Saffron, which is one of the most valuable herbs of Iran, has attracted the world’s attention because of its charming fragrance and delightful taste. Due to its valuable properties, along with the beauty and gentleness that it grants the skin, it grows to conquer all hearts.
According to Iransaffron website, there have been several assumptions about the origin of saffron (Corcus Sativus L), some of which belong to legends. One such legend maintains saffron was first brought to India by Adam during his descent to this world. It adds that saffron was taken to Kashmir for cultivation and later applied in various fields. On the basis of this belief, all fragrant herbs, plants and fruits, including saffron, were all granted to Adam in the heaven, from where he brought them to the earth.
Some research documents have proved that Iran is the native land of saffron, which originally grew wild at the foot of Zagros mountains and the surrounding areas of Alvand. The wild growing saffron called “Jo Qassem“, which was first referred to as “Karkomiseh“ in Farsi, closely resembles the ordinary saffron.
Ancient Applications
The oldest available documents about the applications of saffron belong to the ancient Iranian dynasty, the Achaemenids. An inscription engraved on a pillar belonging to that dynasty mentions food products used in the palace kitchen. This inscription was located in front of the king’s palace. Polly Yen (a Greek writer of the second century AD) has recorded the content and quantity of food mentioned on the inscription at the King’s Palace.
The royalty used up to one kilogram of it each day. The other items included honey, grape sap, apple extracts, some of the best wheat flour and barley available, pistachio and sesame oil, animal fat, caraway seeds, ergot of rye, parsley seeds and cardamom pods.
The items mentioned could have been used in preparing different kinds of dishes, bread, sweets and cookies. After Xerxes the Great, the Persians added variety to their dishes and prepared delicious food. Historians mentioned Persian pastries and dishes that were presented at meals on Darius’s table. They included a thick type of bread, a special kind of saffron-coated bread, cookies made with the finest wheat flour from Egypt and Greece along with barley mixed with syrup and saffron.
Tooes, the king of Paphlagonia (a country in the northern region of Asia Minor), was astonished by the number of dishes prepared for Darius.
Saffron was also used by the Achaemenids in cosmetic products such as moisturizing oils.
We do not know how the Medes referred to the common and wild saffron, although we know that the residents of Zagros district used a specific name for saffron. The old equivalent for saffron was pronounced “Karkom“ as recorded in Pahlavi sources (Persians before the Parthian era) or a “Pasosi“ word “Karkam“. The residents of Alvand referred to the wild growing saffron as “Karkomiseh“, the first part “Karkom“ coming from the older equivalent.
Undoubtedly, the Sumerians were the first people to step into the world of civilization and written evidence of their work is available. This tribe, which settled in Mesopotamia, had emigrated from a mountainous region. Their original dwelling is assumed to have been either the western regions of the Caspian Sea, the mountainous regions of Zagros or other parts of Iran.
The actual point of consideration is how the Sumerians obtained information about saffron despite the fact that saffron did not grow wild in Mesopotamia.

More Evidence
There is evidence to indicate saffron originated at the foot of the Zagros and Alvand mountains. If Sumerians had knowledge of the applications of saffron, then they must have taken it from Iran where saffron grew in the wild.
Extracts from a few documents found by historians about saffron are presented below:
Lexicographers of the 11th century A.H, and above all Mir Jamaleddin Hossein Anjavi Shirazi (1028 A.H), the author of Jahangiri Dictionary, studied and explained the roots of the word “Karkomineh“ (saffron), which refer to a fragrant flower growing in large numbers and their color.
Ibn Esfandiyar Kateb, a historian from Mazandaran, Iran, reported that up to 300 kilogram of saffron were exported in the Parthian era annually.
American scientist Barteld Loufer, who published his research results on Iran-China Cultural and Civil Relations (in 1917), has done enlightening research on the origin and history of saffron along with its different names in different languages.
As stated in his research work, saffron is a native, wild growing herb that was cultivated in Iran for the first time. He strongly believes that saffron bulbs, its cultivation techniques and knowledge of its valuable properties were transferred from Iran to different parts of the world.
Glen Danial, a researcher of Sumerian culture and civilization (a tribe that dwelled in Mesopotamia but had migrated from the mountainous region of Mazandaran), found it strange and amusing that there are a few Sumerian expressions that are still being used in English language today such as the word ’saffron’.

An Iranian researcher said that a new type of pearl has been discovered in the Persian Gulf.
Abdolali Saberi, also the discoverer of the pearl, told Fars News Agency that during a biological research operation he accidentally came across an unknown species of oyster some 30 meters below the sea and extracted the pearl. “At the beginning, I thought that the pearl was known, but after I sent it to domestic and international centers for identifying stones and jewelry, I was informed that the type of pearl was unknown.“
“I registered the pearl under the name ’Eye of the Sea’ and acquired an international certificate, in which the specifications of the pearl are outlined,“ he added.
Saberi pointed out that the pearl is colorful and beautiful.
“It is more natural than the pearl typically found in the market,“ he said.

The city of Sarein, located some 25 km from Ardebil on the slopes of Mount Sabalan, is famous for its numerous spas. It has several hot spas, which originate from Mount Sabalan. The most important of the hot spas are Gavmish Goli, Besh Bajilar and Sabalan Water Therapy Complex. In the past, the area was also known as ’Sari Qieh’ and ’Sarqein’. According to AnoBanini website, temperate climate is the very first attraction to tourists who visit the area. The city ranks first in the nation in terms of therapeutic considerations. Tourism spots that have therapeutic value are quite important for the national tourism industry, as low-income families can also visit them and be cured of dermatological diseases and/or muscular pains. Most hot spas of Sarein have been transformed into indoor swimming pools for both men and women. These swimming pools are crowded most of the time. In some of the better known swimming pools of the city a few people may be swimming in a total area of one square meter.
Spa water contains different minerals and it has acidic PH value. Its water is often murky or similar to muddy water. The temperature of most waters inside the city of Sarein is slightly above 40 degrees centigrade.
Like all other spots in the region, Sarein has cool and pleasant summers as well as cold and snowy winters. Of course, cold weather is not a hindrance to tourists as the natural warmth of hot spas can appeal to winter tourists. Furthermore, the ski resort of Elvares is another attraction for tourists who choose to visit the area in winter. Honey and cream are the most famous products of the area that tourists typically take home as souvenir. The slopes of Sabalan Mount, due to the diversity of flora and favorable climatic conditions, have very high potential for producing honey. Ash-e Doogh (soup made of yoghurt) and kebab are also delicious food which tourists eat when touring the Sarein. A number of suitable hotels for accommodating visitors are also available. Compared to tourism facilities of other parts of the country, Sarein’s hotel facilities are acceptable. However, the large influx of tourists to the area in summers hints at the fact that accommodation facilities should be upgraded.

Secretary-General of the Ferdowsi Foundation, Yaser Movahhedfar, announced that the foundation will submit an official proposal to UNESCO for the naming of 2009 as Year of Ferdowsi.
Movahhedfar said the foundation will probably be handing the official proposal handed over to UNESCO within two days, Mehr NewsAgency reported.
The Ferdowsi Congress commenced its work in Mashhad on May 14. A number of Iranian and international scholars, writers, poets and other cultural figures took part in the congress held to commemorate the birth anniversary of the author of Iran’s national epic, ’Shahnameh’ (book of the kings).
Iranian people annually celebrate May 14 as Ferdowsi Day.
An expert session on Ferdowsi and his masterpiece, Shahnameh, was held at the Abi Hall of the Niavaran Palace Museum in Tehran on May 14.
During the session, Fereydoun Joneidi, the head of the Ferdowsi Foundation’s Board of Trustees, presented historical documents showing that by 2009 a millennium would elapse since the compostion of Ferdowsi’s magnum opus, Shahnameh.
UNESCO celebrated the 800th birthday anniversary of the Persian mystic and poet Molana Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207-1273) in 2007.