Sahar Boroomand, Dai Duan, and Mohsen Jaafarnia (2018). FOUR GREAT TRIALS AND FOUR GREAT TRIUMPHS. The People Museum Journal , Volume 4, Issue 1, ISSN 2588-6517
FOUR GREAT TRIALS AND FOUR GREAT TRIUMPHS
Sahar Boroomand
School of Art and Architecture, Central South University, Changsha, China
Dai Duan
Professor, School of Art and Architecture, Central South University, Changsha,
China
Mohsen Jaafarnia
Assistant Professor, School of Design, Hunan University,
China
The geographic position of Iran in the center of the ancient world and at the crossroads of the East and the West is one of the reasons for the distinctiveness of the land and the particular characteristics of the Iranian civilization. At the same time this geographic position has placed Iran along the routes of migrations and invasions and has made the defense of its long borders immensely difficult. Thus it is one of the wonders of history that Iran has been able not only to defend and preserve itself through more than 2,500 years of history, but also to maintain itself for the greater part of these long centuries at the height of power, and to be a central factor in the progress of human civilization.
Lets read opinion of A. J. Arberry who had mentioned Proud in the remembered glory of empire, stubbornly refusing to accept the verdict of fortune as irreparable, a Firdausi sings to keep alive in his people's soul the instinct of greatness, line the artists who daubed the walls of public places with scenes from the triumphs of ancient times; and if Firdausi had never sung, the very ruins of those days would still shout their challenge.
Figure 1. The inscription with the subject peoples (DNa). The Persian king Darius the Great (r.521-486) was buried at Naqsh-e Rustam, where he left two inscriptions.
1. baga \ vazraka \ Auramazdâ \ hya \ im
2. âm \ bumâm \ adâ \ hya \ avam \ asm
3. ânam \ adâ \ hya \ martiyam \ adâ \ h
4. ya \ iyâtim \ adâ \ martiyahyâ
5. \ hya \ Dârayavaum \ xâyathiyam \ ak
6. unau \ aivam \ parûvnâm \ xâyath
7. iyam \ aivam \ parûvnâm \ framâtâ
8. ram \ adam \ Dârayavau \ xâyathiya \ va
9. zraka \ xâyathiya \ xâyathiyânâm
10. \ xâyathiya \ dahyûnâm \ vispazanâ
11. nâm \ xâyathiya \ ahyâyâ \ bûmi
12. yâ \ vazrakâyâ \ dûraiapiy \ Vitâs
13. pahyâ \ puça \ Haxâmaniiya \ Pârsa \ P
14. ârsahyâ \ puça \ Ariya \ Ariya \ ci
15. ça \ thâtiy \ Dârayavau \ xâya
16. thiya \ vanâ \ Auramazdâhâ \ imâ \
17. dahyâva \ tyâ \ adam \ agarbâyam \
18. apataram \ hacâ \ Pârsâ \ adamâm \
19. patiyaxayaiy \ manâ \ bâjim \ abara
20. ha \ tvaâm \ hacâma \ athahya \ ava \ a
21. kunava \ dâtam \ tya \ manâ \ avadi \
22. adâraiya \ Mâda \ Ûvja \ Parthava \ Harai
23. va \ Bâxtri \ Suguda \ Uvârazm
24. i \ Zraka \ Harauvati \ Thatagu \ Ga
25. dâra \ Hidu \ Sakâ \ haumavargâ \ Sa
26. kâ \ tigraxaudâ \ Bâbiru \ A
27. thurâ \ Arabâya \ Mudrâya \ Armina
28. \ Katpatuka \ Sparda \ Yauna \ Sakâ \ tyaiy \ pa
29. radraya \ Skudra \ Yaunâ \ takabarâ \ Putây
30. â \ Kûiyâ \ Maciyâ \ Karkâ \ thâtiy \ D
In THE INSCRIPTIONS OF NAQSH-I-RUSTAM (Inscriptions on south face of steep ridge north of Persepolis) we have (Lecoq, 1997):
1. (1-8.) A great God is Ahuramazda, who created this earth, who created yonder sky, who created man, who created happiness for man, who made Darius king, one king of many, one lord of many.
2. (8-15.) I am Darius the Great King, King of Kings, King of countries containing all kinds of men, King in this great earth far and wide, son of Hystaspes, an Achaemenian, a Persian, son of a Persian, an Aryan, having Aryan lineage.
3. (15-30.) Darius the King says: By the favor of Ahuramazda these are the countries which I seized outside of Persia; I ruled over them; they bore tribute to me; what was said to them by me, that they did; my law; that held them firm; Media, Elam, Parthia, Aria, Bactria, Sogdiana, Chorasmia, Drangiana, Arachosia, Sattagydia, Gandara, India, Amyrgian Scythians, Scythians with pointed caps, Babylonia, Assyria, Arabia, Egypt, Armenia, Cappadocia, Sardis [Lydia], Ionia [Greeks], Scythians who are across the sea, Skudra, petasos-wearing Ionians, Libyans, Ethiopians, men of Maka, Carians.
31. ârayavau \ xâyathiya \ Auramazdâ \ yath
32. â \ avaina \ imâm \ bûmim \ yaudatim \
33. pasâvadim \ manâ \ frâbara \ mâm \ xâ
34. yathiyam \ akunau \ adam \ xâyathiya
35. \ amiy \ vanâ \ Auramazdâhâ \ a
36. damim \ gâthavâ \ niyaâdayam \ tyaâ
37. m \ adam \ athaham \ ava \ akunava \ yathâ \ mâm \
38. kâma \ âha \ yadipatiy \ maniyâhaiy \ t
39. ya \ ciyakaram \ âha \ avâ \ dahyâva
40. \ tyâ \ Dârayavau \ xâyathiya
41. \ adâraya \ patikarâ \ dîdiy \ tyaiy \ g
42. âthun \ baratiy \ avadâ \ xnâsâhy \
43. adataiy \ azdâ \ bavâtiy \ Pârsahyâ \
44. martiyahyâ \ dûraiy \ arti \ pa
45. râgmatâ \ adataiy \ azdâ \ bavâti
46. y \ Pârsa \ martiya \ dûrayapiy \ hacâ \ Pâ
47. rsâ \ partaram \ patiyajatâ \ thâtiy \ Dâ
48. rayavau \ xâyathiya \ aita \ tya \ karta
49. m \ ava \ visam \ vanâ \ Auramazdâhâ \ ak
50. unavam \ Auramazdâ(ma)iy \ upastâm \ aba
51. ra \ yâtâ \ kartam \ akunavam \ mâm \ A
52. uramazdâ \ pâtuv \ hacâ \ gastâ \ utâma
53. iy \ vitham \ utâ \ imâm \ dahyâum \ aita \ ada
54. m \ Auramazdâm \ jadiyâmiy \ aitama
55. iy \ Auramazdâ \ dadâtuv \
56. martiyâ \ hyâ \ Auramazdâh
57. â \ framânâ \ hauvtaiy \ gas
58. tâ \ mâ \ thadaya pathim \
59. tyâm \ râstâm \ mâ
60. \ avarada \ mâ \ stabava
4. (30-47.) Darius the King says: Ahuramazda, when he saw this earth in commotion, thereafter bestowed it upon me, made me king; I am king. By the favor of Ahuramazda I put it down in its place; what I said to them, that they did, as was my desire. If now you shall think that "How many are the countries which King Darius held?" look at the sculptures [of those] who bear the throne, then shall you know, then shall it become known to you: the spear of a Persian man has gone forth far; then shall it become known to you: a Persian man has delivered battle far indeed from Persia.
5. (47-55.) Darius the King says: This which has been done, all that by the will of Ahuramazda I did. Ahuramazda bore me aid, until I did the work. May Ahuramazda protect me from harm, and my royal house, and this land: this I pray of Ahuramazda, this may Ahuramazda give to me!
6. (56-60.) O man, that which is the command of Ahuramazda, let this not seem repugnant to you; do not leave the right path; do not rise in rebellion!
What her poets recite in stirring rhyme her historians proclaim in stately prose, proving by their laborious genealogies that the blood of emperors still flows in Persian veins. The courtly manners, the royal bounty and mercy of old are kept alive in the pages of the moralists and writers on etiquette, so that every Persian, though he may for a time be subdued to another people's will preserve in his heart the tradition of kingship. The ancient virtue must still remain his whole concern; so said Henzala of Badghis, an obscure poet who died about 875, when the nation was newly stirring after two centuries of Arab sway：
If honor lies within the lions jaws,
Go, greatly dare, seek honor in that place,
Strive after grandeur, riches, ease, applause,
or manly meet disaster face to face. " (Arberry, xxxx)
During 2,500 years of confrontation with foreign enemies Iran has suffered many setbacks, but only three times was the historical thread of its existence as an independent nation broken, or at least did it appear to be broken as a result of its becoming part of a larger empire. These three instances arose from the invasion of:
1. The Macedonians, who attacked Iran under the leadership of Alexander in the third century after the foundation of the Achaemenian dynasty (the first half of the fourth century B.C.).
2. The Arabs, who overthrew the Sassanid twelve centuries after the establishment of the Iranian Monarchy (seventh century A.D.).
3. The hordes of Chingiz and Tamerlane, who overran and devastated Iran, the former a little less than eighteen centuries and the latter a little more than nineteen centuries after the establishment of the Persian Monarchy (the first half of the thirteenth century A.D., and the second half of fourteenth century A.D.).
In addition，the European colonial powers set out to bring Iran under their control in the nineteenth century. During this period, although resistance against the Europeans: who had come to dominate almost all of Asia and Africa, seemed impossible, the Iranian people were able to safeguard their independence until they attained a new national revival.
Victory over each group of these invaders strengthened Iranian patriotism and the faith of the Iranians in the eternity of their country (Nasr, 1974).
Both the Iranians and Iranologists are convinced that Irans ability to triumph over the cruelest and most destructive invaders of history must certainly bestow upon it the right to have faith in its own future and to consider itself eternal. The Macedonians have been erased from the face of history; not even a trace of Alexanders grave remains. Islam is alive and expanding and yet Arabia (which thanks to that Islam religion came to dominate the whole area of world extending from north of China, the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic,) was not able to maintain its domination for more than a century. On the contrary, Arabia returned quickly to the situation of the pre-Islamic period, known as the Age of Ignorance, and lost its importance except for containing the sacred cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina. Of the empires of Chingiz Khan and Tamerlane nothing remains but stories of slaughter and mass destruction (Nasr, 1974).
If during the past twenty five centuries the Iranians had exhibited no other special talent than being able to maintain the existence of their country, they would still hold a place unequalled in history and would deserve recognition and praise. But Irans eternity does not imply that for 2,500 years Iran has remained unchanged. A dynamic interest in innovation, not a rigid conservatism, constitutes the dominant feature of Iranianism. As will be noted in the course of the following research, the secret of Iran's survival must be sought in the enduring creative genius that has enabled it to keep abreast of the changing circumstances and to regenerate itself without ever having lost its distinctive identity.
The love of the Iranians for Iran cannot be explained only by the usual instinctive feelings which most of people have for their homeland. Many countries are loved without their having any noticeable effect upon the progress of mankind, and therefore the existence of these countries is more or less unimportant for other nations. The Iranians love Iran not only because it is their homeland, but also because they believe that Iran has proven its worth in terms of its contribution to world civilization. By the same token, they believe and expect that all those devoted to the progress of mankind should love Iran, and should Iran be adversely criticized they consider that criticism indicative of bad intentions or ignorance. To prove the level of love ,one can have a look to the history of war in that 8 years with Iraq that all countries were helping the dictator Saddam. UK, US, Germany, France, Italy, and those countries were looking for blood bath, in order to kill more and more people. They began to resort to help Saddam to use of chemical weapons and other kinds of blind weapons. These weapons killed people in large numbers. Germany was consistently leading this industry for a long time. German companies were largely involved in exporting a large number of chemical weapons or equipment even setting up factories of weapons manufacturing in Iraq. Of course, America, France, Netherlands, England and others were also illegally involved in exporting raw materials to build these weapons of mass destruction to Iraq, but one can see how strong love in heart of Iranian could change the result of war (Jaafarnia, 2012).
Since in its external aspect the Iranians' love for their homeland does not always correspond to the love of others for their countries, many foreign observers have been unable to assess accurately the depth and intensity of Iranian patriotism.
Conclusion
Here to have a good ending and conclusion, we end this paper with Comte de Gobineau opinion as he says They may mulitate Persia, they may divide it，they may take away its name; it will remain Persia and will never die. (Gobineau, 2012).
In recuperative potential some nations are like pine and others like plane trees. If a pine is sawn off at the ground it dies; but if a plane tree is sawn off it shoots out new branches and grows rapidly, sometimes more luxurient than before. In the past, Irans branches and boughs have been repeatedly chopped off and at times even its trunk has been severed at the base. However, every time the nation has recovered quickly and flourished. The remarkable progress of modern Iran and the great hopes which the Iranian people entertain towards their future are symptomatic of this historical fact.
References
Gobineau, Le Comte de 2012. Trois Ans En Asie (de 1855 À 1858). Vol. 2, P. 29 (1-11). Paris: Nabu Press.
Nasr, Taghi 1974. The Eternity of Iran. Tehran: The Ministry of Culture and Arts publication.
Arberry, A. J. xxxx. the Leg. of Per., P. 223 (1-4).
Lecoq, Pierre 1997. Les inscriptions de la Perse achéménide . Paris: Gallimard .
Jaafarnia, Mohsen 2012. Lets save humans life with good design. Guwahati: Papyrus. ISBN: 978-93-81287-17-0 http://design.hnu.edu.cn/images/stories/downloads/mohsen/Lets_save%20humans_life_with_good_design.pdf
© 2018 by the authors.
Submitted for possible open access publication under the
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