Persepolis, the emblem of the mighty power of the Persian Empire
"The principle of development begins with the history of Persia; this constitutes therefore the beginning of history." Once known as the richest city under the sun, Persepolis was the ceremonial capital of this Persian Empire, which was the...

Sizdah Bedar 2011 (1390)
Sizdah Bedar inaugurates a happy New Year. Millions of Iranians organize a picnic in the countryside at which noodle soup or dishes of rice in sauce are eaten. People go and see the streams and rivers swollen with melted snow. The young play traditional...

Nowruz 1390 (2011), Persian New Year
Nowruz is the Persians' longest and most cherished festivity, on which all Iranians celebrate the New Year with the nature's resurrection from withered winter. It is deeply rooted in Zoroastrianism and counts as the oldest Iranian festival. Nowruz...

The Chaharshanbe Suri, a fire-connected festivity!
"Give me your fiery red color/ take back my wintry sallowness." The Chaharshanbe Suri or Red Wednesday, counts among the only two extant one of those fire-connected festivities. It is an annual ritual which is held on the eve of the last Wednesday...

Popular Beaches of Iran
Iran enjoys many different beaches with different mood and a wide range of holiday experiences. Shores of the Caspian Sea have mild and relatively cold weather and southern parts enjoy moderate and pleasant weather.

The coastline of the...

Persian turquoise, jewel of the Orient
For at least 2,000 years, the region once known as Persia, has remained the most important source of turquoise. It's sky-blue turquoise has always been a magnet for beauty seekers throughout history.

Iranian turquoise is often found replacing...

Jashn-e Sadeh, the festival of fire!
Iran's Zoroastrian community holds the Jashn-e-Sadeh festival, celebrating the discovery of fire on Jan. 29 or the tenth of the Persian month of Bahman also known as 'the day of kindness'.

Considered one of the biggest Persian...

Iran's wind towers, age-old air conditioners
Wind towers are important elements in traditional Iranian architecture, providing natural air-conditioning in hot, dry and humid climates for thousands of years. These towers rise not only on ordinary houses but also on top of water cisterns (Ab-anbar)...

Yalda, the victory of light over darkness
On Yalda festival, Iranians celebrate the arrival of winter, the renewal of the sun and the victory of light over darkness. Considered the longest night of the year, Yalda eve is the night when ancient Iranians celebrated the birth of Mithra, the goddess...

Caravanserais, ancient Iranian hotels
For hundreds of years Persians accommodated foreign and domestic merchants and pilgrims at elaborate hotels called caravanserai, which were built along roads and in cities.

The word caravanserai is a combination of caravan and the Persian...

Happy Hafez Day
Iranians annually celebrate the Hafez Day on October 11, during which they gather and hold talks on the poetry, thoughts, and life of Hafez. Hafez was a Persian mystic and poet. He was born sometime between the years 1310 and 1337 in Shiraz, Medieval...

Yazd, Bride of Desert
To me and to many others, nothing is comparable with spending a night under the shallow ceiling of desert's sky whose all shining stars seem reachable. Imagine you witness this beautiful scene in a quiet night of a very old city made out of clay,...

Tehran, Mega Capital of Iran
Visiting Iran without having a trip to Tehran is to miss out. Going out for a Persian delicious dish in one of Darband's beautiful restaurants, shopping in endless rows of stores in grand bazaar, having a nice day skiing in Tochal slopes, in snowy...

Esfahan, Half the World
Florence of Orient, Persia's masterpiece, the Intrigue of Iran and the half rhymed famous adage "Esfahan Nesf-e Jahan" (Esfahan is half the world) all are to describe the splendor of a city shining along its life-giving river at...