Celebration


Alignment from Rennes

alignment-from-rennes



In 2005 as part of the investigation of the “navigational system” described in “visigothic treasure” I followed one of the extension lines to see to where it might lead. The line appeared to pass through Marv Dasht when I zoomed in it seemed closer to Vali-Asr and finally I saw a strange five pointed star.

Strange Star

alignment-persopolis I had 3D buildings switched on in google earth and soon realised I was looking at the ruins of Persopolis and that the strange star must be the campsite for the celebration of 2500 years of the Peacock crown. If it seems incredible that I scanned half way round the earth and stumbled across this remarkable find, it really is incredibly easy to do in google earth. However, there may be other alignments that I simply missed because they do not show as clearly. I can remember thinking as i saw that the line ran accross Iran that “Persepolis must be somewhere round here” .



Zarathustra



celebration-camp Moving in it was possible to see that the star consisted of five driveways, a central water feature and ten rows of tents. I remembered that Maurice had said the the very layout of the camp was offensive to the Islamic faith. Could it be the choice of the five fingered symbol? I remembered that the pentacle was one of the symbols of used in the Persian religion -Zoroastrianism, whose prophet’s name Zarathustra means “gold star”





Parisienne Model

concept-model I now went back to research the celebration which Maurice had discussed with me all those years ago. It was a world scale project, and the Shah deliberately wanted it to be a world scale project, to attract the attention of the world.

Once the decision had been taken not to build a hotel but to create a tent city instead the world’s experts in temporary accomodation were consulted and as Maurice had told me, the lead contract was given to Jansen.

The installation had been inspired by the “Field of Gold” the camp built by Francoise I of France to entertain Henry VIII in 1529.


Reality

last-stage-of-preparation My own research has failed to locate anything which might have been buried under the area used for the camp, indeed it would appear that the treasury is located to the rear of the complex well away from the campsite. the treasury has twice been excavated by US universities so its location has been well identified. one would imagine that any “treasury gardens” would have been adjacent to the treasury It is possible however that the layout copied some feature which was found on the site no that there were other gardens on the site of the camp.



The Tents

05-the-kings-tents The individual tents even if they were inspired by the “field of gold took the form of a copy of the tents used by Persian kings as they moved around the country. The attendants appointed to attend to the needs of the attendees where also clothed in copies of ancient costumes.







The Shah



the-shahs-arrival The Shah, Queen Farah and their children arrived wearing western clothes, which are probably less elaborate that would have been worn by many other heads of state for such an occassion. the presence of military cannot be missed and is indicative of the substantial security surrounding the celebration. The Mujaheddin and Fedayeen had threatened to submerge festivities in a “sea of blood” and in the month before the celebration the shah’s police arrested 1500 suspected terrorists without trial.

The Tomb of Cyrus

07-cyr1 Festivities commented with a visit to the tomb of Cyrus I. A major identifying symbol of the whole celebration was the Cyrus scroll. A statement of how Cyrus felt he should rule and which which identifies Cyrus as an enlightened ruler The Shah has been accused of misquoting the scroll claiming, among other things, that the scroll announced abolition of slavery, and the end of religious discrimination and the establishment and the establishment of minimum wage for all of his people and asylum the detractors. Islamic clerics criticised Honouring Cyrus in any way, describing him as a homosexual depot.


The Parade

06-per1 The parade was a march past of the iranian army dressed in ancient traditional costume. here the splendor of the setting can be seen. however this photograph is of the secondaty viewing area occupied by those who organised the celebration.










Curves of her Body

parade This second view shows the Shah, Queen Farah and their son taking the salute. dressed more regally than when they arrived they are still wearing essentially western clothes. much was made by islamic clerics exposing “the curves of her body” to public display.






The Banquets



04-dinner Several sumptuous meals were served. Maxim’s publicity again attracted attention, claiming they had served a “ton” of caviar and pheasants stuffed with foie gras. some newspaper correspondents were excluded from the celebrations. Possibly this was because of their political affiliations more likely because of a cap placed on the number of attendees to assist in the imposition of strict security. The reason mattered not, these correspondents spent their time visiting local villages and them compared the humble meals they had seen there with lavish fare served at the banquets.





The Aftermath



07-the-remnants It was regarded by many as the greatest public relations exercise of all time. senior political commentators felt that the publicity and the rasing of Iran’s profile was worth far more than the celebration had cost. Such statements simply fanned the flames of adverse publicity. it could have been one of the most famous events in history but now it is almost unknown. when the islamic revolution occurred only eight years later the clerics erased it from the collective memory of their own citizens. there was even talk of bulldozing the whole of the Persepolis site. In fact they pretended Persepolis did not exist. The camp was allowed to deteriorate until today all that remains is the concrete pads and the skeleton of the tents.

What is remarkable is that because the foundations still exist, using google earth, the layout and any symbolism it might contain is clearly visible and can be subjected to analysis.

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Extract from The Prisoner of Foix--Chapter 43 -The EntranceNo need to buy a Kindle. Read it on your computer or tablet

John Stanley-26th April 1355

 

'Looks like we are going to see a bit of excitement, John. The Captain tried to get an agreement from the Prince that if there is surf running across the channel to Arcachon we will turn back to Bordeaux, but the Prince would hear none of it. Instead, he has offered to provide insurance for all three ships. If they are damaged or sunk, the owners will be compensated and every sailor who makes the passage will be given a bounty payment. What none of this seems to take into account is that if we sink in rough, fast-flowing waters we might all drown.'

John raised his eyebrows. 'But that is what we are going to do?'

'Yes, despite the fact that surf running accross the entrance is not uncommon and the deep water channel moves continually. In the end, the Prince attacked their captains on their weakest point, their professional pride! He threw down the gauntlet. He offered to take the Sally first through the channel, and to take control during the passage.' He raised his brow. 'We are going into the Bay of Arcachon, come what may! '

Extract from The Eagle of Carcassone -- Chapter 24-- A Real GoddessNo need to buy a Kindle. Read it on your computer or tablet

John Stanley - 22 July 1355

An hour later John walked with Ximene close to the river along the valley below St Feriole. It was the very essence of a summer’s day. The sun was fierce but in the shadow of the trees, it was cool and fragrant. The trees and shrubs along the riverbank hid their progress, from the Château, from St Feriole.

Eventually they reached a point where John thought it was safe to emerge from cover. To his satisfaction the stream extended into a pool with a sandy beach, shaded by trees. Where the stream entered the pool there was a flat grassy area, almost circular. Behind this, the bulk of two mountain ridges provided a splendid backdrop. He looked around once more ‘Not just a good training ground but a great training ground. If the Greek heroes knew about this they might be tempted to join me, to train with me’

Ximene laughed out loud. He turned to look at her. She had removed her outer clothes and was wearing a white chemise, cut short so that it barely reached her knees. Around her waist, she wore a plaited leather belt, obviously fashioned from the multitude of leather straps to be found in the tackle room.

She ran her hands down over her breasts. ‘When you were unconscious I heard you muttering about gods and goddesses, so  I have decided that from now on, for you, I will be the goddess.’

The Prisoner of FoixVol 1 of the series—The Treasure of Trencavel

Aquitaine, an English possession, is in crisis. It is under threat from neighbouring nations and internal dissension.

The Black Prince, King Edward III’s eldest son has been given the task of taking command in Aquitaine.

Suddenly there is an opportunity. Ximene Trencavel is the heiress to the lands of Occitan, to the east of Aquitaine: lands controlled by the Franks. Ximene wants independence, both for herself and for Occitan.

A union between Aquitaine and Occitan would be mutually beneficial. The Black Prince undertakes a secret journey to meet Ximene to negotiate a marriage contract. It is, however, a marriage neither of them really wants.

Meanwhile, the  Franks plot to murder Ximene to prevent ,not just the marriage, but any kind of union between England and Occitan.

The Eagle Of CarcassonneVol II of the series—The Treasure of Trencavel

The loose alliance between Ximene Trencavel and the Black Prince is under threat.

The Prince invades Occitan, to show his support for Ximene but it becomes an invasion which creates more problems than it solves.

The Prince has fallen hopelessly in love with Joan of Kent and Joan is now determined to marry him and become the next Queen of England.

Joan is therefore  determined to convince Ximene that she should not marry the Prince.

Part of her strategy is to encourage Ximene’s relationship with John Stanley—one of the Princes bodyguards—not an easy task as both John and Ximene have doubts about their compatibility.

However, John is grievously injured in a battle and Ximene commits herself to nurse him back to health.