Iran (5,610 m) – Sacred Pagan Persian Site Mount Damavand is a dormant volcano, the tallest volcano in mainland Asia and the highest mountain in Iran. It has been considered a sacred mountain since before the arrival of the Abrahamic faiths in the region, and is closely associated with Zoroastrian mythology. Damavand is also the iconic natural symbol of the modern-day nation … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF CHALDIRAN (CHALDIRAN BATTLEFIELD)
Chala Ashaqi, Iran (1514 AD) The Battle of Chaldiran marked the beginning of forty years of war between the Ottomans and Safavids. A victory for the Ottomans, Chaldiran was one of the last truly major military engagents exclusively fought by two great Muslim powers before the arrival of the Europeans in the 16th century. Fought near the present-day frontier between Turkey … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF KARBALA (KARBALA BATTLEFIELD)
Karbala, Iraq (680 AD) The Battle of Karbala was one one of the pivotal engagements between the descendents of Ali ibn Abu Talib and the Umayyads, as well as one of the crucial events that ultimately led to the split between the Sunnis and Shiites. Fought just a few decades after the death of Ali, many of the last surviving followers of the Prophet Muhammad, as well as most … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF AL-QADISIYYAH (AL-QADISIYYAH BATTLEFIELD)
Al-Qadisiyyah, Iraq (637 AD) The Battle of Al Qadisiyyah was the most decisive battle in the wars between the Arab Muslims and the Sassanid Empire of Persia. It also marked the beginning of the end of the Sassanids, one of several great Persian dynasties that had ruled over much of southwest Asia for over a thousand years. Most importantly, it was the last major military … [Read more...]
MAUSOLEUM OF OMAR KHAYYAM
Nishapur, Iran The city of Nishapur is, along with Mashhad and Toos, part of the region in northeastern Iran that churned out some of the foremost Muslim thinkers and academics of the Middle Ages. Nishapur’s favorite son, and its primary claim to fame, was Omar Khayyam, possibly the greatest mathematician to live between Euclid and Copernicus. Interestingly, he is even … [Read more...]
ACADEMIC HERITAGE SITES OF TOOS (TOMB OF FERDOWSI, HARUNIYEH TOMB)
Toos, Iran Throughout much of the Abbasid period, the small, unlikely city of Toos on the distant frontier of Persia was an important Islamic intellectual center. Some of the greatest Muslim thinkers of the 10th and 11th centuries were born and/or made their homes here. Among these noteworthies were scientists Abu Musa Jabir Ibn Hayyan and Nasir Al-Din Tusi, the poet Asadi … [Read more...]
MOSQUES OF FATH ALI SHAH (MASJID SOLTANI)
Teheran, Iran Teheran is one of the youngest major cities in Iran, and despite the fact that it is the national capital and the second largest city in the Middle East after Cairo, it boasts virtually no ancient or medieval mosques of significance. That said, when Teheran did begin to come into its own as the political center of Persia, the rulers of the Safavid and Qajar … [Read more...]
IMAM KHOMEINI SQUARE
Esfahan, Iran Imam Khomeini Square is a public square, one of the largest in the Middle East, that many Iranians hold dear as the cultural heart of their country. It is one of the most popular tourism sites in Iran, and though it lacks the religious importance of Qom or Mashhad, the Imam Khomeini Square does not lack for gawking visitors, both Muslim and non-Muslim. The … [Read more...]
GOLESTAN PALACE
Teheran, Iran Persia is arguably the world’s oldest, most continuous state. Since the days of the Medes in the 1st Millenium BC, a procession of nations has existed in this neighborhood that roughly conform to Iran’s modern-day borders. Despite conquests by the Greeks, Arabs and Mongols, Persia’s geography has remained more or less intact. In the ensuing twenty five … [Read more...]
MOSQUES OF SHIRAZ (MASJID VAKIL, MASJID NASIR AL-MULK, MADRASSA KHAN)
Shiraz, Iran Shiraz is one of the oldest and most historically important cities in Iran. In addition to its prominence in ancient times, it has served as the capital of Islamic Persia twice, most recently in the 18th century. Many of the city’s most prominent mosques and other religious institutions were built or refurnished during the Qajar period, notably the Masjid Nasir … [Read more...]
