No.1608,Sunday,3 June,2018

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Sholeh Zard ~ Persian Saffron Rice Pudding

Today’s recipe is a favorite dessert in

Ramadan. For those of you are who are

lactose intolerant or vegan, this is a des-

sert just for you!

Ingredients■ 1 cup rice

■ 9 cups water

■ 2 cups sugar

■ 1 tsp saffron

■ 1 cup rosewater

■ 2 pods cardamom

■ 1/4 cup slivered almonds

cinnamon & slivered pistachios for garnish

Lightly crush the two cardamom pods and

place in one cup of rosewater. Set aside.

Wash rice until water runs clear.

Cook rice uncovered until tender. This

should take about half hour.

Grind saffron with a pinch of sugar.

Add 3 tablespoons of hot water to the

ground saffron and shake well. Allow to

brew while the rice cooks.

Add sugar to the rice and cook for another

half hour until the water and rice become

dense. In the mean time be sure to stir the

rice every so often so that it does not stick

to the bottom. Add brewed saffron and

continue to cook for another half hour.

Add rose water with cardamom pods and

slivered almonds. Mix well. At this point

you can continue cooking the pudding on

the stove top on low until it is completely

dense, or place it in an oven proof pot and

put it in the oven. THEN turn the oven to

350º and leave the pudding in there for 15

to 20 minutes.

Discard cardamom pods. Place the Sholeh

Zard in small bowls or in one big shallow

oval or rectangular dish. Garnish with cin-

namon and slivered pistachios. Allow to

cool to room temperature. Cover and place

in the fridge for a few hours. Serve chilled.

Some 800 mat-woven products from Khuzestan province were

exported for the first time to Qatar and United Arab Emirates.

A special plan has been implemented from last year to support

mat-weaving in Southern provinces and create more jobs in this

field, said Amir-Mehdi Taherifar, the director of the plan named

‘Karevan-e Peivand’. This is the first time that mat-woven prod-

ucts are exported to other countries through this plan, he told

Mehr News correspondent. This is while last year some 138

tons of mat products were imported to Iran from countries like

China, Turkey and Vietnam, he regretted.

Iranian Mat-woven Products Exportedfor First Time

cooking

orestan province is full of tour-

ist attractions and spectacular

nature that cannot be covered

only one two trips. Perhaps among all

the attractions of Lorestan, The Great

Canyon is different.

Shirz canyon is located at the intersec-

tion of the three provinces of Kerman-

shah, Ilam and Lorestan, exhibiting

some of the most beautiful landscapes

and wonders of the area. This canyon

has longitude of 5 kilometers and flows

through the river that streams to the

Seymare River.

This place is surrounded by walls with a

height of 150 to 200 meters. The slope

of these walls begins at an altitude of

less than 10 meters.

The coexistence of the rough and sharp

rocks with the trees in the canyon is

very interesting. The erosion of rocks

and stones in this region has created

a special interesting shapes. Fissured

limestone walls have been eroded due

to rain and therefore black streaks have

appeared in this valley. Sometimes,

cliffs across the canyon collide and do

not allow you to watch the sky above.

Occasionally the rocks fall from the al-

titude, changing the flow of water in the

river and giving it a new form of natural

beauty.

The Canyon is located near Kuhdasht

city in Lorestan province, in the district

of Zardalan. This strait is located on the

eastern side of the Zard Mountains and

near the Seymareh River_ the main

branch of Karkheh.

Its special geometry and structural phe-

nomena is considered to add a geo-

touristic value to the Zagros Mountains.

Geologists believe that the valley is

formed as a result of the erosion of sed-

imentary rocks with specific layering.

These rocks were formed in the third

period of geology, known as Mesozoic

era in a marine environment which are

known as Asmari formations.

Asmari structures consist of thickened

limestone and soft fossils. The obvious

feature of these formations is that, in

addition to hardness, they are highly

soluble and create beautiful shapes

when exposed to rainwater and atmos-

pheric precipitation.

There are ancient sites in the area

belonging to Stone Age. These sites

also include works from cave life that

has attracted a lot of tourist over the

past years. This natural attraction is

considered to be a unique geographic

phenomenon and one of the geotouris-

tic attractions in Iran; that is why it has

been registered as a national phenom-

enon.

The best time to visit the canyon is in

the spring and summer, because, due

to the mountainous climate of the area,

spring and summer are temperate. But

in the fall and winter, the temperature

decreases every day; this decrease

continues until the end of the winter.

Shirz Canyon: Shirz Canyon: An Amazing Place in Heart of Iran’s Kuhdasht An Amazing Place in Heart of Iran’s Kuhdasht

L

hrine of Hazrat Fatima Masumeh in Qom every night hosts

thousands of fast people for Iftar banquet during holy month

of Ramadan.

Iranian Photographer to Compete in Lumix

Photo Festivalcollection of photos called ‘Life After

Shock’ taken by Fatemeh Behboudi

about three earthquakes in Iran will

vie at the 6th Lumix Festival for Young Pho-

tojournalism in Germany.

‘Life After Shock’ describes the dramatic

situation of Iranians who have survived

three earthquakes in the past 15 years.

She has specifically worked on three major

tremblors: Tabriz 2012, Bushehr 2013 and

Kermanshah 2017.

‘My main concern regarding earthquakes

in Iran is that the majority of Iranians are

threatened by tremors, however, they still

pay no heed to related safety tips,’ Behbou-

di told Mehr News Agency.

ehdashti Mansion is an early Qajar era (1785–

1925) home built by an oil merchant named

Haj Gholam-Hossein Dehdashti in Iran’s

southern city of Bushehr.

The house has strong Zand era (1750-1794) ele-

ments in its architecture and stucco relief decorations.

Unlike the other buildings in the old texture of Bush-

ehr, which are mostly two-story structures, this

1,400-square-meter home has been built in four sto-

ries. Sandalwood, teak, coral, lime and plaster are the

main material used in the construction of this man-

sion. The ceiling of the living room has oil paintings

with European themes. The structure has magnificent

stucco reliefs as well as monabbat, stained glass and

Girih Tile decorations. Several trade documents have

been found in the house, some of which are 200 years

old. Some of these documents have stamps from the

UK, India, Germany as well as Qajar stamps.

Dehdashti Mansion is currently used as the Architec-

ture Museum of Bushehr and displays photos, scale

models and picture guides about the architecture of

the city as well as information about the old texture of

Bushehr, its historical homes and the traditional mate-

rial used in their construction.

Bushehr Dehdashti Historical House

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Iftar Banquet at Shrine of Fatima Masumeh