Persia

Persia
• Geography
• Continent: Asia
• Region: Southwest Asia
Middle East
• Borders
– Afghanistan
– Armenia
– Azerbaijan
– Azerbaijan
– Iraq
– Pakistan
– Turkey
– Turkmenistan
• Climate
– desert, sub tropical, mediterranean, arid,
temperate

• Warm and Humid: Provinces of Gilan,

Mazandaran, and Golestan

• Warm and Dry: Provinces of Khuzestan, Ilam,

Bushehr, Hormozgan, and south of Sistan and
Baluchestan

• Desert and Half-desert: Provinces of Qom,

Esfahan, Yazd, Kerman, Sistan and Baluchestan,
Semnan, South Khorasan, and Khorasan Razavi.

• Mountainous: Provinces of Tehran, Markazi,

Qazvin, Lorestan, Kohgilooyeh and Boirahmad,
Chahar-Mahal and Bakhtiari, Kermanshah, and
North Khorasan are in the mountainous areas
of the country.

• Moderate Cold: Provinces of West and East

Azarbaijan, Ardebil, Kurdestan, Hamedan and
Zanjan
• Persian: Pre Islamic
– Zoroastrianism
• Zoroastrianism is a religion and
philosophy based on the teachings
of prophet Zoroaster (also known
as Zarathustra).
• It was probably founded some
time before the 6th century BCE in
Persia (Iran).

• Persian: Post Islamic (641-1230 AD)

– After the fall of Sassanid dynasty in
651
• Language
– Fārsi (one of the local names for Persian) in
Perso-Arabic script (Nasta`liq style)

• Demographics
– over 50 million Farsi speakers (about 50% of
Iran's population); over 7 million Dari Persian
speakers in Afghanistan (25% of the
population); and about 2 million Dari Persian
speakers in Pakistan.

– close to 60 % of Afghanistan's total population

speak Farsi or Dari.
Art
• Use of animal figures earlier in
ancient times
• Subsequently court themes,
Flora and Fauna, Use of Blue
color
Costumes
• Flowing Robes

• Head Gears

• Upper Cloak

• Later on turbans in the

Post Islamic era

• Fabrics: cotton, linen,

silk and wool and velvet
often dyed vivid colors.
• Gold and Silver Laces
Motifs, Colors
• Floral Patterns
• Geometric Design
• Non realistic representation
birds, medallion, animals, hunting ground and horsemen
as well as some abstract designs, tulips and water lily.
Inspired by poems and miniature paintings
• Gem Color, Silver and Gold, Natural Dyes

Red
Persian
Blue
Green

Black

Khaki

Yellow

Salmon

Brown
Home Furnishing style
language
• Tassels
• Lurex
• Gold and silver Laces
• Embroideries
• Beadswork
• Shells
• Couries
• Mirror work
Flora & Fauna
• Cat
• Squirrel
• Asiatic Cheetha
• Asiatic Lion
• Caspian Tigers
• Camel
• Peacock
wildlife animal species include bears,
gazelles, wild pigs, wolves, jackals,
panthers, Eurasian lynx, and foxes. Other
domestic animals include, sheeps, goats,
cattle, horses, water buffalo, donkeys, and
camels. The pheasant, partridge, stork,
eagles and falcon are also native to Iran.
• Use of natural flora in
patterns in art forms,
textiles etc
• Rose
Rose oil
Rose perfumes Persian Star
The technique
originated in Persia (the
word Rose itself
is from Persian)
then spread through
Arabia and India

Persian Clover
• Festivals & Events
NOROOZ, the Iranian (Persian) New Year
Iranian Festivals
Nowruz: start of spring ("Rejuvenation").
Sizdah Bedar: Persian Festival of "Joy and
Solidarity".
Mehregan: Festival of Mehr (or Mihr). A day of
"Thanksgiving".
Jashne Sade: A mid-winter feast to honor fire
and to "defeat the forces of darkness, frost and
cold".
Shabe Chelle: The turning point. End of the
longest night (darkness) of the year, and
beginning of growing of the days (Lights). A
celebration of Good over Evil. Also known as
Shab-e Yaldā
Sepandarmazgan: Day of Love, Friendship and
Earth in ancient Persian culture.
Chaharshanbe Suri: Festival of Fire
Eid ul-Fitr: marks the end of the month of Ramadan

Eid al-Adha: celebrated to commemorate prophet Abraham's willingness to

sacrifice his son for God

Eid-e Nowruz (Persian), celebrated on Nowruz and marking the first day of
spring and the beginning of the Iranian year as well as the Baha'i year

Eid Milad an Nabi (Festival of the birth of the Prophet)

Eid al-Milad (Festival of the Birth), the arabic phrase for Christmas.

Eid al-Ghadeer, the day of Eid for Shia Muslims that marks the nomination of
Ali, prophet's cousin, as the successor of the prophet

Eid al-Mubahila, the day of Eid for Shia Muslims that marks the success of
Muslims in a peaceful debate with Christians of the time

Eid E Shuja, the day of Eid for Shia Muslims and marks the end of the mourning
period after the events of Karbala
Cuisine
• Use of fruits
– like dates, grapes, figs, water
melons, Mulberry, dry fruits, etc

• Breads
– Naans, Romali

• Use of meat
Architecture
• Use of Wind towers
• Keeping in view the arid
climate
• Use of mud & stone
• Courtyards and internal
opens spaces, domes,
minarets
• brick colored buildings
of simple and harsh
styles, shadows of
scattered villages
Mediterranean
Mediterranean Region
Geography
• Region around Mediterranean Sea

• The name Mediterranean is derived

from the Latin mediterraneus,
meaning "inland" or "in the middle of
the earth"

• "For the three quarters of the globe,

the Mediterranean Sea is similarly
the uniting element and the centre
of World History.“

• pervades three continents

– Europe
• Spain, France, Italy, Greece and the
Balkan area
– Asia
• Turkey, Cyprus and Lebanon
– Africa.
• North African countries like Morocco,
Algeria, Tunisia and Libya
Climate
• Dry Hills, Small Plains, Pine Forests,
Olive Trees

• Characterised by warm to hot, dry

summers and mild to cool, wet
winters.

• Most large, historic cities of the

Mediterranean basin, including
Athens, Barcelona, Beirut, Jerusalem,
Lisbon, Madrid, Marseille and Rome,
lie within Mediterranean climatic
zones,

• major cities outside of the

Mediterranean, such as Cape Town,
Los Angeles, Adelaide, Perth, San
Francisco and Santiago de Chile also
have similar climate.
Language
• The Lingua franca of the Mediterranean or Sabir ("know") was a pidgin language used as a
lingua franca in the Mediterranean Basin from the 11th to the 19th century and is the original
basis for the word lingua franca.
• The name "lingua franca" in Italian means "free" or "open language" (in the sense of "without
boundaries").
• The generic description "lingua franca" has hence become common for any language used by
speakers of different languages to communicate with one another.

Demographics
• Large number of population from various countries and various cultures

Art
• Mediterranean region had no unique characteristic that could be identified with.

• This is due to the fact that it was influence by foreign designs and artistic cultures mainly
from Egypt, Italy, Greece and Assyria.

• Refer earlier presentation for specific details

Costumes, Motifs, Colors
• Cross Cultural influences

• Refer earlier presentation

for specific details

Mediterranean traditional
female & male costume
Architecture
• Italian Renaissance architecture of palaces
and seaside villas dating from the sixteenth
century
• was extremely popular between the years
1915 and 1940.
• can be found predominantly in California and
Florida due to the popular association of
these coastal regions with Mediterranean
resorts.
• gardens or fountains outside and chandeliers
or mantelpieces inside.
• The houses may be built on hills or by the
ocean and may be decorated with landscape
plants, open porches, colonnades, porticos
supported by Doric columns.
• The roof is either hipped or made of red tiles.
The colors of the interior are sky blue, pale
yellow, light pink or even lavender. There
may be a swimming pool outside the house.
Interiors & Home Furnishing style,
• design is carefree and casual, emphasizing the colors and textures found in the
surrounding landscape.
• Nature is apparent in the architectural elements and furnishings
• Terra cotta tiles, rough-cut stone, and pine wood are all used liberally.

• Colors: vibrant and earthy. Yellows, oranges, and deep reds mirror the spectacular
seaside sunsets. Lavender, deep purple (aubergine), and cornflower yellow evoke
the fields of flowers that cover the foothills, just up from the coast. Greens, from
lush forest green to light mint green, reflect the lush countryside.

• Textures and Fabrics: The textures are rough and earthy, just like the colors.

• Walls are customarily made of textured white plaster or stucco. Floors are covered
with roughly finished tile or plain pine planking.

• Water is another common Mediterranean design element, and many European

homes include a courtyard fountain.
Flora & Fauna
• Plants that grow there are short trees and shrubs

• It is home to a number of plant communities, which vary with

rainfall, elevation, latitude, and soils.

• Scrublands occur in the driest areas, especially areas near the

seacoast where wind and salt spray are frequent.

• Low, soft-leaved scrublands around the Mediterranean sea

Anemone blanda

wild garlic and tulips

Festivals & Events
• Related to weather like spring
festivals etc
• New years
• Harvest etc
Cuisine
• Use of fruits, Breads, meat
– Grilled meats, pita bread, hummus, and falafel are very popular
forms of the eastern type of the cuisine

• characterized by its flexibility, its range of ingredients

and its many regional variations.

• The terrain has tended to favour the raising of goats

and sheep.

• Fish dishes are also common, seafood is prominent

• Olive oil and garlic are widely used. It is widely

believed that Mediterranean cuisine is particularly
healthful.

• Wheat, pulses, vegetables, olive, figs, citrus fruit,

especially lemons, grapes as fruit and also for wine
and rice
English
English
Geography
• largest of the three political divisions within
the island of Great Britain.

• Bound by Scotland to the north and Wales to

the west.

• Much of England is flat or low-lying. In the

north is a range of limestone hills, known as
the Pennines, to the west are the Cumbrian
Mountains and the Lake District.

• South of the Pennines is the heavily-

populated Midlands, and in the south-west
peninsula, known as the West country, is a
plateau with granite outcrops, good dairy
farming and a rugged coastline.

• The rest of the country is known as the

English Lowlands, a mixture of farmland, low
hills, an industrial belt and the massive city
of London.
Climate
• Changeable and unpredictable are the two
words that come to mind when speaking of
the climate of England. Climate of England on
the whole is mild and somewhat wet.

Winters
– Lasts from December to February. February is the
coldest month
• Summers
– On the other hand July is the warmest month in
England. Lasts from June to August
• Rainfall
– Rainfall in England is fairly distributed throughout
the year.

• Spring - Lasts from March to May

Autumn - Lasts from September to November
– Seasons from spring to autumn and from summer to
winter, England enjoys all seasons much like in India.
• Language
– English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon
kingdoms of England.
– In England, the main language is English (British English).

• Demography
– In 2001, the population of the United Kingdom was recorded at just under
59 million people.

• Art
– English art is the body of visual arts made in England and is p
– Earliest artart of British art, Medieval, Sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries, 18th
century, 19th century
– concern for a light and delicate outline, for surface pattern for its own sake, and
for patterns and borders that threaten to overwhelm the portrayal of figures
– concern to portray the essence of animals, a tendency to understatement, and a
concern for repeating structures
Costumes
• The village folk in the days of Queen
Elizabeth wore simple clothes of
much the same cut as the very ornate
and sumptuous costumes of the lords
and ladies of the court.

• The men's costume was characterized

by the doublet, trunks, and long hose
and the women's by the full skirt, long
tight bodice, and large ruff.

• The women looked strangely vain and

artificial in their attire, but the men, in
spite of the absurdities of their
clothes, presented a very chic and
gallant appearance.

• Refer earlier presentation for specific

details
Motifs, Colors
• Overall colors were limited during the English Medieval era, sober colors and natural
hues, Yarns were hand dyed from natural sources such as flowers, leaves, bark and
earthen compounds.

• Consequently the color palette was limited, though the colors used were warm and
neutral.
• Mellow Gold, Yellow, Orange, Madder Red, and warm Green and off white were the
most popular colors.

• Damask, Brocade, brocatelle and velvet textiles began to be imported from France and
Italy, influencing Elizabethan and Jacobean textiles towards richer, deeper, and higher
contrast fabric color schemes including garnet and persimmon red, warm yellow based
greens, royal blues and lavish gold.

• English version of tree of life (symbol of fertility and renewal), biblical stories, white
unicorn on tapestry, mythical tales. Floral motifs included the rose, carnation, peonies,
climbing vines, morning glory and fleur-de-lis (lily flower).

• Other popular motifs were pomegranates, birds, branches, leaves, and scrolls.
Home Furnishing, style language
• Crewel embroidery (woolen chain stitch), wool and
silk hand needle work.

• Printed fabric were not popular in England until 18th

century.

• During 19th century Printed fabrics were exported

from India.

• Tapestries were used as wall hangings and bed

curtains

William Morris
Flora & Fauna
• Common trees include pines, oak, elm, chestnut, lime (not the citrus variety), ash and beech.

• wildflowers in spring - snowdrops, daffodils, bluebells, primroses, buttercups and cowslips all lend a touch of colour
to the English countryside.

• Some of the larger mammals—wolf, bear, boar, and reindeer—are extinct, but red and roe deer are protected for
sport.

• Common smaller mammals are foxes, hares, hedgehogs, rabbits, weasels, stoats, shrews, rats, and mice; otters are
found in many rivers, and seals frequently appear along the coast.

• There are few reptiles and amphibians. Roughly 230 species of birds reside in the United Kingdom, and another 200
are migratory. Most numerous are the chaffinch, blackbird, sparrow, and starling.

• The number of large birds is declining, however, except for game birds—pheasant, partridge, and red grouse—
which are protected. With the reclamation of the marshlands, waterfowl are moving to the many bird sanctuaries.

• The rivers and lakes abound in salmon, trout, perch, pike, roach, dace, and grayling. There are more than 21,000
species of insects.
 Lancastrian Whitebeam

Lady's-slipper Orchid BIRD’S-EYE PRIMROSE

Rock Sea-lavender

Purple Ramping-fumitory

Sea Bindweed
 Northern Brown Argus

Lapwing
Yellow Wagtail

High Brown Fritillary

Reed Bunting

Red Squirrel
High Brown Fritillary

Water Vole Twite

Festivals & Events
• The population of England is predominantly Christian and thus most of the
festivals and events in England usually have Christian connections. Some of the
important festivals in England include Good Friday, Christmas and New Year.

• The different cities in England have unique styles of celebrating the New Year
and bidding farewell to the old one. Formerly in the Anglo-Saxon England, the
New Year started on Christmas Day, that is the 25th of December but now it's
1st of January that is known to be the New Year's Day all over England.

• Some of the other famous Festivals in England are Easter, Easter Monday, May
Day Bank Holiday, Spring Bank Holiday and Boxing Day. Some of the popular
events in England celebrated with much enthusiasm through out the country are
Pancake Day Race, celebrated on Shrove Tuesday; Ideal Home Exhibition,
celebrated from early March to early April; Oxford/Cambridge Boat Race,
celebrated in late March or early April; May Morning ceremony, on 1st of May;
Flower parade, in early May; Great Autumn Flower show; celebrated in mid
September; Royal Smithfield show; Horse of the Year show and many more.
Cuisine
• Traditional cuisine
– The Sunday roast
– Chip and fish
– Sausages Sunday roast, consisting of roast
– Pies and pasties beef, roast potatoes, vegetables and
Yorkshire pudding.
– Cured meats and vegetables
– Bacon and kippers Chicken Tikka Masala
– Sandwiches
– Cheese
– Pudding

• Drinks Fish and chips

– Tea
– Ale
– Beer
– Cider
– Gin
– Pimms (very refined alcoholic punch)
Architecture
•The "brownstone" is a very
common form of housing in
England.

•These structures are specific

for having elements like
courtyards or terraces.

•Castles

•Palaces

•Churches
Warwickshire churches Tudor Style
Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Geography
• Scandinavia is a region in northern Europe that includes
Denmark and two of the Scandinavian Peninsula's nations,
Norway and Sweden. The third nation on the Scandinavian
Peninsula, Finland, is sometimes considered a Scandinavian
country in common English usage, and Iceland, the Faroe
Islands and Greenland are sometimes also included. The
term Nordic countries refers to Denmark, Norway and
Sweden as well as Finland and Iceland, and associated
territories.
• Throughout Scandinavia there were dense forests
• The geography of Scandinavia is extremely varied. Notable
are the Norwegian fjords *, the Scandinavian Mountains,
the flat, low areas in Denmark, and the archipelagos * of
Sweden and Norway. Sweden, and to an even greater
extent Finland, has many lakes and moraines, legacies of
the ice age.

* Fjords are formed when a glacier cuts a v-shaped valley by abrasion of the
surrounding bedrock
* archipelagos is a cluster or chain of islands
Climate
• Scandinavia's regions have different climates and
temperatures vary widely between the regions. For example,
weather in Denmark follows a marine west coast climate
which is typical for its location in Europe. The same is true for
the southernmost part of Sweden and the milder coastal
climate touches the west coast of Norway as well, affecting the
weather in Norway. The central part of Scandinavia from Oslo
to Stockholm has a more humid continental climate, which
gradually gives way to subarctic climate further north, a lot like
the weather in Finland.
• Parts of the Scandinavian mountains in Norway and Sweden
have an alpine tundra climate with very cold temperatures,
especially in winter. Further north, in the regions of Greenland
and Iceland arctic climate with cold winters.
• One of the coldest places on earth.
• North Pole provided for longer hours during the days with
more sunlight to overcome this cold climate.
• The culture and geography of Scandinavia helped to shape the
people who lived there and their culture as a whole.
• The harsh winters of the Scandinavian Peninsula
limited the methods of travel on the ocean to less than
half of a year, with the icy waters making it not only
difficult but dangerous to sail in the waters around
Scandinavia.

• Harsh winters prevented the Scandinavians from

farming, hunting and trapping which were needed to
provide food as well as furs during the winter.

• The winter also forced these people to search for trade

with other cultures, and Scandinavians benefitted The coastline of eastern
Greenland, with its many
greatly from the development of skis and sleds which fjords. At the bottom is the
allowed for quicker movement over the frozen land. longest fjord in the world,
Scoresby Sund.
Language
• The Danish, Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian and
Swedish languages are linguistically classified
as North Germanic languages (also called
Scandinavian languages), while the Finnish and
Sami languages are classified as members of
the Finno-Lappic group of the Uralic language
family, unrelated to the Scandinavian
languages.

• Danish, Norwegian and Swedish form a

mutually intelligible dialect continuum, which
is a defining characteristic of Scandinavia as a
modern cultural and linguistic entity.
Costume
– VIKING’S CLOTHING
– The clothing styles of Viking men and
women depended on three things;

1. Where in Scandinavia they lived

2. Their importance in a village and
3. How rich or poor they were.

– Viking men and women dressed more

for purpose and comfort and less for
fashion.

– The Scandinavian climate is cold, the

clothes were a snug fit, not baggy as
they were in warmer climates.
COLOURS USED
• The Vikings loved bright colours. The linen and wool was used in make their clothing
which was often brightly coloured. For dyeing and colouring they were using dyes
extracted from various types of plants that grew naturally near their villages or in
their vegetable gardens.

FABRICS USED
• The Vikings often returned from their European raids with fine wool and silk cloth.
Since these were very expensive, they were used mainly by wealthy Vikings like
kings, chiefs and merchants.

MAKING CLOTHES
• Every Viking household had its own weaving loom. Linen and wool were spun into
yarn which were woven into large pieces of fabric and finally fashioned into clothing.
• VIKING FEMALE CLOTHING
– an ankle-length dress made of linen.
- long apron over the dress.
- Also carried some household items including a
knife, a pair of scissors, fingernail cleaners and
keys hung from a belt worn around the waist or
from a brooch attached to the apron about
shoulder high.
- Viking clothing had no pockets.
- covered the dress and apron with a shawl. It was
also fastened with a brooch at the base of her
neck.
- Shoes were made of leather. For increased
warmth, the fur was worn inside.
- Knee-length wool leggings completed the clothing.

Viking female
clothing
SCANDINAVIAN DRESSES

• All of Scandinavia, wear a common or

similar dress largely influenced by
Denmark and Germany.

• Finland's dress is related to the

Swedish because of a common
cultural, ethnic, and religious heritage.
FINLAND NORWAY
ICELAND SWEDEN DENMARK
Textile Motifs
and colors

Lion motif

Acanthus vine
Small masks
Large masks

10th century viking motif of lion

Home furnishing style language
Architecture
• evolved in response to changing
economic conditions, technological
advances, demographic fluctuations and
cultural shifts.

• often been adapted to meet climatic

conditions, including: harsh winters,
high winds and, in coastal areas, salt
spray.

farm sauna
 Flora and fauna
• The flora and fauna of the Scandinavian Mountains is relatively rich.

• very variable climate.

– In the summer times are easy. The temperatures are generally kind with temperatures usually in the teens and frost is rare even
on the highest peaks. The days are long and light plentiful, so plants grow vigorously and can support large hosts of insects. This
in turn allows many other animals and birds plentiful sustenance to reproduce.
– In the winter however it is a very harsh climate. The temperatures are below freezing for months, nothing grows in the very
short dark days and almost every thing is buried under a deep layer of snow. Sustenance is very hard to come by and every thing
needs a strategy to cope.

• All of the plants tend to loose there leaves and generally shut down for the winter when they will be buried under
snow for 4-6 months.

• Most of the animals have to cope also. Those which cannot migrate to the more sheltered forests like reindeer will
either hibernate or eak out an existence under the snow. Birds find it far easier to migrate and many species
abandon Scandinavian en mass for warmer climes elsewhere on the globe.

• Most of the plants are perennials. The list of species here is quite generalized and the list is by no means complete.
Many plants are unique to different areas and the plant community found in Arctic Sweden differs slightly to the
communities found in south central Norway.
Festivals and events
• New Year's Day
• Religious holidays
• Other festivals related to:
– Food
– Music
– Harvest etc
Cuisine
• Based on a simple cooking style, often very mild
and not very spicy.

• Breakfast, lunch and dinner are the main meals

of the day all over the Scandinavian Peninsula.

• Although most European countries consider

lunch the main meal of the day, Scandinavian
countries place more importance on dinner,
which is the most consistent meal of the day.

• Workers often only have a quick snack for lunch,

instead of a sumptuous meal.

• Many of the cooking styles and dishes used by

the Vikings are still present in the Scandinavian
cuisine today, and Scandinavians are proud of
their Viking heritage, a fact that is also noticed in
the way they preserve the authenticity of such
foods.
• from the sea, a fresh-water lake
• from the earth
• from the forest
• from hunting