There's no room for preconceptions if you're packing to visit Iran. 'Axis of evil'? Most visitors, after experiencing this friendliest of countries, couldn't agree less. For culture seekers, Iran has magnificent ruins of ancient cities, glorious mosques and mausoleums, and museums so interesting they're bound to leave your feet sore. The more adventurous can enjoy trekking, budget-priced skiing, or some wicked rock climbing. Travellers with a deep-seated need for a few brews and/or a spot of heartfelt feminist discourse may want to consider another destination, but Iran has a huge amount to offer. Potentially perilous areas in Iran include the western border with Iraq and the eastern border regions with Afghanistan and Pakistan. Overland travel to Iraq is not recommended unless you have a death wish. Travellers should avoid rallies and demonstrations, particularly in Tehran, as they have the potential to become violent.
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Iran - Seven faces of civilization . Video hosted on Google. This documentary is drawing on historical and archeological evidence, this fascinating documentary by Dr. Farzin Rezaeian reconstructs 7,000 years of Iranian history. Produced by the makers of Persepolis Recreated, the film's advanced animation techniques bring ancient wonders to life, giving an unprecedented look at Iran's historical and cultural achievements. In his accompanying book, Rezaeian has reconstructed the major monuments from seven key periods in Iranian history, bringing to life the settings in which Iranian civilization developed and the context through which the greatest figures of Iranian history, from Cyrus the Great (the Achaemenid Emperor) to Shah Abbas (the Safavid King), can be understood. The package, available for purchase during the event, includes a Persian/English narrative book and DVD film, showcasing Iran's art and architectural heritage with excellent graphic reconstructions superimposed on the actual architectural remains from 4000 B.C. to the 17th century A.D.
Farzin Rezaeian is an award-winning documentarian and educational film producer and director. He studied sociology, political science and communications at the University of Illinois in Chicago. For the past twenty years he has researched and written for many educational and documentary films that he has produced or directed. Persepolis Recreated and Seven Faces of a Civilization are his most recent productions.
Iran is officially the Islamic Republic of Iran formerly known internationally as Persia until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Iran is a cognate of Aryan, and means "Land of the Aryans". The 18th largest country in the world in terms of area at 1,648,195 km², Iran has a population of over seventy million. It is a country of special geostrategic significance due to its central location in Eurasia. Iran is bordered on the north by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. As Iran is a littoral state of the Caspian Sea, which is an inland sea and condominium, Kazakhstan and Russia are also Iran's direct neighbors to the north. Iran is bordered on the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan, on the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and on the west by Turkey and Iraq. Tehran is the capital, the country's largest city and the political, cultural, commercial, and industrial center of the nation. Iran is a regional power, and occupies an important position in international energy security and world economy as a result of its large reserves of petroleum and natural gas. Iran is home to one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating back to 4000 BC. The Medes unified Iran into a kingdom in 625 BC.[2] They were succeeded by three Iranian dynasties, the Achaemenids, Parthians and Sassanids, which governed Iran for more than 1000 years. After centuries of foreign occupation and short-lived native dynasties, Iran was once again reunified as an independent state in 1501 by the Safavid dynasty — who promoted Shia Islam as the official religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning points in the history of Islam.[15] Iran had been a monarchy ruled by a Shah, or emperor, almost without interruption from 1501 until the 1979 Iranian Revolution, when Iran officially became an Islamic republic on 1 April 1979. Iran is a founding member of the UN, NAM, OIC and OPEC. The political system of Iran, based on the 1979 Constitution, comprises several intricately connected governing bodies. The highest state authority is the Supreme Leader. Shia Islam is the official religion and Persian is the official language.
 Map Persepolis In the 6th century bc the territory of present-day Iran was the center of the Persian Empire, the world's preeminent power at that time. For more than 2,000 years, the region's inhabitants have referred to it by the name Iran, derived from the Aryan tribes who settled the area long ago. However, until 1935, when the Iranian ruler demanded that the name Iran be used, the English-speaking world knew the country as Persia, a legacy of the Greeks who named the region after its most important province, Pars (present-day Fars). Iran was a monarchy ruled by a shah, or king, almost without interruption from 1501 until 1979, when a yearlong popular revolution led by the Shia clergy culminated in the overthrow of the monarchy and the establishment of an Islamic republic. See Islamic Revolution of Iran.
 Woman in Tehran Iran's population is made up of numerous ethnic groups. Persians migrated to the region from Central Asia beginning in the 7th century bc and established the first Persian empire in 550 bc. They are the largest ethnic group, and include such groups as the Gilaki, who live in Gilan Province, and the Mazandarani, who live in Mazandaran Province. Accounting for about 60 percent of the total population, Persians live in cities throughout the country, as well as in the villages of central and eastern Iran. Two groups closely related to the Persians both ethnically and linguistically are the Kurds and the Lurs. The Kurds, who make up about 7 percent of the population, reside primarily in the Zagros Mountains near the borders with Iraq and Turkey. The Lurs account for 2 percent of the population; they inhabit the central Zagros region. Turkic tribes began migrating into northwestern Iran in the 11th century, gradually changing the ethnic composition of the region so that by the late 20th century East Azerbaijan Province was more than 90 percent Turkish. Since the early 1900s, Azeris (a Turkic group) have been migrating to most large cities in Iran, especially Tehran. Azeris and other Turkic peoples together account for about 25 percent of Iran's inhabitants. The remainder of the population comprises small communities of Arabs, Armenians, Assyrians, Baluchis, Georgians, Pashtuns, and others.
Jafari Shia Islam has been the official religion of Iran since the 16th century. Followers of Shia Islam disagree with Sunni Muslims (see Sunni Islam), who form the majority of Muslims in the Middle East and the Islamic world, over the rightful succession to the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam. Iran's 1979 constitution assigns to the Shia clergy important political leadership roles in the government. An estimated 93 percent of all Iranians follow Shia Islam, and nearly all are members of the Jafari group. Because Jafaris believe there are 12 legitimate successors, or imams, to Muhammad, they are often called Twelvers. Most of the remaining population belongs to other Islamic denominations, primarily Sunni Islam. In towns where there are mixed Muslim communities, religious tensions have surfaced frequently, especially during major religious observances. Sufism, or Islamic mysticism, is popular among Shia and Sunni Muslims seeking spiritual interpretations of religion. Iran also has small communities of Armenian and Assyrian Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians. The Baha'i faith, which originated in Iran during the 19th century, has several thousand secret followers, even though it has been a target of official persecution since the Islamic republic came to power in 1979.
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