Introduction
The traditional name of Persia reflected the land of the Persians who lived
primarily in the Iranian province of Fars. Since, one hundred years ago, many
more ethnic groups primarily of Aryan origins were populating Persia the new
name IRAN meaning land of Aryans was selected in 1935. After the 1979 revolution
lead by Imam Khomeyni it became the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Iran with its long history and rich civilisation is one of the most rewarding
countries to visit. Here you will experience the mystery and beauty of the Orient
with its great architecture and arts, traditions and habits. You will be impressed
by the awareness of its different ethnic groups to belong to an old culture.
Located at the crossroads of Asia and Europe it was the hub of overland trade
until the sea routes between Europe and Asia were established. It is a land
of stark scenic contrasts from humid jungles, high snow-capped mountains, fertile
valleys to large deserts. Try to form your own opinion about the political and
social situation and encounter people of unforgettable friendliness and hospitality.
Geography and Geology
Iran covers an area of 1,64 mill. km2 which is about 3 times the size of France.
Its capital city is Tehran with about 12 million inhabitants. The country is
bordered on the north by Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, and the Caspian
Sea, on the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan, on the south by the Persian Golf
and Golf of Oman, and on the west by Iraq and Turkey. In the north, along the
coast of the Caspian Sea which lies 28 meters below sea level is a narrow strip
of fertile land and dense forests due to adequate rainfall. To the south, these
Caspian lowlands are dominated by the Alburz mountain ranges which due to their
height (up to the 5761 m Damavand) obstruct the moist air to reach the Central
Iranian plateau. This plateau at an average elevation of 1200 m is bounded by
the Zagros mountain range in the south and only receives some rain and snow
between late autumn and early spring. The plateau consists mainly of rugged
terrain with interspersed oases and contains the large Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e
Lut deserts which comprise about 0,4 mill. km2. South and southwest of the Zagros
ranges is a small tropical strip alongside the Persian Golf and adjoining the
Mesopotamian lowlands. Orumiyeh lake with 5500 km2 and a salt content of 25%
and the Great Salt Lake with 1500 km2 are the most significant inland waters.
Most intermittent rivers of the landlocked central plateau end up in marshy
basins. Major rivers are the Karoun and Dez flowing into the Persian Golf and
the Sefid Rud and Atrak draining into the Caspian Sea. The formation of mountain
ranges and oil fields is caused by the drift of the African/ Arabian plate towards
Iran and the consequent subduction of shelf and floor of ancient Tethys Sea
beneath the Iranian platform.
Flora and Fauna
Iran is habitat to some 8200 species of plants, almost 1900 of which are endemic.
The northern slopes of the Alborz ranges are densely covered with deciduous
trees conspicuous of which are endemic beech, oak, elm, linden and walnut. The
Zagros mountains are distinguished by sparse forests of endemic oaks and more
isolated by elm, maple, walnut and wild pistachoe. Persian juniper, almond,
berberis and cotoneaster are growing on intermediate ranges. There are some
lovely pockets of forests northeast of Tabriz (Arasbaran), west of Gonbad-e
Qabus (Golestan) and northwest of Shahrud (KhoshYeylagh). In the valleys grow
poplar, planes and willows. In the steppes and desert plains are acacia, kunar
trees (Jerusalem thorn) and artemisia while oases support date palm, vines,
tamarisk, myrtle, oleander and mulberry trees. About 9000 hectares of mangrove
forests grow along the Persian Golf, particularly, at Qeshm island. There are
about 500 species of birds, 160 species of mammals and 180 species of fishes
among them pike, carp, trout and the sturgeon as source of kaviar. The wetlands
of Iran, particularly, the lagoons and marshlands of the south Caspian lowlands
and the mud flats of the Persian Golf are significant for migratory birds from
Russia, Africa and Indian subcontinent. Just to mention a few birds, there are
golden eagles, barbary falcons, buzzards, kingfishers, colourful bee-eaters,
nightingales, hooded crows, grouses, partridges and pigeons. Prominent mammals
are cheetah, brown bear, wild boar, urial sheep, ibex goat, onager wild ass,
goitered gazelle, hyaene and one-humped dromedar. There also live small numbers
of rare species like Persian leopard, Mesopotamian fallow deer and Gando crocodiles
in protected areas.
Climate
Due to the variety in topography and span of altitudes, Iran experiences great
extremes of climate. Winters can be unpleasantly cold in most northern parts
of the country with temperatures sometimes falling below 20°C, while in
summer temperatures frequently rise to above 35°C. On the central plateau,
such temperatures are easier to bear because of the dry air. In the south along
the coast of Persian Golf and in the lowlands of Khuzestan, temperatures can
reach 45°C in summer. Regular rainfall is limited to the Caspian lowlands
and the northwest of the country
History
Iran has been settled by early man and belongs to the areas with earliest, farming,
animal breeding and large-scale copper smelting at Arisman near Natanz from
4th millenium BC. Already at that time ceramics and precious stones were traded
to Mesopotamia and IndusValley. The state of Elam with its capital Susa goes
back to the 3rd millenium BC. For the major part of its existence, Elam was
ruled in a condominion with Anshan whose capital was located near Shiraz. Elam
had many conflicts with Ur, Assur and Babylon. Near he end of the 2nd millenium
BC, groups of Aryans nomads arrived from the Northern steppes. The major tribes
of Medes settled in the Hamadan area and the Persians in what is now Fars province.
Also Medes and Persians had conflicts with Assur and Babylon. After the final
defeat of Babylon (539 BC), the Persian kings of the Achaemenid dynasty established
the first world empire reaching from Egypt to India. They released the Jews
from Bablonian captivity and were known for their tolerance. The succeeding
conflicts with Greek states ended with the victory of Alexander the Great (333
BC). It took more than 100 years until the Parthians relieved Persia from Greek
dominance. During the glorious rule of the subsequent Sasanid dynasty (AD 224-642)
Persia regained its power and was a formidable opponent to Rom. After exhausting
wars with Byzantium it was utterly defeated by the Arabs in 642 who brought
Islam to Persia. Ruled by the califs and subject to inroads from Turk tribes
and invasions by the Mongols and Tamerlane, only in 1501 the country regained
its independence in the time of Safavids. The most illustrious Safavid king
Shah Abbas (1587-1629) made Isfahan one of the centres of the world. Many buildings
from that epoch can still be visited there. In 1722 Afghan tribesmen defeated
the Safavid army and occupied Iran. The counterattack under Nadir Shah swept
Iranian forces until Dehli from where they returned with the peacock throne
and other riches. The following Qajar dynasty had great difficulties in maintaining
Persian independence because of incessant pressure from Great Britain and Russia.
In the modern era, the Pahlavi dynasty (1925-1979) "Westernized" the
country regardless of the convictions of the conservative clerics and feelings
of the religious masses. In addition, the patriotic pride of educated classes
was offended by incidents like the CIA-aided coup that deposed the popularly
elected prime minister Mossadegh and returned Mohammed Reza Shah to power. In
reaction to the oppressive regime of the shah, the revolution lead by Ayatollah
Khomeini established an Islamic government in 1979. Since then the country is
ruled by Shiite clerics in line with the Qoran and Sharia laws. In 1980 Iraq's
longstanding dispute with Iran over water rights on the Persian Gulf flared
into war. The eight-year conflict had a catastrophic effect on Iran: As many
as 500,000 Iranians were killed and the it took many years for the economy to
recover.
People
The population of Iran is estimated at 70 million in 2004. About 50% are under
20 years of age. Population growth rate is about 0,8 % and UN Population Division
project the population to be 105 - 110 million in 2050. Current life expectancy
is about 70 years. The official language is Farsi (Persian) which belongs to
Indo-European languages. Farsi and Farsi dialects are the the mother tongues
of 60% of the population, Farsi related languages are spoken by another 4%,
about 8% speak Kurdish and 1% Armenian which also belong to Indo-European, 25%
speak Azeri and other Turkic languages, 1% Arabic and 1% others. In Iran a modified
version of the Arabic alphabet is used. In 1998, 61% of the population lived
in urban areas. There are still more than 1,5 million nomads migrating in Iran.
With their hardy ways of life and their colourful costumes they make unforgettable
impressions on any observer. Their major tribes are Indo-European Lurs, Bakhtiari
and Baluchis, Kurdish Milan, Kalhor and Zafaranlu, Turkic Qashqai, Afshar and
Shahsavan.
Government
The leader of the Islamic Republic is Ayatollah Ali Khameney. He is the top
authority in religious (faqih) and political matters. He is in charge of army,
basij revolutionary forces and police. He controls the judiciary and the media.
The guardian council decides in the admission of candidates for elections, can
reject legislative bills passed by parliament and screens all matter regarding
their religious conformity. The expert assembly decides in religious matters
and elects the leader. The parliament is elected by public vote. Its president
is responsible for the formation of the cabinet. In June 2005, Mahmoud Ahmadinedjad,
the former Mayor of Tehran, was elected new president.
Religion
Prior to the introduction if Islam, Zoroastrism was prevailing in Iran.
It is a monotheistic religion and its relation to nature as the holy creation
is very close. Earth, fire and water have to be kept clean. There are still
about 50.000 Zoroastrians in Iran mainly in Yazd, Tehran and Kerman. Zoroastrians
emigrated to India where they established themselves as Parsees meaning Persians.
In their firetemples Zoroastrians worship their god Ahura Mazda whose presence
is symbolized by an eternal flame. To prevent pollution of the earth, they exposed
their dead in towers of silence or "dakhmes" This was given up in
1965 and changed to the use of cemeteries.
Jews lived in Iran from the 6th century BC and there were large communities
of early Christians. Nowadays, there are still small minorities of Jews and
Christians - mainly Armenians - which are all recognized and have their representatives
in parliament. Together with the Zoroastrians they constitute 2% of the population.
With 89% the large majority is Shiite moslems. They derive their name from Shiat'
Ali which means the party of Ali. This group supported Ali who was the husband
of Mohammed's daughter Fatima in his claim as Mohammed's successor and Imam
or spiritual leader of Islam. Shiite moslems adore 12 Imams, i.e. Ali and his
descendants, as sole rightful leaders of Islam. Ali and his son Hossein who
according to tradition was married to Bibi Shahrbanu the daughter of last Sasanid
king Yazdegerd were both martyred and are buried in Najaf and Kerbela in Iraq.
Particularly, the death of Hossein is remembered during Moharram month with
mourning ceremonies and touching Taziyeh plays on Ashura day. Imam Reza, the
8th imam is buried in Mashhad and his sanctuary is the holiest place in Iran.
The second holiest is in Qom where Fatema al-Masoume, Imam Reza's sister, is
buried, while the third holiest place is Shah Cheragh in Shiraz with the tomb
of Imam Reza's brother. Mollahs are Shiite clerics and their leaders are ayatollahs.
9% of the population are Sunni moslems who are primarily found among Kurds and
populations in the borders regions.
Education
Elementary and secondary education is compulsory from the age of 6 to 14. In
view of the large numbers of young people and since Iranians value education
and university degrees, the competition to enter universities is fierce. About
half of university graduates are female. Since most of them want to exercise
their professions and live in the cities, the trend among educated women is
to have less children than their parents.
Calendar, Holidays
Iranians are using a solar calendar which goes back to Achaemenid time. It has
365 days and is very similar to the Gregorian calendar. The years are counted
from Mohammed's Hijrat (622 AD). At present, the Iranian year is 1382. The new
year starts at Nowruz on 21st March which is a very important holiday and celebrations
are held everywhere. In addition, the Arabic lunar year is used to comply with
the Moslem holidays. The latter calendar only has 354 days and, although it
started from the same year as the solar calendar, the gap between these two
is constantly growing. Therefore, every year all holidays and holy months of
the lunar calendar like the birthday of Mohammed, the death of Imam Hossein
on Ashura, the months of Moharram, Ramazan (=Farsi for Ramadan) and Eid-e Fetre
(=end of fasting) are advancing by 11 days compared to the solar calendar.
Economy / Communication
Trade and services represent about 50%, industry about 30% and agriculture about
20% of total gross national product. GDP per capita amounted to an estimated
US$ 7700 in 2004. Iran owns the fourth largest crude oil - and second largest
gas reserves. It is very strong in mineral resources. The industrial sector
is primarily state controlled. Major export commodities are oil and gas which
represent about 80% of export values, carpets, fruits, pistacheos, animal hides,
metal ores, minerals and textiles. Major imports are: machinery, electrical
appliances, plastic goods, chemicals, vehicles, paper and foodstuffs. Currency
is the Rial. 1 US$ equals about 8000 Rials.
Iran has an excellent network of asphalted roads. Its railway lines connect
Turkey with Uzbekistan and by 2007 the lines will also go through to Pakistan.
It has a dense grid of domestic airports. Telephone lines and electricity are
reaching the remotest villages. Post offices are found throughout all cities,
towns and villages.
Iranian Food
Iranian cuisine belongs to the finest. Chelo kebab which is cooked rice with
grilled meat is the basis. However, the variations are infinite. Zeresht-e polo
( rice with barberries), Bagali polo ( rice with Lima beans), qormeh sabzi (lamb
in herb and vegetable sauce), fesenjan (chicken with pomegranade and ground
walnut sauce), khoreht-e bademjan (meat stew with eggplant) are just a few examples.
Abgusht (meat stew), kebab kubideh (grilled ground meat) and mast (yogurt) are
also popular. Iranians love to eat fruits like melons, peaches, naranges, cherries,
vegetables and salads. They are also renowned for their sweets and cakes. For
beakfast, normally, the bread is served still warm from the bakery with butter,
cheese and honey. The usual beverage is tea.
Visa Requirements
Visa are required for travelling to Iran. They can be applied for at Iranian
embassies and consulates. To be sure to acquire a tourist visa within 2 weeks,
it is recommended to apply to local tour operators in Iran or their representatives
abroad. The normal tourist visa costs about € 50,-- The passport should
to be valid longer than 6 months after the intended end of tour. The tourist
visa is valid for collection at the embassies/ consulates up to 3 months from
date of authorization.
Language
Farsi (Persian) is official language. English is spoken in most hotels, transport
facilities, tourist sights and shops.
When to go
Generally, the best times to travel are early April to mid-June and late September
to early November. For the area along the Golf coast and its islands, tours
should be planned for winter-time.
Dress and Social Behaviour
According to Islamic dress code, it is necessary for women to be modestly covered
which means to wear a light longjacket or manteau, long pants and a head scarf.
Also gentlemen should adhere to Iranian customs and do not wear short pants.
Holding hands and handshakes of men and women in public should be avoided.
Foreign Currency
Payment by credit card is unusual. Therefore, it is recommended to use cash.
Most widely used foreign currencies are US$ and Euro which can be exchanged
into Iranian Rials at Tehran airport or at major banks. Current rate of exchange
is about 8000 Rials equal 1 US$.
Duty Free
The import of following goods into Iran is strictly prohibited: alcohol, narcotics,
guns and ammunitions, radio apparatus, fashion magazines, publications contrary
to Islamic views, films, videos, music tapes or CD. Each passenger leaving the
country is permitted to take Persian handicrafts, Gelims and one carpet (not
bigger than 3 sq meters) as long as they are not antiques. Export of all antiques
such as gems, coins, handwritten manuscripts or archaeological items is prohibited.
To export musical instruments, a permit is required from the Ministry of Culture
and Islamic Guidance.
Safety
Iran is one of the safest countries also for the woman traveller. Purse snatching
may occur, particularly, in Isfahan. To be on the safe side, make photocopies
of your passport and air ticket.
Health Risks
Under consideration of usual hygienic precautions stomach problems would not
or only rarely occur. In large cities like Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz tap water
can be drunk without risk. Mineral water is obtainable. Vaccinations are not
required. Basically, the country is free of malaria and only from the southern
parts adjoining the Gulf coasts occurences of malaria have been reported, however,
even there the risk is very small.
Medications
If you need medications it is recommended to buy them before going on the trip
because Iran is e generics market and brand-name medications could be difficult
to obtain.
Doctors and Hospitals
Competent doctors and hospitals available. In case you prefer to be treated
in your homeland, have a risk insurance concluded for emergency air transport.
Electricity
Alternating current is 220-240V, 50Hz. European type plugs are suitable.
Telephone
Telephone country code is 0098. European and North American cellular phone chips
do not work in Iran. The "Thuraya" system is used as satellite telephone.
Time Zone
Iranian time is 2,5 hours ahead of Central European time.
Shopping
There are government handicraft stores but much more fun is to shop in bazaars
for imprinted tablecloths, batik silks, brassware, ceramics, enamel work, handblown
glass, silver and turquoise jewellery, miniature paintings, carpets and rugs
Tipping and Extra Expenses
Tips for porters are about 5000 Rials. A 15% service charge is normally included
in restaurant bills. Small change in addition would be welcomed. Guides, drivers
should be tipped according to the situation. It should be considered that their
salaries are low and that they depend on appropriate tips. In general, tipping
is a delicate matter because one recipient may be brash and insist on more and
the other would decline your initial offer of appropriate tip to "save
his face" and just hope you will make him a second offer.
Photographing
Taking pictures of military and police installations, government and ministerial
buildings, strategic traffic installations such as large bridges is prohibited.
People may be less reluctant to be photographed than you would expect in a conservative
Islamic country but do not be reckless.
Books
In English: Patricia Baker, Iran (The Bradt Travel Guides)
Paul Greenway, Iran (Lonely Planet Guides)
In German: Mahmoud Rashad, Iran (Dumont Kunstreiseführer)
Hartmut Niemann, Iran (Reise Knowhow)