Flower of Culture

Welcome to my little corner of the web! I will be discussing language, culture and art here.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Gilan: Ancient Jewel of the North

The Iranian province of Gilan (known as Guilan in Iran) is home to the Gilaki people, whose unique and beautiful culture still thrives. The fertile land lies along the Caspian Sea, making good conditions for the rice paddies grown along the coast. Further inland are mountains and forest, with a climate of much rainfall and humidity, often giving the land a beautiful misty look.





Most people of Gilan still speak the Gilaki language, except among the younger population and the cities, where Persian is often used. Gilaki cuisine is wonderful I've heard, with many dishes of fish, lamb or chicken prepared with distinctly Gilaki flavorings of fruit and spice.



Every year many tourists, mostly Iranians themselves, come to this province to get a glimpse of the fascinating culture and exquisite folk costumes with vivid colors and brightly striped skirts (much the way Americans might travel to Colorado or Texas to see ranches and cowboys, or enjoy bluegrass music.) Here are some pictures to give you a feel of what I mean:









Gilan also has a fascinating history, dating back to the time of the Persian Empire and Cyrus the Great. Wikipedia has a nice article on this.

If my dream of visiting Iran ever turns to reality, Guilan, jewel of the north, is one of the places I want to see for myself.

4 Comments:

  • At 1:30 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    dear friend,it was a pleasure that i saw ur blog...'couse of my university's project i was searching on the net and wow!the time to visit ur weblog....wonderfully that im from guilan,and RASHT,hope to see ur new posts soon.ill be in touch.

     
  • At 1:49 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    http://www.gilanestan.com

     
  • At 1:49 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    http://www.gilanestan.com
    about guilan

     
  • At 11:01 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Gilan was free up to 1692.
    Currently it is under "Iranian" occupation.

     

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