History. See the future. It’s in the past.

Few countries can boast of such an illustrious past as Iran (ancient Persia). Join us for this richly-illustrated course, as we examine Iran’s most powerful empires.

Among the sites we visit are the awe-inspiring Achaemenid palaces and tombs of Persepolis, Susa, and Naqsh-i Rustam. We will also enter the lesser known, but equally powerful, world of the Sasanians whose opulent palaces and rock carvings at Bishapur and Firuzabad, along with the remarkable religious centre of Takht-i Sulaiman (with its bottomless lake and great Fire Temple) represent some of the finest monuments seen in Iran today. We will explore enchanting Persian cities such as Yazd, on the edge of the Dasht-i Kavir, with its brooding Zoroastrian Towers of Silence, narrow winding lanes and mud-brick houses, and opulent merchants’ mansions with their tall wind-towers. Finally we will wander through the stunning parks and gardens, caravanserais, bazaars, and mosques of Safavid Isfahan, truly the Pearl of Islam.

Outcomes

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• discuss the geography of Iran
• share your insights into Iran’s historical and cultural developments in both the pre-Islamic and Islamic periods
• discuss the main movements in Persian Islamic art and architecture, and how they relate to the development of Islamic art in general.

Content

Landscapes and migrations

In this talk, we will travel t