Armenia

just a few photos from memorable Armenia:

 The Old Hraparak, also known az Republic Square has been devised by Alexander Tamanian as the center of Yerevan in reconstruction

 City of Fountains!
They told me the number of Fountains is equal to the age of Yerevan!

 Sevan Lake which is one of the largest high-altitude lakes in the world

Descend !

Tsakhkadzor ski resort

Those Russian!

Noruz, the Iranian New Year Festival begins at Farvardin 1st (March 21st). it's a 4day holiday for officials and 13 days for the rest! and probably the best time for traveling.
This Noruz I had guided a Tour to Yerevan, Armenia's Capital.

There is long way from Iran's North Western border (Near Tabriz) to Yerevan with beautiful sceneries alongside of simple rural life. Below pictures are taken from a simply lively, warm and welcoming cafe in one of those U-turns of Armenia's mountains, managed by this hospitable lady. watch that old Russian heater.

The world's first Animation

Shahr-i Sokhteh (Burnt City) located near Zabol-Zahedan road on the bank of the Helmand River, in Sistan o Baluchistan Province had been erected 3200 B.C.
Not only this city had used to have the best Water Supply plan, but is famous as pioneer in many world FIRSTs! Brain surgery, Glass eye, ruler, Backgammon and last but not least the first Animation of the world:
While excavation in a 5000 years old tomb, Archelogist have found a bowl around which a goat and a tree were repeated, but not a monotonous repeat, it reveals the goat's movement toward tree's leaf in 5step. Imagine how creative was its artist!

a digital re-drawing of the world first Animation

Judge!

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words! 
but now the reality is my busy time which is appeared as minimal posts like this:

This photo is taken by a friend of mine: Hamed Noori. apparantly in an ethnographic museum in Tehran.

Dakhme, Tower of Silence

Maybe you have heard about Dakhme, Tower of Silence. Howerev, Dakhme is an important part of Zoroastrian burial ceremony to put the corpse in. They believe we never pollute the four main elemens of Water, Fire, Air and Earth. and burying the deceased body will pollute the Erath; therefore they put the dead in Dakhme to be eaten by birds and remains its skelton, then the family gather the dried bones in a box named Estodun or OstokhanDan (Ostokhan means Bone in Persian) and keep it as far as possible.

 Zoroastrians visit the Dakhme-Yazd

anything related to death is dreadful but for my either of Dakhme or Historical cemeteries are inspiring source for knowing about the way people and civilizations by which lived. Evenmore, they have no more such grandeur and mystic identity, maybe somewhere to hang around!

the famous Dakhme of Yazd in sunset, really missed it!

The first three women

Under Reza Shah's (founder of Pahlavi Dynasty) reforms, Iranian women had found their way to express themselves in various ways as men. The first three women who attended university in Iran are shown below.
Do you "University of Tehran" is the the first modern university in Iran which has been inaugurated in 1934?

Iran's Flag colors

watch Iran's Flag 3colors of Green, White and Red in this ancient Shusa Glazed Tile on Fravahar  symbol.