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Global Tourism Resilience Day
Global Tourism Resilience Day
February 17
Resilient tourism
For many developing countries, including the least developed countries, small island developing states, countries in Africa and middle-income countries, tourism is a major source of income, foreign currency earnings, tax revenue and employment. Because tourism connects people with nature, sustainable tourism has the unique ability to spur environmental responsibility and conservation.
Sustainable tourism, including ecotourism, is a cross-cutting activity that can contribute to the three dimensions of sustainable development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by fostering economic growth, alleviating poverty, creating full and productive employment and decent work for all.
It can also play a role in accelerating the change to more sustainable consumption and production patterns and promoting the sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources, promoting local culture, improving the quality of life and the economic empowerment of women and young people, indigenous peoples and local communities and promoting rural development and better living conditions for rural populations, including small-holder and family farmers.
The use of sustainable and resilient tourism as a tool to foster sustained and inclusive economic growth, social development and financial inclusion, enables the formalization of the informal sector, the promotion of domestic resource mobilization and environmental protection and the eradication of poverty and hunger, including the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and natural resources and the promotion of investment and entrepreneurship in sustainable tourism.
Global Tourism Resilience Day (17 February), proclaimed by the General Assembly in resolution A/RES/77/269, aims to emphasize the need to foster resilient tourism development to deal with shocks, taking into account the vulnerability of the tourism sector to emergencies. It is also a call for action for Member States to develop national strategies for rehabilitation after disruptions, including through private-public cooperation and the diversification of activities and products.
The world’s largest lake and Hyrcanian forests are in danger due to neglect
A group of researchers and experts at the University of Mazandaran in Iran assessed the situation of the Caspian Sea and the Hyrcanian forests as “critical” and “threatened.” Citing research, they predicted that with currents trends in the Caspian Sea, the water level of the lake will decrease by approximately eight to 18 meters by the end of the 21st century, and that large parts of it will dry up. The Hyrcanian forests, which cover approximately 48% of the area of the Mazandaran province, are severely threatened.
The Caspian Sea is described as the world’s largest lake, usually called a full-fledged sea. The Hyrcanian forests, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, spread close to the coast of the Caspian Sea in Iran and Azerbaijan. The forests are comprised of an area of lush lowland, with mountainous forests covering approximately 55,000 square kilometers.
savepasargad.com
Major discovery from 5,000-year-old tomb of a lady
World’s largest collection of tusks discovered in 5,000-year-old tomb of ‘Ivory Lady’ in Spain
More than 270,000 delicate shell beads recovered from the nearly 5,000-year-old “Ivory Lady” tomb in Spain represent the largest collection of beads ever found in the world, according to archaeologists. The beads were part of elaborate dresses made out of linen and adorned with ivory and amber pendants, suggesting they were made for a select group of high-status women.
Archaeologists excavated a large tomb, known as the Montelirio tholos burial, between 2010 and 2011 at the Valencina mega-site, located 3.7 miles (6 kilometers) from Seville. Valencina is a large Copper Age settlement, and the tholos tomb was used from about 2800 to 2600 B.C. Within the tomb, archaeologists discovered eight skeletons, seven of which were female.
“This type of tomb is not common in Iberia,” Samuel Ramírez-Cruzado, a geoarchaeologist at the University of Seville in Spain, told Live Science in an email, and “it is not normal in Iberia that the majority of human bodies inhumated in a single place are female.”
Impact of Iranian Culture On East Asia
By Dr. kaveh Farrokh
The article below “Impact of Iranian Culture on East Asia” published in The Iranian (Sept 10, 2017) is by Dr. Mohammad Ala, the recipient of the 2013 Grand Prix Film Italia Award for his documentary Immortality.
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There are many examples of Iranian cultural influence on East Asia. In this article, several examples of this influence in Japan and China will be listed.
Iran is located in West Asia (wrongly known as the Middle East, even among Iranians). It has influenced many cultures throughout its rich history from music to food preparation, and even some imperial traditions were borrowed from the Iranian system of government.
According to the “Shiji”, a historical book written by Sima Qian, Iranians were known in China as An-XiAn-Xi means Arsak/Ashkanian and the Parthian Empire extended into to the Chinese language, including Pacoros and Emperor Zhangs letters. An-Xi (Parthia/Iran) Gao means high (i.e., from a noble background). Thus An-Xi Gao refers to a Parthian with noble background. Sima Qian and his associate An Xuan wrote about Wudi and Mihrdat and how they knew each other. Qian was the first person to translate Buddhist texts into Mandarin which had a major impact on Chinese history.
In countries across East Asia (not just China!), including Korea, Vietnam and Japan, these two individuals are considered holy. They were instrumental in Buddhism gaining popularity.
History teaches us that the Chinese were well informed about Iran. For example, after the overthrow of the Parthian Empire, they stopped calling Iran An-Xi and they started to call it Po-ssi or Bo-ssi which means Parsi in Chinese.
The Tang-Dynasty were close allies with the Sasanids. Some historians believe China tried to free Iran from the Arabs and some Iranians left to live in East Asia by way of the silk road.
An interesting story is that of An-Lu Shan a Sogdian-Iranian who became the Emperor of China. Iran was a part of the Chinese history, and later during the Islamic Period, many Hui-Chinese like Zheng He were of Iranian-Khwarezmian ancestry. Also the Barmakiyan-Family, a mixed Zoroastrian-Buddhist Iranian family, had important positions in India and East Asia.
The first mention of Iranians (Persians) coming to Japan can be found in the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan). One of the earliest Japanese historical sources, completed in 720 C.E. It records that in 654 C.E. several people arrived in Japan from Tokhārā (Aston, pp. 246, 251, 259). Though there is some controversy about the location of Tokhārā, some scholars have claimed the name to be a shortened version of Toḵārestān, which was part of the territory of Sasanian Persia (Itō, 1980, pp. 5-10).
Iranian people of Central Asia were the link between West and East Asia as a whole and the civilizations of ancient Iran, notably Sassanian and post-Sassanian culture(s). Open and tolerant, the Soghdians, Kushans, Tocharians, etc. established a sophisticated literature and urban culture (Lecture slide from Kaveh Farrokh’s lectures from the course “The Silk Route: origins & History“).
Elsewhere in the Nihon Shoki, it is mentioned that in 660, when an Iranian (Persian), whose name was Dārā, returned to his country. He left his wife in Japan and promised the Emperor that he would come back and work for him again (Aston, p. 266; Imoto, 2002, pp. 58-60).
In the 7th to the 9th centuries, foreigners—then known in Japanese as toraijin—were coming to Japan mainly from Korea and China, bringing with them technology, culture, religion (Buddhism), and ideas. Eastern Asia, especially the Tang Dynasty of China (618-907), had socio-economic networks with many regions of the world, including southern and western Asia.
Chang’an (present-day Xi’an), the capital of the Tang Dynasty, was an international city with people from various countries, including Iranians (Persians). It should be noted that some even traveled further to Japan. Iranian names are to be met with in historical documents, and one can find some influence of Persian culture in the architecture, sculptures, and also in the customs and old East Asian rituals at that time. For example, some scholars have claimed that there is some influence of Persian culture in the Omizutori ritual held every February at Tōdaiji temple in Nara (Itō, 1980, pp. 125-33).
The oldest document in Parsi, which is preserved in Japan, was procured by the Japanese priest named Kyōsei (1189-1268) from Iranians (Persians) during his trip to southern Asia in 1217. Thinking they were Indians, the priest asked them to write something for him as a keepsake. However, after his return to Japan he found out that they were not Indians, because no one could understand what the writing meant. This document was discovered in the late 20th century, when it was established that it is written in Parsi and contains a line from Ferdowsi’s Šāh-nāma (qq.v.), a line from Faḵr-al-Din Gorgāni’s Vis o Rāmin (qq.v.), and a quatrain of unknown authorship (Okada, 1989).
Music has no boundaries, words from one language can be combined with musical tradition of another. The following is a beautiful singing.
Footnotes:
In addition to public domain sources, the data were obtained from, “Japan and Ancient Iran” , “Christopher I. Beckwith: Empires of the Silk Road” and Kaveh Farrokh’s lectures at USC and UBC were reviewed.
Mazda = Ahoora Mazda (God of light), the name Mazda came into being with the production of the company’s first trucks.
Nissan Qashqai: This name came from Qashqai tribe who live mostly in mountainous Southwestern region of Iran. (Qashqai means “a horse with a white forehead”)
Related posts:
By Dr. Kaveh Farrokh|September 17th, 2017|Central Asia, China, Heritage, India and Asia, Iran and Central Asia, Iran and Japan|Comments Off
4,500-Year-Old Three Warrior Graves Found in Germany, One Still Wearing an Arm Guard
Extraordinary discovery during the construction of a New Power Line: Archaeologists unearth a cemetery from the Copper Age with Three Warrior Graves. One of the deceased even wore part of his armor.
Archaeologists have discovered an approximately 4,500-year-old cemetery with ten graves from the Bell Beaker culture near Förderstedt, located in the Salzlandkreis district of Germany.
Currently, three particularly well-preserved burials have been uncovered. The deceased, buried in a hunched position facing east, were interred under a common burial mound. Women were laid on the right side, while men were on the left side of the body.
“A common burial mound covered all three deceased,” said project leader Susanne Friederich from the State Office for Heritage Preservation and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt.
In the Bell Beaker culture, the dead were always buried in a hunched position facing east. The name comes from the bell-shaped ceramic vessels that were filled with food and placed in the grave for the journey to the afterlife.
Among the most striking discoveries are the grave goods found within the tombs. In one grave, archaeologists unearthed a bell-shaped ceramic vessel, approximately 15 centimeters in diameter, filled with food to accompany the deceased on their journey to the afterlife.
At the time of burial, the deceased was still wearing his arm guard, which helps archers avoid injuring themselves with the bowstring. Photo: Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert/dpa
Extraordinary discovery during the construction of a New Power Line: Archaeologists unearth a cemetery from the Copper Age with Three Warrior Graves. One of the deceased even wore part of his armor.
Archaeologists have discovered an approximately 4,500-year-old cemetery with ten graves from the Bell Beaker culture near Förderstedt, located in the Salzlandkreis district of Germany.
Currently, three particularly well-preserved burials have been uncovered. The deceased, buried in a hunched position facing east, were interred under a common burial mound. Women were laid on the right side, while men were on the left side of the body.
“A common burial mound covered all three deceased,” said project leader Susanne Friederich from the State Office for Heritage Preservation and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt.
In the Bell Beaker culture, the dead were always buried in a hunched position facing east. The name comes from the bell-shaped ceramic vessels that were filled with food and placed in the grave for the journey to the afterlife.
Among the most striking discoveries are the grave goods found within the tombs. In one grave, archaeologists unearthed a bell-shaped ceramic vessel, approximately 15 centimeters in diameter, filled with food to accompany the deceased on their journey to the afterlife.
Historian reveals emotional impact of White Ship disaster near Normandy in 1120
Harriet Strahl, a Ph.D. student in the Durham University history department, has shed new light on the emotional and societal repercussions of the 1120 White Ship disaster in an article published in the Journal of Medieval History.
Through her detailed analysis of contemporary accounts, including the extensive writings of the monk Orderic Vitalis, Harriet uncovers how this maritime tragedy reverberated through 12th-century Anglo-Norman society.
Her research reveals not just the historical facts of the shipwreck but also its profound emotional and commemorative significance.
Harriet’s findings center on the events of 25 November 1120, when the White Ship struck a rock near Barfleur, Normandy, drowning nearly all aboard, including King Henry I’s heir, William Adelin, as well as many young nobles, knights, and sailors, altogether around 300 people.
Drawing on Orderic Vitalis’ Ecclesiastical History, Harriet highlights how this loss devastated the English royal family and destabilized the succession.
Harriet notes that Orderic’s harrowing and detailed narrative—unique among eight contemporary accounts—reflected a blend of grief, moral reflection, and monastic duty.
https://phys.org/news/2025-01-historian-reveals-emotional-impact-white.html
Iraqi archaeologists piece together ancient treasures ravaged by Islamic State
Once the crown jewel of the ancient Assyrian empire, the archaeological site was ravaged by Islamic State fighters after they seized large areas of Iraq and neighbouring Syria in 2014.
January 09, 2025 10:09 am IST – Nimrud
A decade after jihadists ransacked Iraq’s famed Nimrud site, archaeologists have been painstakingly putting together its ancient treasures, shattered into tens of thousands of tiny fragments.
Once the crown jewel of the ancient Assyrian empire, the archaeological site was ravaged by Islamic State (IS) fighters after they seized large areas of Iraq and neighbouring Syria in 2014.
The precious pre-Islamic artefacts destroyed by the jihadists are now in pieces, but the archaeologists working in Nimrud are undaunted by the colossal task they face.
“Every time we find a piece and bring it to its original place, it’s like a new discovery,” Abdel Ghani Ghadi, a 47-year-old expert working on the site, said.
More than 500 artefacts were found shattered at the site, located about 30 km from Mosul, the city in northern Iraq where IS established the capital of their self-declared “caliphate”.
Meticulous excavation work by Iraqi archaeologists has already yielded more than 35,000 fragments.
The archaeologists have been carefully reassembling bas-reliefs, sculptures and decorated slabs depicting mythical creatures, which had all graced the palace of Assyrian King Ashurnasirpal II nearly 3,000 years ago.
Seen from above, the pieces of the puzzle gradually come together. Shards of what just several years ago was a single artefact are placed side by side, protected by sheets of green tarpaulin.
Bit by bit, the image of Ashurnasirpal II appears on one bas-relief alongside a winged, bearded figure with curly hair and a flower on its wrist, as the restoration brings back to life rich details carved in stone millennia ago.
Another artefact shows handcuffed prisoners from territories that rebelled against the mighty Assyrian army.
Partially reconstructed lamassus — depictions of an Assyrian deity with a human head, the body of a bull or a lion and the wings of a bird — lay on their side, not far from tablets bearing ancient cuneiform text.
“These sculptures are the treasures of Mesopotamia,” said Mr. Ghadi.
“Nimrud is the heritage of all of humanity, a history that goes back 3,000 years.”
‘Complex operation’
Founded in the 13th century BC as Kalhu, Nimrud reached its peak in the ninth century BC and was the second capital of the Assyrian empire.
Propaganda videos released by IS in 2015 showed jihadists destroying monuments with bulldozers, hacking away at them with pickaxes or exploding them.
One of those monuments was the 2,800-year-old temple of Nabu, the Mesopotamian god of wisdom and writing.
IS fighters wreaked havoc at other sites too, like the once-celebrated Mosul Museum and ancient Palmyra in neighbouring Syria.
The jihadist group was defeated in Iraq in 2017, and the restoration project in Nimrud began a year later, only to be interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and restart in 2023.
Mohamed Kassim of the Academic Research Institute in Iraq said that “until now, it has been a process of collection, classification and identification.”
About 70% of the collection work has been completed at the Assyrian palace site, with about a year’s worth of fieldwork left before restoration can begin in full force, said Mr. Kassim, noting it was a “complex operation”.
His organisation has been working closely with Iraqi archaeologists, supporting their drive to “save” Nimrud and preserve its cultural riches, through training sessions provided by the Smithsonian Institution with financial support from the United States.
The 4,100-year-old tomb of Doctor of a Pharaoh
The 4,100-year-old tomb of a doctor who “treated the pharaoh himself” has been discovered at the site of Saqqara in Egypt.
The burial belongs to a doctor named “Tetinebefou,” the Swiss-French team that made the discovery reported in a translated blog post. Although the artifacts in the tomb had been plundered, archaeologists were able to study the site’s wall paintings and hieroglyphic inscriptions, which describe the doctor’s position and depict a variety of objects that may have been used in his medical treatments..
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