Iran

Iran, an ethnically and culturally diverse country in West Asia, has so much to offer. From bustling urban landscapes to breathtaking peaks and valleys to pristine beaches to UNESCO World Heritage Sites, there is a perfect place to visit for anyone within this underrated country. Iran also has an immense history, with a variety of empires and dynasties that have ruled over the area.

Tehran is the bustling, cosmopolitan capital of Iran and a progressive megacity; the people of Tehran are some of the most forward-thinking and open-minded people in the world. Like other cities in Iran, the diverse and multicultural capital of Iran is filled with all types of people, including but definitely not limited to: fashionable artists and creatives, young professionals, elderly retirees, young hip-hop fans, rock lovers, doctors, skateboarders, businesspeople, university students, social media influencers, scientists, and young followers of alternative subcultures. In Tehran, a European-influenced megacity bounded by the Alborz Mountains to the north, picturesque squares are ubiquitous; additionally, verdant parks, frequented by locals and tourists alike, border boulevards and expressways. Within Tehran are numerous world-class restaurants, cafés, and street food vendors. To add, an abundance of upscale shopping malls lie within many neighborhoods; examples include IranMall and BamLand Mall in the artsy Chitgar district, and Ava Center and Atlas Mall in the fashionable Aqdasieh district. Tehran is also home to iconic landmarks such as the Milad Tower, Azadi Square, Golestan Palace (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Espinas Palace Hotel, and much more. In addition, many future landmarks are currently under construction in Tehran, including the Fereshteh Pasargad Hotel (designed by the late world-renowned architect Zaha Hadid) and the Tehran Eye. Tehran also has magnificent bazaars, such as the Tajrish Bazaar and the Grand Bazaar of Tehran. In addition, Tehran is close to popular skiing areas, the closest being the Tochal Ski Resort at the summit of Tochal.

Elsewhere in Greater Tehran, which stretches from the town of Damavand in the east to the city of Nazarabad in the northwest, there are many other places to see. The town of Lavasan is known for its opulence; a highly affluent suburb of Tehran, many upper-echelon Iranians live in this town, which has a slightly cooler climate and a scenic reservoir that is perfect for picnics. Karaj, a satellite city of Tehran that has a population of over 2 million, has a splendid botanical garden, hip neighborhoods with both villa-style homes and condominiums, tree-lined avenues that climb onto mesas, and access to the popular Amir Kabir Dam.

Other major cities in Iran have amazing sights, as well. Mashhad, the second-largest city in Iran, has fine dining establishments, expansive parks, vivid botanical gardens, the Imam Reza Shrine, the tomb of King Nadir Shah Afshar, and boulevards lined with residential glass skyscrapers. Isfahan, a major city in Central Iran, has the iconic Naqsh-e-Jahan Square (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) complex, an Armenian historical district that contains the stunning Vank Cathedral, the Si-o-Se-Pol Bridge, fashionable malls, and more.

In Iran, Internet use is virtually ubiquitous and many even depend on the Internet for a living. One popular profession in Iran today is a social media influencer; in any city or town, some young people can be seen creating photo/video content in public, digitally advertising products, and writing blog posts. Iranians also depend on the Internet to advertise their own small businesses and their organizations to wide audiences. Additionally, Iranian youth take inspiration from social media and the Internet for their style; although alternative subcultures have existed in Iran for a long time, recent alternative subcultures have substantially flourished in Iran and Generation Z Iranians have become part of alternative subcultures largely because of the Internet. The Internet, as a medium of popular culture, strongly influences the way Iranian youth dress, speak, and act.

During prehistory, Iran had many nomadic peoples and early agricultural communities that flourished in and around the Zagros Mountains. These nomadic peoples and agricultural communities both eventually became groups such as the Proto-Elamites, Gutians, and Mannaeans. The Proto-Elamites later established the advanced civilization of Elam around 2700 BC, becoming Elamites. At the same time, Medes, Persians, and Parni moved into present-day Iran from Central Asia; the Medes then established the Median Empire, which was later absorbed by the Persian-led Achaemenid Empire. The ancient indigenous groups of Iran then assimilated into the societies of the peoples who conquered them. Later, Alexander III of Macedon invaded Persia (as Iran was known at the time); Persepolis (the capital of the Achaemenid Empire) was infamously burnt to the ground during his invasion. When Alexander’s empire was divided into smaller empires, present-day Iran was part of the Seleucid Empire. Later, Iran became part of the Parthian Empire as the Parni rebelled against the Seleucid rulers and expanded their territory. The Parthian Empire was succeeded by the Sasanian Empire, which was the last Iranian empire before the conquest of Persia by the Rashidun Caliphate in 642 AD. Although most of present-day Iran was under caliphate control afterward, Tabaristan (today known as Mazandaran and Gilan) was not conquered until 760 AD and was not fully Islamized until later on.

After the Abbasid Caliphate (which had replaced the Umayyad Caliphate, in turn, the Rashidun Caliphate’s successor) collapsed, multiple rulers controlled different parts of Iran for a long time. These rulers, however, were different from the Arab caliphs in that they were generally of Iranic origin. The period of history where Iranic Muslim dynasties rose to power (after a long time of Arab Muslim rule) is known as the Iranian Intermezzo. During the Iranian Intermezzo (800 to 1100 AD), kingdoms of Iranian, Kurdish, and Sogdian origins controlled different parts of present-day Iran. Mathematics, sciences, the arts, and technology flourished during this time, with figures such as Avicenna and Ferdowsi contributing to these fields. The Iranian Intermezzo ended when the Seljuq Empire (a dynasty of Turkic origin) expanded from Central Asia and conquered most of present-day Iran, marking the beginning of a period of rule by various Turkic dynasties. Later on, Genghis Khan and his troops conquered most of present-day Iran from 1219 to 1221, bringing most of Iran under the control of the Mongol Empire after a series of sanguinary campaigns. Under the rule of the Mongol Empire, the area’s population sharply plummeted due to mass extermination and famine. When the Mongol Empire was divided into smaller khanates, most of Iran came under Ilkhanate rule. Although the Ilkhanate rulers were of non-Iranian origin, they tried to promote support of their authority by tying themselves to previous dynasties that were of Iranian origin (even going as far as recruiting historians to produce propaganda linking the Mongol rulers to the pre-Islamic Sasanian dynasty).

After the Ilkhanate’s collapse, following more than 200 years of control by both relatively local dynasties (such as the Muzaffarids) and more vast empires (such as the Timurid Empire), the Safavid dynasty began their rule in 1501. The Safavids were a prominent Turkified (and Turkish-speaking) Kurdish dynasty of Iran. Although the Safavids were of Sufi background, during their rule, they attempted to convert the population (which was majority-Sunni Muslim at the time) to Twelver Shia Islam and mostly were able to do so. This process drastically changed the societies of the lands they controlled, including the society of Iran. After the Safavid collapse in 1736, Iran was part of the territory of the Afsharid Empire (led by the Afshars, an Oghuz Turkic tribe who migrated to Iran from Central Asia centuries prior), which stretched from coastal Oman to southern Central Asia and the Caucasus at its height. Then, much of Iran was ruled by the Zand dynasty (who were of Lak origin) before the Qajar family (of Oghuz Turkic background) took full control of Iran by the 19th century. In the 19th century, Western technology, science, art, and educational methods diffused to Iran, and Iran’s modernization had effectively begun. Iran’s first modern university, the Dar-ul-Funun in Tehran, was established in 1851; it had French and Russian instructors. Modernization continued with the Iranian Constitutional Revolution (1905-1911), which established a national parliament and created a constitution for Iran. However, a devastating famine took Iran by storm a few years after, making Qajar rule even more unpopular.

In 1925, a pro-West ruler from Mazandaran Province officially took power after ending the Qajar dynasty through a coup two years prior. Afterward, laws were imposed with the intent to fully Westernize Iranian society to make Iran one of the most ideal locations for Western participation in the lucrative oil industry. Following World War II, refugees, foreign professionals, and immigrants arrived in Iran in massive numbers. Although Iran’s oil-based economy was thriving, when Iran’s prime minister attempted to nationalize the oil industry in 1953, the CIA and MI6 orchestrated a coup to remove him. Beginning in the 1960s, sweeping socioeconomic reforms led to substantial economic growth, increased development, and new advancements in technology. However, Western involvement in Iranian political, economic, and social circles was the most prominent criticism of the Iranian monarchy. Resentment by detractors of the imperial government culminated in civil unrest in the late 1970s and the Iranian Revolution of 1979; the monarch fled the country during this time. After a short-lived provisional government, the current government of Iran was formed in 1980; incidents of political violence sporadically continued for a few years after. Already rattled by civil unrest and political instability, Iran soon entered a sanguinary war with Iraq (which was ruled by Saddam Hussein at the time). After many difficult years of warfare, both sides agreed to end the war in 1988.

Iran’s dreamy natural wonders make the country a unique place to visit. The serene and luxuriant Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) stretch from Golestan Province to the southern coast of Azerbaijan and have immense biodiversity (with a wide variety of flora and fauna). Subsequently, the Mars-like Lut Desert, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, has charming outcrops of rock and renowned Bronze Age sites (including Shahr-e-Sukhte, which translates to “the burnt city”).