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    National Geographic Magazine August 2008 SHL Team

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    National Geographic Magazine August 2008 SHL Team

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    129 views150 pages
    National Geographic

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    National Geographic

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf
    129 views150 pages

    National Geographic Magazine August 2008 SHL Team

    Uploaded by

    georgetacaprarescu
    National Geographic

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    if you like hybrids, you'll love Our new separator film. ExxonMobils scientists are continuously searching for ways to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions. One recent innovation is a new separator film that enables powerful lithium-ion batteries to be used in hybrid and electric vehicles. By making the batteries safer, more powerful and more reliable, it could well put many more hybrid and electric vehicles on the road faster, boosting fuel economy and dramatically reducing emissions. And what's not to love about that? The story continues at exxonmobil.com 9 ut Cit Pe et 0 c - Mobil ExonMobil Srands ofExxoniMobil_ Taking on the world’s toughest energy challenges” Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes ee eerste | Pre can nse! || Se ee asd Cece ena NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC AUGUST 2008 + VOL. 214+ NO. 2 Ancient Soul of Iran 34 The glories of Persia inspire the modern nation. By Marguerite Del Giudice Photos by Newsha Tavakollan Photographic portfolio by Simon Norfolk Monkey Paradise 68 The bush-meat trade stalks an African island ark By Virginia Morell Photographs by Tim Laman, lan Nichols, Joe! Sartore, and Christian Ziegler Between Volcanoes 92 Fire and water collide in Japan's largest national park By Gretel Ehrlich Photographs by Michael Yamashita Moscow Never Sleeps 108 When the sun sets, the Russian capital heats up. By Martin Cruz Smith Photographs by Gerd Ludwig Target Earth 134 A killer asteroid may be headed our way. By Richard Stone Photographs by Stephen Alvarez ‘Special Supplement: iran/Persian Empire Visitors to Moscow pay top ruble for a hotel room with this Red Square View. Suites go for as much as $9,000 a night. Story on page 106, OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC AuGuST 2008 Editor's Note Letters Your Shot Photo Journal Visions of Earth HISTORY Birth of a Sign ———— The peace symbol is 50 years old. Foop a Pedigreed Pizza ‘The EU wants you to know your pie. CONSERVATION The Vicufia’s Golden Fleece This story is all fuft LANDSCAPES Dead-End Road In Bolivia, consider an alternate route. WILDLIFE Why Bees Can Fly -- ‘They shouldn't be able to. Yet they do. ENVIRONMENT Sea Glass ‘The ocean turns trash to treasure. Follow Up Inside Geographic Flashback On the Cover Persia in profile: A stone relief of a royal guard stares across the ages in Persepolis, Iran. Photo by Simon Norfolk SUBSCRIPTIONS, GFT MEMBERSINPS OR CHANGES OF ADDRESS, r= \ gm.com ® Off and Shooting The 2008 International Photo Contest starts accepting entries August 1 Last year’s winners are on display, and a selection of new entries will be posted in daily galleries. THAI Anniver 1960-2 rit Re en: € THAI HAS LOVED HE CHANGING SEASONS HERE SINCE 1960 Pe ROR InN oun ie RO ac i) ROR oc eal] fos mate change. Se aa reon Ck cn ec Danes Me eRe eat eee ec Tocca nan SNe eMC ce and only nature can balance its timely rhythms Cet arcane Un ee we hope the changing seasons here will never change. Ree uct Pea ey EDITOR’S NOTE The hand singed by the blowtorch looks human. Close inspection reveals that it belongs to a drill, a baboon- like primate, for sale in the bush-meat market in Malabo, the Bioko Island capital of Equatorial Guinea. Scorching flesh brings a higher price for monkey meat, a delicacy in this part of the world. Photographer Joel Sartore captured this alarming scene, hoping to provoke change. He was part of an International League of Conservation Photographers project called a RAVE (Rapid Assessment Visual Expedition) Bioko's bush-meat trade threatens animals like this young dri, to document wildlife on Bioko. There, primates are hunted and sold through a growing trade fueled by money earned in nearby oil fields. The commitment to make a difference motivated three other National Geographic photographers— Tim Laman, lan Nichols, and Christian Ziegler—to accompany Joel, National Geographic and Conservation International sponsored the expedition. Along with writer Virginia Morell, Joel, Tim, lan, and Christian have produced a startling story for this issue. We hope their work will raise awareness of the need for conservation on the island, to help ensure Bioko remains what one biologist calls a “monkey paradise.” ee PEOPLE BEHIND THE STORIES 1 Richard Stone While reporting “Target Earth,” science journalist Stone saw plenty of heavenly sights—and missed a few too. Trying to glimpse the 800-foot- wide asteroid Apophis that could one day hit Earth, he and astronomer David Tholen ran afoul of Hawaii's rainy season. “Dave stuck it ‘out in the control room, hoping for a break in the weather; says Stone of one soggy November night, “and | stayed up, on call at the hotel, The skies didn't clear, and Dave had to call it a night at 3 am. | was crushed: | had lost not, just a great opportunity to observe an infamous asteroid, ut also to observe a master of the art of asteroid detection.” 1m Martin Cruz Smith ‘A Russia observer and the author of many novels, Smith says the former Soviet Union Is changing all the time— though not to every: ‘one’s benefit, “Those who are the most traditionally Pussian, he says, “the ‘most soulful, have fared the worst” in the new economy. Yet during his latest visit— made while writing this issue's ‘Moscow Never Sleeps”—Smith saw that the more things change, the more they stay the same. From Potemkin villages to Putin's rule, “its a system of muscle and sham. It always has been.” What's next for Russia? Smith won't speculate. “it a bit like Hollywood,” he says. “No one knows anything.” 0 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Inspiring people to care about the planet ‘The National Geographic Society is chartered in Weshington, DC, as a nonprotscientiic and educational ‘organization “or the increase and difusion of geographic knowledge” Since 1888 the Society has supported _more than 8,000 explorations and research projects, adding to knowledge of earth, sea, and sky. ‘Sorat ome Agar en eta eran. ea donee Maree Larson Kathy & Maher Mary NcPoak Hei Sets. Cheat Uti, Dw Wena Sota We are Duflot igh se err Ce abe Dome Ca Damo (cera) de Kose france) Cate - Bae Sana bare Penson Eras Ene raoo dacgule Rowe Sorcha Spr commcaon YX me ‘mene 80 don ML Faby Terence 8 Asamecn i 4 Z| 711 Fh reve, New Yr, 0022: Phone: 212 10-500; ex 212-610-808 Hl Neng Naren Aerators) Dat is (men se) Sloe ston rata avawen ate ice meszon wononoe ree ay recone China ‘gi fer ara Aine Ba Pero Rchrs on how Ses) ‘Sinioehan Fre! Pong sn fe Ss Sey eae etvnon error Men Aone so Shy ig Sere eee SSecia Same TRS Sept rns Comes ey sipieras carseat tw, Soars enorme, Siieo fear wee This agate speed Un ecySeacoren ape AFRICA'S Li lee ai) EDGE ‘April 2008 Lost in the Sahel It took courage for author Paul Salopek to return to a place that caused him pain. Though this article describes horrific scenes and great injustices, I was comforted by the com- passion shown by Fatim, who fed a struggling stranger even though she had so little herself. EMILY McMAHON, Bellingham, Washington Your story profoundly moved me, This is a story of the human condition: day-to-day survival in a land without guarantees, health care plans, minimum. wages, unemployment insur- ance—without any insurance, actually. A land with a high mortality rate, rampant poverty for most, and a high birthrate. PETER VANWERDEN Westlock, Alberta I was puzzled by the author's puzzlement over Mr. Abakar's Arab ways. In other African countries with Arab influences, like Mauritania, where I've lived, it can be mandatory to practice Arab customs and speak Arabic. You did as your rulers did or faced severe consequences. LISA ENGLERT Bueliton, California, I don't know whether to laugh or cry looking at the photo- graph in which the U.S. Special Forces sergeant is teaching Nigeriens the art of maintaining their machine guns, Because of the circumstances in areas like the Sahel, changes of government are unpredictable. Sooner or later, those well-oiled and well-prepped machine guns will have the power. MIGUEL ANGEL MENDEZ Panajachel, Guatemala My only sense of the borders of the Sahara has come from childhood readings of The Little Prince and Tintin. Your journal- ism shows reality yet appeals to a sense of wonder, as those fictions do. COLIN SHELTON Winnipeg, Manitoba ‘Almost Human I learned a great deal about chimps—but just as much about the sociology of primatologists. Kudos to Jill Pruetz for her graceful handling of the fact that colleagues dismissed or downplayed her observations about a chimp “sharpening a branch with her teeth and wielding it like a spear” to stab prey. Pruetz is what science needs—a researcher enamored of her subject and not aca- demic recognition, especially from chest-thumping males who believe publishing papers is what makes the world of science turn, PHYLLIS D, THOMAS Ridgeland, Mississipp It was interesting that Pruetz wasn't always credited for her reported observations about the use of tools by chimpan- zees. While it is unfortunate that her work was at times overlooked, when | read these articles with their constant references and credits to nature, it makes me wonder: How does God feel? GARY KEES ‘Wyomissing, Pennsylvania It was edifying to read how intelligent chimpanzees and other primates are. Conversely, it's mortifying to know that chimps, gorillas, bonobos, and other apes are being massa- cred to the verge of extinction in many of their homelands. Maybe we should spend more time and money rescuing them rather than studying them, BRIEN COMERFORD Glenview, tlinois Your article on chimps sharpen- ing and using sticks to stab bush babies for a meal is interesting, but to say we are “watching time-lapse footage of human evolution” is absurd. How is this any different from an otter opening a clam for a meal by hitting it with a rock or a beaver cutting sticks to make a dam? GEOFFREY LINDSAY Ridgecrest, California Author Mary Roach makes the comment: “Humans share. maybe 40 percent [of their gene sequence] with lettuce.” I don't know about you, but that explains so much to me. BRUCE HOFFMAN ‘Albuquerque, New Mexico Email ngsforum@ngm.com Write National Geographic Magazine, PO Box 98199, ‘Washington, DC 20090-8199, Include name, address, and daytime telephone. Letters may be edited for clarity and tength. Peninsular Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis cremnobates) Size: Head and body length, 1.5 - 1.9m; 81.3-91.4cm Weight: 48-115 kg Habitat: Eastern slopes of peninsular ‘mountain ranges in gF Southern California in the US and Baja California in Mexico Surviving number: Estimated at fewer than 3,200 oe ie 2 ie e iS 2 WILDLIFE AS CANON SEES IT Head for the hills! That's exactly what the peninsular bighorn sheep does when a predator threatens, fleeing to higher ground where its uncanny ability to navigate rocky terrain gives it an advantage. It even gives birth to single offspring from the relative safety of steep slopes, as vantage points let the sheep spy out danger before it gets too near, The new generation is entering an increasingly uncertain world, however, facing not only age-old nemeses such as mountain lions, bobcats and coyotes, but also threats brought on by human encroachment, From automobile strikes to entanglement in fences, perils are mounting As an active, committed global corporation, we join worldwide efforts to promote awareness of endangered species. Just one way we are working to make the word a better place—today and tomorrow, Visit ngm.com/canonwildlife to find out more. Canon Sharing a mission to make the world a better place. Over the course of its 120-year history, the National Geographic Society has taken us around the globe and introduced us to a vast variety of life. Through unforgettable images and inspired articles, it has shown Us both the wonder of and the danger to the natural world. This is a mission we at Canon feel called to share. One prominent vehicle of our commitment has been our "Wildlife As Canon Sees It" advertising series, which has raised the profile of endangered species for more than 27 years. We have brought over 300 species to the attention of National Geographic readers to date — and there are still many more awaiting their turn, In a world where there is always more to show and more to do, it's comforting to know the National Geographic Society is here. We salute you on the occasion of your 120th anniversary Geren rc WILDLIFE AS CANON SEES IT A truly supportive partner. National Geographic magazine is fortunate to have many partners who wish to participate in our mission to inspire people to care about the planet Since April 1981, Canon Ine. has supported National Geographic magazine with advertising highlighting different endangered species, Researched and created in conjunction with a National Geographic photographer, the information is verified by leading wildlife experts. Unique in the history of advertising, we feel this campaign has contributed to the publics understanding of threats to wildlife. (On the occasion of National Geographic Societys 120th anniversary, we wish to thank Canon for thet support and look forward to prolonging our partnership, ae Grosvenor NATIONAL rns Bool te GEOGRAPHIC Nntoral Geoyapic Sey MAGAZINE Metters Biomimetics: ecko that ca Iatover wets on jut about fry surface, ora bow that ‘ute iteraly na fash? rape shat | egan the ate with faacination unt reeched the protograph ofthe severed ‘hae tipper. My horer was ‘ot lessened by the caption {nd ts ata ct a lst. doesnot matter where to show the bloody fpr, suspended by rope ‘shook was nappropi Na Pati Coast Tam shocked yeu would ‘cuss the nar thet mumane hve done to the Kalai Trl and Valley but not present foouruiste in such a {ul place. you showed the homble decay, perhaps we colserpectrone St Last summer vied Kaus land hiked on the Kalai ral to Henakapra Beach AS rounded 2 sharp bend, he hole N& Pl Coat etretchos fut before me, andi efeitaly Hewaien pi ‘bumps. twas nating short of erelgious experience Inthe People Behind the Stories ston you wite about former marine who'd bean repairing the al and helping Injured kere” Tas ex-marine fd vtaran of Desert Storm, & ‘tonemason by Wage has been ‘ng the most cangerous parts a among the seston te tal anetns Keet When you have the time to travel STR el eh UML ie Last Day ofthe Rickshaw peteon who grew up in at and wi foot ‘on the rickshaw ples. The Fekahaw i legacy a nda’s Shameful colonial past. Ito: ‘duced in Japan inthe 1860s, tokahews were Broo to Inia in 1860. In tho Beginning they were used mainly by CChineas traders n Kolkata to transport goods but were soon used to transport people tis ln inhuman and degrading form of anspor thet rightly nd justifiably shoulé be banned. The ony remaining jptonn navigating te narrow lanes of Kolkata may be the ‘ena: walking. ‘wentytour years ago foun mys ona cycle rickshaw in aang, Indonesia. The civer ‘eae much odor than ana Gin seem upto the task. Iter couple of minutes, old hit stop. couldn stomach veatehing another human bing tol so hard to move me and Some cory-on supplios. | pad him handsomely end waited sway on my ow logs, earying ‘ny suppbes on ry shoulder No urban Should undergo such 2 Pama ot nope he eat Strength obra the cee ot human axpotaton Winy should it be the lst tie or ekshaws? The ‘overnment of Kolkata should ook ino subsisting lt weight, hiah-gesting pedal ‘kahaws That way the Fekanaw walahs gel 1 keep and improve thor etnoed, and the aeady congested Streots of Kolkata wl not be burdened with yet more polation on 2008: [et Daye the lkahaw The wors mar on page 0, The pholoon page 75isof3 Hore today. Where tomorrow? FORTIS - eting you te YOUR SHOT | nem.comsyoursnot Just a Minute Ae you ready for your close-up? Every week the Your Shot ‘ators compile «new selection of eader submited images ina themed vdeo wth tmuscal accompaniment called the My Shot Mnut. Look under the Video tab on Timcom to see your photograph made the fal cut Get gudolies, submission frm, fd more Information st ngm comiyourshet yas oar, storm chaser Thad Bowing ceugh this huge Ts cal id not spawe «tornado ho sys. "What you se in halt” The photo was voted an ngm.com audience favorite Poor people rom nearby vilages Wahid Anan 28, ewyer turned photographer who sow those women way on the route ee kinds of es fre common, though alway pole try top thom out Av the Beart ofthe nage Stunning photography is just a step away. ex) €€D PHOTO JOURNAL | micuaer nucnes 's postars beauty ons fr Lovley. mica! ina main who re Bete otha deaths wit er 3708 Longon bom ptoroyaser Fitting Memento Picture a coi November aay #t chat tugs hase the Latte ctf onthe Rhine near Koblenz, Germany| was on InGarmany see 1082 fsclgnment fr & Finish newspaper, butte ight was terrible fiat and grey. A postcard Fd bougt fr my saughter looked mach than the Grab ecenery balote re. pull It ut of my pocket od Iwas standing In exact the spot whore its mage had boon made (above). eld the posta nm let hand, and my inmy right Amilmetar up or down, lt or righ o ut tnade #aiference in how pertecty realty and memento aligned Tred an entire cl of fim gating th one scona just ght The Corman say wie das Meken einer Maus-tko miking& ou ‘of course souvenie can be staggering avi Tacky. Mundane ‘And they love mucho hele charm once they're collecting dust ‘ha shelf But everyone collect sown, whethor thy ea ther that or not. They evidence that wove taken part inthe reat dance of ile~been places, seen tings. Theyre connections tween us and someting grander and more eternal than we ae. fd they belong to us, Tost sheeting lury mable-phone- ‘arera snapshots ofthe “Mons Liss" of Nagara Fall want prove they ware there, nt to have art to hang on thelr walls ‘Te camer eof becomes aknd of sourene machine iy photography has come to havea sor of sporting aspect. Cen in jst te right souvene? Can Inthe precise location to frame #1 hops to oe to Eaypt soon. That shouldbe fabulous ngm.com our: Sra) NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Dues = a « < ° w z ° a > HISTORY Sign Language 0» :siny Easter weekend 50 ters et of Foop Pedigreed Pizza 222 Napolotans. The wo, connoisseurs ay have 28 mich in Common as a premier ev Bordeaushas the pon na seew-topug Soon pedarecd Neapottn pia win the pantheon of European Uion-certled edocs he Spanish Serrano am and Elan tive Stiton chess. Waring takes tnge to read the EU sacs {or Neapotan pez han to bake one oboe the imprimatur of Gusantod Tito! Specialy paz mt nt stay over 98 cantare name nor he cu eae to contimeters in thicknes,Ingrcents must incude type 0 flu and vp to 100 grams of tomatoes (preteraby Marzans) apple ina spatng ton The word "Daz Net Sepeoredn an 2097 manuserpt rom Gass southern Ran own Asem ter, in ¥957 separatist tnt northern Hay ted to Boyeat pera eon of tht ‘outham nemesis Neapoitans responded othe sect Lat hm et penta rloring to te commest-based mush dea tothe weather, but slogedy culinary impor tea orth Wonly Rapes had pater pz, ood wir Burton Anderson abacres “Awoud be among alys weaver cis steed of one ois pores Cay Hew TONSERVATION Foe aumetr micron) Fees perhcet (cut) Veta Golden Fleece Faouiousy expensive ond butory sot swectors may help save tha vita. Miions ofthe lama Kin once pore in the Andes, warmed by fly coat idee! or igh tus. “a inca cipped the wo! for royal garments, but fer the Spanish congue ous wor ile for tol pas By the 1960s ony afew ‘ourand evrived As counties protected their herds and ine rata laws banned va products the anal Dogan o rebound In The est sa boon for Per vicutas-thoy now number about 150000 up frm 62000n 1881~and or vilapers who sel wool fom animals they/ve Quarced and sheared ut some wid vous are ting fenced, Feeding and inbreeding ae concen: poaching son the rise Putting veusa on the runay hats costs, A. Wiams LANDSCAPES Dead-End Road tings 0 the Andes: a winding dt pat about ton feet wide and 22 mies ong, desceonaing Fow guardrails. ots of landsies. We come to whet some ell "the words Bolivas Nor Yunaas Road was once the oni way from La Paz to Corea, Drivers fodessPachamams, chewed cace leaves to sty alert. But prayers wont unanswered. ‘rors dot edges whore hundreds have perished. The worst aceisent: the 1883, ‘rash ofa prosuce wuck caring scores ‘ot peopl. Most ce. “My Lora” says La Paz native Diego Balan." egret even taking ‘pee, ati ave nightmares” ‘Since 2006 anew roag nes otter eate biker anc tourette til nt eae, vith eel dying this yor Saye biking: company ouner Alta Matt: “People WILDLIFE 3m conehided n 199, s0 one story goes hers spy hac no way to gauge th ‘movements, Catch bclogist Michael Dickinson and cole bees dont have I e43)-thoir small wingto-body-sz ratio means they must work herder to fy than other nsees- et Unortdox fapping method lets ther hover, ht wind, evade prodator and get It even when loaded up with nectar or pollen. Jenni Holand ‘GENERATION Upto 200 bat (ano asove) ‘Hein wna To ost ray you q : ge. OR 1.21 Wing rsh 20me Wings tap rotting anata backed cresing ‘aig he provous process. Te cycle ok aie fren epee Cer ENVIRONMENT The Shard Way biamsion paste Ses gas bits of ot botos scoured by sand and sat waler—e geting nce ingly stoi ton. “We're at the and ofthe se gists window” nates Mary Bath Bouke, president ofthe North Arorcan Sea Glass Associaton. “Tere ies las packaging now and more reycing “is tumbled eo tiny if most not worth pecking up ‘Of course t started out as someting not worth Koning. Tash tossed of ships or washed ftom dumps must spond yearn the water to Become good sea glass. Weve chur, shore tern, water {cay and composition of he gle a playa part in eeating| ‘he smoothed sherds characterise mate texture. Bev, who nds sa glass al over the word ofors those tps for folow beacheomber: Search a ow tae and itera storm Rocky shores ae btter than sandy. And lave cleat jagged pisces wnere they la, she say. "Theyre not ished yet” Margaret @ Zachomte ho bgt Yossi: most common Sona nt DIAL SOUL OF IRAN Ce ee ee eee ee ee te ee Se ee eee eee en ee eee ee structures are rife with commanding motif like the gigi Oe eee ee eae ed Rene see oe re eed nobles ascending stars hand in hand to the Tripylon hall (ight) may signal eaternity among the empire elites. BY MARGUERITE DEL GIUDICE PHOTOGRAPHS BY NEWSHA TAVAKOLIAN Har’s $0 StRIKING about the ruins of Persepolisin southern fran, an ancient capital ofthe Persian Empire that wasburned down after being conquered by Alexander the Great, the absence of violent imagery ‘on whats left of ts stone walls. Among the carvings there are sors, bat they're not ting; there are weapons, but they’re not drawn, Mainly you see emblems suggesting, 8 rapor that something humane went on ere instead — people of different nations gathering peace fully, bearing gifts, draping their hands amiably ‘on one anothers shoulders. In an era noted for itsbarbarity, Persepolis itscems, was relatively ‘cosmopolitan place—and for many Iranians today i ruins are a breathtaking reminder of who their Persian ancestors were and what they di ‘The recorded history of the country itself spans some 2,500 years, culminating in today’s Islamic Republic of Tan, formed in 1979 afer 4 revolution inspired in part by conservative Clerics cast out the Western-backed shak. Its lnguably the works ist modern constitutional theocracy and a grand experiment: Cana coun- try be run effectively by holy men imposing an extreme version of Islam on a people soaked in such arich Persian past? Persia was a conquering empire but also regarded in some ways as one ofthe more gor ‘ous and benevolent civilizations of antiquity, “and I wondered how strongly people might stil, “Marguerite Del Gui wrote about Tela in the ‘March sue. News Tauolan, an Iranian photographer, dcument wore the Middle Bas. 442 NATIONAL orocnarmie - Avausr 2008 ‘dei withthe par oftheir history tha’ is- trated in those surviving friezes. So I set out to explore what “Pes meanstoranians who tthe {ime of my two vss ast yeae were being shunned by the international community, their culture demonized in Western cinema, and theirleaders ‘as, in an escalating war of words with Wash: ington, DC. as menacing would-be terrorists ‘out o build the bomb. You cant realy separate out Iranian identity asone thing or another broadly speaking, its part Persian, part Islamic, and part Wester, and the paradoxes all exist together. But there isa Persian identity that has noting to do with Islam, ‘which atthe same time has blended with the culture of Islam (as evidenced by the Muslim call to prayer that booms from loudspeakers situated around Persepolis ue to visitors that they ate not only ina Persian kingdom but also in an Islamic republic). This would be a story about those Iranians who sil, atleast i par ‘identify with their Persian roots. Perhaps some millennial spillover runs through the makeup ‘of what is now one of the world’ ticking hot spots, Are vestiges ofthe lfe-loving Persian ‘ature (wine love, poetry, song) woven int the fabric of abstinence, prayer, and fatalism often Schoolgirls inthe city of Desful col ther fet on a sweltering summer d Physical reminders of ran’ long history abound, such as the foundations ofthe bridge in the distance, built 0 span the Dez River inthe third century s.0. associated with Islam —lik rear a sccret computer n runing quietly in the background? Iran’ capital city of Tehran is an exciting, pollution-choked metropolis atthe foot of the Elbure Mountains, Many of the buildings are made of tiny beige bricks and girded with ‘etal railings, giving the impression of small compounds coming one after the other, pune tuated by halted construction projects and parks. There ae still some beautifal gardens here, a Persian inheritance, nd private ones, With fruit tees and fountains, shponds and {viaries, lurishing inside the brick walls While washer, two Iranian-born American academics, hon had been locked up, accused of fomenting a velvet revolution against the government, Eventually they were released. But back in the United States, people would atk, wast I afraid tobe in Iran?—the ‘assumption being that [ must have been in danger of geting locked up myselt But | was a guest in Iran, and in Iran a guest Is accorded the highest status, the sweetest piece fruit, the most comfortable place to sit Is part ofa complex system of ritual politeness faarof—that gaverns the subtext of life here. Hospitality, courting, family affairs, politcal negotiations; tarof isthe unwritten code for how people should treat eachother. The word has an Arabic rot, arf, meaning to know or acquire knowledge of. Bu the idea oftaarot to base oneself while exalting the other person— is Persian in origi, said William O. Beeman, ‘linguistic anthropologist atthe University of Minnesota, He described it as fighting forthe lower hand but in an exquisitely elegant way, making it posible, ina hierarchical society like Trans, "Yor people to paradoxically del with cach other as equals Wherever I went, people fussed over me and made sure that ll my needs were met. But nd {sland of Kish, they can get so caught up trying to pleas seeming to, nd declining offers, oF se to, that true intentions are hidden. There's a Jot of mind reading and lighthearted, mean- imgless dialogue while the two partes go back And forth with enteaties and refusals until the truth reveals itself. Being smooth and seeming sincere while hiding your true feclings—artul pretending—is considered the height of tarof and an enormous Socal asset, "You never show your intention or your real identity sida former Iranian politcal prisoner now living in France "You're making Sure you're not exposing yourself to danger, because throughout ou history there has been ‘ot of danger there” Indeed the long course of Iranian history is satu- rated with wars invasions, and martyrs, nclud- ing the tenage boys during the Iran-Iraq war ‘ofthe 1980s who carried plastic keys to heaven ‘while clearing minefields by walking bravely ‘sctoss them, The underlying reason forall the ‘rama is location, Ifyou dra lines from the Mediterranean to Bling oF Beijing to Cairo or Paris to Dell they all passthrough Ian, which straddles a region where East meets West. Over 26 centuries, a lending of the hemispheres has been going on here—trade, cultural interchange, frietion with Ian smack in the middle ‘Meanwhile because ofits wealth and strategic Jocation the country was also overrun by one invader after another, andthe Persian Empire was established lst ad restablished a number of times—by the Achaemenids, the Parthians, fand the Sasanids before finally going under. Invaders have included the Turks, Genghis ‘Khan and the Mongol, and, most significantly, [Arabian tribesmen. Fired with the zal ofa new religion, Islam, they humbled the ancient Per 12 Empire for good in the seventh century and ushered in a period of Muslim greatness that was distinctly Persian The Arab expansion is tegarded as one ofthe most dr ‘ments of any peoplein history. Pe 446 navionAt ceocnarnte + Aucusr 2008 inexorable path, and ever since, Iranians have ‘been finding ways to keep safe their identity 2s dlistnct fom the rest ofthe Muslim and Arab world. “Iran is very big and very ancient” said Youssef Madjidzadch,a lading Iranian archae- logist, “and isnot easy to change the heats 1 identity ofthe people because of this They ik to sy, for istance, that when inva ‘erscame to Iran, the Iranians didnot become the invaders the invaders became Iranians. Theit conquerors were said to have “gone Persian?” like Alexander, who, after lying waste to the vanquished Persia, adopted its cultural and ‘administrative practices, took a Persian wile ‘(Roxana), and ordered thousands of his troops to do the same in a mass wedding. Iranians scem paticulatly proud of ther capacity to get along with others by assimilating compatible Aspects ofthe invaders ways without surren- ering their own—a cultural elasticity that is at the heart oftheir Persian identity. The eatist reports ofhumansetlementin ran go bck east 10000 years, andthe countrys name

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