Pre-Islamic icons symbolize Iran's confused present

Before the mullahs took charge in 1979, the dry cleaner was named Persepolis, the capital of the Persian Empire. That had the whiff of nationalism and the dry cleaner suddenly became the namesake of a revered cleric. The window today is an unreconciled collage where the names of Persepolis and the cleric coexist above a painting of spear tips and Achaemenian warriors.

There are few avenues for defiance in this Shiite Muslim nation, but one of them is in the past, where the emblems, folklore and images of old Persia mingle in quiet protest against the mullahs. The pre-Islamic era, as it is called here, is alive in jewelry, architecture, decals, books, videos and websites that feature Cyrus the Great and gold-horned bulls.

"Our nation is not producing any new ideas or any new concepts," said Baharak Keshani, an architect. "So what happens? Powerless minds imitate and we look back to the pre- Islamic times. We go to our history because the present is not glorious. The need to go back is a mixture of national pride and mysticism."

Fascination with the pre- Islamic has run in trends since the 1979 revolution. Religious leaders first tried to blot out a past that was embraced by the man they overthrew, Mohammed Reza Shah. But the government soon realized the deep appeal of Persian identity and now occasionally co-opts the past to fuel tourism and rally national pride.

Unemployment, high inflation, political oppression and a distrust many Iranians have for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have stoked reflections on bygone centuries. And those who can afford it, such as the middle class in Tehran's northern suburbs, have decorated the facades of their homes with nods to the ancient Persian style: carved columns, mythical horses and the visages of kings.

"It's a psychological reaction to the Islamic regime," said Naser Shahbazi, a drama teacher and a bookseller, who sat in a narrow shop of cracked bindings and dust. "Many Iranians hate the regime, but they're scared. The pre-Islamic motif is the least dangerous way to express yourself. This fashion will linger for a while and be replaced by something else.