Jewish dervishes Agha-Jaan Darvish and his brother, patriarchs of the Darvish family. Tehran, Iran, c.1922.
“Because of its specific association with Sufism and its ensuing identification with Islam, dervishhood is an order comprised almost exclusively of Muslim practicioners. The two Jewish dervishes pictured here in this rare photograph are among the very few who had successfully been integrated into the order without converting to Islam. Like the Jewish practitioners of a traditional Iranian sport in the houses of strength (zurkhaneh) — a sport that is profoundly intertwined with Islamic ritual — these dervishes represent a uniquely Iranian hybrid of Judaism and Islam.
Each of the Jewish dervishes seen here is displaying emblematic accoutrements of dervishhood: 1) The cloak, an outward sign of his state. 2) A kashkul (begging bowl) often made of such materials as mother-of-pearl. 3) A gourd, a coconut shell, or carved wood suspended from the wrist by a chain. 4) A tabarzin (short axe or hatchet) carried in the right hand and intended to fend off wild animals or highway robbers. 5) A chanta (patched bag) slung over the shoulder to carry essential items. 6) Takht-e pust (skin bed), a small mat made of animal skin that served as his bed while traveling. 7) A long rosary.”
Photograph and caption from Esther’s Children: A Portrait of Iranian Jews, edited by Houman Sarshar.
via touba
(via badesaba)
Calculation of solar and lunar eclipses
from: Marvels of Creatures and Strange Things Existing, by al-Qazwini
(copy manuscript, 14th century)
Zakariya’ ibn Muhammad al-Qazwini (1203 -1283), was a Persian physician, astronomer, geographer and proto-science fiction writer. Born in the Persian town of Qazvin, he served as legal expert and judge (qadhi) in several localities in Persia and at Baghdad. He travelled around in Mesopotamia and Syria, and finally entered the circle patronized by the governor of Baghdad.
he also wrote a futuristic proto-science fiction tale entitled Awaj bin Anfaq, about a man who travelled to Earth from a distant planet
Stefan Eggeler for Die Herzen der Konige (1922) by Hanns Heinz Ewers
The 5.6.7.8’s!
It says: “Rapists, we will get you”.
Babalon.
Teddy Girls by Roger Mayne
Disabled protesters clash with police over welfare demands — La Paz, Bolivia
Scores of disabled people on crutches and in wheelchairs fought police in La Paz, Bolivia’s capital, over demands for better welfare support, injuring several and fuelling anger against the state.
A caravan of about 50 adults and children ended a 1,000-mile, 100-day trek through Bolivia at the protest near government offices in La Paz on Thursday. Scuffles broke out and pepper spray was used after the group were blocked by riot police, who stopped them reaching the legislature and presidential palace to petitioning MPs and the presidential palace for a tripling of the £91 monthly state subsidy for disabled people. The protesters tried to break through the lines using their crutches and wheelchairs but were forced back in a melee in which several people were injured and four detained. The protest organisers then declared a hunger strike by 10 adults and a round-the-clock vigil by the rest.
The clashes were another public relations PR fiasco for President Evo Morales, who has seen his once-huge popularity plunge amid protests from coca farmers, indigenous rights activists and environmentalists. Bolivia’s first indigenous leader swept to power in 2006 promising to ease poverty and inequality, and was hailed a saviour in his first few years. But marches on La Paz – notably one over a controversial Amazon road in October – illustrate the level of disenchantment.
The disabled protesters relied on charity on their journey to the highland capital from Beni, bordering Brazil, in November. As well as higher subsidies, they want greater efforts to integrate them into a society that makes little provision for those with physical or mental disabilities.
Domitila Franco, a wheelchair-user, said she struggled. “It’s very hard to be a person with a disability,” she said. “Even our own husbands abandon us because they feel ashamed of us. … I look after my four children alone, washing and ironing clothes for people.”
The protesters to end their trek at Plaza Murillo, the heart of government, having seen other marches do so. “Why not us?” Camilo Bianchi, a protest leader, asked local media. “It’s a public space.”
Carlos Romero, a government minister, told a press conference that opposition groups had infiltrated the march and it was necessary to block it. “There are other groups trying to politicise this, trying to create a climate of disorder and confrontation,” he said. “Our obligation is to secure Plaza Murillo.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/24/disabled-protesters-clash-police-bolivia?newsfeed=true
oppressedbrowngirlsdoingthings:
Spotted: An exponentially badass Indian woman with something nice in the back of her blouse. Don’t mess with her.
Revolutionary Xicana Melanie Cervantes, of the Brown Berets.
XICANA POWER