GETTING TO KNOW THE BEAUTY OF IRAN & ITS PEOPLE

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GETTING TO KNOW THE BEAUTY OF IRAN

ITS PEOPLE – PART I

Compiled by Nancy B. Detweiler, M.Ed., M.Div.

Lush mountains in northern Iran along the Caspian Sea

The majority of the Western world has formed its opinion of Iran in accordance with what is broadcast over television. We envision Iran, and all of the Middle East for that matter, as brown—arid deserts devoid of color. I dare say, most have never seen lovely, colorful scenes of Iran broadcast in the Western world.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: As long as humanity is daily fed a litany of negative impressions of a people or a country, they can be manipulated into hating, discriminating against, and inflicting all sorts of violent behaviors upon them. On the other hand, if humanity is aware of the true nature of a people and the beauty of a country, they cannot be misled into destroying a people or country.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: The Western world teaches history as a series of wars. We are required to memorize the dates of wars and what-we-are-taught caused them. We study the individual battles, the military commanders involved, and the military tactics used. The end result is that most graduate from high school and college considering history to be the study of the battles fought by a country and the conquests made. I double majored in Social Studies/History in college, yet I graduated knowing little about the people of any nation or about the natural habitat of countries that have played a huge role in our lives based on the disagreements those in power positions have had with each other.

At the moment, Iran is getting a lot of negative media attention in the Western world. For this reason, I would like to know the beauty of the country and its people. As I begin this exploratory journey, I know next to nothing about Iran with the exception of our highly controlled news media’s portrayal of it.

IRAN = PERSIA

Iran is the political name – Persia is the cultural name.

A Map of the Persian Empire in Biblical Times

http://www.keyway.ca/htm2000/20000227.htm

King Cyrus, of Persia, played a major role in the events of the Old Testament. Cyrus conquered Babylon (Iraq) and allowed the Jews living in exile in Babylon to return home, ordered the stolen Temple vessels to be returned, and commanded the Temple in Jerusalem rebuilt. See Ezra 1:1-11.

THE ANCIENT COUNTRY OF IRAN/PERSIA

PART 1

ITS SCENIC BEAUTY

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/ir.htm