Iran is one of the largest Asian states. It borders with countries such as Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Armenia. The capital is the city of Tehran. Iran is a country on the territory of which the first centers of human civilization were located thousands of years ago. What are the main features of this country?
Main information and geographical characteristics of Iran
The bulk of the country is located on the Iranian Highlands. Here the plateaus are interspersed with high plains. In the northern part of the country is the Elbrus mountain range. It is separated from the Caspian by a small strip of lowland. The climate of the country is continental subtropical. Iranian rivers are generally shallow. The largest lakes are Urmia and Hamun.
The entire area of Iran is divided into 27 districts, or “stop”. The largest cities are Isfahan, Tabriz, Urmia, Abadan, Mashhad. Iran also includes some islands located in the Persian and Ottoman gulf. The total area of Iran is 1.65 million km 2 . The state is in 17th place in the world in terms of territory. The Iranian currency is the rial currency.
Economy
A significant part of Iran’s area is rich in minerals. These are manganese, copper, chromium, zinc ores. Foreign trade products include carpets and nuts, as well as fishing products. Most of the population living in Iran’s area is engaged in agriculture. One of the main problems is the low soil fertility and the lack of fresh water for irrigation. About a third of the total population are unemployed. Mostly these are young people.
Population
Iran has over 60 ethnic groups. Mostly these are Persians - they live in the southern and central parts of the country. In the north live Gilyans, Mazenderans, Talysh. In the western territory - Kurds, Lura, Bakhtiar, in the eastern - Pashtuns, Balochi, Tajiks. All these peoples are ethnically close to the Persians. It is known that Iran is one of the "youngest" countries in the world. The number of residents whose age does not exceed 15 years is approximately 25%. The next largest ethnic group is Azerbaijanis. According to various estimates, their number is from 20% to 40% of the total population. Why are so many Azerbaijanis living on both sides of the Iranian border? This is due to the fact that historically the territory of modern Azerbaijan is part of the Iranian state system. They are part of Iranian society. And in the western part of Iran, Kurds live (from 5% to 10% of the total). The total population is 78.4 million people.
Languages in Iran
What languages are most common in everyday life of Iranians? There are many misconceptions in this regard. Most Iranians are Persians by ethnic composition. Therefore, they speak Persian, or Farsi. Persian - the most common among the Iranian group of the Indo-European language tree. It has about 50 million carriers in Iran (and this is more than 80% of the total population).
Farsi is not only the official language in Iran - it is spoken by the inhabitants of Afghanistan, Tajikistan and the Pamirs. There are also a few communities that use Farsi in Iraq, the UAE, and Yemen. Farsi speakers use a slightly modified Arabic alphabet for written speech - a few letters are added to it, which are not in the Arabic itself. The Persian language contains a large number of borrowed lexical units from Arabic. This language influenced Farsi as a result of conquests in the 7th century.
From the history of Farsi
Farsi has a fairly ancient history. The first sources of the ancient Persian language date back to the 1st millennium BC. e. Then cuneiform writing was widely used. The oldest version of Farsi has undergone transformation for 2 thousand years. Around the 1st millennium BC e. the era of the Middle Persian language, which was the official language of the Sassanid empire, came . In the 7th century AD e. political transformations occurred - Persian territory was conquered by the Arabs. At this time, the Middle Persian language was used by small Zoroastrian diasporas and the Pars ethnic group in India.
The next stage is the New Persian language, which included elements from Arabic. Since the 9th century, Farsi very quickly acquires the status of a second literary language throughout the Muslim world. Farsi is currently significantly different from the classical New Persian language. These differences are visible in pronunciation, in writing, and in vocabulary. The basis for oral speech, consistent with stylistic and grammatical standards, is the Tehran dialect.
Iranian President
Currently, the head of Iran is Hassan Rouhani, who won the election on May 20, 2017. In total, about 41 million Iranians participated in the elections. 57% of the total number of voters voted for the current president, and 38% voted for his opponent, Ibrahim Raisi. Iran’s state structure is such that the president is second in influence - in the political hierarchy, the head of state is subordinate to the religious leader (“ayatollah”). The religious head is elected by a special council. Now he is Ali Khamenei.
Unusual tradition of communication
Tourists who visit Iran for the first time are usually confused. When they want to pay for taxi services, the driver refuses the money. Come to the store - the same thing happens. What is the reason? It turns out that Iran has adopted cultural practice under the intricate name "taarof." Of course, as in other countries, people do not receive free goods in stores or services. Taarof practice is a local brand - it is a manifestation of true Persian politeness. If someone is invited to visit or for dinner, then the invitee's duty is to play along with the inviter and first refuse. The practice of taaroph in Iran is suitable for almost any communication situation.
Famous persian rugs
Among the Persians there is a saying: "The Persian carpet is impeccable in its impeccability, accurate in inaccuracy." Where did it come from? In fact, errors and inaccuracies in Persian rugs are intentionally created. So the Persians seek to show that only God can create something ideal. Distracted from religious issues, the Persian carpet is an important element of Iranian culture. After all, he is already more than 2 millennia. The ability to weave carpets is especially common in some regions - for example, in the city of Kashan they are passed down from generation to generation.
The Koran describes the process of creating the world: the earth was created by Allah in six days. The first in the infinite void of Cosmos were seven celestial bodies. And then a beautiful carpet of earth spread out beneath them. Therefore, the carpet in the Eastern tradition is associated with a mini-model of the kingdom of God on earth. The level of prosperity in the East is estimated by how many carpets a person has in a house, and how expensive they are. If the family for some reason could not afford to carpet their home, it aroused compassion. Historians believe that carpets were first invented by ancient Asian nomadic tribes.
Real gold of Iran
It is known that Iran is the largest producer of caviar, one of the most expensive products in the whole world. It is from here that the rarest form of it is delivered and at the same time the most expensive. Beluga caviar called "Almas" costs more than 2 million rubles for just one kilogram. The age of fish for this caviar is from 60 to 100 years.
And that’s not all. The Iranian tradition of saffron production is about 3 millennia. About 90% of all exports of this spice are produced here. At the same time, saffron is more expensive than many jewelry. Its price is about 4 thousand rubles per gram.
Beliefs of Ancient Iran
Mesopotamia was once located on the site of modern Iraq and Iran. Cities that appeared here in antiquity, modern historians call the cities of Mesopotamia. They reached the peak of their power in the Sassanid era. Ancient Iranian city culture was formed under the influence of Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism.
Zoroastrianism is a very ancient monotheistic belief. It is named after the founder by the name of Zarathustra. The inhabitants of ancient Greece considered Zarathustra a philosopher and an astrologer. They renamed the prophet in Zoroaster (from the ancient Greek. "Aster" - "star"). According to one version, the prophet lived in the II millennium BC. e. According to researcher Mary Boyce, Zarathustra lived on the territory east of the Volga.
Manichaeism arose around the 3rd century. n e. His prophet was Mani, or Manes, who preached in 240 AD. e. in the capital of the Sassanid Empire - Ktesifonte. The Prophet Mani was sure that all religions of the world are one. The basis of Manichaeism was the opposition of good and evil.
Myths about Iran
In fact, Iran has a very high level of public safety. Recent hostilities took place here more than 30 years ago. This misconception has spread because of tourists who tend to confuse Iran and Iraq. Despite the fact that Iran is adjacent to Afghanistan and Iraq, it is absolutely safe to be on its territory. Iranians are a very friendly and welcoming people. Every year an increasing number of tourists from different countries come here to relax.
Iran also has a high level of education and culture, especially among women. More than half of university students are girls. Women also work in offices, can do business, and participate in elections. In Iran, women usually wear scarves, but they don’t wear a burqa covering their faces. Among the beautiful half of the population of Iran there are many fashionistas who love bright clothes.
Iran ranks third in the world in terms of UNESCO cultural monuments, second only to Italy and Egypt. The history of Ancient Persia, the successor of which is modern Iran, has more than 5 thousand years. Previously, the saying was spread among the Iranians: "Who visited Isfahan - saw half the world."