According to the Bible, Esther was a Jewish queen of the Persian king Ahasuerus. While Ahasuerus was traditionally identified with Xerxes I during the time of the Achaemenid empire, many historians now believe that Esther was the queen of Persia during the time of the Sassanid empire. Her story is the basis for the celebration of Purim in Jewish tradition.

Conform Bibliei evreica Estera a fost soţia regelui persan Xerxes I, din perioada Ahemenizilor (Ahashverus). Mulţi istorici cred că ea a fost regina Persiei în vremea Imperiului Sassanid. Povestea ei este baza sărbătorii Purim în tradiţia evreiască.

A building known as Mausoleum of Esther and Mordechai is located in Hamadan. The present building of this mausoleum, which is visited by Jewish pilgrims from all over the world, has nothing to speak about from the architectural point of view. Under its simple brick dome there are two graves with some Hebrew inscription up on the plaster work of the wall. Two exquisite wooden tomb-boxes are also to be seen, one of which is of an earlier date and bears an inscription in Hebrew

La Hamadan există o construcţie cunoscută sub numele de Mausoleul Esterei şi al lui Mordechai. Vizitată de evreii din lumea întreagă, nu are nimic spectaculos din punct de vedere arhitectonic. Sub un dom de cărămidă sunt două sarcofage din lemn preţios sculptate având inscripţii ebraice, precum şi câteva inscripţii de stuc pe pereţi.

The original structure dates to the 7th Century A. H. (14th Century A.D) and it might have been erected over other and more ancient tombs. The exterior form of this mausoleum, built of brick and stone, resembles Islamic constructions, and the monument consists of an entrance, a vestibule, a sanctuary and a Shah-ni-shin (King's sitting place).

Construcţia datează din secolul XIV şi probabil a fost ridicată peste un mormânt mai vechi. Forma exterioară a mausoleului construit din cărămidă şi piatră se aseamănă cu monumentele islamice, iar complexul este format din anticameră, vestibul, sanctuar şi tronul regal

Andrea del Castagno - Queen Esther c. 1450. Detached fresco. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy.

Haman was the most powerful man in the kingdom besides the king. He was an evil man who hated the Jewish people and plotted to have them killed.

Haman, primul ministru, era cel mai important om din regat în afară de rege. Era un om rău, care-i ura pe evrei şi plănuia să-i ucidă

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn – Haman Begging Esther for Mercy. Museum of Fine Arts, Bucharest

Esther Window (detail); French gothic glass painter; 1240s. Stained glass window; Sainte-Chapelle, Paris

Théodore Chassériau – Toilette de Esther 1841. Louvre Museum

Edwin Longsden Long.Queen Esther (1878), National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.

Jacopo del Sellajo - Couronnement d Esther. Paris, Louvre. (XV)

Mordecai persuaded Esther to go to the king and plead for the lives of the Jewish people.

Mordecai a convins-o pe Estera să meargă la rege şi să pledeze pentru salvarea vieţii poporului evreu

Aert de Gelder (1645-1727) – Esther and Mordechai, RISD Museum of Art, Providence Rhode Island

Aert de Gelder (1645-1727) – Esther and Mordechai, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

Aert de Gelder (1645-1727) – Esther and Mordechai. National Museum of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires

Aert de Gelder – The Jewish Bride (Esther Bedecked) 1684 - Alte Pinakothek in Munich

Marc Chagall, Esther, lithographs 1960 drawings for the bible

Marc Chagall, ''Ahasuerus Sends Vashti Away'' Drawings for the Bible, 1960

Queen Esther, by Minerva Kohlhepp Teichert, 1939, Collection of Betty Curtis and William Lee Stokes

1950-New-Canaan Book of Esther QueenSalvador Dali. Esther becomes queen 1964

Hesdin of Amiens c1450 illumination Queen Esther Rae Chichilnitsky

She could be killed for going before him when she hadn't been called. But she was brave and went to see the king.

Ea ar fi putut fi ucisă dacă se înfăţişa regelui fără să fi fost chemată. Dar a fost curajoasă şi s-a dus să-l vadă pe rege

Rembrandt. Esther preparing to intercede with Assuerus c. 1633 National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa

John Everett Millais. Esther. 1865. Private Collection

Francois Leon Benouville. Esther. 1844Private collection

Bernardo Cavallino. Esther in front of Ahasuerus, c.1645-50. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, ItalyVictoria and Albert Museum London – Tapestry . Esther hearing of Haman's plot

Artus Wolfaerts. Esther's toilet in the harem of Ahasuerus ca.1620. V&A Museum, London

Jean François de Troy.The Toilet of Esther, 1738Musée du Louvre, Paris, France

Peter Paul Rubens, 1620 Esther Before Ahasuerus Vienna, Akademie

Peter Paul Rubens, 1620 Esther Before Ahasuerus Institute of Art Gallery, London Antoine Caron (1521–1599) ESTHER INVITE LE ROI

Jacopo TINTORETTO.Esther and King Ahasuerus; c; 1560; Museo del Prado, Madrid

Pompeo Girolamo Batoni (1708 – 1787) Esther before Ahasuerus. Philadelphia Museum of Art

Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1651). Esther before Ahasuerus. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Jacopo TINTORETTO. Esther before Ahasuerus1547-48. Royal Collection, Windsor

Francesco Caucig (1755-1828) Esther before Ahasuerus 1815. Bayly Art Museum of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville

Paolo Veronese,The Fainting of Esther, Musée du Louvre

Nicolas Poussin Esther before Assuerus. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Antoine COYPEL, The Swooning of Esther c. 1704. Musée du Louvre, Paris.

She invited him and the evil man, Haman, to a banquet. During the meal, she revealed the plot against the Jews and accused Haman.

Estera i-a invitat pe rege şi pe Haman la un banchet. În timpul mesei a dezvăluit complotul împotriva evreilor şi l-a acuzat pe Haman

Jan Lievens (1607 - 1674).The Feast of Esther, painted c. 1625. North Carolina Museum of Art

Paul Gustave Doré (1832 – 1883)

Edward Armitage (1817-1896). The Festival of Esther, 1865Royal Academy of Arts Collections

Ernest Normand (1859-1923).Esther denouncing Haman, c. 1915

Antoine Caron (1521–1599) LE BANQUET D’ASSUERUSFrans II Francken (1581-1642) Feast of Esther. National Gallery, Prague

Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn Esther is introduced to Ahasuerus, 1655 Aert de Gelder. Banquet of Ahasuerus c1680. The Getty Museum. Los Angeles

Rembrandt van Rijn. Ahasuerus (Xerxes), Haman and Esther.Pushkin Museum

Jan Victors (1619-1676) The Banquet of Esther and Ahasuerus. Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel

Paolo Veronese-San Sebastiano, VeniceEsther Crowned by Ahasuerus.

Valentin Lefevre.Esther before Ahasuerus. 1675. Hermitage St. Petersburg

Jan Victors Esther and Haman before Ahasuerus. Cologne: Wallraf-Richartz Museum.

Filippino Lippi.1475 Three Scenes from the Story of Esther: Mardochus Laments; Esther Faints Before Assuerus; Haman Implores Her Grace in Vain. Louvre, Paris

Filippino Lippi.Esther at the Palace Gate.1475-1480.National Gallery of Canada

Michelangelo. Punishment of Haman. Sistine Chapel, Vatican

Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai, and the Jews were allowed to defend themselves. Mordecai was honored.

Haman a fost spânzurat chiar pe spânzurătoarea pe care o pregătitse pentru Mordecai iar evreilor li s-a permis să se apere. Triumful lui Mordecai a fost sărbătorit

Michelangelo. Punishment of Haman. Sistine Chapel, Vatican

Paolo Veronese 1556 The Triumph of Mordecai

Pieter Pietersz Lastman The Triumph of Mordecai, 1624. Museum het Rembrandthuis, Amsterdam

Lilian Broca. Surreptitious Dialogue, 2007

Sound: Michel Chevalier - My yiddishe momme

Iran

Text : Internet Pictures: Internet Sanda Foişoreanu Nicoleta LeuArangement: Sanda Foişoreanuhttp://www.authorstream.com/User-Presentations/michaelasanda/www.slideshare.net/michaelasanda