Ali Ansari @aa51_ansari Twitter profile

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

4 years

Another favourite of mine is the 'big cheese', which some persist in thinking refers to a dairy product. 'Cheez' is Persian for 'thing', hence the 'big thing', someone of importance. (I should naturally stress that these entered English through India).

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

7 months

Just when you think the Iranian regime can’t go lower, here we have the official government newspaper celebrating - yes celebrating - the murder of 1000 Israelis. What an embarrassment these people are to Persian culture and civilisation. An absolute disgrace.

روزنامه ایران

@IranNewspaper

7 months

هزارتایی شدیم! رسانه‌های رژیم‌صهیونیستی اعلام کردند تلفات حمله نیروهای مقاومت به این رژیم در تاریخ ۱۷مهرماه به ۱۰۰۰ نفر رسید!

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

A thread on ‘fatwas’: A fatwa is a legal ruling delivered by a religious jurist, these days denoted by the rank of Ayatollah or higher. Fatwas are an integral aspect of Shia jurisprudence which operates on the basis of the continuous interpretation of scripture /1

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 year

When the Persian ambassador arrived in Plymouth in 1809, he left an intriguing account of Royal Navy practices… @dcsandbrook @holland_tom #ebonywheelofheaven

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

3 years

'O man, I am Cyrus son of Cambyses, who founded the empire of Persia and ruled over Asia. Do not grudge me my monument.'

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

'The ancient Persians taught, beside the three things that Byron has immortalised, that the New Year begins not in the depth of winter when Nature herself is dead, but at the vernal equinox when she revives - and I think they were right.' #PersianNewYear Edward Eastwick 1864

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

To paraphrase Voltaire..the ‘Islamic republic of Iran’ is neither Islamic, republican or representative, in any way, of the civilisation of Iran. Iran's leaders are fighting a losing battle via @spectator

Iran's leaders are fighting a losing battle

Iran’s rulers are holding firm. The country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has expressed sorrow at the killing of Mahsa Amini – who died last month after being arrested by the state’s morality...

www.spectator.co.uk

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

5 months

‘Vidit, dixit, fixit’ Good to see Asterix back on form.

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 year

Merry Christmas. #Persians #Magi

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

7 months

It would appear that the Islamic Republic of Iran has just voted for a UN resolution which supports a two state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict…

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 year

Another depressing example of shortsightedness. Now, of all times, is not the time…

BBC Persian radio is a lifeline to millions and must be saved

The BBC is closing the radio broadcasts of its highly influential Persian service after 83 years. It wants to focus solely on the TV operation of the service,

www.thetimes.co.uk

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

6 months

In these troubled times it’s good to find occasional solace in the oasis of calm that is @TheRestHistory …and there is no better oasis for this old Persian than this insightful quartet on the golden age of Baghdad.

The Rest Is History

@TheRestHistory

7 months

On today’s pod, we look at how Baghdad's golden age changed the world, and the ever-lasting influence of THE ARABIAN NIGHTS. From Sinbad to Ali Baba or Aladdin, Baghdad spawned stories of mystery and wonder, in the city of Caliphs, Hadiths, thieves, and of course, pigeon racing!

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

8 months

As a rule I would never judge a book by its cover…but I do like this cover..

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 year

The Persians are coming! Thrilled to get my hands on a copy of @holland_tom forthcoming book on the Greek and Persian wars for the discerning younger reader - though having perused it, seems suitable for 'younger' readers of all ages...

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

5 months

Time to pack our bags… Merry Christmas. #magi . #persiansattheorigin

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 months

We have just witnessed an election in Iran where hardliners have competed with even more extreme hardliners (and lost), where spoilt ballots exceeded valid ballots in many constituencies, and where the vast majority of the electorate declined to participate at all.

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 year

Tragically, this morning we had the last transmission of BBC Persian Radio. I am lost for words...

Mehdi Parpanchi

@Parpanchi

1 year

توقف مهم‌ترین و قدیمی‌ترین رادیوی فارسی، خبری است غم‌انگیز برای ده‌ها میلیون‌ ایرانی که نسل اندر نسل از سال ۱۳۱۹ خورشیدی به این سو، صدای دوردست‌های جهان را از میکروفون این رسانه شنیدند و شناختند. صدای بی‌بی‌سی برای من، یادآور پدربزرگم است که تا سال ۱۳۶۰ که از دنیا رفت با بی‌بی

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 month

Some spectacular tub thumping nationalism going on here among Iran regime loyalists, comparing Khamenei to Cyrus the Great...perhaps not the most appropriate comparison for a number of reasons.../1

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 year

In honour of @TheRestHistory ’s (elite) ‘Aethelstans’, here is (probably) the first mention of Aethelstan in the Persian language. I give you Mirza Saleh’s History of England, (1817)..the author himself is immortalised on the Albert Memorial. @holland_tom @dcsandbrook

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 month

It is vital we retain a distinction between the regime & wider Iranian society. The gulf between them, in attitude, approach and above all morality, is wide and getting wider

Holly Dagres

@hdagres

1 month

🚨 Even with all the int'l attention on Iran during the #MahsaAmini protests in which Iranians sought change, there are still folks who see the average Iranian as the same as the Islamic Republic. Iranian ≠ Islamic Republic Please separate the two. They aren't the same.

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

4 months

Out tomorrow...

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 months

'The ancient Persians taught..that the New Year begins, not in the dead of winter when Nature herself is dead, but at the vernal equinox when she revives - and I think they were right.' Eastwick (1864) Nature revives herself at precisely 3:06.26 on 20th March. Happy New Year!

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

“…we could not but conclude that man is by nature fitted to govern all creatures, except his fellow-man. But when we came to realise the character of Cyrus the Persian, we were led to a change of mind” Xenophon - Cyropaedia #CyrusTheGreatDay

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

…interested in political change, to say nothing of those seeking the revocation of the Rushdie fatwa. Today, (with dissent suppressed), Iran’s newspapers are celebrating the attack on Rushdie. It remains a salient example of acute shortsightedness in policy making. END

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

5 years

In 1817 the Persian traveller, Mirza Saleh, visited Salisbury noting its cathedral was founded by Henry III in 1219 and that its famous steeple measured 410 feet. (He seems to be slightly out on both counts; on the + side there were no deaths associated with his visit.)

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

Oh dear… @holland_tom @dcsandbrook

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

In 1906, the noted Persianist (& Persophile) Edward Granville Browne, lobbied hard for the British government to throw its weight behind the constitutional revolution in Iran. In those days international solidarity was in short supply.

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

3 years

Another first... @holland_tom #persianorigins

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

3 years

a) Very grateful to my gracious hosts @holland_tom & @dcsandbrook on @TheRestHistory for the opportunity to talk about the many contributions of Iranian (Persian) civilisation...

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 months

Sterling comment here from the very top of top historians. (Still available with a 20% discount)

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 year

Can’t commend this podcast on coronations enough… @dcsandbrook comments are especially pertinent…

The Rest Is History

@TheRestHistory

1 year

In light of the first British coronation in over half a century taking place this weekend, on today’s The Rest is History, we explore the origins of the coronation ritual. In this first of a three-part series, we explore its deep, Anglo-Saxon roots.

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

3 years

All a buzz from my outing on @TheRestHistory I hear fandom beckoning...'We love your book on Persia' they cry. 'Wonderful' thinks I...then the appalling reality sinks in...😬 @holland_tom @dcsandbrook

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

4 years

On Persian origins ( @holland_tom ), the concept of 'purdah' which is applied to British civil servants during elections is derived from the Persian 'pardeh', which means curtain, screen or veil. Civil servants figuratively go 'behind the veil' at election time...

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

30 days

What is decadence? I don’t know. I can’t define it in abstract terms - yet. But I think I can recognise it when I see it. And I am looking at it now. (With apologies to Kenneth Clark).

Iran International English

@IranIntl_En

1 month

Shabbir Rizvi, a Chicago-based “activist” who frequently appears on Iran’s state-run Press TV as a pundit, is seen in a video shared by @TheFP teaching a group of so-called “anti-war activists” how to chant “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” slogans in Persian.

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

A map of Mesopotamia by the War Office (1916), with the progress of British forces through 1918 marked in red. The real quirk, as noted by @TimBryars , is that the intrepid officer has also marked the march of Xenophon's 10,000 (in black) @holland_tom @JonathanBoff @RJohnsonCCW1

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 year

As we approach the Spring Equinox at 21:24:28 (precisely), I wish everyone a very happy Nowruz. Here's hoping for a year of renewal. Here is an acute observation of the importance of the festival, to Iranians in particular, by Sir John Malcolm, (1815).

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

‘BP turned him down for wearing brown shoes to his interview’ 🤔⁦ @holland_tom ⁩

Sir Christopher Meyer, diplomat who served as Ambassador to Washington in the run-up to the...

Unflappable and with a gift for communication, he worked for John Major and was later chairman of the Press Complaints Commission

www.telegraph.co.uk

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

6 years

Royal weddings that didn't happen: in 1809 the Persian king suggested to the British amb. that his son marry the daughter of the Prince of Wales: 'Where would all the Kings of the earth be compared to such a King and Queen! England, all India, all Persia...'

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 year

Impressed by the redevelopment of Battersea power station. The ability of this city to regenerate and reinvent itself never ceases to amaze me. Truly when one tires of london one is tired of life.

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 month

Firstly, it was a comparison the last Shah liked to make, and well, that's probably not the best analogy to draw...secondly and with a nod to the demands of historical literacy that tends to evade nationalists, Cyrus, famously, liberated the Jews.../2

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

An fascinating thread with the revelation that the MOD employs seven times more historians than the FCDO. Even accounting for the different size of the institutions, this is quite a disparity. @SuzanneRaine2 @JonathanBoff

Jack Shaw

@JackTShaw

2 years

How many historians does Whitehall employ? Fewer than 40, according to the departments that responded to my Freedom of Information request. [Thread on policy-making and the expertise that’s valued in Westminster]

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

The idea that the Rushdie fatwa might die a natural death proved misplaced. Khamenei has chosen to double down and has repeatedly endorsed the fatwa. He has chosen instead to play to his hardline base. /17

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 year

For a regime that rejoices in describing its opponents as idolaters (taghuti), the Islamic Republic of Iran sure enjoys engaging in…idolatry. Here is Suleimani’s daughter with a waxwork effigy of her father in her office…/1 @ProfTobyDodge

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

A pristine 'Peykan' (aka the Hillman Hunter) sighted on the streets of London... @RohamAlvandiLSE , @shahriarsabet

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 year

As Iran restricts the use of gas to its people, the authorities engage in some spectacular whataboutery. Here it suggests that Germans are buying up candles, the Swiss are encouraged to share cold baths, and the English are using cat litter as fuel...

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

The procedure normally follows an answer to a specific question. How the supplicant frames the question can dictate the nature of the answer. Different clerics can be approached for different topics which range from the mundane to the serious…/2

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

…while there is a political hierarchy in the Islamic Republic of Iran topped by the Supreme Leader (SL), not all Shias, even within Iran, recognise his religious supremacy. In addition, the rulings of living jurists take precedence over dead ones. /4

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 year

I see that the first commemorative stamps of 2023 are to be dedicated to Iron Maiden... Something tells me 2023 is going to be just fine...

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

3 years

Naturally thrilled to be called off the subs bench to stand in for the great @dcsandbrook . Limbering up as we speak... Here's wishing you, Dominic, a speedy recovery.

Dominic Sandbrook

@dcsandbrook

3 years

The good news is that the wonderful @aa51_ansari , who was so brilliant on our Persian episode, is generously stepping in to keep Tom under control. So basically everybody wins except me, which is exactly as it should be. A huge thank you to Ali, and see you soon.

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

Perhaps we can now lay to rest the Western belief that integration into the global economy would inevitably bend autocratic systems towards democracy. Absent a broader strategy, such outcomes are far from certain: Russia, China, Iran...

Tom McTague

@TomMcTague

2 years

The shame of an age

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

@holland_tom @TheRestHistory @HardcoreHistory Is #Persia the origin of everything…🤔

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

The fatwa issued against Salman Rushdie by the SL of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, was the subject of some contention at the time. It was delivered verbally rather than written and people questioned whether Khomeini had considered all the relevant material /7

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

In effect (and perhaps inadvertently) the government had acknowledged the de facto separation of religion and politics. De Jure nothing had changed and the fatwa remained in place but it was a significant if under appreciated development. /14

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

5 years

For those of you who haven't had your fill of modern Iranian history, the 3rd ed. of my 'Modern Iran' is now out adding both a 'prequel' to cover the late 18th and 'long' 19th centuries, as well extending the narrative to 2018.

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

Consequently some people referred to the ruling as a ‘hokm’, a political edict rather than religious ruling and the President at the time Ali Khamenei (who was to succeed as SL), was rebuked when he reflected that Rushdie might simply apologise /8

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

The reference point and template for all subsequent fatwas was the fatwa issued by the senior cleric, Mirza Hasan Shirazi in 1891 prohibiting the smoking of tobacco as a protest against the tobacco concession recently granted to a British ‘entrepreneur’. /5

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

A fascinating map showing the distribution of Sasanian artefacts discovered as far afield as Japan, Britain and South Africa. @holland_tom

توییتر ملی

@twmelli

2 years

۱- در این #رشتو به آثار متعلق به ساسانیان می‌پردازیم که از ژاپن تا بریتانیا در غرب اروپا و دورافتاده‌ترین نقطه آفریقا کشف شده‌اند. کشف این آثار در خارج از قلمرو ساسانیان نشان‌دهنده قدرت اقتصادی و سیاسی ایرانشهر ساسانی بوده است. در نقشه زیر محل کشف این آثار نشانه‌گذاری شده است.

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

Be that as it may, the ruling was understood as a fatwa, while an Iranian ‘charity’ offered a bounty in order to encourage the ‘faithful’. The fatwa dominated Iran’s relations with the West for the next decade much to the chagrin of Iranian diplomats who…/9

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

3 months

Keen to learn more about Iranian history, politics, and society? Applications are now open for our MLitt in Iranian Studies, available online at the University of St Andrews. More info here:

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

..simply could not understand why people in the West took the matter so seriously and surprisingly, had principles too. Indeed outside the religiously and political devout, few Iranians cared and the view circulated that Khomeini, seeing protests in other parts of the world…/10

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

…and the rulings of the more senior clerics will take precedence. This is an important consideration today when we have a relative abundance of ayatollahs and a (generally) acknowledged hierarchy. Generally acknowledged because…/3

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

..a position that remains a theological and procedural nonsense. It also reinforced the view - contrary to 1998 - that religion and politics were indivisible in Iran and that Khamenei’s word was effectively law. This will have been dispiriting news to those in Iran…/19

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 year

For some reason, this passage from Arendt's acute study of Totalitarianism, resonates with me at the moment.

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

The fatwa was rescinded once the concession was revoked, but a procedure had been established: question, consideration, written ruling, with the possibility that it could be rescinded. /6

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

In 1998 following the election of the Reformist President Khatami the decision was taken to find a political solution by defining the fatwa as a religious injunction out-with the responsibility of the government, publicly stating they would not pursue its implementation /13

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

Stunningly good and thought provoking pair of episodes from @TheRestHistory . Off to buy the book... @Oklahomaharper

Tom Holland

@holland_tom

2 years

Part 2 of our terrifying, eye-popping sweep through THE HISTORY OF DISEASE with @Oklahomaharper : tracking how globalisation – & indeed civilisation itself - have repeatedly been good for pathogens

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

11 months

No doubt officials in Iran will be monitoring developments in Russia with interest and no little anxiety...

Engelsberg Ideas

@EngelsbergIdeas

11 months

How Russia and Iran have united in antipathy towards the West | Ali Ansari ( @aa51_ansari )

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

..had decided that it was important to take a leadership position. He had been encouraged by Muslims around the world including a number from Britain. At a stroke Iran took ownership of an issue few of its people had any interest in. /11

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 year

I knew it! Atlantis IS Persia!! Thank you @holland_tom

The Rest Is History

@TheRestHistory

1 year

In today’s episode on ATLANTIS, we cover the Legacy of the Lost Empire. From claims that the alphabet was originated by Atlantians, to the Nazis co-opting Atlantis as the birthplace of the Aryan race, we ask what these theories tell us about their times.

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

5 years

'the Eed-e Nou Roze, or the "the feast of the vernal equinox", is to this day observed with as much joy and festivity as by the ancient Persians.' (Malcolm 1815). 'Tis the Humour of the Persians..to value Life, and to enjoy it'. (Chardin 1724). A happy Persian new year to all.

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 months

A real treat here from @omid9 for the Persian new year.

Omid Djalili

@omid9

2 months

What better way to mark Persian new year than two men trying to pay the bill. Follow the brilliant ⁦ @IAmTehran ⁩ Wakanda’s very own black American Persian wonder dude 👊🏼

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

4 months

This revelation is not getting the attention it deserves. Clear evidence that regime ideology (& paranoia) trumps the lives of ordinary Iranians.

Kasra Aarabi (کسری اعرابی)

@KasraAarabi

4 months

Both @CNN & @WSJ now confirming US officials had informed regime in Iran that ISIS was planning a terrorist attack in Kerman. Soleimani’s memorial still went ahead, but without the participation of Soleimani’s family and senior IRGC commanders 👇

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 year

In 1835 three Persian princes visited England recording many intriguing observations on life and politics… @TheRestHistory #IranEngland

Tom Holland

@holland_tom

1 year

Tomorrow on @TheRestHistory : IRAN

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 year

'..the admirable way the country was run under the Sassanids...' Al Jahiz's glorious depiction of the Persian bureaucrat, c850AD, at the height of the Abbasid Caliphate. A timeless paean to civil servants everywhere...

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

5 years

Thrilled to discover (during one of my regular bouts of insomnia) that the 'high heel' has its origins, in, yes, you've guessed it, Persia! @holland_tom : 'The Heel and the Sneaker', BBC World Service, The Forum: .

BBC World Service - The Forum, The Heel and the Sneaker

A history of footwear

www.bbc.co.uk

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

Dying soon afterwards, Khomeini left his heirs with a quandary. The new SL Khamenei could issue a new fatwa which would supersede that of Khomeini’s but to do so would challenge Khomeini’s pre-eminence, as the founding father of the revolution. /12

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

3 years

As the Magi reach their destination I am reminded that if all things do not originate in Persia...the Persians were present at the origin @holland_tom

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

7 months

@MahanEsfahani I suspect the latter, but like you am looking forward to the explanation/clarification which is bound to follow

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

4 years

A note on the Magi aka the three Wise Men, the Three Kings, who appear in Matthew's Gospel. The Magi were accepted by early Christians to be 'eastern men who came from Persia'. Not so much a tale of Persian origins as one where the Persians were there at the origin @holland_tom

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

‘The rapid churn of ministers and senior officials, decline in use of documents, the rise of tribal special advisers and ideological think tanks militate against drawing on history…Institutional memory is junked unceremoniously…’

Historians can help politicians avoid errors of the past

We are wasting billions of pounds a year because Whitehall blithely ignores history. We have economists, lawyers, scientists and statisticians galore in governm

www.thetimes.co.uk

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

3 years

@holland_tom @TheRestHistory Who…?

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

In Iran debates raged about political and religious reform including a particularly contentious debate about the nature and relevance of apostasy. For many there were reasons to be cautiously optimistic about the prospects for real change. Sadly these were not to be /15

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

By now collective attention had shifted to the nuclear impasse with a new twist in the fatwa saga. Part of the settlement relied on the fact that Khamenei had issued a (verbal) fatwa outlawing nuclear weapons. This fatwa was apparently immutable and irrevocable…/18

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

My reflections on developing Russian-Iranian relations, their growing ideological synergy and the curious echo chamber of paranoia. Far from containing revolutionary Iran’s ideological excesses, Putin appears to be channeling them. @JonathanBoff @RJohnsonCCW1 @dpatrikarakos

Engelsberg Ideas

@EngelsbergIdeas

2 years

'The respective leaderships are bound by ties far deeper than geopolitical coincidences of interest: a state of mutual paranoia' Read 'How Russia and Iran have united in antipathy towards the West' by @aa51_ansari :

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

Few things exemplify the moral bankruptcy of the Islamic Republic better than this call to portray the opposition as heretics...

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 year

An exciting new opportunity for a PhD scholarship hosted by the University of St Andrews and the British Museum: 'Iconographies of change: currency and medals of Iran's Pahlavi regime.' Deadline for applications 19th May.

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

With the demise of the Reform movement by 2005, a fierce reaction set in and the prospect for change receded. In 2009 during the Green Movement hardline clerics labelled opponents ‘heretics’ and ‘apostates’, beyond the pale and subject to the most severe repression /16

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 year

Chess queens are refusing to be pawns of Iran’s regime

The chess term checkmate comes from the Persian phrase “Shah Mat!” or “the King is Dead”. The derivation has a new significance after the player Sara Khadem defected to Spain amid protests dedicated...

www.thetimes.co.uk

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

Top marks to @holland_tom for highlighting Agatha Christie's influential #Persian links...and who knew that she spent part of her honeymoon with Max Mallowan in Pasargadae...clearly important..🤔

History of BIPS

www.bips.ac.uk

Tom Holland

@holland_tom

2 years

Murder, jealousy, greed, surfing, refugees, vicars, ancient Egypt, structuralists, sensational impressions, & Dominic Sandbrook's pleasure island: all feature in today's @TheRestHistory on AGATHA CHRISTIE

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 year

‘A very interesting idea…’ - diary entry by Sir Alan ‘Tommy’ Lascelles for Oct 15th 1943.

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

The dedication to his seminal book, The Persian Revolution, (1910) is worth reading again (h/t @NazeeMoinian ) ‘To burst its bondage, cast aside its chain, And rise to life “a Nation once again”.’

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

First indications of fatigue and fracturing of the security forces as a number appear to join the protestors.

اتاق خبر منوتو

@ManotoNews

2 years

ویدئوی در شبکه‌های اجتماعی منتشر شده است که نشان می‌دهد در نازی‌آباد تهران نیروی انتظامی به مردم در اعتراضات سراسری پیوسته است.

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

8 months

Harry has made it into Persian…surrounded as it happens by some apposite translations in this Tehran bookstore. On his left something by A D Smith (on nationalism no doubt) and Beck’s ‘Risk Society’, above him, Arendt’s study of Totalitarianism . Essential reading…

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

This is worth a listen for Mitterrand's proclivities (culinary and sexual) alone. I'm still reeling from the shock...😬

Tom Holland

@holland_tom

2 years

Salut, mes amis - here is the deuxième part of our @TheRestHistory special on FRENCH PRESIDENTS. Aujourd'hui: from Mitterrand to Macron. Endangered birds are devoured, affairs conducted, platform heels worn

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

9 months

Fascinating discussion on the legacy of '68. Foucault (among others) achieved his wish fulfilment 10 years later on the streets of Tehran, (in)famously describing the revolution with barely concealed elation as a unique expression of the 'collective will'. @TheRestHistory

Dominic Sandbrook

@dcsandbrook

10 months

Bonjour. Today's @TheRestHistory finds us amid the cobbled streets, cigarette smoke and tear gas of PARIS in MAY 1968. As the students rise up against Charles de Gaulle, the workers walk out and France plunges towards revolution, we ask: pourquoi? 🇫🇷

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

4 years

And a final one (for the time being) as we enter the festive season, lets not forget the 'cummerbund', from the Persian 'kammarband' or belt...

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

2 years

'O people, know that you have committed great sins...If you ask me what proof I have for these words, I say it is because I am the punishment of God. If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.' @TheRestHistory

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

3 years

An epic two parter worthy of the subject (though listeners should take care to avoid the [Plutarchian] dig at Persian concubines in ep. 1). Can't begrudge Leonidas his epitaph but I take comfort that Xerxes has his own opera and a very fine Aria...

Dominic Sandbrook

@dcsandbrook

3 years

Next, the battles of THERMOPYLAE and SALAMIS, and what it all meant in the long run.

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

1 year

Pity that someone of @BHL 's intellect can spout this sort of nonsense. The name 'Iran' for the state known in the West as 'Persia' has been in use for a very long time as Western travellers repeatedly noted. As for anything being embedded in anyone's DNA...

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Ali Ansari

@aa51_ansari

5 months

This chapter is, needless to say, especially informative & enlightening, with an (authentic) engraving of a Persian eating spaghetti, for all those doubters out there. An essential addition to any scholarly library…

The Rest Is History

@TheRestHistory

7 months

Make room Herodotus, stand down Bede, pipe down Pepys... There’s a new history book in town… The Rest is History, and it's OUT NOW! Alexander the Great, Tolkien, the Wars of the Roses, Watergate, top dogs and persistent pigeons - we've got it all!

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