Iran - Andrew Burke [357]
khan-e sonnati – traditional house
kuche – lane; alley
Kufic – ancient script found on many buildings dating from the about the 7th to 13th centuries
madraseh – school; also Muslim theological college
Majlis – Iranian Parliament
manar – minaret; tower of a mosque
markazi – centre; headquarters
masjed – mosque; Muslim place of worship
Masjed-e Jameh – see Jameh Mosque
mehmankhaneh – hotel
mehmanpazir – a simple hotel
mehmansara – government-owned resthouse or hotel
mihrab – niche inside a mosque indicating the direction of Mecca; in Iran, specifically the hole cut in the ground before the niche
minbar – pulpit of a mosque
Moharram – first month of the Muslim lunar calendar, the Shiite month of mourning
mosaferkhaneh – lodging-house or hotel of the cheapest, simplest kind; ‘mosafer’ means traveller or passenger
muezzin – person at mosque who calls Muslims to prayer
mullah – Islamic cleric; title of respect
No Ruz – Iranian New Year’s Day, celebrated on the vernal equinox (usually around 21 March)
Omar Khayyam – born in Neishabur in about 1047 and famous as a poet, mathematician, historian and astronomer; his best-known poem is the Rubaïyat; see the boxed text
pasazh – passage; shopping arcade
Persia – old name for Iran
Persian – adjective and noun frequently used to describe the Iranian language, people and culture
pik-up – utility vehicle with a canvas cover
pol – bridge
qal’eh – fortress; fortified walled village
qalyan – water pipe, usually smoked in traditional teahouses
qanat – underground water channel
qar – cave
Quran – Muslim holy book
Ramazan – ninth month in the Muslim lunar calendar; the month of fasting
rial – currency of Iran; equal to one-tenth of a toman
rud, rudkhuneh – river; stream
Rumi – famous poet (born in 1207) credited with founding the Maulavi Sufi order – the whirling dervishes (see the boxed text)
ruz – day
Sa’di – one of the great Persian poets (AD 1207–91); his most famous works are the Golestan (Rose Garden) and Bustan (Garden of Trees); see the boxed text
sardar – military governor
savari – private car; local word for a shared taxi, usually refers to longer trips between cities
shah – king; the usual title of the Persian monarch
shahid – martyr; used as a title before the forename of a fighter killed during the Islamic Revolution or the Iran–Iraq War
shahr – town or city
shuttle taxi – common form of public transport within cities; they usually run on set routes
ta’arof – ritualised politeness; see the boxed text
takht – throne, also the daybed-style tables in teahouses
takieh – building used during the rituals to commemorate the death of Imam Hossein during Moharram; sometimes called a Hosseinieh
tappeh – hill; mound
terminal – terminal; bus station
toman – unit of currency equal to 10 rials
vakil – regent
yakh dan – mud-brick ice house
zarih – the gilded and latticed ‘cage’ that sits over a tomb
ziggurat – pyramidal temple with a series of tiers on a square or rectangular plan
Zoroastrianism – ancient religion, the state creed before the Islamic conquest; today Zoroastrians are found mainly in Yazd, Shiraz, Kerman, Tehran and Esfahan
zurkhaneh – literally ‘house of strength’; a group of men perform a series of ritualised feats of strength, all to the accompaniment of a drumbeat; see the boxed text
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The Authors
ANDREW BURKE
Coordinating Author, Tehran, Central Iran, Persian Gulf, Southeastern Iran
Andrew has spent eight months travelling in Iran in recent years. Apart from enjoying endless tea and unforgettable hospitality, he has written about Iran for the previous edition of this book, for Lonely Planet’s Middle East guide, and reported the 2003 Bam earthquake and Iran’s last two general elections for major newspapers. Despite ‘misunderstandings’ that have led to occasional short stays with the constabulary, Andrew believes Iranians are among the most hospitable people on earth. This is Andrew’s 15th book for Lonely Planet. When he’s not travelling Andrew lives in Bangkok,