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Getting Started

This guide walks through the interface and how to explore the map.

Opening Chekameh

Visit chekameh.xyz in a current version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge. The site works on mobile, but a desktop or tablet in landscape gives more room for the map and panels.

The interface

The header shows the project title on the left and the current era — its name, date range, and a time slider — on the right.

The map itself uses color to show the Persian cultural sphere during the selected era, with markers for cities that had active poets at that time. Larger, bolder markers indicate major literary centers; smaller markers indicate cities with a more limited presence.

Navigation: click and drag to pan, scroll or use the on-map buttons to zoom, and use the reset button to return to the default view.

Using the time slider

The slider moves between six historical eras, from the Samanid period (875 CE) through the Safavid period (ending 1736 CE) — see the full list of eras. Moving the slider updates the map's borders, the cities shown, and the poets available in each city.

Exploring cities, poets, and works

Click a city marker to open a panel listing the poets active there during the current era. Click a poet to see their biography and a list of major works. Click a work to read an excerpt, often with an English translation alongside the original Persian.

Use the back arrow to return to the previous panel, or the close button to dismiss it entirely.

Using the chatbot

The chatbot, available via the chat icon, answers natural-language questions about poets, eras, and Persian literary history — for example:

  • "Who was Hafez and what is he known for?"
  • "What's the difference between a ghazal and a qasida?"
  • "Which city was a center of poetry during the Ilkhanate era?"

Follow-up questions work too, building on earlier answers.

Tips for exploring

  • Start at the Samanid era and move forward chronologically to follow how literary centers shifted over time.
  • Watch for poets and cities that appear across multiple eras — they indicate sustained literary activity.
  • Zoom out for an overview of the Persian cultural sphere, and zoom in to read city labels in dense regions.

Getting help