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THE GIFT:Caught in a terrible storm on its way home from Batavia (Jakarta), the Dutch flagship Walcheren, filled with what was reputed to be one of the richest cargoes ever brought from the East, sought refuge at Bergen, Norway. Its 1655 and England and Holland is at war. Frederick III in a secret plot twist allowed the English passage to pillage the ship and her rich cargo, but luckily for the Dutch the Bergen governor was unaware of this arrangement and was adamant to maintain Denmark's neutral stance. He interceded as international law demanded and protected the Dutch ship.The outraged...

THE TEHRAN CARPETMajority of the scholars and carpet dealers, especially those from Tehran, remember the time that Reza Shah of the Pahlavi Dynasty appointed the military governor from Ravar, Kerman, Mr Abbas Khan Nakhaee Ravari, to build and run the first modern prison of the capitol, Tehran. As head of the prison he came with an idea to teach the prisoners a craft that will not only make their time in prison more productive, but will also produce extra income. Besides that, the prisoners would also be able to take this craft with them for the rest of their lives....

A very long time ago there lived a legendary warrior hero in Iran. His name was Rostam and in all the world there was no one as skilful and as powerful as him. Rostam's mother was Rudaba, the princess of Kabul, who was known for her peerless beauty, and Rostam's father was Zal. Zal was one of Persia's most powerful warriors and a great general who conquered many rebellious tribes and ruled over Zabulistan. Zal was known for his wisdom and was unparalleled in riding and fighting on horseback. He once demonstrated his skills to Emperor Menuchihr, to seek his...

Teresia Sampsonia Teresia was born in 1589 into a noble Orthodox Christian (Greek or Georgian Orthodoxy) Circassian family in the Safavid Empire, ruled at the time by king (shah) Abbas the Great. She was named Sampsonia by birth. The daughter of Ismail Khan, a brother-in-law of the king, she grew up in Isfahan in the Iranian royal court as an accomplished horsewoman who enjoyed embroidery and painting. On 2 February 1608, with the approval of her aunt and Abbas, Teresia married Robert Shirley in Iran. Shirley was an English adventurer who was sent to the Safavids after a Persian embassy...

Most rug weaving happens in villages - small workshops, farm houses - in agricultural settings. Yarns are dirty to begin with; un-rinsed dye, seeds, burrs, dirt from the floor. Just taken from the loom a newly woven rug is filthy. The backs are fuzzy. The fronts so shaggy you can barely see the design. A producer friend used to say that the rug on the loom had the DNA - materials, dye, design - but that the final result was about the finishing. Like cutting a diamond. Turns out you can weave rugs with the same 'DNA', finish them differently,...