There's more to Iran than just their famous soccer stars, rich teens and tasty delicacies. Once you've discovered these fascinating facts, you'll never look at Iran in the same way again!
There's so much more to the place than just mosques and women in stylish hijabs. Bursting with history and culture and fascinating customs and traditions, it very interestingly sets itself apart from other nations.
1. Iranian Taste Buds
Iranian dishes are full of flavorsome fresh ingredients. When visiting, you can expect a delicious hit between Greek, Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine, with dishes a little more varied than Greek and less spicy than Indian.
The country just loves to eat fresh fruits and vegetables and varied nuts and grains. Iranians are a huge fan of sheep, lamb and chicken dishes, usually accompanied by rice and unleavened or semi-leavened bread. Their most popular beverage is black tea.
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2. Ruled by the Youth
With one of the youngest populations worldwide, a staggering 70% of their 80 million person population is actually under 30 years old. The fact that they are entitled to vote as soon as they turn 15 years old contributes to the Iranian youth being the most politically active out of all 57 nations in the Islamic World.
Since 1997, the youth of Iran have also strongly influenced the country's political agenda. Following the 2009 presidential election, it was the youth of the nation that formed the largest "people power" movement for democratic change and they are still strongly holding the reins.
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3. Fascinating Meanings
It's an interesting fact that "Iran" translated into Persian means "Land of the Aryans". It originates from the term "Aryan" with strong ethnic attachments, however over time the reference has become more of a cultural, linguistic and religious way to describe the nationality.
Whilst on the subject of interesting definitions, did you know "Tehran" (the country's capital) translates as "warm slope"? This is actually not surprising as the weather can be incredibly harsh, with temperatures reaching a shocking 109 degrees Fahrenheit, that's 43 degrees Celsius!
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4. The Secret Symbol
The Star of David had been secretly nesting on the rooftop of the capital's International Airport for more than 30 years until it was discovered by the innovation of Google Earth back in 2001.
Although just an outline of the symbol remained on the bare roof by this time, as soon as it was spotted, the Iranian government insisted upon its complete removal.
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5. Flying Carpets?
With their elaborate designs and craftsmanship, it's hard to believe that the intriguing carpets of Iran cannot possess their fairytale ability to fly! Their exotic rugs come in second after oil, their largest export commodity. Did you know the country has been weaving rugs for more than a whopping 2,500 years?
Iranian rugs and carpets are famous around the world for their exquisite designs and artistry. Based on the belief that only God can create something perfect, the weavers include a deliberate flaw on all their pieces, which are considered to be unique and highly valued.
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6. A Respectful Ritual
On every street in Iran, the concept of "meeting together" or "Taarof" is very evident. It demonstrates respectful, welcoming and humble behavior towards other people and originally stems from the rich Iranian culture.
Guests in Iran are treated with tremendous respect as part of the Taarof customs. Guests will not immediately accept something offered to them, in case it is seen as being almost destitute. Since both sides understand that, the offerer always presses the guest to accept the gesture. A guest may accept on the third try as it portrays the host's sincere insistence. As a guest of an Iranian family, it's normal, even if one is still hungry, to refrain from second helpings until the host insists at least three times.
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7. Persian Beauties
Persian Cats are famed for their beauty, having been around for a long time. Owing to their ice-cold habitats around the freezing Persian mountains, they are naturally endowed with beautiful long furry coats.
Persian cats were made popular in Europe by Italian traders nearly 400 years ago. People purchased them for their beauty and established them as as a status symbol, Even after centuries, the Persian cat remains a very popular pet around the world.
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8. National Holidays
Over the last three decades, Iran has been increasing the number of its annual national holidays. Whereas other countries have between 8 and 10 national holidays annually, Iran has about 25, making it the country with the highest number of official public holidays.
The births and deaths of several Shi’a Imams, as well as some other religious events, are commemorated in Iran as public holidays. Iran utilizes three different calendars simultaneously. The Gregorian, Solar Hijra and the Islamic lunar calendars. The holidays are based on the lunar calendar and need a learned cleric to calculate and express them for the local people.
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9. Yummy Yogurt
Because of its multi-nutrient and medicinal properties, Iranians are extremely fond of yogurt, which they call “Persian Milk”. They include it in almost every food dish they prepare as well as utilizing it in many other ways too, making it one of the most indispensable items in the country.
For Iranians, yogurt is not only the panacea for so many ailments and illnesses, such as coughs, drowsiness, sunburn, and ulcers, but it's also used in face masks to enhance beauty. They believe it's a life enhancer if not a life prolonger.
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10. The Mammoth Rug
The Abu Dhabi mosque in the United Arab Emirates features the largest, most beautiful hand-woven carpet in the world. Being larger than a soccer field, this gigantic masterpiece was hand-woven in Iran in 2007.
Created of nine panels, it was assembled together as a single carpet inside the mosque, measuring 5,630 m². It was actually much larger, but parts of it had to be trimmed down to tailor it precisely to fit the floor of the mosque.
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11. Official Name
In 1935, on the Iranian New Year Day (Nowruz), the incumbent Shah of Iran, Reza Shah Pahlavi, announced the change of the country's name to Iran from Persia and asked its people to refer to their country as Iran.
The Iranian monarchy was overthrown in 1979 by the Iranian Revolution. Headed by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and his religious clerics, they renamed the country the Islamic Republic of Iran.
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12. The Rich Teens
"The Rich Kids of Tehran" are pretty much as free and independent, sporting fast cars and modern designer clothing, like other teenagers in the exclusive areas of the world like Beverly Hills. They are also technically as suave in the use of technology and social media, especially Instagram, although the local laws actually state that they are forbidden.
It seems a blind eye is turned to their huge parties where illegal alcohol flows in abundance and their lavish lifestyles are sported on government banned social media sites. Obviously, they own secret VPNs for the purpose.
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13. Internet Laws
Social media sites are banned in Iran and are not accessible on the Irani national Internet, a state-controlled private Intranet network, established in 2012 for its citizens. However as users use private VPNs, they are quite familiar with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram as well as other lesser-known social media sites.
To achieve high speed and high quality connections at a lower cost, Iran’s communications and information technology minister proudly proclaimed the completion of the first phase of the national Internet at its inauguration ceremony.
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14. Soccer Mania
Soccer is loved and supported by all Iranians, irrespective of their gender. Women sport their hijabs when playing soccer. Iranians are world-class players, their national men's team has won three Asian Cup titles apart from qualifying for the World Cup tournaments three times.
Iran began to take part in the Olympics in 1948. Except for 1980 and 1994, it has continued to take part in the summer games though, since 1956 it occasionally takes part in the winter games. However, an Iranian women’s soccer team was barred from participating in the 2012 Olympic qualifier game, based on the 2007 ban imposed on the hijab by FIFA, International Federation of Association Football.
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15. Paradise Exists
Did you know the word “paradise” derives from the word "Persia", meaning “enclosed garden”?
Yet of all the streams of their deeply diverse yet rich culture, such as their beautiful gardens and exquisite rugs and tapestry, Iranians appear to love poetry the best. Their most famous poems are the Shahnameh and The Epic of Kings and it's common to hear the Iranians reciting vast sections and lines of these centuries-old poems.
Yet of all the streams of their deeply diverse yet rich culture, such as their beautiful gardens and exquisite rugs and tapestry, Iranians appear to love poetry the best. Their most famous poems are the Shahnameh and The Epic of Kings and it's common to hear the Iranians reciting vast sections and lines of these centuries-old poems.
Many a modern poet, writer and novelist are revered and celebrated in Iran, consistent with their old likes centuries ago. Amongst the best historic poets of the world, Iranians stand tall, with names like Firdawsi, Hāfez and Sa’adī, to name but a few. It is no coincidence that some of the most heart-rendering poems in the history of the world were composed by Iranian poets. Perhaps its this depth of feelings within the heart, that has inspired their classical music to resonate with people all over the world.
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16. Fantastic Historical Sites
It is hardly surprising that as one of the oldest civilizations in the world, Iran should have a rich culture and evidence of its glorious past. A significant 23 UNESCO World Heritage sites are located in Iran alone! The country is proud of its monuments like Persepolis (Takht-e-Jamshid), the capital of the Achaemenid Empire.
Apart from Persepolis mentioned above, amongst the top 10 ancient sites in Iran are Meidan Emam, Golestan Palace, Bam, Pasargadae, Sheikh Safi al-din Khanegah and Shrine Ensemble in Ardabil, Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex, Soltaniyeh, Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System, and the Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran.
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17. Sitting Pretty
Families in Iran enjoy eating their meals together, traditionally seated altogether on pretty cushions on the floor.
Iranians consider their right hands to be pure and eat their food with their right hand rather than with cutlery. They allocate a place for the guest to sit with them. It's a good idea to come a bit hungry as you are expected to try a bit of each type of food that is served.
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18. Oil Galore
Situated in a region over-flowing with oil, Iran commands about 10 percent of the world's oil reserves and it can produce about four million barrels each day!
Near Iran, seven Arab countries form the Persian Gulf. These are Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Between them, they hold about 60 percent of all the world’s oil reserves. Iran however, is the fourth-largest oil producer in the world.
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19. Lots of Languages
Whilst most expect it to be Arabic, the official language of Iran is surprisingly Farsi, better known as Persian, which is also spoken in Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
Iran has several ethnic minorities, each having its own cultural traditions and speaking their own language. Seven other regional languages are also spoken in Iran, like Azerbaijani, Kurdish, Lori, Mazandarani, Gilaki, Balochi, and Arabic. All this can get quite confusing at times.
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20. The Endangered Cheetah
There are a rare but beautiful subspecies of the Asiatic Cheetah that has survived only in Iran, aptly called the Iranian Cheetah. The arid areas in the eastern-central region of Iran are home to it and its guarded and protected there.
As there was only about 50 Iranian Cheetah left in the world as of December 2017, the Iranian national football team wore its illustration on their official jerseys at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in support of bringing their plight to the attention of the world.
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21. A Religious Mix
In Iran, about 89 percent of the Iranians are Shia Muslims, while 9 percent Sunni Muslims, making Islam the dominant religion of the country.
The remaining 2 percent practice other religions like Christianity, Baha’i, Zoroastrianism, and Judaism. As ethnic groups the population is composed of Iranians (61%), Azeri, (16%), Kurds (10%), Lur (6%), Baloch (2%), Arabs (2%), Turkmen and Turkic tribes (2%).
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22. Tasty Dishes
Perhaps not universally known, Iran has significant amounts of rare commodities apart from oil. It's one of the largest producer of saffron, caviar, and pistachios in the world.
Caviar fishing is seen by the environmentalists as a major threat to the dwindling population of this fish even though it has a life span of a hundred years. They believe in the imposition of a full ban on fishing it. Iran controls about 50 percent of the profitable Caspian Sea caviar market.
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23. A Temporary Affair
Despite the strict restrictions many people may expect to see in some countries, Iran offers its people some surprising legal solutions. It's not necessary to commit to a marriage unto death. They allow a practice called Sigheh under which couples can enjoy a legal short term marriage.
Such marriages last as stipulated in the marriage contract, for a period as short as a few hours or as long as several years. They are often used by male pilgrims visiting holy shrines far away from home, as permitted under Sharia Law in certain Shia schools.
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24. An Alarming Phenomenon
The Iranian government has interestingly shown its concern for Iranians who cannot marry because they just can't afford to.
To encourage couples to wed, the government subsidizes the costs for couples who wish to have traditional Iranian weddings. An annual fund of $720 million has been set up to cover the costs. Couples are also put through an hour-long lecture on contraception just to obtain a marriage license.
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25. An Alarming Rate
The literacy rate has improved to 97 percent in Iran, climbing from 93 percent in 2015. However, tremendous progress has been made since the 1970's when it was around 37 percent!
Since 1979, the government replaced co-education with separate schools for boys and girls. Modern education systems were instituted with more focus on Islamic education.
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26. No Ties
Since the 1979 revolution, Iranians ditched what they considered to be a Western symbol, so even in job interviews neckties are surprisingly a very rare adornment of clothing.
That's not to say the Iranians don't look any the less smart. Islamic attire is considered as standard making everyone look similar to avoid having class and ethnic distinctions. Women and girls, including tourists, have to wear a hijab (head covering) in public places starting at the age of nine.
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27. Tehran Rocks
It may be surprising to some that Tehran comes top in its heavy metal scene. The increase of Iranian talent in the rock and blues scene has also been significant during the last three decades.
Iranians have developed a stronger taste for the more modern music to traditional and classical music. Pop, hip-hop, and jazz has become the favorite of many.
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28. The Volcanic Eruption
The summit crater of the Damavand mountain in Iran, which had last erupted about 7,300 years ago, has displayed signs of fumaroles, showing that its not dormant. Its a cause of concern as its only about 43 miles (70 km) from Tehran.
Integrated into Persian folklore and mythology, is not only the highest volcano in Asia but the highest peak in Iran, Damavand has become the symbol of Iranian strength against foreign enemies.
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29. Precious Gems
Safeguarded by the Treasury of National Jewels in Tehran, are Iran’s Imperial crown jewels. These are among the world's rarest and most expensive jewelry. They include 30 tiaras, detailed crowns, beautiful aigrettes, bejeweled shields and swords, gems, and precious dining sets.
The crown jewels have not been worn in public since the fall of the Pahlavi dynasty. However, they still serve to keep the country economically sound as they back the Iranian currency
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30. Acrobatic Moves
France introduced Parkour or PK and it became very popular in the late ’90s and early 2000s. It is a fast-moving military obstacle course training discipline based on the acrobatic movement that many Iranian people took to in a big way.
Special parks and clubs dedicated to Parkour were setup in Iran where young men and women could perform the daring obstacle courses doing flips and leaps. A great advantage of Parkour is that normal casual clothing is enough for players to wear as no particular equipment is actually needed.
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YUP, THAT WAS THE LAST ONE.
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