Excellence of taste in the fine arts andhumanities, also known as high culture.
•
The set of shared attitudes, values,goals, and practices that characterizesan institution, organization or group
•
An integrated pattern of humanknowledge, belief, and behavior thatdepends upon the capacity for symbolicthought and social learning
Identification.
•
The terms "Iran" as the designation for thecivilization, and "Iranian" as the name forthe inhabitants occupying the large plateaulocated between the Caspian Sea and thePersian Gulf have been in continual use formore than twenty-five hundred years. Theyare related to the term "Aryan" and it issupposed that the plateau was occupied inprehistoric times by Indo-European peoplesfrom Central Asia
Location and Geography
•
Iran is located in southwestern Asia, largely on ahigh plateau situated between the Caspian Sea tothe north and the Persian Gulf and the Gulf ofOman to the south. Its area is 636,300 squaremiles (1,648,000 square kilometers). Itsneighbors are, on the north, Azerbaijan, Armenia,and Turkmenistan; on the east, Pakistan andAfghanistan; and on the west Turkey and Iraq.Iran's total boundary is 4,770 miles (7,680kilometers). Approximately 30 percent of thisboundary is seacoast. The capital is Tehran(Teheran).
Demography
•
Iran's population has not been accuratelymeasured since the Islamic Revolution of1979. Recent population estimates rangefrom sixty-one to sixty-five million. Thepopulation is balanced (51 percent male, 49percent female), extremely young, andurban. More than three-quarters of Iran'shabitants are under thirty years of age, andan equal percentage live in urban areas. Thismarks a radical shift from the mid-twentiethcentury when only 25 percent lived in cities.
Linguistic Affiliation
In English, "Persian" is the name forthe primary language spoken in Iran.It is incorrect, but increasinglycommon in English-speaking countriesto use the native term, "Farsi," toidentify the language. This issomewhat akin to using "Deutsch" todescribe the principal language ofGermany.
Symbolism
Iranian culture is rich in culturalsymbolism, much of which derivesfrom prehistoric times. Iran is the onlynation in the Middle East that uses thesolar calendar. It is also the onlynation on earth marking the advent ofthe New Year at the spring equinox.
FOODAND ECONOMY
food strikes a medium between Greek and IndianpreparationsIranians have a healthy diet centered on fresh fruits,greens and vegetables.
Meat (usually lamb, goat, or chicken is the centerpiece of ameal.
Rice and fresh unleavened or semi leavened whole-grainbread are staple starches. The primary beverage is blackteaBREAKFAST:Breakfast is a light meal consisting of fresh unleavenedbread, tea, and perhaps butter, white (feta-style) cheese,and jam
.
The
main meal
of the day consists of:
The main dish is steamed aromatic rice (
chelow
)served with one or more stews made of meat and afresh vegetable or fruit. This stew,called
khoresht
resembles a mild curry.
In addition to its preparation as chelow, rice mayalso be prepared as a pilaf (
polow
) by mixing infresh herbs, vegetables, fruit, or meat after it isboiled, but before it is steamed
The Iranian national dish, called
chelow kabab
,consists of filet of lamb marinated in lemon juice oryogurt, onions, and saffron and grilled over a hotfire. This is served with grilled onions and tomatoeson a bed of
chelow
to which has been added a lumpof butter and a raw egg yolk.
A common drink with a meal is
dough
, a yogurt and saltedwater preparation that is similar and Indian lassie
Sweets are more likely to be consumed with tea in theafternoon than as dessert.. Among the most famousare
gaz
, a natural nougat made with rose water,and
sohan
, a saffron, butter, and pistachio praline.
EVENING MEAL:
The evening meal is likely to be a light mealconsisting of leftover food from the noon meal, or alittle bread, cheese, fruit, and tea
.
Food Customs at CeremonialOccasions:
Ritual foods fall into two categories—foods that are eaten in celebration,foods that are prepared and consumedas a charitable religious act
Food on celebration:
A few foods are traditional for the New Year's celebration. Fishis widely consumed as the first meal of the New Year, alongwith a
polow
made with greens. One food appears on theritual New Year's table, but is rarely eaten. This is a kind ofsweet pudding made of ground sprouted wheatcalled
samanou.
Special crispy fried sweets made from a yogurt batter andsoaked in syrup are frequently served. Two forms arepopular:
zulbia
, which looks a bit like a multi strandedpretzel, and
bamieh
, which looks a bit like the okra pods it isnamed after
Food on religious occasions:
Food is frequently prepared fordistribution to the community asa charitable religious act
The most common food served onthese occasions is a
polow
madewith yellow peas and
meat
NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONSAND OTHER ASSOCIATIONS
very few international nongovernmental organizations(NGOs) operating independent development or healthprograms in Iran
The United Nations (UN) is the one importantexception. Iran has supported the UN since itsinception
The nation's Mostazafin ("downtrodden people")Foundation and the Imam Khomeini Foundation haveoperated in the international sphere
SOCIAL WELFAREAND CHANGE PROGRAMS
It is incumbent upon all Muslims to devote aproportion of their excess income to thesupport of religious and charitable works.
The government is also committed to ruraldevelopment projects. A movement called the"sacred development struggle" (
jihad-esazandegi
) was launched early in the IslamicRepublic and was successful in bringingimportant development project
The Iranian Red Crescent Society (the localversion of the Red Cross) is active andimportant in the instance of national disaster
MARRIAGE , FAMILY,AND KINSHIP
MARRIAGE SYSTEM
In Iran women control marriages for theirchildren, and much intrigue in domesticlife revolves around marital matters.
A mother is typically on the lookout forgood marriage prospects at all times.
She then must confer with her husband,who makes the formal proposal in a socialmeeting between the two families.
Marriage within the family is a commonstrategy,
Cont..
In Iran today a love match with someoneoutside of the family is clearly not at allimpossible, but even in such cases, exceptin the most westernized families, thefamily visitation and negotiation must beobserved.
The wedding celebration is held after thesigning of the contract. A specified amountis written into the contract as payment forthe woman in the event of divorce.
Cont..
Divorce is less common in Iran than inthe West. Families prefer to staytogether even under difficultcircumstances, since it is extremelydifficult to disentangle the closenetwork of interrelationships betweenthe two extended families of themarriage pair.
DOMESTIC UNIT.
.
In traditional Iranian rural society the"dinner cloth" often defines theminimal family. Many branches of anextended family may live in rooms inthe same compound
INHERITANCE:
Inheritance generally follows rulesprescribed by Islamic law
Male children inherit full shares of theirfather's estate, wives and daughtershalf-shares.
KIN GROUPS
The patriarch is the oldest male of thefamily
He demands respect from other familymembers and often has a strong rolein the future of young relatives.
SOCIALIZATION
Child Rearing and Education.
›
Mothers and children are expected to bemutually supportive. A mother will protecther children's reputation under allcircumstances.
›
Older children often raise youngerchildren, especially in rural settings
›
The father is the disciplinarian of thefamily.
Higher Education.
All Iranians would like their children topursue higher education, andcompetition for university entrance isfierce.
ETIQUETTE
The social lubricant of Iranian life is a system knownas
ta'arof
, literally "meeting together.“
Linguistically, ta'arof involves a series of lexical substitutionsfor pronouns and verbs whereby persons of lower statusaddress persons of higher status with elevated forms.
It is always expected that a person returning from a trip willbring presents for family and friends.
In Iran the lower status person issues the first greeting. Inthe reverse logic of ta'arof this means that a person whowants to be polite will make a point of this, using theuniversal Islamic
salaam
or the extended
salaam aleikum.
Theuniversal phrase for leave-taking is
khoda hafez
—"Godprotect."
Religion and Health Carein Iran
Most Iranians are Muslims
90 to 95% Shia Muslims
4 to 8% Sunni Muslims
Rest include Zoroastrians, Jews andChristians
Shrines in Iran
Shrines of manyprominent saintsand emminentMuslim figureslie in Iran.Highlighted arethe importantones
Shrine of Imam Reza inMashad
After the shrines of Imam Reza in Mashhad andFatima in Qum, the third most venerated pilgrimagedestination in Iran is the shrine of Shah Chirag inthe city of Shiraz.
Shrine of Fatima sister of Imam Rida inQum
Health and Medicine
All Iranians are entitles to receive basichealth care facilities by theconstitution.
Average life expectancy is 71 years.
Health care spending is $ 150 perperson.
Largest population
Iran is among the largest populationhaving access to safe drinking wateri.e a total of 80%
ARTS AND HUMANITIES
BY: Sidra Zeb
Support for the Arts
ʡ
Iranians have one of the richest and most elaborateartistic traditions in the world.
ʡ
Two Islamic prohibitions affect arts in the mostdirect way:i. a prohibition against music,ii. and one against the depiction of humans andanimals in art.
Graphic Arts:
ʡ
Persian miniature paintings illustrating Iranian epics andclassic stories are among the world's great art treasures.
ʡ
Another tradition, is the artistic development ofcalligraphy.
ʡ
Iran has its own styles of Arabic calligraphy.
ʡ
Iran's modern painters often use classic themes fromminiatures combined with calligraphy for a uniquely Persianeffect.
ʡ
Geometric design is also approved, and is seen inarchitectural detail and carpet design.
ʡ
Carpet Making:
•
Carpets are Iran's most important export item after oil, and theircreation is an art of the highest order.
•
Carpets are hand-knotted.
•
The designs are drawn from a traditional stock of motifs, but arecontinually elaborated upon by weavers.
•
Carpets are not only beautiful works of art, they are investments.
•
Older carpets are worth more than new carpets.
Performance Arts:
ʡ
Persian classical music is one of the most elaborate and inspiringartistic forms ever created.
ʡ
The musical system consists of twelve modal units.
ʡ
These are divided into small melodic units called
gusheh
, most ofwhich are associated with classic Persian poetic texts.
ʡ
The instrumentalist and the vocal artist improvise within the modalstructure, creating a unique performance.
ʡ
Popular music forms are largely based on the more melodicstructures of classical music, and are highly disapproved by the religiousauthorities.
ʡ
Women are not allowed to perform music in public under the currentgovernment.
The State Of ThePhysical and SocialSciences
ʡ
Iran has had a long and proud national tradition inmathematics and the sciences.
ʡ
The high regard for medicine and engineering has producedthe strongest education and research programs in the country.
ʡ
There are forty-four universities currently active in Iran.
ʡ
The nation has enough applied scientists to carry out thefunctions of infrastructure maintenance and health care.
ʡ
Many of the country's best scientists and researchersemigrated to Europe and the United States.
ʡ
The Industrial and Scientific Research Organization of theCulture and Higher Education Ministry carries out research forthe government.
ʡ
Social science research is somewhat underdeveloped in Iran.
HISTORY AND EMERGENCEOF A NATION
The Iranian nation is one of the oldest continuouscivilizations in the world. Upper Paleolithic andMesolithic populations occupied caves in the Zagros andElburz mountains.The arrival of the Aryan peoples—Medes and Persians—on the Iranian plateau in the firstmillennium B.C.E. marked the beginning of the Iraniancivilization, rising to the heights of the greatAchaemenid Empire consolidated by Cyrus the Great in550 B.C.E.
Cont..
The first of these conquerors was Alexander theGreat, who swept through the region andconquered the Achaemenid Empire in330 B.C.E. Alexander died shortly thereafterleaving his generals and their descendants toestablish their own subempires.
The second great conquerors were the ArabMuslims, arising from Saudi Arabia in640 C.E. They gradually melded with the Iranianpeoples, and in 750, a revolution emanating fromIranian territory assured the Persianization of theIslamic world through the establishment of thegreat Abbassid Empire at Baghdad.
Cont…
The next conquerors were successive waves of Turkishpeoples starting in the eleventh century. They establishedcourts in the northeastern region of Khorassan, foundingseveral great cities. They became patrons of Persianliterature, art, and architecture.Successive Mongol invasions of the thirteenth centuryresulted in a period of relative instability culminating in astrong reaction in the early sixteenth century on the part ofa resurgent religious movement—the Safavids. The Safavidrulers started as a religious movement of adherents ofTwelver Shi'ism. They established this form of Shi'ism asthe Iranian state religion
.
Cont…
Subsequent conquests by the Afghans and the Qājār Turkshad the same result. The conquerors came and becamePersianized.During the Qājār period from 1899 to 1925, Iran came intocontact with European civilization in a serious way for the firsttimeA series of public protests against the throne took place atregular intervals from the 1890s to the 1970s.These protests culminated in the Islamic Revolution of 1978–1979, hereafter referred to as "the Revolution."
National Identity
The establishment of the theocratic IslamicRepublic of Iran under Ayatollah RuhollahKhomeini marked a return to religiousdomination of Iranian culture.Khomeini's symbols were all appropriatelyappealing to Iranian sensibilities as hecalled on the people to become martyrs toIslam like
Hasan,
and restore the religiousrule of
Hasan's father, Ali,
the last leader ofboth Sunni and Shi'a Muslims.Now, more than twenty years after theRevolution and following Khomeini's death,Iran is once again undergoing change
Ethnic Relations:
Iran has been somewhat blessedby an absence of specific ethnicconflict.
Some groups living withinIranian borders do assertautonomy occasionally, however.Chief among these are the Kurds,living on Iran's western border.
The nomadic tribal groups in thesouthern and western regions ofthe Iranian central plateau havelikewise caused problems for theIranian central government.
The Arab population of the southwestern trans-Zagros Gulf province of Khuzestan hasentertained political aspirations of breakingaway from Iran.
The severest social persecution in Iran has beendirected at religious minorities. Periods ofrelative tolerance have alternated with periodsof discrimination for centuries.
The one group that has been universallypersecuted since its nineteenth century foundingis the Baha'i community, because its religion isviewed as heretical by Shi'a Muslims.
S O C I A L S T R A T I F I C A T I ON:
Iranian society presents a puzzle for most standard socialscience analysis of social structure
.
Social mobility is also eminently possible in Iran.
High status is precarious in Iran.
There is a symbiotic relationship between superior andinferior.
Nevertheless there are genuinely revered figures in publiclife.
Public has a tendency to dismiss certain awards.
The clerical hierarchy in Shi'a Islam is a good model forgenuine advancement in social hierarchy because clericsadvance through the informal acknowledgment of their peers.
P OL I T I C A L L I F E :
Iran has made the transition in thelast twenty years from a nominalconstitutional monarchy to ademocratic theocracy.
There is a strong president electedfor a four-year term, and aunicameral legislature (
majles
) of270 members,
The position of speaker is politicallyimportant, since there is no primeminister.
the voting age is sixteen.
P OL I T I C A L L I F E :
There is a supreme jurisprudent selected by anindependent Assembly of Experts—a council ofreligious judges.
Alongside the chief jurisprudent is a twelve-member Council of Guardians, six selected by thechief jurisprudent, and six by the Supreme JudicialCouncil ratified by the majles.
The judiciary consists of a Supreme Judge and aSupreme Judicial Council. All members must beShi'a Muslim jurisprudents.
The units of governmental division are the province(
ostan
), "county" (
sharestan
), and township(
dehestan
). Each governmental unit has a headappointed by the Ministry of the Interior.
MI L I T A R Y A C T I V I T Y
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Although there is a standing army, navy, andair force, the Revolutionary Guards(
Pasdaran-e Engelab
), organized shortlyafter the Revolution, dominate militaryactivities, often coming into conflict with thestandard military forces. The RevolutionaryGuards either accompany or lead all militaryactivities, both internal and international. Anational police force oversees urban areas,and a gendarmerie attends to ruralpeacekeeping.
GENDER ROLES AND STATUSES
Women have always had a strong role in Iranian life, butrarely a public role.
Brave and often ruthlessly pragmatic, women are morethan willing to take to the streets for a good public cause.
In the years since the Revolution, women have madeastonishing progress in nearly every area of life.
Women have served in the legislature and as governmentministers since the 1950s.
The average marriage age for women has increased totwenty-one years.
Education for women is obligatory and universal, andeducation for girls has increased steadily.
Female employment is the one area where women havesuffered a decline since the Revolution.
The difficulty for the leaders of the Islamic republic inallowing women complete equality in employment and publicactivity revolves around religious questions of femalemodesty that run head-to-head with the exigencies of publiclife.
For many centuries women in Iran have wearing thechador, a semicircular piece of dark cloth that is wrappedexpertly around the body and head, and gathered at thechin.
Makeup of any kind is not allowed.
Any public activity that would require women to departfrom this modest dress in mixed company is expresslyforbidden.
Some activities, such as sports events, have beenset up for exclusively female participants andfemale spectators.
Westernized Iranian women have long viewedobligatory modest dress in whatever forms asoppressive, and have worked to have standardsrelaxed.
The emotional roles of Iranian men and womenare different from those in the United States andmany other Western countries.
By contrast, physical contact between membersof the opposite sex is assiduously avoided exceptbetween relatives.
Secular Celebrations
Iranian Festivals
Nowruz:
Celebration of the start of spring ("Rejuvenation"). It starts on the first dayof spring (also the first day of the Iranian Calendar year) and lasts for 13 days.
Sizdah Bedar:
Persian Festival of "Joy and Solidarity". The 13th/last day of Nowruzcelebration ("Getting rid of the thirteen!"). It is celebrated outdoors along with thebeauty of nature.
Mehregan:
Festival of Mehr (or Mihr). A day of "Thanksgiving".Jashne Sade: A mid-winter feast to honor fire and to "defeat the forces of darkness,frost and cold".
Shabe Chelle:
The turning point. End of the longest night (darkness) of the year,and beginning of growing of the days (Lights). A celebration of Good over Evil. Alsoknown as Shab-e Yaldā.
Sepandarmazgan:
Day of Love, Friendship and Earth in ancient Persian culture.
Chaharshanbe Suri:
Festival of Fire, last Tuesday night in the Iranian Calendaryear. It marks the importance of the light over the darkness, arrival of spring andrevival of nature.
Contd..
Zoroastrian
The basis of nearly all of Iranian national festivals are from its Pre-IslamicZoroastrian era. However, there are some festivals that are celebratedexclusively by Zoroastrians and some with less extent in other communities too.
Bahmanagān
- Also maintained by Iranian Muslims until the Mongol invasion.The festival was celebrated on the second day of the month of Bahman.Bahmanjana is a later modified form of Bahmanagān.
Esfandgan
- the day of love
Farvardingân
- Festival of the Farohars ('guardian angels').
Jaşne Sade
- Festival of Fire. Lit. the 100th day (before Nowruz).
Jaşne Mehregân
- Festival of Mihr (or Mehr). A day of thanksgiving dedicatedto the highest Angel, Mithra (c.f. Metatron).
Jaşne Tiregân
- Festival of Tir. A day dedicated to Tishtrya, Angel of the starSirius and rain. Also celebrated in some Muslims regions up this dayincluding Mazandaran.
Nowruz
- New Year's Day. March (first day of Spring).
Xordâd Sâl
(Khordad Sal) - Birthday of the Prophet Zarathushtra.
Zartosht No-Diso
- Anniversary commemorating the death of the ProphetZarathushtra.
Christian
•
Majority of Iranian Christians are Armenian-Iranians alsoknown as
Parska-Hye
who follow Oriental Orthodox branch ofChristianity. This minority has their very own special festivalsand traditions.
•
Iran has an over-whelmingly Muslim population but theChristian Community has a visible presence. During Christmastimes, Christmas Trees can be seen from Windows in Tehranand north-western provinces. Although Christmas has anofficial recognition in Iran, it is not a national holiday.
Jewish
•
Illanout (tree festival)
Celebrated in February, it is identicalto Shab-e Cheleh and is a lot more elaborate, reminiscence ofthe pre-Islamic celebrations
•
Shabe Sal Lit
. Night of the Year - The night of the end ofPassover, when chametz can once again be eaten. It is usuallycelebrated with many types of breads and dairy items. Thisfestival is unique to Persian Jews, and is not celebrated in thisway by most other Jews.
ISLAMIC FESTIVALS:
Important dates in the Islamic (Hijri) year are:
1 Muharram
(Islamic New Year)
10 Muharram
(Day of Ashura) For Sunni Muslims, the crossing of the Red Sea bythe Israelites. For Shia Muslims, the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson ofMuhammad, and his followers.
12 Rabi al Awal
(Mawlid an Nabi for Sunni Muslims)
17 Rabi al Awal
(Mawlid an Nabi for Shia Muslims)
13 Rajab
(Birthday of Ali ibn Abi Talib.)
27 Rajab
(Isra and Miraj)
15 Sha'ban
(Mid-Sha'ban, or Night of Forgiveness), and the birthday of Muhammadal-Mahdi (The Twelfth Imam)
1 Ramadan
(first day of fasting)
21 Ramadan
Ali ibn Abi Talib's Martyrdom.
27 Ramadan
(Nuzul Al-Qur'an) (17 Ramadan in Indonesia and Malaysia)Last third of Ramadan which includes Laylat al-Qadr
1 Shawwal
(Eid al-Fitr)
8-13 Dhu al-Hijjah
(the Hajj to Mecca)
9 Dhu al-Hijjah
(Day of Arafa)
10 Dhu al-Hijjah
(Eid al-Adha)
18 Dhu al-Hijjah
(Eid al-Ghadeer)
24 Dhu al-Hijjah
(Eid al-Mubahila)
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