Iran- Facts and Features

People:

Originally, Iranian people are associated with the great Indo European family.
The Greeks when occupied our country, gave the name of Persia to Iran. The origin of the name "IRAN" comes from "Aryana" the country of Aryans.

Language:

The Persian language or "Farsi" that is official from Indo-Euopean origin.
Arabic, Kurdish, Turkish, Armenian are also spoken in many parts of Iran.

Religion:

Islam is the primary religion of Iran. Islam is divided into two groups who were followers of Mohammad the prophet( S.A.). Those who follow Imam Ali( A.S.), a cousin and son-in-law of the prophet, believe that Imam Ali is the first successor of the prophet and they are called "Shias"( mostly resident in Iran and Iraq). The second group "sunni's" believe that Abubackr is the first successor to the prophet. Sunni's form the great majority of Muslims in the world. Groups of Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, Armenians and Asyrians are the religious minorities of Iran.

Art and Literature:

Iran's art and culture has begun with its history. Avesta, whose oldest chapters contain syllabic poems, stands out as an authentic document for the Iranian literature. In the course of the history, Iranian have always picked the arts and culture of their neighboring atates to reinforce their own. The 2500-year old carvings and architecture of Persepolis, Naghsh-r-Rostam and Pasargadae is a token of the authenticity of Iranian art. The urban designing and architecture of the Sassanidae era had a lot of unique characteristics which stand out in the world, including dome-shaped ceilings, and application of stone and mortar as construction material. The decorations of the Sassanidae including pottery, silverware, goldenware and other earthware are also known in the world. After the emergence of Islam, the Iranian architecture, literature and fine arts( including pottery, tile-work, carpet-waeving, glassblowing, waeving, painting and miniature) intertwined with the Islamic concepts and introduced Iran as a major artistic and cultural centre to the Muslim world. The represtations of such a brilliant culture ould be seen in Isfahan, Fars, Khorassan, Azarbaijan, Khuzestan, etc. The renowned western orientalists, art critics, poets and thinkers all have confirmed the authenticity and antiquity of Iranian art, architecture and culture. Unlike foreign artists, the Iranian craftsmen, based on an old psychological tradition, did not print or sign their initials on their works, whether painting, calligraphy or work of architecture. The people of the world will never forget the names of talented Iranian architects who set up marvelous mosques in Isfahan, or those who cut out giant tablets and made big wall paintings. The French thinker, Henri Corbonne, who conducted deep studies to learn about Iranian philosophy, religion and art, pins great significanceto the architecture and tile-work of religion centres. He also went so far as to describe Isfahan as a city brimming with spirituality, and called it an instance of emblematique.
Iranian literature, notably poetry, has a unique position in the world. Nowadays, the Iranian epic poet, Ferdowsi; the philosopher, mathematician and poet, Khayyam; lyric poet Hafiz; Sanaii, Sa'adi and many others are globally famous.

The calendar:

Iranian follow a solar calendar year of their own. But the date of prophet Mohammad's ( S.A.) immigration from Mecca to Medina in 622 A.D., formed the second calendar of Iran as Hejira. The religious holidays of Iran in a solar year vary from year to year. Because the religious events are dated by the lunar calendar. The solar year begins with Farvardin, which is the beginning of spring. Other eleven months are: Ordibehesht(2), Khordad(3), Tir(4), Mordad(5), Shahrivar(6), Mehr(7), Aban(8), Azar(9), Day(10), Bahman(11) and Esfand(12).
However the important holidays are as follows:
-New year(1-5 Farvardin)
-Farvardin 12
-Farvardin 13
-Khordad 15
-Bahman 22
-Esfand 29

Religious holidays whose dates change from year to year in the solar calendar:

Martyrdom of Imamreza( AS), Eid-al-adha, Eid-al-Ghadir, Tasooa and Ashoora( the mourning ceremonies for martyred Imam Hossein AS), Arbaeen( the fortieth day of martyrdom), demise of the Islam prophet and his grandson Imam Hassan( AS), birthday of Imam Mahdi, the martyrdom of Imam Ali( AS), Eid-ul-Fitr, and the martyrdom of Imam Ja'far Sadegh( AS).

The Currency:

The Iranian currency is the Rial. 10, 20, 50, 100 and 250 Rials silver-ally coins are in circulation as well as Bank Notes in value of 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 and 10000 Rials. In current dealings, Iranians frequently use an ancient and more convenient currency, the "Toman" worth ten Rials in their circulations.

Time:

Tehran's time is three and half hours ahead of GMT and the time at capital is universally set across the country. Working hours for government offices, banks and public buildings are from 7:30 or 8:00 A.M. to 3:30 or 4:00 P.M., allowing one hour for lunch and prayer time. Post office, museums, stores, shops and bazaar stay open very late. Mosques are usually open to Non-Moslem tourists after official prayer times. Friday is a holiday devoted to prayers and rest. Business and government offices are closed.

Sports:

There are a lot of sports activities customary in Iran. But because of ancient chivalry traditions, wrestling has a prominent status among the Iranian nation. Iranian wrestlers have always won international titles. Soccer is also very popular in Iran. Of the other facilities of sport available to the interested are tennis court, swimming pool, ski piste and many others. Owing to the climate variety of Iran, the interested athletes may do winter sports in northern parts of the country and at the same time fly to southern Iran and do summer sports such as water ski, swimming or diving on the beaches of Kish island. Fishing is also possible at most Iranian rivers. the golden trout of Iran is globally famous.

Iranian Cuisine:

The ingredients of Iranian dishes are mainly rice, various vegetables, cereals and meat. The most famous of national Iranian dishes are Chelo Kabab ( Kabab with rice), chicken, pot-au-feu and soup. The sea foods are mostly prepared with fish in the northern parts and shrimp in southern areas of the country. the western dishes, including steak, beef, spaghetti, and a variety of pizzas, are available at Iranian restaurants and hotels. The specialties of some restaurants are Chelo Kabab and chicken.

Iran's Souvenirs:

Handicrafts are the main souvenir of the Islamic Republic of Iran. the most important of all are: rug, carpet, gilim, woodworks including incrustation and embossment, metalworks such as carving on silver, copper and gold, potteries, various glasses, cloths woven in different places and in different forms including crocheting, brocaded silk, fur cloak, leather products, agate, turquoise, etc.

The famous foods of Iran are caviar and saffron, varieties of dates, dried fruits such as pistachio, walnut, and raisin. Spice too can be considered a good gift of Iran.