iranian cultural and political life I can point out to examples in more recent times: the Safavid Dynasty (15th to 17th centuries A.D.) rose to power in Azerbaijan and Tabriz was, for a number of years, the capital of Iran (Persia) under that dynasty; heir apparents under Qajar Dynasty were based in Tabriz (Azerbaijan) until they ascended to the throne and were often fluent in Azeri; and throughout Iranian history (before, during and after the Shah) major political figures, including several Prime Ministers, were Azeris.
 
When writing about sensitive subjects related to ethnic tensions in an already volatile region a much higher level of professional journalism is expected from BBC. While treatment of minorities (especially under the current Iranian regime) is an extremely important issue which deserves public scrutiny and debate, a poorly researched article, which omits very important facts and misrepresents others, can only lead to misleading conclusions and will call into question BBC’s impartiality.
 
I sincerely hope that you will take appropriate action to apologize to your readers and inform them of the factual inaccuracy of this article.
 
Best regards,
Shervin Majlessi