In building the Boulder-Dushanbe Teahouse, Khujandi architects have synthesized the prominent elements of Dushanbe teahouses into one delightfully unique structure. Here, the ornate patio and colonnades of the teahouses are summarized into a wooden patio, one that can better weather the Colorado climate. The wooden patio then, as time permits, is decorated with plants and flowers to produce the color and attraction of the blue tiles of the original. Similarly, the large, ornate tile tapestries of Rohat and Faroghat are divided among a number of beautifully executed tile motifs to accommodate windows, a necessity for Boulder that Dushanbe can do without. In fact, Dushanbe teahouses are open spaces, in spite of the threat of rain, sun, and other elements to their delicate art work. Sa'odat teahouse has a beautiful fountain in front and a nice pool of clear water inside.
The fountain is decorated with a number of small statues on its rims and a relatively larger one at the center. In the Boulder-Dushanbe Teahouse, this fountain is moved inside and used as the focal point of the structure. Using dexterously executed bronze statues of Nizami's seven beauties. For those knowledgeable of Iranian culture, the statues set off a world unlike any created in fiction or in real life.
Well-known for territoriality and regionalism, Tajiks clearly mark the boundaries of their property with cultural markers. In the case of the teahouse, a bit of artistic work is added so that even those passing the teahouse on the right side of Boulder Creek feel they are a part of the structure. Verses from the "Ruba'iyyat" of Omar Khayyam, fancifully calligraphy on tile, decorate the pavement. The bridge at the end of the pavement is decorated with bird motifs reminiscent of Attar's "Conference of the Birds."
To the left of the Creek, beside the teahouse, there are three distinct places. At the far end is placed a large dig, astove and large pot complex, wherein the chef can prepare Ash [pronounced aash], a favorite rice dish with meat and carrots. The middle part is used for entertaining guests who prefer the outdoors, and the forefront, under the patio, is an outdoor samovarkhona. The leftmost side of the structure, similar to the right side, is reserved for outdoor activities.
Climbing the stairs and entering the teahouse proper, at eye-level, there is the fountain centerpiece and its surrounding bronze statues. Looking past the plants that place the fountain in a natural setting, seven statues, one in the center, the other six facing it, present themselves. One lingers a while here viewing and appreciating the craftsmanship involved in the creation of each.
Looking around, three of the corners are given to guests, the fourth serves as the samovarkhona or the place where tea is made and from which it is brought to guests. Two topchons, fully decorated and covered with corpas and balishes are set aside for family gatherings and larger groups. The third corner has a typically Tajik, low miniature tables and chairs with delicate designs and dexterous workmanship. The rest of the floor is given to western-style tables and chairs. Here the tables are placed strategically near one of the twelve beautifully carved wooden pillars, or by a magnificent wall hanging, or an original Tajik painting, or sumptuously rich, decorative art on plaster, an Oriental specialty.
Engaged with surface designs, the guests do not really get a chance to see the very thing that makes the Boulder-Dushanbe Teahouse or, indeed, any Tajik teahouse, a unique structure, the ceiling. Unlike conventional ceilings, the ceiling of the teahouse is not flat and is not accentuated with expensive chandeliers. Rather, it is comprised of a series of vaults, each decorated differently but all using tiles in bright red, green, and blue colors and geometric and floral designs. Lighting for the ceiling is mostly produced by apertures that allow natural light into the structure.
The ceiling panel for the entrance vault carries the words "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great), in the Arabic script and 1998, the date of the inauguration of the teahouse. The last panel, facing the entrance, carries the following text in the Cyrillic script: "Tajik master builders from the city of Leninabad," followed by the names of the builders in ornate Cyrillic. As the eye wanders, other Tajik names associated with the construction grace the vaults.
Teahouses in the Middle East and Central Asia are a man's home away from home. They are gathering places where mostly men sit around, drink tea and discuss affairs. The affairs can be very close to them such as the lives of their friends and the community, or they can be social, political, or cultural events of the present or the past. In this latter context, telling stories assumes a special significance in the life of the teahouse. The exploits of Rustam, from Firdowsi's Shahname, for instance, are a favorite.
For the Boulder-Dushanbe Teahouse, the designers have chosen the life and works of the prisoner of Ganja, Nizami, as the main topic of conversation. His "Quintet," especially the "Seven Beauties," has a special international flavor. Its forceful imagery instantly materializes the outside world within the teahouse with only the first few words of the narrator. Indeed, the seven beauties are placed strategically at the center to take us to the world of Nizami and of his lovable characters.
Jamal al-Din Ilyas Ibn Yusif Nizami Ganjavi was born around 1140 in Ganjah, in the present-day republic of Azerbaijan.1 There are also reports that Nizami could have been born in Qum, Iran, and migrated to Ganjah at a later date. He died after AD 1202, possibly in 1205. He was buried in a special mausoleum subsequently destroyed by the elements. During the past century, however, the Soviet Socialist Republic of Azerbaijan has refurbished the poet's mausoleum.
Nizami's father, Yusif, was a civil administrator and a devout Muslim. His mother, Ra'isah, was of Kurdish extraction. The family must have been well-off because, although an orphan, Nizami received an excellent education in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, jurisprudence, music, and the arts all of which he skillfully incorporated into his poetry.
Nizami traveled very little. In fact, he refers to himself as "The Prisoner of Ganjah." For this reason, the geography he uses in his poetry must be accepted with a grain of salt.
Nizami married three times. His first wife, Afaq, a Kipchak slave girl, was sent to him by Fakhr al-Din Bahramshah, the ruler of Darband, as a part of a larger gift. She became Nizami's first and most beloved wife. The wife who gave Nizami his only son, Muhammad, could well also be the inspiration for Shirin in "Shirin and Farhad." Afaq died after "Khusrau and Shirin" was completed. Muhammad was seven at the time. Strangely enough, Nizami's other wives, too, died prematurely--the death of each coinciding with the completion of an epic, prompting the poet to say, "God, why is it that for every mathnavi I must sacrifice a wife!"
Not being a court poet, Nizami's name does not appear in the annals of the dynasties of his time. He preferred to remain independent both in belief and in artistic expression. In his works, he synthesized the heroicness of Firdowsi, the fatalism of Khayyam, the humanism of Sana'i, the lyricism of Unsuri and Farrukhi, and the eroticism of Gurgani. He does not use women as mere decoration pieces as some poets did; rather, his women are strong, subtle, and virtuous as well as tender, passionate, and enchantingly beautiful. They possess sharp, educated intellects. Similarly, his language is like the language of Firdowsi, not base, tasteless, or vulgar as was the language of many who at the time tackled the subjects of love and intimacy.
Nizami's body of works consists of a divan (collection of poems) of which only a small portion is extant and a khamsah (quintet). His Khamsah consists of the following five romances of which only "The Seven Beauties" is discussed in some detail here:
1. "The Treasury of Mysteries," the smallest of the five, was dedicated to Malik Fakhr al-Din Bahramshah, the ruler of Arzanjan in 1157. It contains about 2,250 distichs on such esoteric subjects as philosophy and theology; it also contains admonitions directed to his only son, Muhammad. Not a romantic epic, the "The Treasury of Mysteries" was translated into English by Gholam H. Darab in 1945.
2. Written between 1177 and 1180, "Khusrau and Shirin" was dedicated to three patrons: the Seljuq king Abu Talib Tughrul ibn Arsalan, Atabak Shams al-Din Abu Ja'far Muhammad Jahan Pahlavan, and the latter's brother, Atabak Qizil Arsalan. About 6,500 distichs in length, the story depicts the love of Sassanian Khusrau Parviz towards his Armenian queen, Shirin. Shirin is in love with Khusrau as well as with Farhad, a famed stone-cutter, commissioned by the king to cut a channel in the Bisutun mountain. When the king learns about Shirin's love for Farhad, he becomes jealous. To test Farhad's love, he sends Farhad a message informing him of Shirin's death. Upon hearing this, the stone-cutter throws himself down the side of the mountain and dies. Khusrau lives with Shirin until he is assassinated. Shirin kills herself and joins her lovers.
3. "Leyli and Majnun," perhaps the most popular romance in the Islamic world, is traditionally referred to as the "furnace of love's fire" as well as the "rose garden of the soul." Of Arabic origin, the poem of 4,700 distichs was dedicated, in 1189, to Abu al-Muzaffar Shirvanshah, a descendant of Bahram Chubin whose exploits are reflected in Nizami's "Seven Beauties." With a theme very similar to Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," the story was written in four months time. Since its composition, it has been recreated in prose, songs, and verse in almost all the major languages of the Middle East. It's first English translation by Atkinson was published in 1836. A more recent translation was published in 1966 by the Swiss Persianist Rudolph Gelpke.
4. "The Romance of Alexander the Great" contains 10,500 distichs. It is in two parts called "Sharaf-nama" (description of the battles and victories of Alexander) and "Iqbal-nama" (Alexander's life, feasts, and prophetic powers as well as his apprenticeship under the sage Aristotle). "Sharaf-Nama" was dedicated to the ruler Atabak A'zam Malik Nusrat al-Din Abubakr Seljuq, the son of Atabak Muhammad Jahan Pahlavan circa AD 1196 and the "Iqbal Nama" was dedicated to Malik Iz al-Din Mas'ud ibn Arsalan, the Seljuq ruler of Musil in 1202. "The Romance of Alexander the Great" was translated into English by Wilberforce Clarke in 1881.
5. In 5,136 distichs and containing some of the most beautiful descriptive passages in the entire tradition of Persian epic poetry, the "Seven Beauties" was translated by C. E. Wilson in 1924. It is the story of Bahram V, the Sassanian king, who is born to Yazdegerd after twenty years of childlessness and supplication to Ahura Mazda for a child. Following the advice of his astrologers, once born Bahram, as dear to Yazdegerd as his most cherished treasures, is sent to King Nu'man of Yemen to be educated in the manner of kings.
Recognizing that the climate of Yemen is not fit for the Persian prince, Nu'man seeks the assistance of the Byzantine architect and designer, Semnar, to build Bahram an extraordinary castle. When after five years the Khwarnaq castle is completed, Nu'man inspects it and asks Semnar if he can build a castle even better than Khwarnaq. Semnar answers in the positive. Fearing that Semnar might place his dexterity at the service of other kings who might build castles that outshine Khwarnaq, he orders Semnar to be thrown from the fortification tower. Semnar is killed.
As for Nu'man himself, having seen to the construction of the most beautiful castle in the middle of a meadow surrounded by roses and tulips, one day he wanders into the desert and, like the legendary Kaykhusrau, disappears into thin air. After many days and nights of mourning, Manzar, Nu'man's son, ascends the throne of Yemen. Bahram and Manzar's son, also called Nu'man, grow up together in the beautiful Khwarnaq castle. Together they learn Arabic, Persian, and Greek as well astrology and philosophy. They are trained in the art of war, the manners of kings, and the intricacies of the hunt.
In Khwarnaq, Bahram is acquainted with every room but one. One day, returning from the hunt, he orders the chamberlain to open the door to that particular room. Upon entering, he finds himself surrounded by the most exquisite walls, decorated by portraits of seven women all depicted in the state of gazing at a man. He views each portrait for a while and falls in love with the woman it depicts. He falls in love with all the women adorning the walls of the room: Furak, the daughter of the Rajah of India, as beautiful as the moon; Yaghma Naz, the daughter of the Khaqan of the Turks; Naz Pari, the daughter of the king of Khwarazm; Nasrin Nush, the daughter of the king of the Slavs; Azarbin, the daughter of the king of Morocco; Humay, the daughter of the Roman Caesar; and Diroste, a beautiful Iranian princess from the House of Kay Ka'us. At the end, he turns to the portrait of the man only to find that it depicts himself. Beneath the portrait an inscription informs that, as king, he would marry all those seven beauties in real life.
Having viewed this scene, Bahram orders the door to be locked again and leaves instructions for it not to be opened under penalty of death. Only he himself, during moments of depression, enters the room and amuses himself with the fantastic thoughts of the future that awaits him.
Bahram, however, was not the sole claimant to the throne of Persia. His brother rivaled him in every way. After Bahram's return from Yemen, to determine who of the two would be the future king, a contest was arranged; whoever captures the crown from between its two guarding lions would automatically be recognized as king. Bahram kills the lions and captures the crown before his brother has a chance to approach the lions. Bahram knew that he would not be able to attain the pleasure of the company of the seven princesses awaiting his royal presence, if he were to lose the contest.
As king, Bahram dispatches messengers to China, India, Morocco, Byzantium, Russia, Khwarazm and to far-off regions of Persia and, by persuasion, threat, and war secures the hands of the princesses he had been dreaming of spending the rest of his life with. He is so certain of attaining his wishes that he commissions his best architect and designer, Shideh, to build a palace for each princess, a palace that would reflect at once the color of the clime from which each princess comes, the planet that controls her destiny, and the day of the week that she would be visited by the king. Nizami's "Seven Beauties" is an account of Bahram's visits to each individual pavilion. The stories, narrated by each queen, are told in the tradition of Shahrzad of the famed "A Thousand and One Nights."
![]() |
The Story of the Resident of the Black Pavilion Dressed in black from head to toe, Bahram visits his sable-skinned Indian beauty with agate eyes also dressed in black. Bahram spends his entire Saturday, the day of Saturn, with her. At night she tells him the following story. "Once upon a time," she says, "A king in China travels to a town the residents of which dress exclusively in black. After living a year in that city without disclosing his own identity, he gains the confidence of a butcher who agrees to disclose the mystery of the town to him. One day, the butcher takes the king to the outskirts of the town to some ruins. There, he places the king in a basket and lets him be transported to the land of the Queen of the Fairies. The queen welcomes the king and places thirty of her attendants at his beck and call; she, herself however, stays clear of the king. The king desires her but finds no recourse. Eventually, overcome by passion, he forces himself upon the queen only to lose her permanently. The queen and her fairies disappear into thin air and the king finds himself in the same basket descending to the butcher. In memory of his unrequited love, from then on he, too, dresses himself in black, even after he returns home."
|
The Story of the Resident of the Yellow Pavilion Dressed in a golden attire and a golden crown, on Sunday, the day of the sun, Bahram visits the yellow pavilion, the residence of the fair, golden-haired beauty from Byzantium whose eyes flecked with amber. Everything around her is made of gold, is golden, or inspires the beauty of the golden sun. Her story intrigues Bahram. "Once upon a time," she says, "there was a king who was distressed at the fickleness of women. To avoid being betrayed, each night he amused himself with slave girls who were brought to him from all corners of his kingdom. Eventually, bored with the status quo, he began to yearn for a wife and for the comfort of a home. None of the women he knew, however, could satisfy this new and growing need. Not, of course, until a merchant passed through the city. With him traveled a maid whom he would not sell for all the treasures of the world. Upon seeing this girl, the king fell in love with her and offered to buy her. The merchant refused to sell. When the king agreed to pay a handsome amount, however, the merchant relented. After the sale was official, he also disclosed a mystery about the maid. 'I refused to sell her to you, O king,' he said, 'not because the amount was not sufficient, but because of a trait in her behavior. For some unknown reason, whoever has bought her, has brought her back the next day. I am stuck with her.' The king spent many nights and days with the strange beauty without a need to take her back to the merchant. Throughout this time, however, the maid refused to become intimate with him; she even refused him to touch her. Insisting for understanding the reason for this singular behavior, the maid confided to the king about a trait in her family. 'Pregnancy in my family,' she disclosed, 'spells out death for the mother. And since I do not wish to become pregnant, I cannot become intimate with you. Unfortunately for the king, her confession added to his love for her; because, unlike all the other women in his life, she was not interested in his wealth. But, no amount of trust brought the two closer to each other. Frustrated, the king sought the advice of a hag who used to provide him with slave girls before meeting this beauty. The hag advised him to choose the company of a woman who was more beautiful than her, even if he did not love her. The king followed the hag's advice. Within a short time, envy drove the king's real love into his arms." | ![]() |
![]() |
The Story of the Resident of the Green Pavilion Dressed in green, on Monday, the day of the moon, Bahram crossed the meadow and entered the garden of the pavilion of his emerald-eyed, cypress statured Tartar beauty. After spending the day together, he asked her for a story. And she obliged. "Once upon a time," she said, "there was a man who continuously denied himself all worldly pleasures but one: the pleasure of daily walks in a nearby park. Otherwise, confining himself to his study, he denied himself even the pleasure of taking a woman as his wife. As fate would have it, on one late afternoon, when he was returning from his daily walk, his situation changed drastically. When looking at the shape of a woman passing him by, the wind briefly lifted the woman's veil, displaying a most beautiful and desirable face. A face that our scholar could not forget. When the woman left the alley, he continued to long for seeing her again. Day after day he searched for her. She was nowhere to be found. His longing became so intense that he could not eat, drink, sleep or carry out his studies. Desperate, and to save his sanity, he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He thought a change in scenery might make him forget about her. In Jerusalem, he met a pseudo-scholar, a know-it-all who convinced him that rather than wait for the caravan, he should cross the desert with him and reach home sooner. They traveled together in the desert for a few days until the pseudo-scholar admitted that they were lost. Eventually, driven crazy by the sun, the pseudo-scholar mistook a well for a pond and dove to his death. Back home, the love-stricken scholar took the effects of his deceased companion to his family. The wife who answered the door was none but the woman he had seen in the alley a long time ago. After they talked about the pseudo-scholar, the real scholar realized that his companion's wife showed no affection for him. On the contrary, she was glad to have been freed from her abusive husband. Within a short time after his return, the reclusive scholar married the love of his life and together they lived happily ever after." |
The Story of the Resident of the Red Pavilion Attired entirely in red and wearing a red headdress, on Tuesday, the day of Mars, Bahram went to the pavilion of the daughter of the king of the Slavs which, set against the red morning sky, seemed as if it were on fire. Wearing a crimson robe, the fair-skinned redhead welcomed the king. Then, after spending the day in merry-making, told him the following story. "Once upon a time," she said, "in far-off Russia, there was a princess unsurpassed in beauty, strength, and artistic abilities. In all the realm, there was not a man who could measure up to her standards, ask for her hand, and marry her. Her lack of a husband worried her father even more because he hoped his own lack of a male successor to his throne would be remedied by his grandson. And, of course, he continually persuaded her to consider his situation. In order not to out rightly reject her father's wishes, the princess agreed to get married on one condition. She asked that an impregnable fortress be built according to her specification in a secluded area of the land. She then had mechanical devices placed in strategic places, especially entrances and exits, that would behead, maim, or otherwise kill intruders. Once she occupied the fortress, she announced whoever can appear in the courtyard of her palace and solve the riddles that she would put to him would automatically be entitled to her hand. Many young people from throughout the world tested their luck and failed until a prince, passing through, heard about the challenge. Studying the situation, he realized that the resolution of the problem required more than mere bravery. Wishing to enter the fortress nevertheless, he took the matter to a sage he knew. The sage taught the young man the 'key' for undoing her mechanical devices and the knowledge to solve her riddles. Before long, the prince found himself in the Russian princess's palace. The two got married and lived happily ever after. |
|
![]() |
The Story of the Resident of the Turquoise Pavilion Bahram, dressed in a blue cloak, on Wednesday, the day of Mercury, set forth for the turquoise pavilion of his Moroccan queen. In her pavilion, set against the cloudless assure sky, dressed in deep blue, the blue-eyed beauty welcomed him and, like her other rivals, spent the day with him. At night, she told him this story. "Once upon a time," she said, "there was a young man whose sole activity was visiting the gardens of his friends, making-merry, and drinking wine. One night, in a drunken stupor, he left the garden grounds and wandered among the palm trees. Under the serene moonlight, the figure of a man approached him and said, 'My good man. I have been searching for you for years to return to you your wealth. If you follow me, just around the corner, you will enjoy glory that you have never even dreamed of.' The young man believed the figure, followed him all night, thinking of untold treasures. When the morning dawned, however, he found that he had been walking alone. There was nothing around him but the sands of the desert. An old couple passing, listened to his story, cursed the figure in black, called him a demon, and directed the young man how to find his way out. They, too, it turned out, were demons. In fact, everyone he turned to for help turned out to be a demon. After all, he had been taken to the land of the demons. Frustrated, the young man turned from demon to God and asked the Almighty for a solution to his problem. Khizr the prophet was sent to his rescue. After Khizr returned the youth to his home, the youth vowed to wear only blue clothes, the symbol of his salvation. And from then on, everyday until he died, he wore nothing but blue clothes." |
The Story of the Resident of the Sandalwood Pavilion On Thursday, the day of Jupiter, dressed in clothes the color of sandalwood and a headgear to match, Bahram set forth for the pavilion of his Tartar beauty. In her best light brown dress, amid the fragrance of sandalwood incense, she greeted Bahram, amused him during the day and told him the following story at night. "Once upon a time, Good and Evil befriended each other and decided to travel together. In the course of the hazardous journey, Evil, as is his wont, secretly weakened Good's will until, in the middle of the desert and amid the burning heat of the sun, he agreed to trade his sight for a quaff of Evil's secretly carried water. Having rejected Good's offer of his only possessions--precious stones which he had been carrying to sell in the city--Evil gleefully took Good's eyes out of their sockets and threw them on the desert sand. Taking Good's precious stones and the rest of the water, he left Good to die in the desert. Good would have died there were it not for the gentle care of a Kurdish tribal girl who found him, put his eyes back in their sockets, and brought him to his family's tent to be taken care of. The girl's father, cured Good by putting a potion made of sandalwood on his eyes. Living among the new people, Good married three times, each wife was given to him as the reward for the good deed that he had done a family. As time went by, Good's prestige increased until, after the death of the king, he became the king of the region. As for Evil, he happened to visit the kingdom of Good. Good spotted him and had him brought to his presence. Evil felt remorseful and stated that he had done wrong. Good forgave Evil, but not so the chief of the Kurdish tribe. He took Evil away from the camp and put him to death in the desert." |
![]() |
![]() |
The Story of the Resident of the White Pavilion On Friday, the day of Venus, Bahram visited the pavilion of his Persian beauty. To please her, he wore a robe as white as snow and a headdress, adorned with a white feather, as light as a cloud. Wearing a white dress made of the softest silk and a headdress to match, the Persian queen welcomed the king, amused him for the day and, at night told him the last story, a story that she herself, as a child, had heard from her mother. "Once upon a time," she said, "there was a young man who owned his own personal garden, a serene Persian garden. He sat in the cool shade of the trees, smelled the fragrance of the roses, and enjoyed his seclusion. Then, for some reason, one day, he left the garden. When he returned, the door was locked and, from within his garden, loud music and the sound of revelry was heard. The walls being too high to climb and the music too loud to allow him to be heard, he took an ax to the wall and cut himself a hole through which to enter the garden. No sooner had he entered the garden than he was captured by two women. Pronouncing him an intruder, they beat him mercilessly, bound him, and took him to their leader. The young man explained to the leader that he was the lawful owner the garden. Hearing that, the women apologized for their behavior and, to compensate for their transgression, took the young man to the attic. 'We are going to show you something through the chink in the wall of your garden that you would never see without our help,' they said. Beyond the wall was a pool made of pure white marble in which beautiful women and girls of all climes swam, played, and made-merry. The young man fell in love with one of the beauties who happened also to fall in love with him. The two, however, could not become intimate. When they got together in the house, the floor gave way, and when they took refuge to the trees, the boughs broke. Passion, they concluded, was not what the Almighty Allah had wanted for them. They got married and lived happily ever after." |
Placed in proper perspective, "The Seven Beauties" is an excellent example of the international dimensions of the epic genre as much as it is a good gauge for fathoming the depth of the cultures of the thirteenth century. Before Nizami only Firdowsi had given reign to his imagination to explore the larger world of his time. I am referring to Firdowsi's depiction of an international coalition in the Shahname where Afrasiyab rallies the rulers of the world against the mighty army of Kaykhusrau. Nizami's depiction, although more peaceful, evinces a similar force and intensity.
But besides its internationalism, Nizami's message itself is compelling. By planting his "seed" in far-off Yemen, Yazdegerd opens his kingdom's gates and allows it to interact with cultures as diverse as China, Arabia, Byzantium, the Slavic lands, and India. In time, each of these cultures finds a niche in Persia and, through stories, enhances the Persia's culture. In other words, had Bahram not been sent to Yemen, he would not have seen the seven beauties, he would never even have thought of building the seven pavillions or hear such marvelous stories about distant peoples and cultures.
Analogically, perhaps present-day Tajiks, too, have planted a cultural seed. Is not the teahouse, in a manner of speaking, a "seed" planted by the Tajiks on American soil? As such, it is likely, or so the Tajiks hope, it would benefit them handsomely, especially where the host is more generous than Nu'man, the Yemanite king.
Notes
Ganjah is the abbreviation of the Turkish form "gan chai," meaning "wide river." The old city was built by Turkish tribes on the river by the same name. The modern city of Ganjah was built by Shah Abbas the Great of the Safavid dynasty in 1606.
1. A Trip to Varzob
2. Two for Tea
3. A Tale of Two Cities
4. Varzob All Over Again?
5. The Teahouse At A Glance
6. Cultural Implications