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This film will take you to one of the world’s most inaccessible countries, yet one of the most fascinating. For centuries, the Iranians have been extracting the most exquisite turquoises in our planet.
The mines are located in the east of the country, near the border with Afghanistan, where no foreigners can enter. It is near the town of Nishapur, in desert-like surroundings, that for the last four centuries these exquisite turquoises are extracted.
The men in the village of Firuze (Persian for turquoise) have from one generation to the next been digging in the mountains. In the endless tunnels the miners look for blue veins which pass through the dark rock. The older men sort out the stones on the floor of the mine and then store them in a well guarded room while waiting for their monthly auction held in the mine itself. Only known merchants who are genuine Iranians are admitted.
Turquoises purchased in this way fuel a sizeable artisanal crafts industry in the holy city of Mashad. In the bazaars the jewelers make large quantities of ornaments, in particular silver rings, studded with turquoise and worn by Muslim men following the advice of their prophet. According to Persian tradition, wearing a turquoise keeps away the evil eye and is a protection against enemies.
The Turquoise Route was established long ago. In the treasury vaults of Suse and Persepolis, archeologists discovered large quantities of jewelry adorned with this blue stone; however, the world’s largest known reserves of precious stones and jewels are hidden in the Treasury of the Shahs of Iran, in the depths of Melli Bank’s basements in Tehran. You will have the privilege of being immersed in this Treasury which has hardly ever been filmed.
At the Shah of Iran’s request, the Boucheron family helped in the Treasury’s restoration and its displays as we know them today. This story will be told to you in the film and will allow you to discover jeweler Boucheron’s contemporary turquoise creations.