Things We Left Unsaid

by Zoya Pirzad

  Braim, a newer, chic neighborhood of Abadan, to the northwest of the refinery, and southeast of the airport. It was the part of the city where the English employees of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company lived, before it was nationalized under Mossadegh in 1951, becoming the National Iranian Oil Company (N.I.O.C.). Braim was itself subdivided into Sehgoush Braim, Braim Village, Braim Estates, and the inhabitants of these various neighborhoods were segregated by their job ‘Grade’ and standing in the National Iranian Oil Company. Through the 1950s, employee housing was rented, and only for the duration of employment. But plans were made in 1959 so that employees could purchase homes from the Oil Company and continue to live in them after retirement.

  Chelow Kebab, the traditional Persian grilled meat dish, usually lamb, served with white rice. In older culinary tradition, a raw egg yolk was served on top of the rice.

  Cinema Rex was one of the larger cinemas in Abadan. In 1978, many years after the events of the novel, it was set on fire and burned to the ground, killing over 400 people, in one of the seminal events of the Iranian revolution.

  Cinema Taj, one of the larger, modern and more fashionable cinemas in Abadan, between the city center and Bawarda. In the early 1960s, this cinema showed dubbed foreign films, American and European, almost exclusively.

  Delon, Alain. The great French heart-throb actor of the 1960s and 70s, who enjoyed great popularity in Iran, as well. See also Schneider, Romy.

  Döner Kebab, or ‘Turkish Kebab’ as it is known in Iran, thin slices of spit-roasted meat, usually lamb, similar to Gyros or Shawarma.

  Ejmiatsin, a town to the west of Yerevan in Armenia (also spelled Echmiadzin), home to the Mother Cathedral of Holy Ejmiatsin, a church built circa 303 C.E. that remains the central seat of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Chief Catholicos of all Armenians, who is the chief bishop, or pope, of the Armenian Church.

  Farah Charitable Society (Anjoman-e khayriyye-ye Farah), a charitable organization dedicated to pre-school education of Iranian children and assistance to orphans. It was established by Farah Diba in 1960 after becoming queen consort of Mohammad-Reza Shah (it was his third marriage) in 1959, at the age of twenty. Many charities run by her office emphasized bettering the situation of Iranian women.

  Fesenjan, a tart Persian casserole dish made with ground walnuts and pomegranate paste, and nuggets of meat or poultry. Like other casseroles (khoresht, sometimes called ‘stews’), it is usually served with rice/pilaf.

  Gata, a kind of Armenian puff pastry; some are made with a sweet filling, whereas others are unsweetened, or ‘salted.’

  General Mode, a well-known department store in Tehran.

  Ghormeh-sabzi, a traditional Iranian casserole, eaten with rice pilaf, containing sautéed chopped parsley and fenugreek, leeks, dehydrated lemons, kidney beans, and usually lamb. It is considered a dish for special occasions, often served to honored guests.

  Golestan Club, a large club in Braim for Senior and Junior Grade employees of the National Iranian Oil Company.

  Halva, a confection popular from the southern Mediterranean to South Asia. The name derives from Arabic. It comes in two forms: a semolina flour-based paste made with oil and sugar, saffron and sometimes with rosewater. A second type, made from tahini or nut butter and sugar, forms a crumbly loaf.

  Ikra, Russian eggplant ‘caviar,’ a kind of dip or spread made out of pureed vegetables, using either eggplant or squash, along with onions, carrots, tomatoes, vegetable oil, and cayenne pepper.

  Iran–Soviet Society, see VOKS.

  Istanbuli Polow, or Estamboli Polow as pronounced in Persian, is a rice pilaf made with cubes of red meat, potatoes, tomato paste, and onions. In Armenian it is called ‘Red Pilaf.’

  Julfa, or New Julfa, a section or neighborhood of Isfahan where Armenians have lived in large numbers since the early 1600s. The Safavid Shah Abbas forcibly relocated them to his capital at Isfahan, having turned them into laborers as the result of an Iranian military victory in Armenia. There are many pre-modern Armenian churches still in use in this neighborhood.

  Kebab, see Chelow Kebab and Döner Kebab, above.

  Khorramshahr, a major port city about ten kilometers north of Abadan, at the confluence of the Shatt al-Arab (through which the Tigris and Euphrates empty into the Persian Gulf) and the Karun rivers. Formerly called Mohammereh, a diversionary channel of the Karun river was dug here a millennium ago, creating the Bahmanshir and the man-made Haffar branches of the Karun, between which sits the island of Abadan, and Abadan city.

  Lavash, a flat, thin unleavened bread made of flour, water and salt, and traditionally slapped on the wall of a clay oven to bake. It is popular in Iran, Turkey, Armenia, and Georgia, and can be stored by rolling, when moist. When dried it has the consistency of a thin cracker.

  Lubia Polow, a traditional Persian pilaf dish of rice mixed with green beans, often with red meat, flavoured with a tomato sauce with onions, cinnamon, and saffron.

  Lusaber (Armenian for ‘Light-bringer’), the name of a monthly Armenian-language children’s magazine published for the Armenians in Iran.

  Maash Polow, a mung bean pilaf, with tomatoes, onions, saffron, and other subtle spices.

  Majles, the Parliament, established by the first Iranian revolution of 1906–1911 as a constitutional check on the power of the Qajar Monarch. In 1963 the Majles approved a law granting Iranian women the right to vote (see the Six Reform Bills).

  Masjed-Soleiman, city northeast of Abadan in the province of Khuzestan. The British first discovered oil in this ancient Iranian city in 1913.

  Mashhad, a large city in the northeast of Iran and a center of pilgrimage for Shiite Muslims as the shrine and burial place of Imam Reza, the eighth Imam of Twelver Shiism.

  Naft Club, a club with an open-air cinema, located near the Annex Restaurant, north of the city center of Abadan.

  Namagerd is one of the rural Armenian farming villages in Peria (Fereydan), to the west of Isfahan, a district where in the seventeenth century Georgian and Armenian farmers were forcibly relocated to help revive the Safavid agrarian economy.

  Nazouk, an Armenian butter pastry.

  Norouz is the Persian new year, a big national and largely secular holiday occurring at the Spring Equinox.

  Oil Company, the National Iranian Oil Company (N.I.O.C) dominated the city of Abadan, the refinery of which was one of the world’s largest. The company was established by the British in 1908 as the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, rechristened Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (it is now British Petroleum), before it was nationalized in the early 1950s under Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh (deposed by an American and British covert operation in 1953) as the National Iranian Oil Company. After nationalization, N.I.O.C. subcontracted to American and European companies to help refine the oil.

  Parinj, explained in the text in Chapter 44.

  Perok, an Armenian fruit glaze pastry.

  Piroshki, a deep-fried bun with a meat, vegetable, or sweet filling, popular in Iran through the influence of Russian cuisine (similar to a donut).

  Pirouzabad, see Abadan.

  Polow, pilaf (the English word comes from the Persian, via British India) a general term for Persian rice dishes, either cooked together with vegetables or other ingredients and eaten as a main entrée, or eaten plain with a casserole (khoresht), or curry.

  Red Pilaf, see ‘Istanbuli Polow,’ above.

  SAVAK, Iran’s secret police, the National Intelligence and Security Organization, established with the help of the CIA in 1957 and widely feared for its torture of political dissidents and activists.

  Sayat Nova, the eighteenth-century national poet-singer (ashik) of Armenia, who composed in Azeri Turkish, Armenian, and other languages, using the Georgian alphabet.

  Schneider, Romy, the Austrian actress. She married Alain Delon in 1959, only to part ways, amicably, in 1963.

  Senior Grade, an English term borrowed into Persian by the Iranian National Oil Company, which hired engineers and doctors at
Senior Grade, and other educated employees at the lesser rank of Junior Grade. Ordinary workers ranked below both these ‘Grades.’

  Shatt al-Arab, a waterway formed by the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers before they flow into the Persian Gulf. In the twentieth century, it became the international border separating Iran, specifically the province of Khuzestan, from Iraq.

  Sherbet, a cold refreshing sweet drink made from fruit juice or fruit syrup, similar to lemonade, but made in various flavors, such as rosewater, sour cherry, plum, etc.

  Shad-shad lav, Armenian for ‘very well, very good.’

  Six Reform Bills were a series of initiatives introduced to the Majles (Iranian Parliament) by Mohammad-Reza Shah Pahlavi as part of his ‘White Revolution.’ The first six reforms were submitted to a popular referendum and approved in January 1963 (the novel takes place in the spring of 1962). These included expropriation of lands from feudal lords to make them available to sharecroppers for purchase below market value, thus enabling sharecroppers to become small landowners; nationalization of forests and pasturelands; privatization of government-owned factories; awarding factory workers a 20 percent share in profits; formation of a national literacy corps; and women’s suffrage.

  Tabriz, a large city in the northwest of Iran, in the province of Iranian Azerbaijan, that has had a sizeable Armenian enclave since the Mongol invasions.

  Tahdig, literally ‘bottom of the pot’ in Persian, a thin layer of bread or potatoes cooked to a crisp at the bottom of a pot of rice, and considered the most delectable portion of the rice.

  Torshi, an Iranian condiment (literally sour stuff) of assorted pickled vegetables, usually eaten with rice pilaf or sometimes with bread, as an appetizer.

  Toumanian, Hovhaness, poet from the Lori region of Armenia (1869–1923), known as ‘the Poet of All Armenians’ (on the paradigm of Catholicos of All Armenians).

  Van, a city in Anatolia, present-day Turkey, where Armenians have lived since antiquity. During the genocide, the Armenians of Van, then a part of the Ottoman Empire, organized armed resistance against the Ottoman army after Armenians had been slaughtered in other cities of the Ottoman Empire.

  Vigen (Vigen Derderian, 1929–2003), a widely popular Iranian singer of Armenian background. He introduced original pop songs along western lines into the Persian language, and also starred in several movies in the 1950s and 1960s. His tall good looks and his career as an actor and singer earned him the title of the Sultan of Pop, and ‘the Elvis Presley of Iran.’

  VOKS, the Russian acronym for the Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, an organization created by the government of the Soviet Union to promote cultural exchange, and, it was sometime alleged, communist propaganda.