Chenarestan... In the shade of plane trees

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Home of Oriental Plane Tree Part II
Siamak D. Ahi





Oriental Plane Tree
and
Healing
.

Another probable reason for popularity of plane in Persia is that people believe that this tree prevents the spread of infectious fever and diseases the germ of which are found in the air. This sanitary effect of planes is not recorded anywhere in our early sources.

Medical properties and uses were found out for plane tree by Dioscorides and Galen. The physicians and pharmacologists of Islamic world in the Middle Ages have added hardly anything new to the findings of the Greek masters.


Concerning the (Galenic) mezaaj (temperament, nature) the plane, Galen states that:
The essence of the plane is moist and not far from moderate things.”


The Medieval Islamic period don’t seem to concur with him or each other.


To Tabari:
The plane is cold and moist”.
Majoosi believes that:
The temperament of fresh plane leaves is cold and dry”.
Heravi thinks that:
It is cold and dry in the first degree.”
And Ebn Sina states that:
It is cold in the first degree, its bark and jouz [literally “Nut” or “Walnut, here globular fruit] are highly dry, detergent, and siccative.”


Animals and Plane Tree: An interesting, probably new, point in these non-Greek authors concerns the noxious or repelling effect of the plane on certain animals.

Majoosi says that
The khoffash (bat) dies of its leaves if these are burned.”
Heravi states that”
If plane leaves and barks are burned, parsatoo (swallow) will die of their smoke


Ebn Sina seems to have the correct reading of the name of the animals involved. He stressed that the plane leave and barks will kill khananfes.


Tonokaaboni is probably the first Islamic pharmacologist-physician to have discussed plane ‘aragh (distillate) and its property. He explains how to obtain it from the barks, leaves and fruits of the plane. He stressed that it is “highly beneficial against asthma, zeegh-al-nafas. As to disillate from the roots, he specifies that it fortifies the body, the stomach, and the nerve, fattens the body, is good against piles, “cold” diseases, muscular tremor, dropsy stesgha , and belly ache. This distillate, he says ”causes some euphoria, but it is not inebriating.”

Once in Persia the ‘aragh from plane leaves was commercialized (by Targol Co. Tehran) and advertised as “very cold, febrifuge, fattening thin persons, useful against neurosis, muscular tremor, and asthma.”

Will Continue

See also:
http://chenarestan.blogspot.com/2005/07/around-greek-plane-tree.html

From:
www.irteb.com پايگاه اطلاع رساني پزشكان ايران
دارو
گل خشک شده درخت چنار
( Platanus orientalis)
طرز تهیه و استعمال
به صورت پودر تهیه و در بینی ریخته شود
نسخه
جهت جلوگیری از خونریزی

Friday, July 22, 2005

When That Oriental Plane Was Still Alive..

When
That Oriental Plane
Was Still Alive








This piece is a memoy of Chenar-e Emam-zadeh Saleh, in Tajrish, Tehran; when it was still alive. See also:
From Hamshahri newspaper on Jul. 21. 2005 --Siamak D. Ahi.
.
.
دوران دبيرستان كه زمان نوجواني بود، گهگاه براي زيارت امامزاده صالح(ع) كه فوق العاده مورد علاقه من بود از راهي دور(حدود ميدان وليعصر(عج)) بعضا پاي پياده و بدون احساس خستگي عازم تجريش مي شدم. پس از زيارت
و دمي آسودن در كنار قيل و قال زائران به تماشاي درخت كهنسالي مشغول مي شدم كه آن زمان نامش را نمي دانستم. با ابهت ويژه اي سر بر آسمان مي سائيد و پاي در زمين محكم داشت
.
بلنداي آن درخت، پهناي تنه وگرزن زيبايش يك دنيا صفاي عارفانه داشت كه به مقتضاي جواني احساس مي كردم و غرق در لذت مي شدم. عصرهاي پنج شنبه كه اغلب موعد ديدار من بود چنار كهنسال جلوه ديگري داشت كه از بيان آن عاجزم. صدها شمع روشن كه با شعله هاي لرزان توسط حاجتمندان درگاه مقدس امامزاده صالح(ع) روشن شده بود، در پناه درخت كهنسال با گرماي ملايم سوسو مي زدند. آرام آرام رو به خاموشي مي رفتند و حالتي روحاني در هر بيننده ايجاد مي كردند. حدود سالهاي 1332 تا 1334 بود. مسافت تا تجريش را در حالي طي مي كردم كه آبي زلال و صاف و گوارا در جوي دو طرف خيابان سمت جنوب جريان داشت كه زمزمه جويبار و نواي پرندگان در سكوت آن زمان غوغا مي كرد و خستگي را با جرعه اي آب روان برطرف مي كرد.
.

آخر آن روزها از اين همه آلودگي اثري نبود. مردم بنابر اعتقادات خود، همچون حالا، آب را مهريه دخت گرامي پيامبر(ص) مي دانستن
در هر ديدار شاهد پژمردگي و كاستي صلابت آن درخت بودم كه به پيري نزديك و نزديكتر مي شد. بيماري درخت برايم كاملا محسوس بود. من اين ضعف را اينك كه عمري تجربه كرده ام ناشي از حرارت صدها شمع روشن مي دانم كه گاه باعث بيرون زدگي شيره نباتي مي شد كه به سرخي مي گرائيد.

.
سالهاي ۱۳۴۵-1342 شكاف هايي در تنه چنار پيدا شد و از گستردگي گرزن، روز به روز كاسته مي شد. پيري زودرس آرام آرام مشهود و آثار مرگ درخت رفته رفته نمايان مي شد. به خاطر جلوگيري از باز شدن شكاف ها تنه را با تسمه بستند تا شايد زنده بماند و جاني دوباره يابد.
در همين سالها تنها يك شاخه انشعابي از تنه نشانه اي از زنده بودن اين درخت مقدس بود تا باورش بدارند زائران با خلوص نيت به خواندن دعاي اهل قبور كه به تنه بي جان چنار نصب شده بود، مشغول مي شدند و اشكي هم از ديده جاري مي شد يا با شيره نباتي بيرون زده از تنه به سر و سينه مي زدند.
امروز با كمال تاسف ديگر از آن همه صلابت و زيبايي درخت كهنسال اثري نيست و تنها سكويي به جاي مانده كه زيستگاه و بستر حيات درخت بود كه يادآور خاطره شيرين آن درخت عظيم است . امروز هم باز برهمان سكو شمع روشن مي كنند، در حالي كه از ميزبان و جلوه گري او اثري نيست؛ به جز عكس و خاطره اي نه چندان شيرين
اين درختانند همچون خاكيان
دست ها بر كرده اند از خاكدان
با زباني سبز و دستان دراز
از ضمير خاك مي گويند راز
اميرحسين داراب زند

Thursday, July 21, 2005

Home of Oriental Plane Tree. Siamak D.Ahi........................

Home
--------
Of
---
Oriental
-----------
Plane Tree
---------------

part one


Siamak D. Ahi

On
Chenar
and
Chenar-estan
.

Oriental Plane is Indigenous
From Southern Europe to the Iranian Plateau.
In Persia, Proper, Spontaneous Planes Observed.

Spontaneous Oriental Planes
--------------------------------------
Botanists observed proper, Spontaneus Oriental Planes in several places In Iran:
Azerbaijan,…...... Khoy.
Kermanshahan,.....…. Harsin.
Hamedan, Luristan, …......Khoram-abad, Shahbazan.
Bakhtiari, ….......Sefid-dasht, mountains up to Sar-dasht.
Khouzestan, ......….Gat-vand.
Fars,............ near Shiraz, near Ghaar-e Shah-pour, Kazeroun, Sabz-poushan.
Kerman,…....... Mount Nasr up to 2600 above sea level
Khorasan, ….......Bojnoord, Torbat-e Jam.
Qum, …........Raah-jerd.
Gilan, …........Rood-baar, highlands between Lowshan and Amaar-loo.
Mazandaran, ….........Kojoor, haraaz valley, Punjaab.
Southern Alborz region, .............including Tehran area
Between Katool and Damghan ...........wild plane groves have seen also been reported
In Kurdistan,........ It is commonly known as Chenar also designates the white poplar.

A variety of plane is called Jowhar-daar in Kurdish.

Popularity
-------------
and

-----
Practicality
--------------





The popularity and wide distribution of cultivated planes as ornamental or shade trees in Persia, especially in gardens and along city streets, are due to several features of plane. It grows rapidly, specially when young, and may reach 30m (and sometimes more) in height, with a spreading crown, large palmate leaves (compared by some Persian poets to spread human hands). A lofty trunk, usually upright and slightly tapering. At the base, when advanced in years, develops abnormally into an enormous, often squad mass, which old age hollows out.

It can be easily manipulated and propagated in various ways: by seeds, cutting the shoots or by layering the shoots.

Planes grow best in rich, deep, cool and moist soils. Actually they need plenty of moisture at their roots.They survive but don’t thrive in dry, clay or saline soils.

Further, so far as modern Persian cities are concerned planes are resilient to air pollution and to polluted irrigating water running in open city water channels.

Longevity
--------------
of
----
Oriental Plane
--------------------







2000 Years or Longer....


Longevity of plane tree is also impressive: 2000 years or longer.

In 1968-69, Iran started to locate and register trees again all over the country. The trees had to be at least one hundred years old. The Identity records of trees show great many planes, including:

The Oriental plane of Shahmirzaad is 1500 years old and 25 meter high. circumference of its trunk at 1m above ground level is 15m. In Targh, a village of Natanz, there is a 1300 years old Plane. 7.8m in circumference and 25 meter high.


Will Continue


related stories:
Greek plane tree and Healing; http://chenarestan.blogspot.com/2005/07/around-greek-plane-tree.html
Chenar-e Emamzadeh Saleh: http://chenarestan.blogspot.com/2005/07/chenar-e-emamzadeh-saleh.html

Friday, July 15, 2005

C h e n a r e s t a n
i n
P r o g r e s s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
T h e . C i t y . o f . O r i e n t a l . P l a n e . T r e e
.................................................................................

Chenarestan-e Tehran
Siamak D. Ahi

Oriental Plane tree is the official tree of Tehran. It has been planted by the City of Tehran on most streets for decades. Plane tree has been native of Tehran for hundreds of years. The Leaf of Oriental Plane is city's symbol and used in their publications. Four centuries ago Plane trees of Tehran were described by European diplomat as follows (from encyclopaedia Iranica):

The Italian diplomat Pietro della Valle, writing in June 1618 about then village of Tehran, Says:

All streets are shaded by planes, which in Persian they call it cinar; big, luxuriant and handsome. And I must say I have not seen in all my life any bigger or more beautiful. Many of them are so thick that two or three men could not embrace them.”

related stories:

Chenar-e Emamzadeh Saleh: http://chenarestan.blogspot.com/2005/07/chenar-e-emamzadeh-saleh.html

Home of Oriental Plane Tree: http://chenarestan.blogspot.com/2005/07/home-of-oriental-plane-tree.html

Sunday, July 10, 2005

City Plane Tree ... a .n ..d ...Snow

from above
Tehran in Snow






















from below
Vali-e Asr Ave.

Saturday, July 09, 2005

Plane Tree, Colombia Encyclopedia

sycamore, or buttonwood, any species of the genus Platanus, deciduous trees of most temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, exclusive of Africa. The hairy, dry, seedlike fruits are densely packed into a hard brown ball, hence the name buttonwood. The large American sycamore, or plane (P. occidentalis), supplies a hardwood popular for carpentry, furniture, and butchers’ blocks. The Oriental plane (P. orientalis) of the Mediterranean area and W Asia is used for wood pulp. The London plane (P. acerifolia), sometimes miscalled Oriental plane, is much planted as an ornamental shade tree in cities; it is probably a hybrid of the American and Oriental planes. Sycamore is sometimes spelled sycomore, but should not be confused with the unrelated sycomore fig (Ficus sycomorus) of the family Moraceae. Plane trees are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Hamamelidales, family Platanaceae.


The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright © 2004 Columbia University Press.

Around a Greek Plane Tree


The report and story of Terje Raa is about a Greek Island, where every summer is being invaded by thousands of young tourists. All of them want to go to one particular place. That particular place is under a 2400 years old Plane tree. Plane tree of Hippocrates.
Under Hippocrates in the heart of a town called Kos, everybody feels young.

About the small square where the tree stands, pavements, buildings around it, about the history of Kos and "Oath of Hippocrates", about the people who read secretly this Oath ....that doctors all over the world know about..... read:

http://www.artist-at-large.com/kos.htm
By: Tejre Raa, June 2004

Nature Monuments

Turkey - Kastamonu - Beldeğirmeni Village Plane Tree

Place: Kastamonu, İnebolu Characteristics: A 800 years old and 50 meters tall plane tree that have a diameter of 2.30 meters and circumference length of 9 meters. Foundation Date: 21.04.1995
http://goturkey.kultur.gov.tr/turizm_en.asp?belgeno=10704

Oriental Plane Tree


The oriental plane tree, Platanus orientalis, is a very close relative of the common sycamore, Platanus occidentalis, of Eastern North America. In several translations of the Bible a species of fig is called sycamore, a corruption of "sycamine". Figs and plane trees are unrelated. The oriental plane has broad leaves, mottled brown and white bark, and small inconspicuous flowers which develop into the spherical ball-like fruits typical of the of the sycamore native to eastern North America.

At one time the oriental plane may have been more widely distributed in the Middle East but is now commonly planted as a street tree. The largest native stands are found along the upper reaches of the Jordan river as well as along springs and rivers in Jordan and Syria.


After Laban had removed the streaked and spotted of the flock, those mottled like the trunk of the plane tree, he distanced himself from his son-in-law. Jacob then designed a genetics experiment to insure that he would indeed receive the blessing promised to him by God (Genesis 30:37). He peeled the bark off three species of trees and thinking they would determine the type of offspring, put them in front of the watering troughs where the animals would see them. How did he learn this?


As noted in Ezekiel 31:8, the tree can reach a large size and be very attractive. Ezekiel emphasizes perhaps because the branches of the plane tree in contrast to the "boughs of the pine" because an old plane tree can have very thick branches

.

http://web.odu.edu/webroot/instr/sci/plant.nsf/pages/planetree

Chenars of Old Shemiran Road

Dr. Shariaty Ave. Photo: N. Kasraeean

The Travellers and the Plane-Tree

Aesop's Fablesby Aesop


Two Travellers were walking along a bare and dusty road in the heat of a summer's day. Coming presently to a Plane-tree, they joyfully turned aside to shelter from the burning rays of the sun in the deep shade of its spreading branches. As they rested, looking up into the tree, one of them remarked to his companion, "What a useless tree the Plane is! It bears no fruit and is of no service to man at all." The Plane-tree interrupted him with indignation. "You ungrateful creature!" it cried: "you come and take shelter under me from the scorching sun, and then, in the very act of enjoying the cool shade of my foliage, you abuse me and call me good for nothing!"— Many a service is met with ingratitude.

Chenar-e Emamzadeh Saleh
























Thehran, Tajrish, drawn in 1887


In 1881, Ms. Dieulafoy was much impressed by a colossal, odd-looking Oriental Plane in “Tajreesh” masque. in northern Tehran.

Its circumference reached “nearly fifteen meter”, shaded the activities of a great many people. Including a primary school master and his classes, and a Ghahve-chi (tea-shop keeper) who had installed his Samavar and his paraphernalia inside the hollow trunk in tree base.

H.Rawlinson said that in “Tajreesh”, … he measured a great Chenar which had a girth of 108 feet at 5 feet from the ground.