Lonely Planet Iran (travel Guide)

many of the more than 200,000 ethnic Iranians expelled from Iraq during the Iran–Iraq War have now settled permanently in Iran. Many were descended from Iranians who had settled in Iraq centuries before. (1260-1261)

Iranian society is more multigenerational than Western society, something that’s most obvious on holidays and weekends when you’ll see multigenerational families walking, laughing and picnicking together. (1100-1101)

Iranians are the most surprising people. Where you might expect them to be austere, they are charming; rather than dour, they are warm; and instead of being hostile to foreigners, they are welcoming and endlessly curious. (1002-1004)

Most have settled onto Iranian society’s lowest rungs, living in the oldest and cheapest parts of Iranian cities and working menial jobs that Iranians don’t want to do; almost every construction worker in the country is Afghan. (1253-1254)

Remember that Iranians are proud of their Aryan roots, which distinguish them from the people of south Asia or the Middle East. Iranians intensely dislike being classed as Arabs, who remain unforgiven for their invasion of Iran in the 7th century. (1043-1045)

Thus the Iranian way is to bend to the prevailing wind only to spring back in time with regained poise. Ever-changing fortunes have taught Iranians to be indirect people, unwilling to ever answer with a bald negative and unable to countenance rudeness or public displays of anger. (1036-1037)

Women are barred from attending men’s sporting events even though they are, conversely, free to watch them on TV; this oft-debated issue is dealt with in Jafar Panahi’s film Offside. (1205-1207)

Gabbeh, directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf, is a beautiful film centred on a gabbeh, a type of Persian carpet made by Qashqa’i nomads, and the love story of a nomad girl with the same name. (1183-1184)

The Persians, or Farsis, were originally the tribes that came to establish the Achaemenid Empire and now make up about 50% of the population. [..] Commonly called ‘Turks’ in Iran, the Azaris make up about 25% of the population. They speak Azari Turkish, a dialect mixing Turkish with Farsi. [..] Iran has more than six million Kurds. The Kurds lay claim to being the oldest Iranian people in the region, descended from the Medes. In Iran, Kurds live in the mountainous west, particularly Kordestan province near the Iraqi border. Kurds also live in Iraq, Syria and Turkey. [...] Arabs make up about 3% of the Iranian population and are settled mostly in Khuzestan, near the Iraq border, and on the coast and islands of the Persian Gulf. They are often called bandari (bandar means port), because of their historical links to the sea. Their differing language (a dialect of Arabic), dress and faith (many are Sunni Muslims) mean other Iranians consider them exotic. [...] ..many of the more than 200,000 ethnic Iranians expelled from Iraq during the Iran–Iraq War have now settled permanently in Iran. Many were descended from Iranians who had settled in Iraq centuries before.

attitude that anyone who doesn’t like life in Iran ‘should just leave’, every year more than 150,000 educated young people leave Iran for countries such as the UK, Australia, the USA and Canada, where Iranians are the most educated group of immigrants. (1287-1289)

Iranians take their role as hosts very seriously; there are well-developed rules governing social conduct and interaction. This comes from a genuine desire to put others’ needs first and please where possible. Ta’arof, the Iranian system of courtesy, can be a minefield if unknown (see below), but it makes Iran a haven for travellers – you will be treated with unfailing politeness wherever you go. (1031-1033)

Arabs make up about 3% of the Iranian population and are settled mostly in Khuzestan, near the Iraq border, and on the coast and islands of the Persian Gulf. They are often called bandari (bandar means port), because of their historical links to the sea. Their differing language (a dialect of Arabic), dress and faith (many are Sunni Muslims) mean other Iranians consider them exotic. (1166-1169)