Množina: Persias

1. An empire in southern Asia created by Cyrus the Great in the 6th century BC and destroyed by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC; Also called: Persian Empire.
2. City in Iowa (USA); zip code 51563.

Pertaining to or originating in Persia.

Množina: Persians

Inhabitant of or native to Persia, now Iran, and referring to the culture and the language (see also Persian language). The Persians are descended from central Asians of S Russia (Aryans), who migrated south into the region about 2000 BC.
The language of Persia (Iran) in any of its ancient forms; Also called: Farsi.

Množina: Persian arts

The arts of Persia (now Iran) from the 6th century BC. Subject to invasions from both East and West, Persia has over the centuries blended many influences to create a rich diversity of arts, styles, and techniques. Persian art is particularly noted for its architecture and production of exquisite miniatures, although perhaps best known today for ornate carpets. Although the wide diversity of outside influences make it difficult to pin down distinct characteristics, Persian art is generally characterized by its firm lines, extensive detail, and bold use of color.
Though Persia has been a center of civilization for at least 7,000 years, it was during the Achaemenid dynasty (550–333 BC), when the first Persian empire was formed, that a unified style emerged, drawing on a wide range of influences. For example, the palace at Persepolis, begun by Darius I and completed by Xerxes, was decorated about 520 BC with relief friezes recalling Assyrian and Babylonian styles. The period also produced work in gold and silver, bronze castings, and inlay.
The conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC brought about a blending of Persian and Hellenistic styles, seen, for example, in the bronzes, pottery, and jewelry of the Parthians. The Sassanian dynasty (AD 224–642) was the richest period of artistic achievement, developing to the full a wide range of new and inherited styles and techniques. The Sassanians introduced silk to Persia; they produced exquisite jewelry, metalwork in silver, gold, and bronze, and ceramics; and they decorated their palaces with relief sculptures and mosaics. The innovative domes and arches they developed were later to have a profound influence on Islamic architecture.
After the Muslim invasion of the 7th century AD, Persia was brought within the sphere of Islamic styles and techniques, clearly reflected in the ceramics and ornate calligraphy which developed. During the Mongol Timurid dynasty (1369–1506) Chinese influences were apparent in the development of one of Persia’s greatest artistic achievements, the miniature, which was used to illustrate books of poetry, history, and romances. By the 15th century a distinctively Persian style had evolved, characterized by firm lines, strong colors, and a lot of detail; its greatest exponent was Bihzad. The Timurid dynasty also saw the use of colored tiles to cover buildings, for example on the Blue Mosque of Tabriz.
The Safavid dynasty (1502–1736) produced miniatures, which now began to show the influence of Western styles; fine carpets—many of the finest Persian carpets are Safavid; fabrics, particularly silk; and metalwork. Palaces were decorated with murals. The Safavid dynasty marked the beginning of Persia’s artistic decline, as European influences grew stronger.

Množina: Persian carpets

Množina: Persian cats

A long-haired breed of cat.
Breed of domestic longhaired cat. The modern longhair pedigree is descended from cats imported to Britain in the late 19th century from Turkey or Persia. The typical Persian has a cobby (sturdy and rounded) body, a round head and eyes, short nose, with long, luxuriant fur. They occur in many colors and color combinations.
In the US, most longhaired cats are classified as Persian with the colors listed as varieties; in Britain, they are called Longhairs and each color is listed as a separate breed.

Množina: Persian deities

A deity worshiped by the ancient Persians.

Množina: Persian Gulves

A shallow arm of the Arabian Sea between Iran and the Arabian peninsula; the Persian Gulf oil fields are among the most productive in the world.
Or Arabian Gulf; Large shallow inlet of the Arabian Sea; area 233,000 sq km/90,000 sq mi. It divides the Arabian peninsula from Iran and is linked by the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman to the Arabian Sea. Oil fields surround it in the Gulf States of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Singular of Persian Gulf States is Persian Gulf State.

Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates.

Množina: Persian Gulf Wars

A war in which the US and its allies freed Kuwait from Iraqi invaders; 1990-1991.

Množina: Persian irises

Bulbous iris native to Asia Minor cultivated for its pale lilac-colored flowers; Also called: Iris persica.

Množina: Persian lambs

1. A karakul lamb.
2. The fur of a karakul lamb.

Množina: Persian languages

Member of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family and the official language of the state once known as Persia but now called Iran. Persian is known to its own speakers as Farsi, the language of the province of Fars (Persia proper). It is written in a modified Arabic script, from right to left, and has a large mixture of Arabic religious, philosophical, and technical vocabulary.

Množina: Persian lilacs

Small densely branching Asiatic shrub having lanceolate leaves and panicles of fragrant lilac flowers; Also called: Syringa persica.

Množina: Persian literatures

Before the Arab conquest Persian literature is represented by the sacred books of Zoroastrianism known as the Avesta and later translated into Pahlavi, in which language there also appeared various secular writings. After the conquest the use of Arabic became widespread. The Persian language was revived during the 9th century, and the following centuries saw a succession of brilliant poets, including the epic writer Firdawsi, the didactic S’adi (1184–1291), the mystic Rumi (1207–1273), the lyrical Hâfiz, and Jami, who combined the gifts of his predecessors and is considered the last of the classical poets. Omar Khayyám, who is well known outside Iran, is considered less important there. In the 16th and 17th centuries many Persian writers worked in India, still using classical forms and themes.
The introduction of the printing-press in the 19th century made possible a new newspaper culture, although hampered by censorship and limited readership, through which much literary work was published. Histories and translations soon followed, in a prose increasingly open to Western influences. Persian poetry, strongly traditional, blending classical courtly idiom with popular ballad and lampoon, was widely diffused among an only partly literate audience which discouraged the development of new forms despite the cautious innovations of Nima-yi Yushij (1895–1959). The alienation and isolation of the poet who has broken with tradition were poignantly expressed by the poetess and filmmaker Furugh Farrukhzad (1935–1967). Since the 1930s realist fiction has become established. After the Iranian revolution of 1979 some important works such as Shusha Guppy’s autobiographical The Blindfold Horse 1988 were written and published abroad.