The+Effects+of+Persian+Culture

By Meg Healy
====The Persian culture is one of the oldest in the world. It has influenced many communities, religions, and cultures, especially in the Middle East. In fact, the language of ancient Persia, Farsi, is still spoken in Iran; it is the official language of the country. The capital of ancient Persia was a city called Persepolis, which is located in Iran. One of the most well known parts of Persian culture may be the "Book of Kings," an epic composed in the year 1010. This book has been a major part of the revitalization of the culture. The "Book of Kings" is not the only well known Persian piece of literature; the poetry is well known and popular in many places. The music is also very popular, and has affected other styles of music; traditional Spanish music and dance has some roots in Persian music.====

====The Persian culture also has an influence on Western culture, Persian rugs being an excellent example. People all over the world buy these rugs, which can show the different styles of Persia. There are two main types of Persian rugs: those made by the nomadic people, with improvised designs and organic colors, and city woven rugs, those made in the city with wool or silk that have bright colors and symmetrical patterns, like the image below. As Marji mentioned in //Persepolis//, these rugs are still sometimes handmade, occasionally by young children.==== ====Another example of American customs derived from Persia is the postal system; it was actually founded in ancient Persia; Benjamin Franklin may be the father of the U.S. Postal system, but he did not by any means invent it. This system was created because the king, Cyrus the Great (pictured below), realized that a communication system was essential to a successful empire.==== ====Several major world religions also may have a base in Persian culture. Zoroastrianism was the first monotheistic (only one god) religion, and it originated in what is now Iran. It was actually the official religion of Persia. The three other major monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) were also founded in that area of the world, although they began many years later than Zoroastrianism. One other part of Persian culture that has affected the Islam religion in particular is the artwork style; Islam forbids the use of images in places of worship, so they use beautiful patterns that are derived from ancient Persian styles.====

====One part of Middle Eastern Islamic culture that may be distantly related to ancient Persian tradition is the fact that women have to cover so much of themselves; sometimes even their face. This may be related to the ancient Persian custom where any common person had to cover their mouth in the presence of the emperor so as not to taint the air with their unworthy breath. Although this may simply be a coincidence, it is also possible that there is a connection.====

__ http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art51950.asp __
__ Persepolis: the Story of a Childhood __, by Marjane Satrapi