Set at the beginning of the century in the fictional Persian town of Omerijan, Persian Brides tells the story of two Jewish girls, Flora Ratoryan and her orphaned cousin Nazie. Fifteen years old, pregnant, and recently abandoned by her cloth-merchant husband, Flora longs desperately for the return of her unborn baby's father. Nazie consoles and pities her, and though she is still only a child of eleven, Nazie yearns for her own marriage to Floras brother, Moussa, to whom she was betrothed as an infant.Although the narrative spans only a few days, it branches out and back, encompassing the lives and histories of many of the inhabitants of the almond tree alley in Omerijan where Flora and Nazie live. There is Nosrat, an unattractive woman who hides her features from her handsome husband by spreading a thin layer of goat butter over his glasses; Miriam Hanoun, Flora's mother, whose long-standing hatred of cats leads to a feline revenge; and Mamou, the local whore who, according to the neighborhood women, is carrying the child of the king of the village demons.Rabinyan's vivid depiction of the village is a sensual feast, recreating the odors, flavors, colors, sounds, and textures of everyday life. A masterful blend of fantasy and reality, the narrative forcefully conveys shocking cruelties endured by many of the characters while at the same time weaving a modern-day Arabian legend where snakes offer jewels in exchange for milk and death is thwarted by appeasing the village demons. Written with passion and elegance, Persian Brides brings a rich array of characters to life, telling of their hardships without ever losing the magic and wonder that is so much a part of their lives.

The Persian Wedding Book is a practical guide to preparing, having and enjoying a Persian (Iranian) wedding for brides, grooms, families and guests. It is also a joyous celebration of Persian weddings, rich with photographs of dazzlingly beautiful items unique to Iranian wedding ceremonies, and sparkling with historical facts, explanations of symbolism, and moments of poetry that honor the great Iranian tradition. The author, Dr. Christen Behzadi, M.D., is an American-born bride married in a Persian wedding ceremony, and she shares her story from beginning to end, allowing brides-to-be and wedding planners to follow the process step-by-step and learn all they need to know to make their own wedding ceremonies an exquisite success. The Persian Wedding Book is packed with valuable real-life tips about what to do, what order to do it in, how to set up one's Sofreh Aghd (the heart of the Iranian wedding celebration), how to find vendors, what expected dress standards are, how to learn the appropriate dances, what foods to feature, what gifts to bring, what courtesies to show (and what social mistakes to avoid), and much much more. The financial responsibilities of the bride and groom and their families are discussed in detail. Associated parties and ceremonies, such as the Ashnaei, the Khastegari, the Baleh-Baron, Namzadi, the Jahaz-Baron, the Hana Bandan, and the Grand Reception (Jashn-Aroosi) are all covered in detail. Even non-Iranian brides seeking new and exciting ideas to individualize their weddings can find ideas on every page; but for the Iranian bride or family planning a truly Persian wedding in any city in the world, here is all the information needed to fashion their own unforgettable ceremony. If you are an Iranian bride or groom, the family of an Iranian bride or groom, friends or guests of such brides or grooms, The Persian Wedding Book is an absolute necessity to planning, fashioning, and celebrating a successful and celebrated wedding that will be an ongoing joy and a memory to cherish for all concerned.

Exploring the lives of two Jewish girls in a Persian village at the turn of the century, this novel spans two days in the life of 11-year-old Nazie and 15-year-old Flora. Nazie has been long engaged to her cousin and awaits their marriage, while Flora is married, pregnant and seemingly abandoned.

By the time Matty is born, Iran and Solly's four older children are longing to fall in love. But the simplicity of their parent's romance seems as distant to them as a fairy tale. Each finds a life rich in unhappiness, filling Iran's home with whispers and wails, none more piercing than her own.

A generation ago the Achaemenid Empire was a minor sideshow within long-established disciplines. For Greek historians the Persians were the defeated national enemy, a catalyst of change in the aftermath of the fall of Athens or the victim of Alexander. For Egyptologists and Assyriologists they belonged to an era that received scant attention compared with the glory days of the New Kingdom or the Neo-Assyrian Empire. For most archaeologists they were elusive in a material record that lacked a distinctively Achaemenid imprint. Things have changed now. The empire is an object of study in its own right, and a community of Achaemenid specialists has emerged to carry that study forward. Such communities are, however, apt to talk among themselves and the present volume aims to give a professional but non-specialist audience some taste of the variety of subject-matter and discourse that typifies Achaemenid studies. The broad theme of political and cultural interaction - reflecting the empire's diversity and the nature of our sources for its history - is illustrated in fourteen chapters that move from issues in Greek historiography through a series of regional studies (Egypt, Anatolia, Babylonia and Persia) to Zarathushtra, Alexander the Great and the early modern reception of Persepolis.

Around the Point is a unique collection that brings to readers the works of almost thirty scholars dealing with Jewish literature in various Jewish and non-Jewish languages, such as Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, French, Italian, German, Hungarian, Serbian, Polish, and Russian. Although this volume does not cover all the languages of Jewish letters, it is a significant endeavor in establishing the realm of multilingual international study of Jewish literature and culture. Among the questions under discussion, are the problems of the definition of Jewish identity and literature, literary history, language choice and diglossy, lingual and cultural influences, intertextuality, Holocaust literature, Kabbala and Hassidism, Jewish poetics, theatre and art, and the problems of the acceptance of literature.

A riveting, comprehensive history of the Arab peoples and tribes that explores the role of language as a cultural touchstone This kaleidoscopic book covers almost 3,000 years of Arab history and shines a light on the footloose Arab peoples and tribes who conquered lands and disseminated their language and culture over vast distances. Tracing this process to the origins of the Arabic language, rather than the advent of Islam, Tim Mackintosh-Smith begins his narrative more than a thousand years before Muhammad and focuses on how Arabic, both spoken and written, has functioned as a vital source of shared cultural identity over the millennia. Mackintosh-Smith reveals how linguistic developments—from pre-Islamic poetry to the growth of script, Muhammad’s use of writing, and the later problems of printing Arabic—have helped and hindered the progress of Arab history, and investigates how, even in today’s politically fractured post–Arab Spring environment, Arabic itself is still a source of unity and disunity.

Everyone dreams of the perfect wedding… And for nearly seven decades, Bride’s magazine has been the leading authority on the subject, with advice that is both practical and sympathetic to the needs of the bride, the groom, their families and friends. Now in a completely revised edition, Bride’s Book of Etiquette offers the most up-to-date information on engagement and wedding planning, and realistic solutions for any problem that couples may encounter. In this trusted classic, you’ll find out: How to draw up—and pare down—the guest list How to word invitations for every circumstance How to get his family to share wedding expenses, and who pays for what Where to seat divorced parents, and how to make sure they’ll get along How to dress the bride, groom, mothers, and bridal party at every hour for every type of wedding Contemporary ideas for a long-weekend wedding, a destination wedding and more How to handle last-minute glitches, include children in a second wedding, and answer the tough question: “Am I invited to the wedding?” Registering on the Internet, the dos and don’ts Updated etiquette for a second wedding The new honeymoon rules—romantic trips in today’s world