A Century Ago in the Land of Lion and Sun; The Character of Iranians

In the following series of discussions, we introduce a book titled "Life in the Muslim East"; the author of this book is "Pierre Pounafidin" who wrote it in Russian, and his wife "Emma Kousheran Pounafidin" has translated it into English. The English translation of the book was published in 1911, a little over 100 years ago, and contains the author's memories from 36 years of work and life as the consul of the Kingdom of Russia in Iran and the Ottoman Empire, and his travels to various regions of Iran, "Turkish Arabia" (Hijaz, Baghdad, Basra, and parts of Kurdish Iraq), and "India". The section on Iran is titled "In the Land of Lion and Sun". However, there are also references to topics related to Iran in other sections, including the status of women in Iran within the framework of Sharia and custom, as well as the general situation of Kurds who lived in that era in terms of citizenship in both the Ottoman Turkey and Iran. This work also contains photographs taken by the author and his wife from Iran, the Ottoman Empire, and India. Iranians a century ago in the land of Lion and Sun. Book: Life in the Muslim East (1911) Written by: Pierre Pounafidin Selected and Free Translation: Abbas Javadi. Iranians are not very familiar with public entertainments such as theater and concerts, and sports are still something foreign to them. If we disregard the fireworks and horse racing events occasionally held by the king and the aristocracy in Tehran, public entertainments that involve everyone are primarily mourning ceremonies and watching "Shabih" during the month of Muharram. Therefore, if anywhere and for any reason the sound of drums and cheers is heard and an invitation to "watch" something is made, everyone goes there to see what is happening. If they hear the sound of a wedding's Sorna and Dehl, they immediately go there or start watching from their rooftops, and if Europeans are seen passing through the streets, especially in a small town or village, the crowd follows them and makes comments or throws remarks that are not always pleasant. The lower class enjoys sitting for hours in coffee houses listening to "Naqqals" and stories like "Shahnameh", "Iskandernameh", and "Rostam and Sohrab". However, most of the entertainments of Iranians take place inside their homes. Iranians are excessively hospitable. Anyone who comes to their house cannot leave without eating food or at least drinking something. I have often seen an unknown dervish enter a house uninvited, sit down, eat food, drink a beverage, and then leave. Previously, I mentioned the drinking habits of Iranians. Wine, whether real wine or "spiritual wine", holds a high status in classical Persian poetry and lyricism; everyone is enamored with Persian poetry and memorizes such poems. However, Iranians do not drink wine like us for the pleasure of its taste or for relaxation and conversation with relatives and acquaintances, but rather to "get drunk", although they prefer to drink wine and possibly "act drunk" not in public but in private settings with close friends and acquaintances. Consider sports or hunting. Iran is a relatively large country with various wild animals, birds, and fish that are very suitable for hunting. Various valuable breeds of horses and dogs ("Tazi"), falcons, quails, etc., are suitable and abundant for hunting or horse racing. Iranians also love sports very much. However, this love is not for the sake of sports itself or the comfort and health it brings. In fact, the wealthy class may not enjoy real hunting much because it is too bothersome and tires them out. For them, the recreational aspect and "distinction" of hunting is more interesting. The poor class, whether they like it or not, actively engage in sports every day through their work and daily hustle! The wealthy class does not go hunting alone. They must take a dozen servants with them. The king always takes four hundred or five hundred people with him to hunt. Influential and "distinguished" people are accompanied by at least twenty or thirty others in hunting. Horse racing is limited to Tehran and the aristocracy. It is not that recreational activities do not exist in Iran; they do exist, but their varieties are not many. For example, one can refer to the performances of "Pahlavans" in the fields who apparently break chains or the poor bears that are forced to dance with a chain through their noses, or rooster fights that come with betting. However, recreational activities that have artistic or literary value and contribute to the cultural and artistic richness of the people while also being enjoyable are almost nonexistent. Moreover, Iranians currently do not desire such things at all. An Iranian enjoys sitting by a stream, under the shade of a tree, and on the grass, grilling something and eating it while listening to music. However, he does not pay much attention to the grandeur and majesty of the surrounding nature and does not care about its true beauties. He enjoys "praising", storytellers, and reciters of the Shahnameh, but not so much for the meanings of those poems and the lessons that can be learned from them, but for the melodiousness of these poems and the rhythm and rhyme of Persian poetry that pleases his ear. It is true that he enjoys "watching", but more than just watching, he does not need anything else, and especially paying money for a ticket to this viewing is unimaginable for him. A few years ago, a circus came to Iran. It was assumed that people who love horses so much (and this is true) would definitely go to watch the circus. However, the number of participants was so low that the circus soon closed down with a large loss. Magicians had more success. However, after they were invited and came and performed their program, they could not receive their payment. Since there are no theaters and healthy entertainment venues in Iran, wealthy Iranians invite musicians, dancers, and magicians to their homes and promise to pay a certain amount for these programs. However, such programs often end with long discussions about the artists' fees, and they sometimes cannot receive the promised fee or receive half of it. Additionally, Iranians are not very fond of walking and strolling, and the reason is clear. If you walk alone, it is against "habit". On the other hand, it makes no sense to walk just for a stroll while a group of servants follows you. Similar considerations apply to horseback riding: "It is not dignified for me to ride alone, but riding in the midst of a group of attendants and servants is also ridiculous." Among the middle class, some who have been advised by a physician to exercise definitely go to train with "Pahlavans" (wrestlers), but among them, the number of those who do this truly out of love for training or sports is not high. Abbas Javadi Membership In this context, a century ago in the land of Lion and Sun, Parsis of India and Zoroastrians of Iran, Tisfun and the Arch of Khosrow, the Tobacco Movement, visiting holy shrines and burying the dead among the Kurds, within the walls of Iranians, the social life of Iranians, Nowruz and Ashura, women of Iran, villages and cities, climate and irrigation, the land of Lion and Sun. A century in the land of Lion and Sun is a selected and free interpretation of the book "Life in the Muslim East"; written by Pierre Pounafidin. He, who was the consul of the Kingdom of Russia in Iran and the Ottoman Empire for years, describes the conditions of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in his book. This series of writings has been prepared by Abbas Javadi, a linguist and orientalist and one of the directors of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.