QuoteReplyTopic: Persian Gulf & Diversity of Religions Posted: 04-Apr-2010 at 11:42
I think nowhere in the World has been settled by different peoples from all around the world more than islands and lands around the Persian Gulf, maybe the variety of religious buildings in this region can show it.
For example this is an ancient Greek temple in Failaka island in Kuwait: (Look at Ionic column capital but Persian column base!)
This one is a tomb-temple in Khark Island which was built by Palmyrenes or Nabataeans who lived in modern Syria and Jordan:
It is good to mention that Nabataeans were the same people who built Petra:
This one is said to be an ancient Mithraic temple (Mithraeum) and its original name was probably Xorpas (Xor=Sun & Pas=Guard).
It is interesting to know that one of the oldest churches in Iran is also in the Khark Island and was probably built by Assyrians.
This is a Portuguese church in Hormuz Island:
And this one is an Armenian church in Abadan port:
And a strange Burmese mosque in Abadan port:
A documentary movie is being made about this mosque which is call Rangooni Mosque (Rangoon is Burmese name of Yangon, a former capital of Burma):
There is also a Hindu temple in Bandar Abbas port:
It can be good to mention a Persian mosque in Bandar Abbas port too:
Several different people still live in Bandar Abbas and other cities of this region, especially some people from Africa, look at this thread: African Villages in Iran
Some relate Africans of Iran to the Thonga-Bantu cultures of southeastern Africa and it is said that these blacks were brought to the Persian Gulf by Portuguese slave traders as early as the sixteenth century, they are called Ahl-i Hava (Followers of the winds), they worship the Winds and drink the fresh blood because they believe that the drinking of fresh blood will bring down the Wind! However they are very poor people and may look uncivilized but native Iranians of southern Iran have been greatly influenced by African culture of these peoples, for example popular music of Bandari which is considered to be an Iranian or Arabic music, is in fact an African music. (a sample of Bandari Music)
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