The demography of Iran is as diverse and complex as the geography. As of 2001, Iran was estimated to have 66,128,965 inhabitants, which would make it the sixteenth largest country in the world in terms of population. At first glance, this might suggest a fairly low density of population: Turkey, for example, has almost exactly […]
Nasir ol Molk Mosque The Nasir ol Molk Mosque (Persian: Masjed e Nasir ol Molk), also known as the Pink Mosque, is a traditional mosque in Shiraz, Iran. It is located at the district of Gowad-e-Arabān, near Šāh Čerāq Mosque. The mosque includes extensive colored glass in its facade, and displays other traditional elements such […]
Geography obviously has a significant impact on the development of society and culture anywhere in the world, but its effect is particularly dramatic in a country like Iran. It severely limits where people can live, makes transportation and communications between different areas of the country difficult, and has greatly affected the kinds of lifestyles that […]
National Museum of Iran (Iran Bastan Museum) The National Museum of Iran (Persian: Muze ye Melli ye Irān) is located in Tehran, Iran, near Imam Square or Grand Bazaar. It is an institution formed of two complexes, including the Museum of Ancient Iran (Muze ye Irān e Bāstān) which was inaugurated in 1937, and […]
Although poetry still holds an important place in the creative literature of contemporary Iran, it has in recent years come to be rivaled in popularity and importance by prose fiction—the novel, the novella, and especially the short story. The rise of these genres represents a considerable innovation in the nature of Persian literature; it refl […]
A vast amount of Persian prose literature, in fields ranging from history to philosophy, was produced during the pre-modern period. This prose literature Literature 69 certainly has its value, and much of it is in print and read by Iranians today. However, it is fair to say that it is mostly of interest to specialists […]
Golestan Palace literally the Roseland Palace, is the former royal Qajar complex in Iran’s capital city, Tehran. The oldest of the historic monuments in Tehran, and of world heritage status, the Golestan Palace belongs to a group of royal buildings that were once enclosed within the mud-thatched walls of Tehran’s Historic Arg (citadel). Sa’dabad Palace […]
Naqsh-e Jahan Square Naqsh-e Jahan Square (Persian: Maidān-e Naqsh-e Jahān; trans: “Image of the World Square”), known as Imam Square, formerly known as Shah Square , is a square situated at the center of Isfahan city, Iran. Constructed between 1598 and 1629, it is now an important historical site, and one of UNESCO’s World Heritage […]
Football, basketball, and volleyball are the most popular team sports. Koshti (wrestling) has a long tradition in Iran and is considered the national sport. Pahlavani-style wrestling is a traditional discipline, which combines physical training for moral and martial purposes. Because of economic sanctions, the annual government’s budget for sport was about $80 million in 2010 […]
In some ways, the history of dance in Iran parallels the history of music, albeit in a much more restricted manner, especially in the case of recreational dance. In other words, in any period when music is forbidden, so is dance. If music is highly encouraged, then dance is more tolerated in society. This is […]
