IRAN: Longing for pre-Islamic past

The advertising on the dry cleaner's window said much about the conflicted identity of this nation where winged gods and glorious battles of ancient Persian kings are balanced against ayatollahs and an Islamic revolution that nearly 30 years ago brought morality police and martyrs.

Before the mullahs took charge in 1979, the dry cleaner was named Persepolis, the capital of the Persian Empire. That had the whiff of nationalism and the dry cleaner suddenly became the namesake of a revered cleric. The window today is an unreconciled collage where the names of Persepolis and the cleric coexist above a painting of spear tips and Achaemenian warriors.

There are few avenues for defiance in this Shiite Muslim nation, but one of them is in the past, where the emblems, folklore and images of old Persia mingle in quiet protest against the mullahs. The pre-Islamic era is alive in jewelry, architecture, decals, books, videos and websites that feature Cyrus the Great and gold-horned bulls.

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—Jeffrey Fleishman in Tehran

Photo: A Worker walks by statues inspired by Persepolis that are part of the gate to the Dariush Hotel on the tourist island of Kish. The modern hotel resembles Persepolis, Iran's best-known relic of ancient Persia. Credit: Vahid Salemi / Associated Press

Comments

[Sophie]

This is probably one of the most bigoted and racist articles I've seen yet against Islam and Muslims. And that's saying something, Jeffrey Fleishman. Next, will you be doing a grounbreaking piece on how the Greeks are longing for their pre-Christian past because they spend so much money on the remnants of their pagan ancient forefathers?

[Aryan the Aryan]

Over 90% of the Islamic civilization is based on Persia and Iran not Arabs. Avicina, Zakaria Razi, Kharazmi, and many more Islamic scientists are actually Persian. The names Algebra and Chemistry (Al Kimmia) are shallow Arabic words since the Arabs did not invent none of those. Algebra dates back to the Babylonian mathematics and Chemistry to Razi and other Persian scientists of the time.

For further reference see: Mohammad Khatami's writings on Islamic civilization

[ping pong]

you have mentioned in your article that young men are keeping hairstyles of ancient persian soldiers and they speak an almost pure persian language...but i wonder what those men might be looking in those ancient persian hairstyles,and i wonder does a pure pre islamic persian language still exist...not to mention even the language in which you are writing your article has dozens of "islamic" arab derived words...i wonder if iranians are more proud of persepolis or the safavid era esfahan square..both are registered as world heritage site..and one more thing..as you go into a pub or a night club for a bit of entertainment after your "truthful endeavours" for a sip of alcohol..pay a tribute to the "islamist" who invented this elixir...both elixir and alcohol are "islamic" derived words from "al iksir" and "al ghoul"..