آینه

The mirror is the visual anchor of an Iranian wedding. The سفره عقد (sofre-ye aqd), the ceremonial spread laid out for the marriage contract, has the آینه و شمعدان (mirror and candelabra) at its center. The bride and groom sit facing the mirror; tradition holds that the first time the groom sees the bride that day is in the reflection. The mirror also fills entire interior surfaces in some Iranian shrines and palaces in the form of آینه‌کاری (â'ine-kâri), the cut-mirror mosaic work seen in the Shâh Cherâgh shrine in Shiraz and many Qajar palaces. In classical Persian poetry, آینه is a frequent image for the heart, the soul, or the polished surface that reflects truth, but the specific verses belong to the poets, not to a glossary entry.