Ten great Iranian cultural sites the US must not bomb
“Is it not passing brave to be a King,
And ride in triumph through Persepolis?”
These lines from the sixteenth-century Playwright Christopher Marlowe are spoken by one of his greatest literary characters – the ebullient conqueror of Persia, Tamburlaine. In the play, based upon the extraordinary life of the fourteenth-century Eurasian emperor, Marlowe imagines Tamburlaine making a decision: rather than pillaging the great city of Persepolis (now in modern day Iran), he muses upon how he will ride through in triumph as its new ruler.
Marlowe’s grand tale was an action-filled, testosterone-fuelled romp – a Tudor blockbuster hit that captured the imagination of his English audiences. Marlowe’s spectators were not alone in this fascination – the sights and sounds of Persia, which are now in modern-day Iran, have held a sway over the minds of writers and travellers from Ambrosio Bembo and the Baron de Montesquieu to Lord Tennyson and John Simpson.
What makes the history and heritage of Iran so fascinating is the great cross-section of cultures, peoples, and empires that have inhabited its landscapes. Persian history extends back into the depths of ancient history in the 6th Century BC, when Cyrus the Great founded the Achaemenid Empire. The Persian language and literary culture have survived, evolved, and triumphed over many centuries, producing masterful poets and philosophers (the two often went together) such as the celebrated Omar Khayyam.
The history of the Persian people is not the only point of fascination, however – Iran is also the home to many ethnic groups, including significant numbers of Azerbaijanis and Kurds. It was always a locus of different religions and religious movements, including not only the Shi’a Islam which now dominates the regime created in 1979, but also eastern Christians as well as Jews and Zoroastrians. It is one of the tragedies of modern history that the latest chapter in Iran’s history, after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, has been such a dark moment in an otherwise epic tale of diverse peoples, places, and mores.
It is even more tragic, and disturbing, that the US President has threatened to target “Iranian culture” at least twice if Iran strikes back at Americans or American assets in the Middle East. We can only hope that the restraint of Defence Secretary Mark Esper, who said that cultural sites would not be targeted by the administration, prevails. Who can tell when this administration works in such an erratic manner?
Ironically, were President Trump to allow the destruction of these precious parts of humanity’s common heritage to take place, either through deliberate desecration or through sheer recklessness, he would show the Americans to be no better than the iconoclasts of the Islamic State. Exacting vengeance upon Iran’s cultural sites would be akin to the extremist philistinism of the ISIS fighters who wrought destruction on the “idols” of the ancient city of Palmyra between 2015-2018.
President Trump’s temperament may mean that he wishes the US to act as the kingmaker in Middle-Eastern power politics, but it would be a crime against humanity to destroy or damage the cultural wonders of Persia. Exercising restraint and preserving Iran’s treasures must be the course of action in the event of any conflict – any military “triumph” that would plunder Persepolis and reduce the treasures of Tehran to rubble would be tragically hollow.
Here are ten cultural sites that make Iran a truly remarkable centre for cultural heritage:
1) Pasargadae – the first dynastic capital of the Achaemenid Empire founded by Cyrus the Great in the 6th Century BC. The tomb of Cyrus can still be visited today, surrounded by the mountains of Fars Province.
2) The Behistun Inscription – a multilingual inscription carved into rock near the city of Kermanshah in western Iran. It details images and an autobiography of the life and triumphs of king Darius the Great. Dating to sometime between 522-486 BC.
3) Persepolis – the ceremonial capital of the ancient Achaemenid Empire, located 60km northeast of the city of Shiraz in Fars Province. The earliest remains here date back to 515 BC and its ruins contain the “Gate of All Nations”, built by King Xerxes, as a meeting point of kings from across the region. It was taken and sacked by Alexander the Great in 330 BC – the historical Persepolis (unlike that imagined in Marlowe’s play), would have already been in ruins by the 14th century. Marlowe’s “Persepolis” was probably a poetic and evocative way of referring to “Persia”.
4) The ancient city of Yazd, located to the southeast of Isfahan. Founded in the 5th Century AD, this historic city is built into a stunning sandy plane at the feet of the mountain of Shīr Kūh. It was visited by Venetian traveller Marco Polo in the 13th century and is now one of the last centres of Zoroastrian religion in Iran.
5) Monastery of Saint Thaddeus – a 14th Century Church rebuilt on the site where Christians have worshiped since the first century AD. Located on the beautiful plains of West Azerbaijan Province.
(6) Masjed-e Jāme, Isfahan – the “Friday mosque”, with sections dating back to the early centuries of Islam in 841 AD. It is the oldest preserved edifice of its type in Iran and inspired architects throughout Central Asia.
(7) Arg e Bam – a great city in Kerman province built in its modern form in the 13th century. It is the largest mud brick structure in the world. It offered a shelter from Mongol invasions and formed a thriving market town on the mercantile Silk Road stretching from China and through Persia to East Africa.
(8) The mausoleum of Oljaytu – a great complex constructed in 1302-12 AD in the city of Soltaniyeh, the capital of the Mongol Ilkhanid dynasty. Its blue dome atop an octagonal structure is a triumph of Persian and Islamic architecture.
(9) Naqsh-e Jahan Square – the “Image of the World Square” in the heart of the city of Isfahan. A grand open square surrounded by gorgeous buildings from the Safavid era (1501-1736). A testament to the prestige and commercial prowess of the Safavid rulers who made it the centrepiece of their new capital. Often said to outshine even the grandest piazzas of Italy.
(10) The Golestan Palace, Tehran – a Qajar era (1779-1925) palace in the modern-day capital, which is lavishly ornamented by Persian arts and crafts. East meets West in a synthesis of grand Persian archways and terraces as well as subtle European motifs. It also contains historical records in its photographic archive as well as its library of manuscripts and documents from Iran’s past.
