SMF's Tenth Anniversary Celebration: Persian Culture as a World Culture

Friday, 4 November 2011

Celebrating a decade of preserving and promoting the rich and diverse cultural and artistic heritage of the Greater Iranian world with a panel discussion followed by a concert.

Anniversary Celebration Event

To mark its tenth anniversary, the Soudavar Memorial Foundation organised a day of celebration at the Brunei Gallery in London, featuring an afternoon of discussions followed by a concert and reception.

šŸ“ Venue

Brunei Gallery, London

šŸŽÆ Program

Panel discussions, Parvaz Ensemble concert, and reception in the Brunei Suite

šŸŽ¼ Musical Performance

Concert by Parvaz Ensemble inspired by the tanbour magham music of Kurdistan

Event Program

10th Anniversary Event Program

Panel Discussion: Persian Culture as a World Culture

Distinguished scholars presented diverse aspects of Persian cultural influence on world civilization, chaired by independent scholar Abolala Soudavar.

Abolala Soudavar

Panel Topic

Panel Chair Abolala Soudavar is a noted scholar and collector whose articles have appeared in a number of academic journals. His publications include Art of the Persian Courts: Selections from the Art and History Trust Collection (Rizzoli, 1992), The Aura of Kings: Legitimacy and Divine Sanction in Iranian Kingship (Mazda Publishers, 2003), Decoding Old Masters: Patrons, Princes and Enigmatic Paintings of the 15th Century (I.B.Tauris, 2007), and Mithraic Societies: From Brotherhood Ideal to Religionā€™s Adversary released in 2014.

Biography

Mr. Abolala Soudavar is a noted scholar and collector whose articles have appeared in a number of academic journals. His publications include Art of the Persian Courts: Selections from the...

Professor Phillip Kreyenbroek

Georg-August University

Panel Topic

The Legacy of Ancient Iran in Western Culture Professor Philip Kreyenbroek, Professor of Iranian Studies and Director of the Institute of Iranian Studies, Georg-August University Goettingen, Germany The paper will discuss the originally Iranian nature of Mithraism, its role in the cultural history of Europe generally, and its influence on Christianity in particular. It will then address the various spheres in which the dominant religion of ancient Iran, Zoroastrianism, influenced the culture of the West.

Biography

Professor Philip Kreyenbroek, Professor of Iranian Studies and Director of the InstituteĀ of Iranian Studies, Georg-August University Goettingen, Germany

Dr Farhang Jahanpour

University of Oxford

Panel Topic

Dr Farhang Jahanpour, Associate Fellow, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford By common consent, Persian literature is the jewel in the crown of Persian culture and is one of the greatest literary traditions of the world. Throughout the centuries when Persian served as the lingua franca of Eastern Islam, Persian literature profoundly influenced the literatures of Ottoman Turkey, Muslim India and Turkic Central Asia, as well as Western literature. Some of the great poets who have written in the Persian language, such as Ferdowsi, Omar Khayyam, Rumi, Hafiz and Saā€™di, have become well- known in the West, and have provided a source of inspiration for Goethe, the Romantic poets, Emerson, and Matthew Arnold among others. The paper will briefly deal with various genres of Persian literature, including epic, romantic, mystical, didactic, lyrical and philosophical poetry and the impact of that literature on the rest of the world.

Biography

Dr Farhang Jahanpour, Associate Fellow, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford

Professor Elaheh Kheirandish

Harvard University

Panel Topic

A Quartet of Persian Scientific Traditions: Geometry, Astronomy, Mechanics, Optics Professor Elaheh Kheirandish, Research Associate, Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, Harvard University This presentation is about four scientific subjects with distinct Persian and Arabic traditions, and direct impacts on world science, featuring a film entitled ā€œEarly Science, ca. 1000 CEā€. The quartet of geometry, astronomy, mechanics and optics are highlighted for rich and long lives in the lands of the Islamic Middle Ages, with lasting traditions beyond medieval Europe, all the way to the early modern period and the seventeenth-century ā€œScience Revolutionā€.

Biography

Professor Elaheh Kheirandish, Research Associate, Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, Harvard University

Dr GuĢˆl Russell

Texas A&M Health Science Center

Panel Topic

The ā€˜First Renaissanceā€™ and the Development of Medicine in Islamic Civilization: The Persian Foundation Dr GuĢˆl Russell, Professor of History of Medicine, Department of Humanities, Texas A&M Health Science Center The Persian contribution has been crucial to the development of medicine in the Islamic civilziation and its impact on the Latin West. In this talk, the Persian heritage will be presented and some myths clarified, starting with the translation movement between the 8th and 10th cenuries that gave rise to the ā€˜first Renaissance in Baghdadā€™.

Biography

Dr GuĢˆl Russell, Professor of History of Medicine, Department of Humanities, Texas A&M Health Science Center

Professor Robert Hillenbrand

University of Edinburgh

Panel Topic

Iranā€™s Artistic Heritage Professor Robert Hillenbrand, Emeritus Professor of Islamic Art, University of Edinburgh The Iranian contribution lies at the very heart of Islamic art, just as European art cannot be understood without reference to Italy. The talk will attempt to highlight some of the perennial concerns of Iranian art and architecture in the Islamic period, tracing in turn how the tenacious traditions of pre-Islamic Iran constantly reconfigured themselves, how the majesty of kingship dominated secular iconography, and how religious themes found unexpected visual expression.

Biography

Professor Robert Hillenbrand, Emeritus Professor of Islamic Art, University of Edinburgh

A Decade of Accomplishments

SMF's first ten years were highlighted by the launch flagship initiative is the annual symposium on the 'Idea of Iran' in 2006 as well as well as award winning publications, exhibitions, and diverse academic support.

01

Idea of Iran Symposium Series

Annual symposiums from 2006 covering over 1,000 years of Persian history and culture.

02

Award-Winning Publications

Including "Isfahan and its Palaces" and "The Complete Fauna of Iran" - both prize-winning works.

03

Encyclopaedia Iranica Support

A decade-long commitment to supporting this comprehensive reference work.

04

Diverse Academic Support

PhD scholarships, exhibitions, archaeological excavations, and multimedia performances.