Iran was known as Persia in ancient times, and the Persian Empire was the first empire in history to span three continents in Asia, Africa and Europe. The long-standing Persian civilization has long been the link between Eastern and Western civilizations, and it is also an important cultural gathering place on the ancient Silk Road.
The Iran Pavilion at this year's Dubai Expo not only has the story of the fantastic 1001 Nights, but also the prestigious Persian carpets and Persian miniature paintings. These rich cultural symbols present Iran's long history and culture to tourists.
Jiang Haoyu: At the Dubai World Expo, the design concept of the Iranian Pavilion originated from the 1001st Night. On this long bead curtain, each bead represents a story. The designer also arranged the exhibition hall into a blue box, hoping that visitors can discover the history and culture in the box and harvest their own stories.
Iran has a history of more than 7,000 years of civilization, and in the Iranian Pavilion, people can see the former capital of the Persian Empire - Persoles, which has left the cultural heritage to the world, such as: exquisite relief murals, stone pillars of the Apadana Palace, and Cyrus columns engraved with cuneiform characters.
Iran Pavilion Spokesperson Haram Shani: (Through the visit) I hope that everyone can understand the history and culture of Iran, because many people may not know this history, and their understanding of Iran is not comprehensive.
Iran is the birthplace of the Persian carpet weaving art, and the intricate and beautiful symmetrical patterns are completely hand-woven, which is very time-consuming and labor-intensive. Every weaver has more than a decade to fully master the weaving skills, and handmade carpets made of silk, cotton, wool and natural dyes have been trampled for hundreds of years without fading in color.
Jiang Haoyu: A handmade carpet like this, which takes two weavers nearly twenty months to complete, has a total of 440 bird patterns and uses 37 colors. And the traditional handicrafts of Iran are not only Persian carpets, Persian miniature painting is also one of them.
The biggest feature of Persian miniature painting is the delicacy and delicacy of the details of the picture, what is most needed is concentration and patience, even a small work takes weeks or even months to complete, and the seemingly flowing lines are "points" by the painter.
Jiang Haoyu: In the 13th century, under the influence of Chinese paintings introduced to the local area by the Silk Road, the figures on the miniature paintings had obvious oriental characteristics, whether from their appearance to their clothing characteristics.
Iran's economy has suffered a serious blow since the U.S. government unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 and restarted and added sanctions against Iran. Taking advantage of the rare opportunity of the World Expo, Iranian exhibitors brought hand-painted copper plates, saffron and other goods, hoping to establish trade links with more countries.
Iran Pavilion Exhibitor Abdul Hussein: Some businessmen will be interested in Iran's saffron, carpets, handicrafts, etc. I also hope that there will be more economic cooperation between Iran and China in the future.