#aph Iran

[shtoproishoditemae]

So you're telling me that this whole time there was Persia in Hetalia and I only learn about it now. Alright then. Seems like here comes a new hyperfixation----

I also drew a female version because ummm idk I like Persia as a woman better. But I also heard that many people hc him (them?) as a genderfluid so it's no problem I suppose??? However. Girls😭💖

[itstokkii]

in the courtyard

[glitchinnf]

first time drawing him its so messy oh my god

[peonycats]

[kuehmiyue]

[REPOST FROM OLD ACC]

still my favorite tbh

original

[irithnova]

Iran: Mongolia maybe if you converted to Islam like your children did then you wouldn't be in such a mess

Mongolia: They converted to Islam and died

[vahvah]

Well, I think the situation around the perception of iranian history and greek history in fandom is quite similar.

Let's be honest, for most people there is only Ancient Greece (by which they mean the history of the classical greek city-states + hellenistic period + roman period, we are not particularly touching on the dark ages and bronze age Mycenaean Greece, not to mention earlier times), which they - following the manga/anime canon - separate from modern Greece. And there is modern Greece, which, in general, began its independent existence in the first half of the nineteenth century, when a small piece of territory in the southern Balkans gained independence and was called “Hellas”. At best, they have ottoman rule as a kind of “preparatory period” when the canonical Iraklis grew up, did not understand anything and did not really decide anything. And at the same time, modern Greece is the son of Ancient Greece, who loves to be nostalgic about his cool mother, who did something great there more than two thousand years ago. Cool, yeah.

Likewise, for most people there is "ancient Persia" (before the conquest of the Islamic Caliphate in the 7th and 8th centuries AD) and "modern Iran", which they count from the Islamization of the Iranian plateau. In the manga canon, we have a character called "Persia", who people unthinkingly identify with the Achaemenid state, the Parthian Arsacid state, and the Sassanid state. In fanon, he (“Persia”) actively interacts (at war) with Rome, interacts with China and India in much rarer cases, and the mangaka also mentioned that he has descendants, one of which is “modern” Iran, yes. And, of course, there is an incredible amount of time devoted to the Achaemenid period (but not the greco-persian Wars, which shocked me when researching the fandom). Cool, yeah.

But you know what's surprising? None of this makes any sense.

If we take Greece... no, we take greek culture, we will understand that it has continuously developed, without gaps, from the time of the classical polis until the present moment, BUT, if you really want to find a watershed, then this is late antiquity. Why? Because in late antiquity, the pagan hellenes, living in their separate city-states as citizens, became christian rhomeans, subjects of the vast Eastern Roman Empire (which in fact is still perceived as a Republic). The roman "imperial" identity replaced the greek polis identity - although the greek language still dominated in the East, especially after the Avar conquest of the Balkans, when the Empire lost the latin-speaking provinces. The perception of “hellenic” identity was very complex, it experienced a revival, especially in the 13th century, when the roman/latin identity began to be associated with the germans/italians/franks, enemies of the Eastern Empire, but this is if we are talking about intellectuals - the people considered themselves rhomeans. And guess what? The conquest of Constantinople in 1453 did not change anything! There was no break or fracture! The Church of Constantinople continued to be the guardian of this identity even in the absence of christian imperial power! And the people who started the Greek Revolution in the 19th century did not strive to create a small national state, no, in their eyes ALL of Anatolia and the Balkans were the historical lands of the Eastern Roman Empire, which they considered their country. The fascination with ancient pagan Greece is something that was brought from the West, which despised “Byzantium”.

And if you look at Iran, the real boundary between "ancient" and "modern" history is the conquest of Alexander the Great. Because - this will amaze many - but until the second half of the 19th century in Iran itself they knew nothing about the ancient history of the country! The first historical event preserved in chronicles and art, say, the "Shahnameh" of Ferdowsi, is the conquest of Alexander, which has nothing to do with the real one (I will only say that Alexander is considered a descendant of the iranian royal dynasty there). In Iran, they knew almost nothing about the greco-persian wars, about the Seleucids, about the parthian Arsacids and the roman-parthian wars! The real history in Iranian perception began only with the Sassanids, who were at enmity with “Rum” - but, first of all, not with Western, decrepit Rome, but with Eastern Rome! It was “Byzantium” that was “Rome” for the Iranians and for the entire Middle East until the 19th century, while the Western “latins” were the “franks”. Moreover, I want to note that the complete forgetting of the history of the country before Alexander in Iran began even under the Sassanids - largely because ancient persian was a cuneiform language, and cuneiform was forgotten (as for the iranian epic, its oldest part is eastern iranian in origin, western iranian, persian, it becomes only from the time of Ardashir the First). But the arab conquest and adoption of islam did not have such consequences! And when the revival of iranian culture and the new persian language began in the 9th-10th centuries A.D., it was a revival, albeit rethought, of Sassanian identity.

In short, while it makes sense to separate Ancient Greece from "Byzantium", it makes no sense to separate "Byzantium" from modern Greece. And the history of modern Iran begins with the Sassanids, not Islamization.

[raunak-draws-stuff]

yeah i think about them a normal amount

[nyeobium]

He's so tired of getting laughed at by the King and Queen

[gruzdoesstuff]

in Iran there's a saying "if you add milk to the tea you'll make her a widow"? And in central asia it's kinda contrary- salty tea with milk is kinda popular (and tbh I can totally see why, if you never tried it, you have to try). And as a honorary Turk, Tajikistan also drinks tea like that. So their father-daughter bonding moments must be difficult when it comes to drinks 🤭

[shtoproishoditemae]

Drew this instead of doing homework🙄 University starts in five days im gonna get killed

Whatever

[itstokkii]

fun silly vday cards of the turkic men!!

(🇰🇬🇦🇿🇰🇿🇹🇷)

who captures your heart the most?!?!

edit: bonus iran

[mcnjushcge]

if there was any justice in this world hws China/India/Iran would have canonically been a disaster trio of besties who have known each other before most of the europeans were even a thought (and have definitely explored each others’ bodies)…….they’re Real to me but still

[peonycats]

I've been staring at Iran for two hours now...

Would Iran be a girl?? A boy?? Gnc?? I've not seen u use any pronouns for them up until now idfk how to compliment the way u draw Iran 💀

AH..... IM SO FLATTERED 🥺 you're too kind anonymous, im sure however your compliment them iran will take it smugly graciously! Here's something i drew of them recently!

as always transp below the read more!

[mytale0]

I personally think Iran go pray to the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque in Shiraz, mostly because it's pink

Slay gurl

[irithnova]

This fandom sucks sometimes I'm sorry but like there are artists I know of who produce genuinely amazing artwork and they feel discouraged/disheartened because it barely gets any notes because oh no you didn't draw the same fucking 5 white boys this fandom has been obsessed with since forever.

From what I've seen, in order for a non white character to even have a chance of competing with the most mediocre white character art, the art has to be insanely good. Even then its not garuanteed. And those are for popular non white characters.

Of course there are exceptions but this is what I've seen from being in this fandom for like around 7 years.

Why do I see shitty fruk sketches get more notes than aph Iran art which took the artist a week to make. What the fuck.

White people in this fandom preach so much about representation but will reblog the most mundane art of England and barely glance at a fantastic piece of Japan.

How the fuck is sealand a more interesting character to some of y'all over non white characters. How the fuck is Canada more popular than China.

Even now, years later, the way some of y'all characterise non white characters in your shitty fanfics is racist as fuck. Let's not even get started with the Sinophobia.

Anyways I know a bunch of pissed of white people and pick-mes are gonna send me hate anons for this idgaf. It's makes me so sad to see brilliant artists and writers just want to give up because y'all hate non white characters for some reason even though you want to preach about "muhh representation."