Unique Architecture of Ancient Villages

Saeedeh Ehsani & Katayoon Dashti

There are villages with many stairs, mountainous roads, and rocky paths. But, they have unique architecture.
Rural houses have been built on stairs in villages located in Masooleh, Abyaneh, Oramanat, and Kermanshah.
Amir Sadeqi, a Kurdestan cultural heritage experts, said Oramanat region has sharp slopes, adding the houses have been located on rock hills, Persian Daily Iran wrote.
Construction materials applied in these houses are in riprap form including gypsum mortar and stone. The house is cold during summers and warm during winters.
Since Oramanat village has turned into city, its architecture has incurred numerous damages.
Mansour Mehrzadi, another cultural heritage expert of Kurdestsn, said inhabitants of Oramanat Village have ruined the traditional texture of the villages with changing the construction materials, and interfering in structures and frames.
He said since Oramanat Village has not been registered on National Heritage list, its historical texture is exposed to destruction.
If the rural texture is registered, construction measures will be conducted in coordination with Rural Management Organization.
Cultural Heritage Station has not been located in Oramanat Villages.
Letters have been sent to Housing Foundation and Cultural Heritage Department so as the construction measures should be done in accordance to traditional texture. Therefore, Oramanat Village can be registered on National Heritage List.
Also, villages of Kamaleh, and Sarpir are candidates for registration on National Heritage List.
Meanwhile, deputy head of Kurdestan Cultural Heritage Department called unbridled constructions without coordination with Oramanat Municipality and Rural Management Department, as obstacles to registration of traditional structure of the region.
Alireza Azarshab added that Oramanat is famous as Hezar Masooleh. Pir-e Shalyar Mausoleum has been registered on National Heritage List, he said.
The registration process of Oramanat villages is underway, he said.
He expressed the hope that with entire inauguration of Cultural Heritage Station in Oramanat, illegal construction would be suspended and Oramanat Villages would be registered on National Heritage List so as to be safe from destruction.

Masooleh
Deputy head of Gilan Cultural Heritage Department called permanent location of Cultural Heritage Station in Masooleh as a factor behind preserving the historical texture of the region.
Mostafa Pourali added that Cultural Heritage Station is located in Masooleh for 12 years and its personnel have dynamic presence in the region.
Fortunately, with allocation of significant credits and involvement of Cultural Heritage Department, two traditional houses, Jame’ Mosque, Tekieh (a place where religious mourning rituals are held) and Hosseinieh Masooleh (a prayer and religious center) were repaired during current Iranian year.
Masooleh Cultural Heritage Station seeks to preserve ancient and valuable local textures. The Global Registration Office which is located at Kolah Farangi Edifice in Rasht, Gilan province, has put on agenda to register Masooleh globally.
Masooleh Village has traditional and structural texture. The ceilings of the houses are made from oak wood.
The walls of ground floors have been built with stones and the upper floors have been built by press bricks.

Abyaneh
Davoud Arab-Ameli, manager of Abyaneh Cultural Heritage Station, put the antiquity of Abyaneh Village to more than 2,500 years ago.
Constant cooperation of Cultural Heritage Department with Abyaneh Rural Management Organization prevented unbridled construction in this ancient village. The historic texture of Abyaneh has been preserved. No alley is dead-end in Abyaneh.
Since Abyaneh soil is red, all rural houses are in red. The historic texture of Abyaneh has been registered on National Heritage List.
Abyaneh is one of most well-known villages of Isfahan province. Its architectural facet, along with the rituals and apparel of its inhabitants, is a sight to witness.
The village was completely Zoroastrian until the time of the intolerant Safavid Shah Esmaeil I during whose reign most villagers emigrated to India or Yazd.
The people of Abyaneh are deeply committed to honoring their traditions.
No matter how well educated a person from Abyaneh might be, he or she puts on the traditional Abyaneh costume on coming back to the village from anywhere in the world.
The women’s traditional costume consists of a scarf with floral motifs and pleated skirts.
At present their costume, way of life and ancient dialect are practically unchanged and for many anthropologists a reason to travel to Iran.

How to Visit Abyaneh
Driving for about 42 km to Dehji, along the road to Natanz, south of Kashan, visitors take the gravel road to the west before Hinjan Bridge where a sign indicates Abyaneh and the magnificent Barzroud Valley.
Some 25 km along this road, they pass Hinjan Village to reach Abyaneh at the bottom of a gorge dominated by a small Mongol fort.
The main street goes right through the remains of the Zoroastrian fire temple, which is open on three sides and has a ruined dome.
In addition to the fire temple (belonging to the Sassanian period) in the village, there are three castles and mosques named Hajatgah, Porzaleh, Porzaleh and Jame’, which are well worth a visit.

Arge-Bam Will Leave List Of In Danger Heritages

By Farzaneh Shokri & Leila Imani

Arg-e Bam, located in Bam, southeastern province of Kerman will be removed from the list of World Heritages in Danger in near future, said Director of Bam Cultural Heritage Base.
Announcing the above Afshin Ebrahimi said that Arg-e Bam has been registered on the World’s Heritage List in 2004, adding vast devastation of citadel caused by the earthquake occurred in 2003 has led UNESCO to register it on the list of World Heritage in Danger.
He added that establishment of a gas station and construction of a residential town in the vicinity of the historical monument have also created a number of problems for the historical monument, adding based on the coordination made with the general governorate of the province and governorship of the city, the gas station was destroyed
The residential town is gradually being transferred to another place, he noted.
The official said that extensive efforts have so far been made to remove Arg-e Bam from the list of the World’s Heritages in Danger.
With respect to destruction of gas station and relocation of the residential town, it is expected to remove from the list in the next UNESCO’s meeting.
Arg-e Bam was the largest adobe building in the world, before it was devastated in the 2003 earthquake.
Located in Bam, a city in the Kerman province of southeastern Iran, the citadel is listed by UNESCO as part of the World Heritage Site “Bam and its Cultural Landscape”. This enormous citadel on the Silk Road was built before 500 BC and remained in use until 1850 AD. It is not known for certain why it was abandoned.
Bam was founded before the advent of Islam, during the Parthian period and flourished in 10th century AD. In terms of economy and trade, the city was of great value and importance, and most of the textiles and cloths produced in Bam enjoyed universal fame, Iranreview.org wrote.
Here we can get a clear idea of a traditional Islamic city, better than any other place in Iran, because we realize the main applications of different parts of a building.
The 2003 earthquake in Bam destroyed more than 80 percent of the citadel.
Since it is a World Heritage site, several countries are cooperating in its reconstruction. Japan, Italy and France have cooperated from the beginning.
Japan has extended grants for the reconstruction and supported this project by sending equipment and creating the 3D plan of Bam Citadel to increase the accuracy of the renovation. Italy has dispatched a team of experts to restore the main tower of Bam. France has helped Iran by providing the map of Bam Citadel.

The Beginning

By Ahmad Shamlu

Untimely
In a land unknown
At a time yet not arrived.
Thus, I was born
Within the forest of beast and rock.

My heart
In void
Started beating.
I abandoned the cradle of reiteration

In a land with no bird, no spring.
My first journey was a return

From the hope-abrading vistas of thorn and sand,
Without having gone far
On the inexperienced feet of the fledgling that was I.

My first journey
Was a return.

The vast distance
Taught no hope.
Trembling,

I stood on the feet of the novice that was I
Facing the horizon ablaze.

I realized that there was no tidings
For in between stood a mirage.
The vast distance taught no hope.
I learnt that there was no tidings
This boundless

Was a prison so huge
That the soul
Hid in tears

Iranian Recipe

Kielbasa and Egg Tarts
Ingredients
Plain flour, 2 cups
Butter, 150 grams (chopped)
Chilled water, 3 tablespoons
Olive oil, 1 tablespoon
Red onion, 1small (chopped)
Kielbasa, 5 rashers (chopped)
Spinach leaves, 80 grams
Eggs, 4
Thickened cream, 1/4 cup
Yolk egg, 1(whisked)

Direction
Place flours and butter in a food processor. Process until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add 2 tablespoons of chilled water and process until pastry comes together, adding more water if necessary. Turn pastry on to a lightly-floured surface. Knead for one minute or until smooth. Wrap in baking paper. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until firm.
Preheat oven to 190°C. Line two large baking trays with baking paper. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and kielbasa. Cook, stirring, for four to five minutes or until onion tender. Add spinach. Cook for one minute until just wilted. Remove from heat. Stir in cream. Season with pepper.
Divide pastry into four equal portions. Roll out each portion between two sheets of baking paper to an 18cm circle. Place pastry circles on baking trays. Spoon kielbasa mixture into the centre of each, leaving a 2 cm border. Fold up pastry edges, pinching pastry and leaving half the kielbasa mixture exposed.
Crack one egg into each tart. Combine egg yolk and one tablespoon cold water. Brush pastry with egg mixture. Bake for 20 minutes or until egg is just cooked. Season with pepper. Serve with salad.

Health Benefits of Eggs
The fact that eggs are an excellent dietary source of omega-3 fatty acids is the reason why they can be called heart healthy. Though omega-3 fatty acids serve many functions, they are best known for their ability to protect us from cardiovascular diseases and thus enable us to live longer.
Currently, many people are changing their diets in order to reduce the amount of cholesterol they consume. This is mainly due to the highly publicized finding that high dietary cholesterol levels play a role in the development of heart disease.
However, there has also been a great deal of misunderstanding that has led many people to consume a diet rich in vegetable oils as opposed to animal fats. Therefore, the relative levels of omega-3 fatty acids consumed by the average American have changed in favor of omega-6 fatty acids present in vegetable oils.

Religious Tourism

Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization(CHHTO) will take required actions to develop religious tourism in the Qom. The city is a religious tourism hub thanks to Fatima Masoumeh Holy Shrine.