Ferdows Garden ( fa, باغ فردوس ) is a historical complex located in the district of
Tajrish
Tajrish ( fa, تجريش, , also romanized as Tajrīš) is a neighbourhood of Tehran, capital of Iran. Administratively it is in Shemiranat County, Tehran Province. It used to be a village and later was absorbed into the city of Tehran.
The Tajri ...
in
Shemiran
Shemirān ( fa, شمیران, , also Romanized as Shemīrān or Šemirân), also known as Shemirānāt ( fa, شمیرانات ) is the capital of Shemiranat County, Tehran Province, Iran, but is actually located just north of the borders of Teh ...
(northern
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
),
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
.
The complex dates back to the reign of the
Qajar dynasty
The Qajar dynasty (; fa, دودمان قاجار ', az, Qacarlar ) was an IranianAbbas Amanat, ''The Pivot of the Universe: Nasir Al-Din Shah Qajar and the Iranian Monarchy, 1831–1896'', I. B. Tauris, pp 2–3 royal dynasty of Turkic peoples ...
, and includes a mansion which houses the Cinema Museum of Iran since 2009.
Etymology
By the time of the
Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Based in Western Asia, it was contemporarily the largest em ...
, the term ''pairidaēza'' (
Avestan
Avestan (), or historically Zend, is an umbrella term for two Old Iranian languages: Old Avestan (spoken in the 2nd millennium BCE) and Younger Avestan (spoken in the 1st millennium BCE). They are known only from their conjoined use as the scrip ...
) referred to extensive gardens built all over the empire. It derived from
Proto-Iranian
Proto-Iranian or Proto-Iranic is the reconstructed proto-language of the Iranian languages branch of Indo-European language family and thus the ancestor of the Iranian languages such as Pashto, Persian, Sogdian, Zazaki, Ossetian, Mazandarani ...
''paridaiźa'', literally meaning "circular boundary".
Modern Persian
New Persian ( fa, فارسی نو), also known as Modern Persian () and Dari (), is the current stage of the Persian language spoken since the 8th to 9th centuries until now in Greater Iran and surroundings. It is conventionally divided into thre ...
''ferdows'' () and ''pardis'' () are derivatives of the same word, which occurred in
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
as ''parádeisos'' () and entered English as ''paradise''.
According to the ''
Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...
'', as well as the
Dehkhoda Dictionary
The ''Dehkhoda Dictionary'' ( fa, لغتنامهٔ دهخدا) is the largest comprehensive Persian encyclopedic dictionary ever published, comprising 200 volumes. It is published by the Tehran University Press (UTP) under the supervision of ...
, this word entered Hebrew as ''pardēs'' (), following the arrival of the
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
in
Babylon
''Bābili(m)''
* sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠
* arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel''
* syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel''
* grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn''
* he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel''
* peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru''
* elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...
in the 5th century BC. In the sections of the
Old Testament
The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...
that predate this arrival, the notions of "heaven" and "hell" are not specific; only later has ''pārdēs'', originally meaning "garden" and "orchard", been endowed with the spiritual meaning that is signified by this word.
Dehkhoda
Allameh Ali Akbar Dehkhodā ( fa, علیاکبر دهخدا; 1879–March 9, 1956) was a prominent Iranian linguist and lexicographer. He was the author of the Dehkhoda Dictionary, the most extensive dictionary of the Persian language pu ...
notes that ''pardēs'' has been used as a synonym for the Hebrew word ''gān'', meaning "the
Garden of Eden
In Abrahamic religions, the Garden of Eden ( he, גַּן־עֵדֶן, ) or Garden of God (, and גַן־אֱלֹהִים ''gan-Elohim''), also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the Bible, biblical paradise described in Book of Genesis, Genes ...
". He also states that the word ''firdaws'', used twice in the
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...
, has its root in
Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...
and
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
.
History
The origin of complex dates back to the reign of
Mohammad Shah
Mirza Nasir-ud-Din Muḥammad Shah (born Roshan Akhtar; 7 August 1702 – 26 April 1748) was the 13th Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1719 to 1748. He was son of Khujista Akhtar, the fourth son of Bahadur Shah I. After being chosen by the ...
(1808–1848) of the
Qajar dynasty
The Qajar dynasty (; fa, دودمان قاجار ', az, Qacarlar ) was an IranianAbbas Amanat, ''The Pivot of the Universe: Nasir Al-Din Shah Qajar and the Iranian Monarchy, 1831–1896'', I. B. Tauris, pp 2–3 royal dynasty of Turkic peoples ...
, who ordered the construction of a mansion named ''Mohammadie'' in
Tajrish
Tajrish ( fa, تجريش, , also romanized as Tajrīš) is a neighbourhood of Tehran, capital of Iran. Administratively it is in Shemiranat County, Tehran Province. It used to be a village and later was absorbed into the city of Tehran.
The Tajri ...
. He died in September 1848, and the unfinished structure was subsequently disused.
Later on, Hossein Ali Khan (Moayyer ol Mamalek), a courtier close to Mohammad Shah, followed up the construction of a two-floor
Qajar-style mansion within the same area. During the reign of
Naser ed Din Shah (1848–1896), the ownership of the enclosure was transferred to Dust-Ali Khan (Nezam od Dowle), the son of Hossein Ali Khan. He refurbished the complex and renamed it ''Ferdows''. Afterwards, Dust-Mohammad Khan, the son of Dust-Ali Khan and the son-in-law of Naser ed Din Shah, built a new mansion to the south of the enclosure. He used the workmanship of architects from
Isfahan
Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in Sassanian Empire, middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Regio ...
and
Yazd
Yazd ( fa, یزد ), formerly also known as Yezd, is the capital of Yazd Province, Iran. The city is located southeast of Isfahan. At the 2016 census, the population was 1,138,533. Since 2017, the historical city of Yazd is recognized as a Worl ...
, and named it ''Rašk e Behešt'', meaning "the Envy of Heaven".
The complex changed several hands, and the older mansion was eventually destroyed. The remaining structure was then bought by
Mohammad-Vali Khan Tonekaboni, who was the leader of the
Constitutionalist Revolutionary Forces from Iran's northern regions of
Gilan and
Mazandaran. He added new pools and fountains to the complex, and regenerated the
aqueduct that, in earlier years, had fed the garden with fresh water. The current gate of the garden also dates from this time.
The complex was leased to various ministries over years. In 1937, the Ministry of Education housed the primary and secondary school of Shapur in this compound. After the
1979 Revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
, until 2002, Ferdows Garden served as a training center for filmmaking. Since 2002, it houses the Cinema Museum.
In Iranian cinema
''Ferdows Garden, 5 o'Clock in the Afternoon'' (2005), an Iranian film written, produced and directed by
Siamak Shayeghi
Siamak Shayeghi ( fa, سیامک شایقی ; 11 August 1954 – 15 April 2020) was an Iranian film director and film producer.
Born in Abadan, he graduated in Cinema and Television and started his career as film critic and was assistant direc ...
, with
Reza Kianian
Reza Kianian ( fa, رضا کیانیان , born June 19, 1951 in Tehran) is an Iranian actor. He has received various accolades, including two Crystal Simorgh, a Hafez Awards, Hafez Award and two Iran Cinema Celebration Awards.
Early life
Kian ...
,
Ladan Mostofi
Ladan Mostofi ( fa, لادن مستوفی; born November 17, 1972) is an Iranian actress. She has received various accolades, including nominations for three Crystal Simorgh, two Hafez Awards and an Iran Cinema Celebration Awards. She won the Best ...
and
Azita Hajian
Azita Hajian ( fa, آزیتا حاجیان, born 10 January 1958) is an Iranian actress.
Early life
She was born on 10 January 1958 in Narmak, Tehran. She graduated in theatre acting and directing from the ''Faculty of Dramatic Arts'' in Tehran ...
in the principal roles, refers to the public park from where the main mansion is in view.
['Sean Penn in Iran'', San Francisco Chronicle, 2005: August 22]
Day One
August 23
Day Two
August 24
Day Three
August 25
Day Four
August 26
Day Five
Gallery
file:Ferdows Garden, Tehran.jpg, Outside view
file:کاخ فردوس.jpg, Ferdows Garden
file:مسیر باغ فردوس.jpg, Path leading to the building
file:ورودی عمارت باغ فردوس.jpg, Entrance
file:Bagh ferdows 4.jpg, At night
file:Bagh ferdows6.jpg, At night
file:IMAG0413.jpg, Entrance
file:Ferdow garden tehran.jpg
file:Muse cinema.jpg, A view from inside
file:باغ فردوس 02.jpg, A view through the window
See also
*
Persian gardens
The tradition and style of garden design represented by Persian gardens or Iranian gardens ( fa, باغ ایرانی), an example of the paradise garden, has influenced the design of gardens from Andalusia to India and beyond. The gardens of the A ...
*
Paradise garden
The paradise garden is a form of garden of Old Iranian origin, specifically Achaemenid which is formal, symmetrical and most often, enclosed. The most traditional form is a rectangular garden split into four quarters with a pond in the center, a ...
*
Bagh (garden)
The tradition and style of garden design represented by Persian gardens or Iranian gardens ( fa, باغ ایرانی), an example of the paradise garden, has influenced the design of gardens from Andalusia to India and beyond. The gardens of the ...
*
Cinema of Iran
The Cinema of Iran (Persian: سینمای ایران), also known as the Cinema of Persia, refers to the cinema and film industries in Iran which produce a variety of commercial films annually. Iranian art films have garnered international fame a ...
References
External links
Official website of the Cinema Museum of IranFerdows Garden on FlickrSean Penn Visits the Cinema Museum of Iran
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bagh-E Ferdows
Museums in Tehran
Palaces in Tehran
Persian gardens in Iran
Persian words and phrases
Cinema museums
Palaces in Iran