Fakhredin Blog
The posts in this weblog are mainly about history, heritage, language, art, and culture of Persia (that is named Iran since 1934). Persia is, therefore, equal to Iran, and Persian is equal to Iranian. Note that Persian is a nationality not an ethnicity. Pars (or Fars) is the major ethnicity in Persia but there are also Persian Kurds or Arabs. Similarly, the official language in Persia is Persian (Farsi is the local name and may not be used internationally). For more details please read my posts.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
CHROME: Google Internet Browser
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¶ 1:29:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Persian actress in the film "Body of Lies"
It was a few years ago that for the first time a Persian actress, Shohreh Aghdashloo, was nominated for Oscar for a supporting role in the film "House of Sand and Fog." In that film she was playing besides Sir Ben Kingsly and Jennifer Connelly.
In October, a film by Ridley Scott will come on screen with the name "Body of Lies," starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe. And guess what! Another Persian actress is acting beside these super stars; "Golshifteh Farahani."
This time it is even more striking! If Shohreh Aghdashloo is a Persian actress who is living in Los Angeles for many years now, and has quite some possibilities for interacting with American artists, Golshifteh is currently living inside Iran (Persia)! This is so wonderful to see her playing beside Leonardo and Russell!
Sadly, I read today in the news that the government in Iran, after realizing that she has played a Hollywood film, has forbidden her to exit the country! I hope that this is not true, and if it is, it will be solved soon. The link of the news is here
* Also available in Persian language
It was a few years ago that for the first time a Persian actress, Shohreh Aghdashloo, was nominated for Oscar for a supporting role in the film "House of Sand and Fog." In that film she was playing besides Sir Ben Kingsly and Jennifer Connelly.
In October, a film by Ridley Scott will come on screen with the name "Body of Lies," starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe. And guess what! Another Persian actress is acting beside these super stars; "Golshifteh Farahani."
This time it is even more striking! If Shohreh Aghdashloo is a Persian actress who is living in Los Angeles for many years now, and has quite some possibilities for interacting with American artists, Golshifteh is currently living inside Iran (Persia)! This is so wonderful to see her playing beside Leonardo and Russell!
Sadly, I read today in the news that the government in Iran, after realizing that she has played a Hollywood film, has forbidden her to exit the country! I hope that this is not true, and if it is, it will be solved soon. The link of the news is here
Labels: Art, Persian heritage
¶ 11:04:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
Persian democracy
I have selected this video from YouTube. If you find it interesting, you may also like to read my other post regarding Persian democracy, dated 23 August 2006.
Labels: Persian history
¶ 2:10:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
Monday, August 18, 2008
World Heritage Tour: Persia
Pangea Software Inc. has developed a nice program for watching panorama photos on iPhone.
There is also a fantastic website belongs to UNESCO with panoramic photos of the world heritage sites, called "World Heritage Tour." What was missing was a link between these two.
I made a portfolio for the locations in Persia, and named it "World heritage tour: Persia." if you have an iPhone, you can simply download the PangeaVR program from Apple Store and watch the portfolio I made, besides many others. Alternatively, visit WHTour.org and enjoy the high quality panorama's. ¶ 5:48:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
There is also a fantastic website belongs to UNESCO with panoramic photos of the world heritage sites, called "World Heritage Tour." What was missing was a link between these two.
I made a portfolio for the locations in Persia, and named it "World heritage tour: Persia." if you have an iPhone, you can simply download the PangeaVR program from Apple Store and watch the portfolio I made, besides many others. Alternatively, visit WHTour.org and enjoy the high quality panorama's. ¶ 5:48:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
Friday, August 08, 2008
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Audio description of my blog
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¶ 2:40:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
My iPhone 3G
I got an iPhone 3G!
I'm writing this first post using my iPhone, and I hope to update my blog more regularly from now on. ¶ 1:48:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
I'm writing this first post using my iPhone, and I hope to update my blog more regularly from now on. ¶ 1:48:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Blogger in Persian language
I read the most interesting news about Blogger today, and it made me very very happy to see that Persian language is added to the list of Blogger languages.
It's a long time since the last time I wrote a post here. I follow the news almost everyday via the BBC Persian website, and send the interesting news that I find to the email address of this weblog: fakhredinblog@gmail.com . I hope I will have a time to write about those topics here, instead of just keeping them in an archive.
Anyway, I read today in BBC-Persian that "Blogger has added Persian Language to its services." I logged-in into Blogger immediately to see it by my own eyes! It is wonderful! It is so professional that they named the language "Persian," and even nicer that they call the local name of the language "پارسی [pronounce: parsi]" and not "فارسی [pronounce: farsi]". This is great! I'm not kidding! Everybody understand the connection between "Persian" and "[parsi]" very easily, but not the connection between "Persian" and "[farsi]." That's why many people use the name "Farsi" in English language instead. If we use the local name of the language as "[parsi]" a big deal of the problem is automatically solved.
This is also true about the name of Persian Gulf. If we call the country "Persia," nobody would doubt that the name of the gulf in the south of the country is Persian Gulf. However, if we use the name "Iran" (which is the name of the country in Persian language), there are of course people who like to give Persian Gulf another name. By the way, I should not forget to write a post later that it would be very naive to think that the conflict about the name of Persian Gulf is happily ended. This is not the case at all! The effort of the Arabic countries in this regard is not reduced, but is very well increased. We will loos this game very soon if we do not confront it systematically.
I should add this about Persian language in Blogger that BBC-Persian said according to the Time Magazine that "Persian language is the 28th most common spoken language in the world, but in weblogs stands very closely to French, which is the second most used language."
* Also available in Persian language
I read the most interesting news about Blogger today, and it made me very very happy to see that Persian language is added to the list of Blogger languages. It's a long time since the last time I wrote a post here. I follow the news almost everyday via the BBC Persian website, and send the interesting news that I find to the email address of this weblog: fakhredinblog@gmail.com . I hope I will have a time to write about those topics here, instead of just keeping them in an archive.
Anyway, I read today in BBC-Persian that "Blogger has added Persian Language to its services." I logged-in into Blogger immediately to see it by my own eyes! It is wonderful! It is so professional that they named the language "Persian," and even nicer that they call the local name of the language "پارسی [pronounce: parsi]" and not "فارسی [pronounce: farsi]". This is great! I'm not kidding! Everybody understand the connection between "Persian" and "[parsi]" very easily, but not the connection between "Persian" and "[farsi]." That's why many people use the name "Farsi" in English language instead. If we use the local name of the language as "[parsi]" a big deal of the problem is automatically solved.
This is also true about the name of Persian Gulf. If we call the country "Persia," nobody would doubt that the name of the gulf in the south of the country is Persian Gulf. However, if we use the name "Iran" (which is the name of the country in Persian language), there are of course people who like to give Persian Gulf another name. By the way, I should not forget to write a post later that it would be very naive to think that the conflict about the name of Persian Gulf is happily ended. This is not the case at all! The effort of the Arabic countries in this regard is not reduced, but is very well increased. We will loos this game very soon if we do not confront it systematically.
I should add this about Persian language in Blogger that BBC-Persian said according to the Time Magazine that "Persian language is the 28th most common spoken language in the world, but in weblogs stands very closely to French, which is the second most used language."
Labels: Computer, General, Persian language
¶ 3:14:00 PM 3 Comments Links to this post
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Snap Shots, quick preview of the links
You may have noticed that I recently added a section to the right column of the page titled "Snap Shots, quick preview of the links." If this option is on, it will show a small white icon beside each link, and if you move your mouse over it, it will show you a preview of that page.
I think it is a very useful programme, but I noticed that in some computers (or in some particular browsers) it may slow down the speed or freeze the programme for a while. Therefore, I added this option in the page for the readers to turn it on and off as they wish. If your computer does not slow down by this programme, give it a try. ¶ 9:44:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
* Also available in Persian language
You may have noticed that I recently added a section to the right column of the page titled "Snap Shots, quick preview of the links." If this option is on, it will show a small white icon beside each link, and if you move your mouse over it, it will show you a preview of that page.I think it is a very useful programme, but I noticed that in some computers (or in some particular browsers) it may slow down the speed or freeze the programme for a while. Therefore, I added this option in the page for the readers to turn it on and off as they wish. If your computer does not slow down by this programme, give it a try. ¶ 9:44:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
Friday, August 31, 2007
Fakhredin Blog gets a new home!
English blog: en.blog.fakhredin.com
Persian blog: fa.blog.fakhredin.com
In fact the website itself will be just one member of "www.fakhredin.com" web-family! I will introduce the other members of the web-family as soon as they arrive to their home. For now, let me introduce you to Fakhredin Photo Gallery. You can find him at www.photo.fakhredin.com. At the moment, the gallery contains some photo's from Persia (mainly from Esfahan and Shiraz). Shortly, you will be able to visit more places in Persia, and, who knows, hopefully all around the world.
* Also available in Persian languageAs from today, Fakhredin Blog is moved to its new home at "www.blog.fakhredin.com." In this new address, both the English and Persian blogs are living together:
English blog: en.blog.fakhredin.com
Persian blog: fa.blog.fakhredin.com
In fact the website itself will be just one member of "www.fakhredin.com" web-family! I will introduce the other members of the web-family as soon as they arrive to their home. For now, let me introduce you to Fakhredin Photo Gallery. You can find him at www.photo.fakhredin.com. At the moment, the gallery contains some photo's from Persia (mainly from Esfahan and Shiraz). Shortly, you will be able to visit more places in Persia, and, who knows, hopefully all around the world.
Labels: General
¶ 12:05:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Google Earth 4.2: Google Sky!
You know about Google Earth, don't you? It is an wonderful work from Google by which you can observe satellite images from every corner of the earth. Yesterday a new version of Google Earth is released; version 4.2. Amazing thing about this version is that you can observe not only the "Earth" but also the "Sky!" With this new option you sit behind your computer and look at the hundred millions of stars. I installed the program on my MacBookPro just a few minutes ago, and took this photo of Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31, NGC 224). I also took a look at the planets, but suddenly the computer hanged! This is very unusual for a Mac computer. Anyhow, happily it works fine now.
¶ 1:15:00 PM
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* Also available in Persian language
You know about Google Earth, don't you? It is an wonderful work from Google by which you can observe satellite images from every corner of the earth. Yesterday a new version of Google Earth is released; version 4.2. Amazing thing about this version is that you can observe not only the "Earth" but also the "Sky!" With this new option you sit behind your computer and look at the hundred millions of stars. I installed the program on my MacBookPro just a few minutes ago, and took this photo of Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31, NGC 224). I also took a look at the planets, but suddenly the computer hanged! This is very unusual for a Mac computer. Anyhow, happily it works fine now.
¶ 1:15:00 PM
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Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Happy Persian new year, the year 1386
* Also available in Persian language
Labels: General
¶ 1:07:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Persia. 30 centuries of Art & Culture
The Hermitage in St. Petersburg has a splendid collection of Persian works of art. It includes many interesting pieces covering the whole of Persian history from antiquity to the end of the Qajar dynasty (1785-1925). From antiquity there are several sculptures, among them a fragment from the ruined city of Persepolis, and gold produced by the Scythians from the area north and west of the Persian Empire. Several gold objects were originally owned by Tsar Peter the Great. From the Islamic period come beautiful examples of Persian earthenware: tiles – renowned for their lustre decoration and once part of famous mausoleums – , vases and dishes. Weapons, made of steel and gold and inlaid with coloured stones, also demonstrate the Persians’ sublime mastery of this art. The Qajar period shows the Western influence on traditional Persian art: here the objects are chiefly diplomatic gifts and military trophies. The rich collection in St. Petersburg makes it possible to present an impressive survey of the history of Persian civilisation.
Source: Hermitage Amsterdam
* Also available in Persian language
The Hermitage in St. Petersburg has a splendid collection of Persian works of art. It includes many interesting pieces covering the whole of Persian history from antiquity to the end of the Qajar dynasty (1785-1925). From antiquity there are several sculptures, among them a fragment from the ruined city of Persepolis, and gold produced by the Scythians from the area north and west of the Persian Empire. Several gold objects were originally owned by Tsar Peter the Great. From the Islamic period come beautiful examples of Persian earthenware: tiles – renowned for their lustre decoration and once part of famous mausoleums – , vases and dishes. Weapons, made of steel and gold and inlaid with coloured stones, also demonstrate the Persians’ sublime mastery of this art. The Qajar period shows the Western influence on traditional Persian art: here the objects are chiefly diplomatic gifts and military trophies. The rich collection in St. Petersburg makes it possible to present an impressive survey of the history of Persian civilisation.Source: Hermitage Amsterdam
Until 30 March the Hermitage Amsterdam is closed for the public. On Saturday 31 March they start a new exhibition "Persia. 30 centuries of Art & Culture".
From 31 March till 16 September 2007 the Hermitage Amsterdam is open daily from 10 am till 5 pm. (Closed on 30 April!)
The Hermitage Amsterdam is located at:
Nieuwe Herengracht 14, Amsterdam
Labels: Art, Persian heritage, Persian history
¶ 10:20:00 PM 1 Comments Links to this post
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Reactions against the film "300"
I read in the BBCPersian news that many Persians (Iranians) considered the film "300" offensive, and reacted against it by signing petitions and creating a Google bomb. Instead of protesting against the film, I have another suggestion: please have look at these short films about "Engineering an Empire - the Persians" in YouTube. It would give you a better image of what the Persian Empire really was.
Nevertheless, I think that the reactions of Persians (Iranians) should be re-directed from the film "300" to some more important issues. Unfortunately at the moment Persian Empire is a "Forgotten Empire" in the sense that people do not directly connect it to the current country of Persia (Iran). Not many people know that Persia is the same as Iran. We are still suffering from the wrong decision of Reza Shah who changed the international name of the country. That decision in the last 70 years created much more serious consequences than a film like "300"; the name of the language, for instance. People do not see a direct connection between Persian language and Iran as a country anymore, while connection between Persian language and Persia is obvious. Many people in the West even think that Iran is an Arabic country with Arabic as the official language. That's also why the conflict about the name of Persian Gulf is not a big deal for the Western people, and introducing Persian scientists as Arabs does not wonder them. Gradually, a country named Persia, and everything associated to it, is vanishing from the present and stays solely in the history. These facts are more troublesome than a film such as "300." In a few years, nobody will remember the film, but the negative effects of the above mentioned problems are growing every day.
My suggestion is to re-direct the efforts. Let's try to introduce the fact that "the country should be officially named Persia (not Iran) in international conversations again," and that "the language should be officially named Persian (not Farsi) in international conversations." Please note that "Persian" is a nationality not an ethnicity; it simply means "native of Persia." In order to improve the international image of the country, Persians (natives of Persia) should first stop arguing between themselves. Turks, Kurds, Lurs, Pars, Arabs, Baluchs, and all the ethnic groups who live in Persia (Iran) are Persians. The same way that we have Iraqi Kurds and Turkish Kurds, we have Persian Kurds. The same way that we have Kuwaiti Arabs and Saudi Arabs, we have Persian Arabs.
Talking about the film, to my opinion the best way to react against the barbarian image of Persians in the film is not a direct reaction. Signing petitions or making a Google bomb against it will only make the film more popular, and people will remember the film not as a fiction anymore but as an image of Persians. On the contrary, the best way to defend the image of Persian Empire is to introduce the true beautiful image of it to the audience. It's already a long time that a film about Cyrus the Great is going to be made. Where is it? Why is the project not progressing? These are more important issues to take care of, much more important than the petitions against the film "300."
Again, I suggest re-directing these efforts. Let's sign petitions in favour of the film "Cyrus". If the project is suffering from lack of budget, let's make an international effort and collect a financial support for that. Let's make exhibitions, seminars, etc. to introduce the beauty of Persia to the world. For example, instead of getting upset that why Xerxes the Great is shown as a barbarian in the film, why Avicenna is being introduced as an Arab scientist in some international symposiums, or why Rumi is sometimes being introduced as a Turk poet, Persians, themselves, should start introducing the true image about their history, culture, and heritage to the world.
The last point that I like to mention about the film "300" is that the film is receiving an attention from the audience not because it is anti-Persian. Majority of people just go to this film because it is a fiction with nicely-made special effects. I do not deny that it gives the audience a negative feeling about Persians. I only say that people do not go to the film just because of that. Therefore, if the film "Cyrus" is going to be made, it would better be made with the best cast and crew. Most people will not go to that film because they are in love with Cyrus the Great. They just like to see a nice film, and hopefully it will also give them a positive image of Persians.
* Also available in Persian language
I read in the BBCPersian news that many Persians (Iranians) considered the film "300" offensive, and reacted against it by signing petitions and creating a Google bomb. Instead of protesting against the film, I have another suggestion: please have look at these short films about "Engineering an Empire - the Persians" in YouTube. It would give you a better image of what the Persian Empire really was.Nevertheless, I think that the reactions of Persians (Iranians) should be re-directed from the film "300" to some more important issues. Unfortunately at the moment Persian Empire is a "Forgotten Empire" in the sense that people do not directly connect it to the current country of Persia (Iran). Not many people know that Persia is the same as Iran. We are still suffering from the wrong decision of Reza Shah who changed the international name of the country. That decision in the last 70 years created much more serious consequences than a film like "300"; the name of the language, for instance. People do not see a direct connection between Persian language and Iran as a country anymore, while connection between Persian language and Persia is obvious. Many people in the West even think that Iran is an Arabic country with Arabic as the official language. That's also why the conflict about the name of Persian Gulf is not a big deal for the Western people, and introducing Persian scientists as Arabs does not wonder them. Gradually, a country named Persia, and everything associated to it, is vanishing from the present and stays solely in the history. These facts are more troublesome than a film such as "300." In a few years, nobody will remember the film, but the negative effects of the above mentioned problems are growing every day.
My suggestion is to re-direct the efforts. Let's try to introduce the fact that "the country should be officially named Persia (not Iran) in international conversations again," and that "the language should be officially named Persian (not Farsi) in international conversations." Please note that "Persian" is a nationality not an ethnicity; it simply means "native of Persia." In order to improve the international image of the country, Persians (natives of Persia) should first stop arguing between themselves. Turks, Kurds, Lurs, Pars, Arabs, Baluchs, and all the ethnic groups who live in Persia (Iran) are Persians. The same way that we have Iraqi Kurds and Turkish Kurds, we have Persian Kurds. The same way that we have Kuwaiti Arabs and Saudi Arabs, we have Persian Arabs.
Talking about the film, to my opinion the best way to react against the barbarian image of Persians in the film is not a direct reaction. Signing petitions or making a Google bomb against it will only make the film more popular, and people will remember the film not as a fiction anymore but as an image of Persians. On the contrary, the best way to defend the image of Persian Empire is to introduce the true beautiful image of it to the audience. It's already a long time that a film about Cyrus the Great is going to be made. Where is it? Why is the project not progressing? These are more important issues to take care of, much more important than the petitions against the film "300."
Again, I suggest re-directing these efforts. Let's sign petitions in favour of the film "Cyrus". If the project is suffering from lack of budget, let's make an international effort and collect a financial support for that. Let's make exhibitions, seminars, etc. to introduce the beauty of Persia to the world. For example, instead of getting upset that why Xerxes the Great is shown as a barbarian in the film, why Avicenna is being introduced as an Arab scientist in some international symposiums, or why Rumi is sometimes being introduced as a Turk poet, Persians, themselves, should start introducing the true image about their history, culture, and heritage to the world.
The last point that I like to mention about the film "300" is that the film is receiving an attention from the audience not because it is anti-Persian. Majority of people just go to this film because it is a fiction with nicely-made special effects. I do not deny that it gives the audience a negative feeling about Persians. I only say that people do not go to the film just because of that. Therefore, if the film "Cyrus" is going to be made, it would better be made with the best cast and crew. Most people will not go to that film because they are in love with Cyrus the Great. They just like to see a nice film, and hopefully it will also give them a positive image of Persians.
Labels: Art, Persian heritage, Persian history, Persian language
¶ 12:03:00 PM 1 Comments Links to this post
