1. Name: The official name of Iran is the Islamic Republic of Iran. The country became an Islamic republic when the royal regime was overthrown in 1979 and replaced by a clerical regime (the Iranian Revolution) under Ayatollah Khomeini
2. The origin of the name: The name ‘Iran’ means ‘Land of the Aryans’ in Persian. Throughout history, Iran has often been called ‘Persia’, which derives from the Greek historians’ term ‘Persis’
3. Internet: In 2012, Iran’s police chief announced that Google was a spying tool. In addition, the Iranian government wants to create a ‘national internet’ that is under state control
4. Air pollution: Iran’s capital, Tehran, is one of the world’s most air-polluted cities. It is estimated that around 27 people die every day from diseases related to air pollution
5. Export goods: Iran is one of the world’s largest producers of caviar, pistachios and saffron. Caviar production originates from sturgeon in the Caspian Sea, where Iran controls 50% of the caviar market
Fact: Air pollution in Iran’s capital, Tehran, causes around 27 deaths daily
6. Oil: The Persian Gulf – or Persian Gulf as it is also known – contains 60% of the world’s oil reserves. Iran owns approximately 10% of these reserves and pumps approximately 4 million barrels of oil every day
7. Carpets: Iranian carpets are world-renowned for their quality and carpets are Iran’s second most exported commodity (after oil). Rugs have been woven in Iran for more than 2,500 years and weavers typically make a small mistake on purpose in each rug because “only God is perfect”
8. Paleolithic: The earliest archaeological finds in Iran indicate that humans have been present in the area since the earliest Stone Age (Paleolithic 2.5 million years ago until about 300,000 years ago). It is also known that agricultural societies began to flourish in Iran around 8,000 BC.
9. History: In 1953, the CIA was involved in a covert operation called ‘Operation Ajax’, where the US and UK removed the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammed Masaddegh from power. This plot allowed the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to become the sole ruler of the country. In 1979, the Shah was overthrown and replaced by a clerical regime (the Iranian Revolution) under Ayatollah Khomeini, who remains in power today
10. Irangate/Iran-Contra: During the Iran-Iraq war in 1980-1988, the US officially supported Iraq but put pressure on other countries to stop selling arms to Iran. However, it was later discovered that the US itself had been secretly selling weapons to Iran. This affair became known as the Irangate or Iran-Contra scandal
Haft Sîn – or the 7 “S’s” – is an Iranian New Year tradition of having 7 objects that all start with the letter ‘S’ in the Persian alphabet. The objects symbolize 7 creations that are protected by holy immortals. Each family tries to create the most beautiful Haft Sîn table possible
