رباعی
Robâ’i is the four-line quatrain in AABA rhyme, Khayyam’s signature form. Compact, philosophical, often skeptical or wine-soaked. B1 poetic vocabulary, taught in every Iranian high school.
Glossary
شعر
She’r is the Arabic-origin word for poetry and poem, the umbrella term covering ghazal, qasideh, masnavi, and robaayat. A1 vocabulary because every Iranian conversation about culture eventually lands here.
دف
Daf is the large frame drum used in Sufi ceremonies and Kurdish folk music. Wooden ring, single goat-skin head, metal rings inside that jingle when struck. B1 vocabulary tied to ritual and trance.
کمانچه
Kamânche is the 4-string spike-fiddle, played upright on the knee with a horsehair bow. Voice-like and singing, it became a global instrument through Kayhan Kalhor. B1 arts and culture vocabulary.
نی
Ney is the end-blown reed flute, one of the oldest instruments in Persian music. Rumi opens the Masnavi with the ney’s cry as the symbol of the soul yearning for its origin. B1 vocabulary.
سنتور
Santur is the 72-string hammered dulcimer that anchors the Persian classical orchestra. Played with two light wooden mallets, it produces a shimmering, harp-like cascade. B1 vocabulary for arts and culture learners.
تار
Târ is the 6-string long-necked lute at the center of Persian classical music. Wood body, mulberry face, played with a brass plectrum. Foundation A2 vocabulary for anyone serious about Iranian arts.
فال حافظ
Fâl-e Hâfez is the ritual of opening the Divan of Hafez at random and reading the verse as personal guidance. Practiced on Yalda night, at weddings, and before big decisions.
حافظ
Hâfez means “guardian” or “keeper,” and is also the pen name of Khwaja Shams al-Din Mohammad of Shiraz, the 14th-century poet whose Divan sits on nearly every Iranian household shelf.
نان و پنیر
Nân-o panir means “bread and cheese.” The cultural shorthand for simple sustenance, modest hospitality, and the basic building block of an Iranian breakfast or impromptu meal.