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General information


Population : 81 milion people (18th in the World,9th in Asia)
Total Area : 1,648,195 km^2 (17th in the World,6th in Asia)
Official languages : Persian
Official currency : Rial(IRR)
Capital : Tehran
Population density : 48 people/km^2 (162nd in the World,38th in Asia)
Top 5 biggest cities : Tehran, Mashhad, Esfahan, Karaj, Shiraz

Iran is home to one of the world's oldest civilizations, beginning with the formation of the Elamite kingdoms in the fourth millennium BC. It was first unified by the Iranian Medes in the seventh century BC, and reached its greatest extent during the Achaemenid Empire founded by Cyrus the Great in the sixth century BC, stretching from Eastern Europe to the Indus Valley, becoming a larger empire than previously ever existed in the world. The Iranian realm fell to Alexander the Great in the fourth century BC, but reemerged shortly after as the Parthian Empire, followed by the Sasanian Empire, which became a leading world power for the next four centuries.

Arab Muslims conquered the empire in the seventh century AD, ultimately leading to the displacement of the indigenous faiths of Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism with Islam. Iran made major contributions to the Islamic Golden Age that followed, producing many influential figures in art and science. After two centuries, a period of various native Muslim dynasties began, which were later conquered by the Turks and the Mongols. The rise of the Safavids in the 15th century led to the reestablishment of a unified Iranian state and national identity, which followed the country's conversion to Shia Islam, marking a turning point in Iranian and Muslim history.

By the 18th century, under Nader Shah, Iran briefly possessed what was arguably the most powerful empire at the time. The 19th-century conflicts with the Russian Empire led to significant territorial losses. Popular unrest culminated in the Constitutional Revolution of 1906, which established a constitutional monarchy and the country's first legislature. Following the coup of 1953 instigated by the United Kingdom and the United States, Iran gradually became closely aligned with the West, and grew increasingly autocratic. Growing dissent against foreign influence and political repression led to the 1979 Revolution, which followed the establishment of an Islamic republic, a political system which includes elements of a parliamentary democracy vetted and supervised by a theocracy governed by an autocratic "Supreme Leader". During the 1980s, the country was engaged in a war with Iraq, which lasted for almost nine years and resulted in a high number of casualties and financial loss for both sides.

Iran is divided into five regions with thirty one provinces (ostān), each governed by an appointed governor (ostāndār). The provinces are divided into counties (šahrestān), and subdivided into districts (baxš) and sub-districts (dehestān).








National sport : Freestyle Wrestling

Football



National animals : Asiatic/Persian Lion (Panthera leo persica)

Persian cat (Felis catus)



National plant: Tulip (Tulipa spp.)




National instruments: Tar







The significance of the 21st of March

I will start with the following, there are 2 important dates in Iran to celebrate. The 11th february and the 21st of march. I will start with the info about 21st of March:

Nowruz is the name of the Iranian New Year, also known as the Persian New Year, which is celebrated worldwide by Iranians, along with some other ethno-linguistic groups, as the beginning of the New Year. The Shahnameh dates Nowruz as far back to the reign of Jamshid, who in Zoroastrian texts saved mankind from a killer winter that was destined to kill every living creature.

Jamshid, the mythical Iranian king, perhaps symbolizes the transition of the Proto-Iranians from animal hunting to animal husbandry and a more settled life in human history. In the Shahnameh and Iranian mythology, he is credited with the foundation of Nowruz. The book reads that Jamshid constructed a throne studded with gems. He had demons raise him above the earth into the heavens; there he sat on his throne like the sun shining in the sky. The world's creatures gathered in wonder about him and the scattered jewels around him, and called this day the New Day (Now Ruz). This was the first day of Farvardin, which is the first month of the Iranian calendar.

For this event iranians decorate a table named as Haftsin with the next 7 items: Seeb (apple), represents beauty, Seer (garlic), represents good health, Serkeh (vinegar), represents patience, Sonbol (hyacinth), represents spring, Samanu (sweet pudding), represents fertility, Sabzeh (sprouts), represents rebirth, Sekeh (coins), represents prosperity.


Now let’s get to the second date, 11 february: The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty under Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, who was supported by the United States, and eventual replacement of 2,500 years of continuous Persian monarchy with an Islamic Republic under the Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the revolution, supported by a wide range of people including various Islamist and leftist organizations and student movements.





I will now present, to the best of my abilities (since I am not a theologian), the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism, which started in Iran and played a huge role in the pre-Islamic Iranian Empires.


Zoroastrianism (Mazdayasna) is one of the world’s oldest extant religions, founded by the prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra).While it may be much older, the religion entered recorded history in the 5th century BC, and was the state religion of the pre-Islamic Iranian Empires: the Achaemenid Empire, the Parthian (Arsacid) Empire and the Sassanian Empire. The religion still survives to this day in Iran and India, with the number of Zoroastrians being around 190,000.

The Supreme Being of the religion is the deity of Wisdom, Ahura Mazda is the all-good father of truth and justice. No evil originates from him, and worship of him is conducted through the worship of the Amesha Spentas, six divine entities that each stand for certain virtues :
Vohu Manah : Intelligence

Asha Vahishta : Truth and Justice

Khshathra Vairya : Righteous Power

Spenta Armaiti : Holy Devotion

Haurvatat : Wholeness and Health

Ameretat : Immortality

Because of the presence of these Amesha Spentas, Zoroastrianism is considered to not be entirely monotheistic.

Others consider them as various personas of Ahura Mazda, thus advocating true monotheism. There is a 7th spirit, called Spenta Mainyu, (Bountiful Spirit) who represents the act of creation and immanent form of the trascendental Ahura Mazda. (immanent meaning in the material world, and trascendental being outside of the material world)


While Ahura Mazda is almighty, he is not omnipotent. His creations are considered to represent order (Asha) , in opposition to chaos (Druj) . Chaos is represented in Zoroastrian tradition by Angra Mainyu, the destructive spirit, whose immanent form is Ahriman.

This duality of good vs. evil is central to the Zoroastrian worldview. Humans are considered to have free will and are thus responsible for the consequences of their actions. Salvation is achieved by making the right choices, in accordance with the forces of order (Asha).


As far as what happens after death, there are conflicting accounts. What is sure to be believed is that the soul stays on Earth for 3 days, during which time prayers are said to ensure good passage into the spirit realm. In the spirit realm, the soul arrives at the allegorical Chinvat Bridge.

Here, the soul encounters a maiden, whose appearance varies on the person’s actions during life, being either a beautiful maiden or an old hag.

This is where the conflicting reports arise. On one hand, it is said that when the soul recognizes why the maiden looks the way she does, he will either pass into the afterlife, in the good case, or return to Earth to learn more about his actions, in the bad case. This shows a belief in reincarnation.

The other report, which is more widely recognized, is that after meeting the maiden, the soul is faced by a heavenly tribunal, who judge him, and send him either to Vahishta Ahu (The Excellent Abode) , or Achista Ahu (The Worst Existence).

The most important texts of the religion are those of the Avesta, which includes the writings of Zoroaster known as the Gathas, enigmatic poems that define the religion's precepts, and the Yasna, the scripture. These are written in an Old Iranian dialect called Avestan.

Zoroastrian places of worship are called Fire Temples. In them an eternal flame is kept burning with sandalwood and frankincense. The first fire to be lit upon an altar is said to have been brought down from heaven by Zoroaster with a rod.

Fire is a very important symbol in the religion, symbolizing Ahura Mazda himself, who is characterized as full of luster and glory, and thus, all luminous things are ascribed to him: the sun, the stars, light, and especially fire.

As far as burial practices are concerned, Zoroastrians put great importance on not defiling the creations of Ahura Mazda.Thus,traditionally, burial and cremation were not practiced. Instead, bodies would be taken to a dakhma (tower of silence) , where they would be laid out and eaten over time by carrion birds, such as vultures.







Top 5 visited places by tourists


Esfahan


*Khaju Bridge


*Vank Armenian Cathedral




*Naqsh-e Jahan Square



Gilded with the riches of more kings and sultans and Muslim caliphs than you can shake a cobalt-blue ceramic pot from a Zagros Mountain village at, the glorious city of Esfahan is unquestionably one of the most beautiful in all of Iran.
Its heart is dominated by the colossal Naqsh-e Jahan Square; a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s ringed by ceramic-fronted mosques and gorgeous Safavid palaces.
Elsewhere and babbling fountains give way to tree-dotted avenues, legendary madrassahs pop up on the streets, and arabesque souks burst with multi-coloured stacks of spices and tassel-fringed carpets from the east.






Shiraz

*Nasir al-Mulk Mosque


*Nasir al-Mulk Mosque



*Qor’an Gate


*Tomb of Hafez

Eulogized and eulogized over and over again by romantic poets and travelers, and revered as the birthplace of the great Persian wordsmiths Hafez and Sa’di, Shiraz is a city steeped in heritage and culture.
Visitors will be able to spot the great tombs of those writers nestled between the palm-dotted, flower-sprouting gardens of Afif abad and Eram, along with the intricate arabesque interiors of the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque and the 1,000-year-old Qor’an Gate.
Rather surprisingly, the town also lends its name to a popular strain of wine, and, despite the cascading vineyards of the Fars Province long since having dried up, it’s thought that some of the world’s earliest white tipples were produced here nearly seven millennia ago!



Tehran

*Azadi tower





Apart from the rugged wall of snow-tipped Alborz Mountains that rise like a phalanx on the northern edge of town, the place is largely dominated by concrete and packed with smog-creating traffic jams aplenty.
However, like it or loathe it, this sprawling metropolis is the epicentre of the country’s politics and economy, and that surely counts for something, right? Well, a lot actually.
Great monuments like the Azadi Tower have been raised here, while the glimmering wonders of the Treasury of the National Jewels and the mummified princes of the National Museum of Iran are just some of the awesome relics to see.
Add to that a clutch of stylish teahouses and coffee shops, frantic bazaars and youthful student energy, and Tehran really isn’t all that bad!







Yazd


*Amir Chakhmakh complex


The adobe warren of the Yazd old town is like something out of Arabian Nights.
Here and there, turrets gilded in intricate geometric designs loft above the mosque domes; the scents of incense and mint tea twist and turn from the cafes. Meanwhile, the middle of the city is dominated by mysterious Zoroastrian fire temples and the spiked minarets of the Shia hussainia that is the Amir Chakhmakh complex. And then there are the souks, where dust devils twirl between the cotton and silk emporiums, and shisha pipes puff in the background.





Persepolis
*Gates of all Nations



Great kings by the name of Cyrus, Darius and Xerxes all set foot between the sun-scorched streets of Persepolis once upon a time, for it was here, amidst the arid erstwhile vineyards of Shiraz and the babbling Pulvar River, that the mighty Persian Empire made its home from the 5th century to the 3rd century BC. Today, only traces of this once feared power in the east remain, with a clutch of looming marble columns and a couple of stele all that’s left to mark the great compound out amongst the rising hills of Rahmet Mountain.
Travelers can immerse themselves in the history, and even see the tomb of the revered king Darius I.









Top 3 locations suggested by the locals



Dasht-e Lut








The Lut Desert, widely referred to as Dasht-e Lut, is a large salt desert located in the provinces of Kerman and Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran. It is the world's 27th-largest desert, and was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List on July 17, 2016.


Persian Gulf beach










The Persian Gulf is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Indian Ocean (Gulf of Oman) through the Strait of Hormuz and lies between Iran to the northeast and the Arabian Peninsula to the southwest. The Shatt al-Arab river delta forms the northwest shoreline. Its lenght is 989 and in the pictures you can see the area between Bushehr and Bandar-abas presented by your own Hossein M.


Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests






So as you can see it, Iran has everything you want regarding nature. Just go towards north to see the majestic forests enjoyed by the local people.







Inventions Iran gave to the world!

*Human rightst!
*Cyrus the Great, 539 B.C.

In 539 B.C., the armies of Cyrus the Great, the first king of ancient Persia, conquered the city of Babylon. He freed the slaves, declared that all people had the right to choose their own religion, and established racial equality. These and other decrees were recorded on a baked-clay cylinder in the Akkadian language with cuneiform script.
Known today as the Cyrus Cylinder, this ancient record has now been recognized as the world’s first charter of human rights. It is translated into all six official languages of the United Nations and its provisions parallel the first four Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.





*The postal service!
*Created by Cyrus the Great and developed by Darius the Great , 500 B.C.



*Sulphuric acid!
*Zakariyyā al-Rāzī,around 880 AD.




*Alcohol!
*Zakaryia Razi near 880.



*Kerosene!
* Zakariyyā al-Rāzī, 9th century AD.












Famous people from Iran

Zoroaster - Zoroaster, also known as Zarathustra was an ancient Iranian-speaking prophet whose teachings and innovations on the religious traditions of ancient Iranian-speaking peoples developed into the religion of Zoroastrianism. He inaugurated a movement that eventually became the dominant religion in Ancient Persia. He was a native speaker of Old Avestan and lived in the eastern part of the Iranian Plateau, but his exact birthplace is uncertain.

(estimated to live in the interval between 1200-900 B.C. for 80 years)


Cyrus the Great - Cyrus II of Persia , commonly known as Cyrus the Great and also called Cyrus the Elder by the Greeks, was the founder of Achaemenid Empire, the first Persian Empire. Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much of Central Asia and the Caucasus. From the Mediterranean Sea and Hellespont in the west to the Indus River in the east, Cyrus the Great created the largest empire the world had yet seen. Under his successors, the empire eventually stretched at its maximum extent from parts of the Balkans (Bulgaria-Paeonia and Thrace-Macedonia) and Eastern Europeproper in the west, to the Indus Valley in the east.

Cyrus the Great respected the customs and religions of the lands he conquered. This became a very successful model for centralized administration and establishing a government working to the advantage and profit of its subjects. In fact, the administration of the empire through satraps and the vital principle of forming a government at Pasargadae were the works of Cyrus.

(600-530 B.C.)


Avicenna - was a Persian polymath who is regarded as one of the most significant physicians, astronomers, thinkers and writers of the Islamic Golden Age. He has been described as the father of early modern medicine. Of the 450 works he is known to have written, around 240 have survived, including 150 on philosophy and 40 on medicine.

(980-1037)



Rumi - Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī, also known as Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhīand more popularly simply as Rumi, was a 13th-century Persian Sunni Muslim poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic. Rumi's influence transcends national borders and ethnic divisions: Iranians, Tajiks, Turks, Greeks, Pashtuns, other Central Asian Muslims, and the Muslims of South Asia have greatly appreciated his spiritual legacy for the past seven centuries. His poems have been widely translated into many of the world's languages and transposed into various formats. Rumi has been described as the "most popular poet" and the "best selling poet" in the United States.

(1207-1273)


Mohammad Mosadegh - was an Iranian politician. He was the head of a democratically elected government, holding office as the Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 until 1953, when his government was overthrown in a coup d'état aided by the United States' Central Intelligence Agency and the United Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Service.
An author, administrator, lawyer, and prominent parliamentarian, his administration introduced a range of progressive social and political reforms such as social security and land reforms, including taxation of the rent on land. His government's most notable policy, however, was the nationalization of the Iranian oil industry, which had been under British control since 1913 through the Anglo-Persian Oil Company(APOC/AIOC) (later British Petroleum and BP).

(1882-1967)









Traditional food


Abgoosht (Dizi)



A stew made up of lamb and chickpeas with a tomato base. It is usually served in a stone dish called a dizi – hence the name.

Zereshk Polo Morgh



Rice dish usually made with saffron and barberries alongside a chicken and tomato stew. The barberries are a vibrant red and are sour to the taste, making the taste of this dish an interesting one.

Ghormeh Sabzi



The main ingredients are a mixture of sauteed herbs, consisting mainly of parsley, leeks or green onions, coriander, seasoned with the key spice of dried fenugreek leaves. The herb mixture has many variations; any dark bitter green can be used (kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, etc., all work, although none are part of the original recipe).


Fesenjan



Fesenjan is an iconic dish dating back to the Achaemenid Empire in 515 B.C. Made from walnuts, pomegranate paste and chicken or duck, it is common to spot it among the food often served at a wedding ceremony in Iran. At the ancient ruins of Persepolis, archaeologists discovered a tablet detailing the ingredients used to make Fesenjan, making it one of the oldest loved dishes.



Ash Reshteh



Hearty and delicious, this soup is made from chickpeas, beans, noodles and plenty of herbs.

Tahdig



Tahdig is the panfried layer of crust at the bottom of the rice pot and, in fact, it literally translates as "the bottom of the pot" in Persian. When made well, tahdig looks like a perfectly caramelized disk, and it can be detached from the pot and served whole, or broken into jagged, golden shards.

Khoresh Bademjan



Persian stew (khoresh) that is prepared with eggplants (bademjan), as well as lamb or beef and tomatoes. Like a number of stews in Iran, acidic ingredients like sour grapes (ghooreh) or dried limes (limoo amani) are added to the dish to create an unique blend of flavors.


Traditional desserts

Faloodeh shirazi



These semi-frozen vermicelli noodles are bathed in a rosewater syrup and then served with lime juice and/or sour cherry syrup.

Bastani Akbar Mashti



This is a delicious combo of saffron vanilla ice cream, rosewater and pistachios.Delicious on its own, but usually served between two wafers.

Iranian Halva



Iranian halva differs from other Middle Eastern versions. Wheat flour is slowly toasted in oil or butter with sugar, rosewater, and saffron. This dense paste is then decorated with slivered almonds and pistachios.

Zulbia&Bamiyeh



Similar to Turkish and Armenian tulumba, these deep fried doughnuts are then soaked in a rosewater and saffron syrup. Zulbia are arranged like a web and bamiyeh are arranged like churros. These desserts are especially popular during Ramadan.

Traditional drinks

Sekanjabin



One of the oldest Iranian drinks, this beverage is made from water,honey/sugar, white vinegar, mint, lime rind and sometimes, cucumbers.

Sharbat-e Khakshi



This drink is based on sharbat, which is made from fruits or flower petals.This is then diluted in water and then the ingredients are added.These can be many types of seeds (flixweed, basil, chia) , rosewater, lemon,orange etc. Khakshi are flixweed seeds.





Interesting facts about Iran


1.The Persian Gulf holds 60% of the world’s oil reserves. Iran alone has reserves of 125 billion barrels of oil, or 10% of the world’s total reserves. Iran pumps nearly 4 million barrels of oil each day.
2.Only one river in Iran, the Karun, may be navigated by boat, and then only for short distances.
3.Iran is one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations, with settlements dating back to 4000 B.C.
4.After oil, Iran’s second largest export commodity is carpets.
5.Persian culture is famous for beautiful poetry, luxurious rugs, and lush gardens. In fact, the English word “paradise” comes from a Persian word meaning “enclosed garden.”
6.Iran is one of the world’s largest producers of caviar, pistachios, and saffron.
7.Iran has over one million foreign refugees, more than any other country on earth. Most of the refugees are from Afghanistan or are Iraqi Kurds. Consequently, Iran has acquired a large workforce willing to do manual labor for the lowest wages.
8.The Shah-En-Shah monument was erected in 1971 to celebrate the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian Empire. The name has since been changed to the Azadi Monument, which means “freedom” in the Farsi language.
9.The Persian cat is one of the world’s oldest breeds. They originated in the high plateaus of Iran where their long silky fur protected them from the cold. Italian traders brought the breed to Europe in the 17th century, where they became an exotic status symbol.
10.Polygamy is legal in Iran, and men can marry up to four wives. Once married, a girl can no longer go to high school. The marriage age of girls is currently 13, up from 9 years old after the Revolution. Boys may marry at 15, the legal age Iranians can vote.






My 5 words when I hear about Iran:
#Zoroastrianism,#Persia,#Saffron,#Deserts,#Empire

What are your 5?





Special thanks to the iranian comunity which you can see below and a message from them:



I leave you with a Iran meme:




Waiting for feedback , comments , opinions and if there is anyone that thinks I missed something , I could do something better or just wants to help me with this project , PM me !

Special thanks to Kariky for the spacers !!




Hope you enjoyed and see you next time!

P.S. Article 42/74!







P.S.2. Don't forget to push the flags !