Iran:
Wonders of Nature
Iran has one of the oldest cultures in the world. It has a rich visual tradition that has existed from its earliest days – dating back to 4000 BC, long before the Islamic conquest of the 600s.
Nature has always moulded Iran and its people.
Our journey begins in a garden.
The Garden:
Paradise on Earth
In the mind of every Iranian person, there is a garden. It is a paradise on earth, a place of flourishing greenery in a harsh climate.
A typical Iranian garden, or chaharbagh, is split into four parts and connected by waterways. This ancient Iranian design has also been adopted to represent the four gardens of paradise.
The Land:
Shaper of Peoples
The physical makeup of Iran has shaped the identity of those who have lived there.
The unique relationship between Iranians and the land has evolved to produce the concept of Iran-shahr or Iran-zamin, which means the Land of Iranians. It is a country of rugged mountain ranges, vast deserts and lush meadows and forests.
Iranians have long shaped this landscape and the landscape has long shaped their art.
The Power of Nature:
Heroes and Beasts
The power that nature possesses and the wonder that it inspires is clear in Iranian mythology and history.
We see historical and mythical kings, heroes and beasts, who have power over the natural world.
This dual inheritance – one historical and one mythological – is essential to the identity of the Iranian people and the boundaries between the two are often unclear.
The Skies:
The Order of the Universe
Cosmology – the way that the universe is ordered – has long played a central role in Iranian peoples’ understanding of their place in the world.
From the earliest times Iranians believed that the stars and planets influenced events on earth. .
Astronomers consulted the stars and planets to determine the months and seasons and the exact time of certain festivals. Their knowledge was also used for astrological purposes to interpret how the skies could impact their lives, and the lives of others.
Find out more
Don’t miss this exclusive chance to see objects that have never been displayed in Scotland before. Find out our opening times and dates on our Visitor Information page.
Want to see the exhibition under a different light? Why not join us for our Programme of Events, including our Student Late: Persian Party and Norwuz celebrations in collaboration
with the Persian Society.