Category Archives: Blog

I enjoyed meeting Iranian artist Hooman Mehdizadehjafari at his “Suspension” show at the Aaran Art Gallery in Tehran. Each piece in the exhibit was done with graphite — it was mind-blowing to look up close at the thousands of pencil strokes carefully placed for different shadings and effects. The show was a big hit with our group, and a few of my fellow travelers from the Commonwealth Club of California purchased some of the works on display. Here are Hooman’s own words on the exhibit:

Suspension is an infinite concept, eternal and profluent till end of time. Gazing at nebulas and galaxies, the whole concept of eternity and perpetuity becomes even more perplexing and fluid; absolute abstractions. The Endeavour to visualize the depth and width of these concepts is another kind of Suspension; drowning in questions that are as old as creation. In all of this the most tangible phenomenon are humans. The suspended human in an indescribable space, empty and devoid of gravity, with no willpower or control, adrift and eternally bewildered; constantly staring in to the abyss. In any second they might not be anymore. Figures that are timeless and placeless and utterly farfetched. Humans drawn with pencil appear on large scale paper – both paper and pencil being transitory mediums-, one second in the apex and the next at falling edge. Just like us, like all of us. Defying gravity, both as a natural force and in complexity of situation, in form and concept, these group of works suggest motion and fluidity and by blending what is stable and what is mobile, gracefully portray the uncertainties of our era and world in general. Swallowed up and dazed in instances of life. In words of Ahmad Shamlou: I touch you and comprehend the world/ I think of you/ and touch time/ suspended and eternal/ naked. I blow, I pour, I shine…

While recently in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in western China, I had the pleasure of exploring the caves of Dunhuang — which I shared in my Huffington Post article, “Buddhist Cave Art in China.” If you’re dreaming of traveling to Dunhuang and happen to be in New York City, I have good news for you — the spirit of the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang will be at your doorstep this week-end. On Sunday, November 20th,
multifaceted composer and conductor Tan Dun will give a presentation at Asia Society at 2 pm on the cave temple wall paintings at Mogao (which depict more than forty types of musical instruments), share musical excerpts from his new symphonic commission, and discuss his creative process as a musician and composer.

I enjoyed visiting this Zoroastrian Fire Temple in Yazd, while exploring religion in Iran (the birthplace of Zoroastrianism) as a guest speaker for the Commonwealth Club of California. The main principles of the Zoroastrian religion, founded by Zoroaster, are: “good thoughts, good words, good deeds.” Zoroastrians believe in one God, and see the world burdened with a battle between good and evil — it is incumbent upon each believer to fight for the good/divine, which is represented by fire or light in their ritual practices. Zoroastrian communities are found around the world in places like Iraq, India, Kurdistan, China, and the United States (check out the new Arbab Rustam Guiv Dar-e-Mehr Zoroastrian Temple in New York).

Upon entering the Atash Kadeh fire temple in Yazd, we were greeted by this portrait of the Prophet Zoroaster. Hanging on all of the walls of the temple are framed religious texts with messages in Persian and English to inspire “good thoughts, good words, good deeds.” Many tourists in Iran are surprised to find that they can freely visit active places of worship like fire temples and churches and interact openly with Iran’s religious minorities. Under Article 19 of Iran’s Constitution, all citizens of Iran, regardless of their race, language, or color, are entitled to equal rights. Recently, President Rouhani consulted the Zoroastrian community about changes to the citizenship charter.

The centerpiece of the temple is the eternal flame (non-Zoroastrians are not allowed to get any closer to the fire than this). It was almost impossible to take a photo with it, as there were so many people in the temple vying for a glimpse. This marvelous fire temple was just the first stop of our on-the-road exploration of Zoroastrian history, belief, and practice in Yazd.

I love the magnificent mosaic designs decorating the mihrab (prayer niche) of Yazd’s Friday Mosque in central Iran.

Since I visited Monet’s home & gardens in Giverny, France this summer, I read with great interest this morning that his “Grainstack” just set a record with $81.4 million at auction.

Several years ago, I went to Iceland for the Miss Iceland Pageant (as one does) — and absolutely loved it. In fact, in the wake of the recent pirate victory in Iceland, I’ve even been considering moving there. An article in today’s New York Times, Secret to Iceland’s Tourism Boom? Two Catastrophes (A Financial Crash and a Volcanic Eruption), looks at the causes, advantages, and disadvantages of Iceland’s current tourism boom.

While on a Fulbright in Java (to study Islam, mysticism, Advanced Indonesian, Javanese gamelan, and martial arts), I lived in a Christian community (next to a volcano!) and had the opportunity to hear first-hand about their fears as a religious minority. So it was with sadness that I read this week about growing religious tensions in Indonesia after the Christian governor of Jakarta was suspected of blasphemy.

The Sultanate of Oman has been ranked first of all Arab countries for being the least exposed to terrorism — according to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2016 published by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). This is just one of the many reasons why it is a joy to live here in Oman.

This fall, I headed to Ethiopia for my research on Rimbaud’s time in Harar (to be published soon) which I presented at an international conference this month in Oman. I can’t say enough how much I love Ethiopia — it is tremendously rich in cultural heritage, good food, and delicious coffee. The week after I left Ethiopia, the Ethiopian government declared a state of emergency. As a result of the ongoing unrest, tours to Ethiopia are being cancelled and tourism is suffering. According to my sources on the ground there, however, the situation outside of the areas of unrest is improving. For the sake of the Ethiopian people, I hope the situation improves soon. I myself dream of returning there one day soon — there’s really no place like it.

Last week-end, I went with friends to Millenium Resort Mussanah in Oman (about an hour’s drive from Muscat) to celebrate the 40th anniversary of our hiking group — the Muscat Hash House Harriers. Hiking every week-end in Oman with Omanis and fellow adventurers from around the world is often the highlight of my week — it’s a lovely mix (and fix) of exercise and fun. We started off our hotel stay in Mussanah on Friday with a refreshing hike along the beach — after which I took a quick dip in the moonlit sea before dinner.

We capped off our delicious buffet dinner later that night with a homemade cake to commemorate our anniversary (some worked it off later on the dancefloor near the pool). The next day (thanks to a late check out), I had plenty of downtime to enjoy a long walk on the beach, practice tai chi in the sand, and swim in the crystal clear water alongside other intrepid souls. Our week-end celebration was a lovely opportunity to try out a new hotel (I’m a spirited connoisseur of hotels in Oman), and a welcome reminder of the importance of community and relaxation.

I recently hiked up to the splendid tomb of Artaxerxes III, while exploring archaeology at Persepolis in Iran (notice the Faravahar on the facade). As an Egyptologist, I’m particularly interested in this ancient Persian king’s interference in ancient Egypt.

Since I recently visited the former home of Ayatollah Khomeini and the tomb of Cyrus the Great in Iran (and I study the intersections of Islamic law and cultural heritage), I read the recent Al-Monitor article on “What Iranian Clerics Really Think of Cyrus the Great with great interest earlier this week. It was pretty coincidental (and amazing) that I had the chance to visit his tomb with members of the Commonwealth Club of California less than 24 hours before protestors gathered there in the largest demonstration in Iran since 2009 — the growing tension was palpable.

While I was in Iran giving a series of lectures for the Commonwealth Club of California, our group ran into these young Afghan refugees in Shiraz at the serene shrine of the 13th century poet Saadi (whose humanistic poetry adorns the United Nations). Suspecting that they likely had many verses of Sufi poetry memorized (like my little friends in Afghanistan), I asked them if they would recite some Persian poetry for us. Happily, they obliged, and treated us all to some mystic morsels from the poetry of Rumi. It was the most perfect Persian surprise.

This week-end, a fellow hiker and I stumbled upon Tharmad Fort and Mussanah Fort while driving home from our hiking retreat at Millennium Resort Mussanah — now I’m one step closer to visiting every fort in the Sultanate of Oman!