Newyorker – Acouple of years ago, when Coldplay’s Chris Martin was going through a divorce from the actress Gwyneth Paltrow and feeling down, a friend gave him a book to lift his spirits. It was a collection of poetry by Jalaluddin Rumi, the thirteenth-century Persian poet, translated by Coleman Barks. “It kind of changed my life,” Martin said later, in …
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PHOTOS: Zoroastrians celebrate annual feast of Sadeh in Yazd
PayvandNews – The Zoroastrians marked Sadeh, an ancient feast celebrating the creation of fire, in Yazd, Iran this week. The feast is marked on the tenth day of the eleventh month of Iranian calendar annually. Sadeh has been observed since the days when Zoroastrianism was the dominant religion in the powerful Persian empire.
Read More »Arrivals of Chinese tourists in Iran fall short of expectations
PauvandNews – The number of Chinese tourists visiting Iran in 2017 fell short of expectations as just 80,000 of the total 100,000,000 outbound Chinese passengers traveled to Iran last year.
Read More »A New Film on Ancient Persia: “Taq Kasra: Wonder of Architecture”
Payvand.com – World Premiere of the film “Taq Kasra: Wonder of Architecture” will take place at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London on 1 February 2018. The film – which is the first-ever documentary on this iconic monument – is directed by Pejman Akbarzadeh, based in the Netherlands. Taq Kasra, Symbol of Persian Empire in …
Read More »Iranian Female Vocalist: “We Never Get a Chance to Practice Our Art in a Professional Setting”
CHRI – “I am a professional Iranian singer but I am only allowed to work if I perform with a man, which is something I have never wanted to do,” female vocalist Sepideh Jandaghi told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) in an interview. A vocalist with 12 years of training in traditional Iranian music, Jandaghi spoke to …
Read More »Iranian Actress Baran Kowsari appointed new ambassador of Yari Foundation
PayvandNews – Actress Baran Kowsari has been appointed the ambassador of the Yari Foundation, an Uppsala-based charity organization founded by Iranian expatriates living in Sweden, the organization has announced. Iranian Actress Baran Kowsari (undated photo). Yari supports street children in Iran, enabling them to attend school, and also raises funds for construction of schools and libraries for children in the country. Yari …
Read More »Female Musician Prohibited From Performing on Stage in Isfahan
CHRI – Iranian singer Salar Aghili performed in the central Iranian city of Isfahan on January 12 and 13, 2018, without the female members of his band due to interference by local officials at the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has learned.
Read More »Iranian directors see little respite despite support for Rouhani
Al-Monitor – On Dec. 22, Tehran police announced that they had arrested 230 individuals in raids on two parties marking the Iranian holiday of Yalda, a celebration of the winter solstice. Police said that the parties were of mixed gender and that the guests were dancing and consuming alcohol.
Read More »Iran’s Gold-Plated ‘Koran Ship’ Hits Squalls
RFL/RE – A 70-kilogram, gold-plated replica of a ship inscribed with the entire Koran wowed clerics at its unveiling in Iran’s holy city of Qom this week.
Read More »Acclaimed Iranian singer Iraj to perform in Shiraz
PayvandNews – Acclaimed traditional singer Hossein Khajeh-Amiri, better known as Iraj, will hold his first ever concert in Shiraz, Fars Province, on January 21. Iraj will be accompanied by Nima Nour Mohamadi as conductor of musicians, in the performance at the amphitheater of the cultural complex of Shiraz University. Iraj (Hossein Khajeh-Amiri) The 85-year-old singer resumed live performances in 2016 …
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