Screening will be followed by a discussion with dance choreographer and George Washington University professor Dr. Laurel Victoria Gray.
The epic romance of Haft Paykar, written in the Persian language by Nizami in 1197 (Nizami was born in the town of Ganj, in present-day Azerbijan), celebrates ethnic diversity, extols the beauty of other cultures, and praises the wisdom of women. In the tale, the young warrior Bahram Gur enters a mysterious, locked room to discover the portraits of seven beautiful princesses, each from a different land. After he wins a kingdom and achieves great wealth and power, he remembers the maidens and sets out on a quest to bring each to his kingdom, commissioning the architect Shideh to build seven domed structures – one for each bride.
No simple fairy tale, Haft Paykar is an erotic allegory about a quest for human perfection steeped in numerology, geometry, astrology and color symbolism. Not only does each princess of Haft Paykar come from a different country, or “clime,” but each is associated with a different color, planet and virtue. Each of the seven maidens tells a tale to her bridegroom that imparts a specific moral lesson. From these wise women the hero learns patience, truth, faith, passion, serenity, fairness and devotion to God. Since Bahram Gur is destined to become Ruler of the World, he must learn these lessons in order to govern wisely. His spiritual journey is a reminder that only through self-knowledge and self-mastery can humans find perfection.
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