History UsefulNotes / Iran

Iran is divided into 31 provinces (استان‎, ''ostān''), which are informally grouped into five numbered regions. The format is as follows: province (capital).
!! Region 1
* Alborz (Karaj)
* Golestan (Gorgan)
* Mazandaran (Sari)
* Qazvin (Qazvin)
* Qom (Qom)
* Semnan (Semnan)
* Tehran (UsefulNotes/{{Tehran}})
!! Region 2
* Bushehr (Bandar Bushehr)
* Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari (Shahrekord)
* Fars (Shiraz)
* Hormozgan (Bandar Abbas)
* Isfahan (Isfahan)
* Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad (Yasuj)
!! Region 3
* Ardabil (Ardabil)
* East Azerbaijan (Tabriz)
* West Azerbaijan (Urmia)
* Gilan (Rasht)
* UsefulNotes/{{Kurdistan}} (Sanandaj)
* Zanjan (Zanjan)
!! Region 4
* Hamadan (Hamadan)
* Ilam (Ilam)
* Kermanshah (Kermanshah)
* Khuzestan (Ahvaz)
* Lorestan (Khorramabad)
* Markazi (Arak)
!! Region 5
* Kerman (Kerman)
* North Khorasan (Bojnurd)
* Razavi Khorasan (Mashhad)
* South Khorasan (Birjand)
* Sistan and Baluchestan (Zahedan)
* Yazd (Yazd)

* "Iranian" can mean two different things depending on context. The popular definition is of course to denote any national of the Islamic Republic of Iran regardless of ethnicity. The scholarly definition, on the other hand, is to refer to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_languages a large Eurasian language family]] and its speakers. It is in turn a part of the Indo-European language family, having branched alongside the Indo-Aryan family (spoken in the Indo-Gangetic Plain) in the 3rd millennium BCE. Iranian and Indo-Aryan separated from each other not long afterward.[[note]] There is also a third branch, Nuristani, currently spoken in several villages of eastern Afghanistan[[/note]] This has both a wider and narrower inclusion; it excludes certain nationals of Iran (specifically, the Arabic, Azerbaijani, and Turkmen speakers), but includes nationals of other countries including UsefulNotes/{{Afghanistan}}, UsefulNotes/{{Pakistan}}, and UsefulNotes/{{Tajikistan}}.

* '''Children of Heaven''': An inspiring movie about a brother and sister who live in relative poverty in Tehran.

->The Islamic Republic of Iran!

* Iran is controlled by an interesting conglomeration of a government (de jure: Unitary Khomeinist presidential Islamic republic; de facto: Unitary theocratic-republican authoritarian presidential system subject to a Supreme Leader). There is a Supreme Leader (currently Ali Khamenei), a President (currently Hassan Rouhani), a vice president (currently Eshaq Jahangiri), a chief justice (currently Ebrahim Raisi) and the Majles, the Iranian parliament headed by a parliament speaker (currently Ali Larijani). The Supreme Leader is exactly as powerful as the name implies; elected officials only have however much authority the Supreme Leader sees fit to delegate to them. While the President is usually the most visible member of the government, especially in the West, his influence is usually over economic policy.\\

* Iran is controlled by an interesting conglomeration of a government (de jure:Unitary Khomeinist presidential Islamic republic; de facto: Unitary theocratic-republican authoritarian presidential system subject to a Supreme Leader). There is a Supreme Leader (currently Ali Khamenei), a President (currently Hassan Rouhani), a vice president (currently Eshaq Jahangiri), a chief justice (currently Ebrahim Raisi) and the Majles, the Iranian parliament headed by a parliament speaker (currently Ali Larijani). The Supreme Leader is exactly as powerful as the name implies; elected officials only have however much authority the Supreme Leader sees fit to delegate to them. While the President is usually the most visible member of the government, especially in the West, his influence is usually over economic policy.\\

->The green, white and red bands symbolize Islam and growth, honesty and peace, and bravery and martyrdom, respectively. At the edges of the green and red bands are the stylized words "Allahu Akbar" ("God is Great") repeated 22 times, 11 on each side, symbolizing the day the Ayatollah Khomeini overthrew the Shah: February 11, 1979 -- or, according to the Persian calendar, Bahman 22, 1357 (the 22nd day of the 11th month). At the center is the stylized word "Allah", designed to resemble a tulip, a symbol of martyrdom. The flag is adopted in July 29, 1980.

->a stylized word "Allah", designed to resemble a tulip, a symbol of martyrdom. The emblem is adopted in July 29, 1980.

[[folder: General]]

[[folder: Human Rights and Politics]]

* Along with the Celts, ancient Iran was one of the most egalitarian societies with regards to gender. Women served as warriors, generals, and civil administrators. Today, [[NoWomansLand women face numerous restrictions on dress and behavior]], enforced with varying degrees of zeal. Despite this, there is a strong women's movement in Iran.

[[folder: Culture]]

[[folder: Stereotypes]]

[[folder: Movies and TV Industry]]

[[folder: Literature]]

[[folder: Administrative divisions]]

->The green, white and red bands symbolize Islam and growth, honesty and peace, and bravery and martyrdom, respectively. At the edges of the green and red bands are the stylized words "Allahu Akbar" ("God is Great") repeated 22 times, 11 on each side, symbolizing the day the Ayatollah Khomeini overthrew the Shah: February 11, 1979 -- or, according to the Persian calendar, Bahman 22, 1357 (the 22nd day of the 11th month). At the center is the stylized word "Allah", designed to resemble a tulip, a symbol of martyrdom.

->a stylized word "Allah", designed to resemble a tulip, a symbol of martyrdom.

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/iran_flag_2329.png

----

* Iran is controlled by an interesting conglomeration of a government. There is a Supreme Leader, a President, and the Majles, the Iranian parliament. The Supreme Leader is exactly as powerful as the name implies; elected officials only have however much authority the Supreme Leader sees fit to delegate to them. While the President is usually the most visible member of the government, especially in the West, his influence is usually over economic policy.\\

* Iran is an old country, dating back to 900 BCE. That counts only civilizations that have continuity with the modern country; if you count others, there is also Elam, which had been attested since 3200 BCE. However, Elam was a rather different creature than Iran and spoke a language isolate. Nevertheless, it set the foundation for later civilizations of the Iranian Plateau and gave its name to a province in the southwest. Iran's history is divided into two parts by historians, ''Ancient Iran'' and ''post-Islamic Iran''.

The Majles reserves five seats for religious minorities, including two for Armenians and one each for Assyrians, Jews (Iran hosts the Middle East's second-largest Jewish population), and Zoroastrians. This is a policy dating back to the 1906 Constitutional Revolution.
* Since the 1979 Revolution, Iran adheres to an extreme interpretation of a theocratic political system known as the ''velayat-e faqih'' ("Protectorship of the Islamic Jurists"), in which Muslim jurists (''faqih'') have a big influence in all sectors of the country, including the military, legislative, executive, and judicial branches. There is a 12-member advisory board called the Guardian Council, composed of six members of the Majles and six faqih. The Supreme Leader is held by a ''marja'' -- better known in the West as the "Grand Ayatollah" -- the highest-ranking position in Usuli Twelver Shia Islam. Some Western media calls him simply as "the Ayatollah", implying that the position is interchangeable with the Supreme Leader. In fact, there are over 80 living Maraji as of 2017 who are spread over many different countries, let alone ordinary Ayatollahs, which number in the hundreds.

** Since the 1979 Revolution, there have been two Supreme Leaders. Ruhollah Khomeini, who served from 1979 until his death in 1989, was an architect of the Revolution and oversaw the early tumultuous events in the Islamic Republic's history, including the Iran-Iraq War. He was succeeded by Ali Khamenei, who serves to this day.
** The Supreme Leader commands the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an armed forces created after the 1979 Revolution and separate from the Iranian Army, which existed since before. Its task is to protect the revolutionary establishment. The IRGC includes the Basij, a paramilitary force created during the Iran-Iraq War and made up of mostly young volunteers, as well as the Quds Force, an intelligence unit responsible for unconventional military operations. Since the new millennium, the Quds Force has gained notoriety in the world and especially the West, because it has built a wide network of political patronage in countries aligned with Iran and discreetly or publicly supports many [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters insurgents/freedom fighters]] in others. Hezbollah of UsefulNotes/{{Lebanon}}, the Houthis of UsefulNotes/{{Yemen}}, the various Shia paramilitary groups in UsefulNotes/{{Iraq}} that arose after the fall of UsefulNotes/SaddamHussein, and Hamas of UsefulNotes/{{Palestine}} all have deep connections with the IRGC. For this reason, Iran is designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the United States, and the IRGC itself is designated a terrorist group by the US, UsefulNotes/{{Canada}}, UsefulNotes/{{Bahrain}}, and Saudi Arabia.
** Legally, everyone in the Islamic Republic has to respect the Supreme Leader's decisions, which are binding. In practice, of course, not everyone does. Velayat-e faqih is actually a rather controversial mode of governance, as it is seen as vesting too much political power on the clergy, which, like Christian priests, have never been universally regarded as trustworthy. Shia Muslim leaders outside of Iran not affiliated with the Supreme Leader or the IRGC are especially distrustful; Iraq's highest-ranked Marja, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who prefers for a limited role for the jursists, has publicly voiced his disagreement with Iran's interpretation of the system.

* The Guardian Council puts the "Islamic" in Islamic Republic of Iran. They are meant to interpret the law based on Muslim doctrine, they can veto bills from popularly-elected officials and they have authority to approve or disqualify parliamentary candidates. It repeatedly vetoes bills in favor of women's rights, electoral reform, the prohibition of torture and ratification of international human rights treaties.

Interestingly, the Jewish populace of Iran has a seat in parliament. (Iran hosts the second-largest population of Jews in the Middle East.) The Armenian populace has one as well.

Iran ('''Persian:''' ایران, also known as ''Persia'' or the ''Islamic Republic of Iran'', '''Persian:''' جمهوری اسلامی ایران or ''Jomhuri-ye Eslāmi-ye Irān'') is a Western Asian country and the 18th largest country of the world, currently holding about 80,000,000 people inside its 7,000,000 km perimeter. Iran has a vast variety of flora and fauna, much like a more compact version of the United States. Iran has many ethnicities living within its borders, which causes confusion. There is an Arab minority in the south from Shatt al-Arab all along the coastlines overlooking the Persian Gulf, however, [[BerserkButton the majority of Iranians are not Arabs and they will be very insulted if you call them that]].

* Iranian cuisine is very interesting and tasty. Those unfamiliar with it should think of a blend of Pakistani/North Indian, Caucasian and Middle Eastern, with Middle Eastern more dominant, as well as some Mediterranean thrown in for good measure. Of course, it isn't so much a blend as a part of a larger spectrum of cuisines; many dishes considered characteristically North Indian, Caucasian or Middle Eastern have their origins (if not in their current forms) in Iran (e.g. ''kofta'' for the Middle East, ''piti'' for The Caucasus and ''naan'' for Pakistan/India), while Iran has itself imported, modified, and naturalized a large number of dishes from its neighbors. Naturally, the Iranian kitchen produces many delicious dishes:

Ahmedinejad's successor is Hassan Rouhani, who surprisingly won the 2013 elections in one round. Rouhani is noted as a moderate cleric, from the same faction as former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, and a pragmatist engaged in serious diplomacy on the nuclear issue, of the same clout as former President Mohammad Khatami.

* Since the inception of the Islamic Republic during the 1979 Revolution, Iran has garnered ''four'' different nations that qualify as their ArchEnemy.

* Iranian cuisine is very interesting and tasty. Those unfamiliar with it should think of a blend of Pakistani/North Indian, Caucasian and Middle Eastern, with Middle Eastern more dominant. Of course, it isn't so much a blend as a part of a larger spectrum of cuisines; many dishes considered characteristically North Indian, Caucasian or Middle Eastern have their origins (if not in their current forms) in Iran (e.g. ''kofta'' for the Middle East, ''piti'' for The Caucasus and ''naan'' for Pakistan/India), while Iran has itself imported, modified, and naturalized a large number of dishes from its neighbors. Naturally, the Iranian kitchen produces many delicious dishes:

* Kurdistan (Sanandaj)

* Iran's ArchEnemy in ancient times was whatever the main cultural center was in Europe, be it AncientGreece, AncientRome, or the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire, until it was ultimately conquered by the Islamic Caliphate in the late 600's and converted to Islam. Centuries later, Iran resumed the tradition by being one of the main opponents of the Ottoman Empire.

[[quoteright:328:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/iran_s10_8658.gif]]

** The Iranian Plateau (and so the country) is almost entirely of orogenic origin, with the Zagros making up the longest mountain range. Of the 10 most populous cities, only one (Ahvaz) does not exceed 900 meters/3000 feet above sea level. Tehran is [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Tehran111.jpg located on a mountainous valley]], while its climate closely resembles Denver. Earthquakes have therefore been a perennial problem in Iran since ancient times and are objectively more pressing than any threat of foreign invasion. The Bam earthquake of 2003, which killed more than 26,000 people and flattened the titular historic city, still gives many people nightmares today. There have been talks to move the capital to a less earthquake-prone area, but none so far has been agreed upon, as the candidates are all located within the peripheries (Tehran, for all its faults, is very strategically located).

* '''Film/AGirlWalksHomeAloneAtNight''': "the first Iranian vampire western", released in 2014.

Regarding Cyrus the Great, his ludicrously-massive accomplishments almost border on the stuff of legend. He created Iran's first multi-national empire: the Achaemenid Empire, which [[http://orig13.deviantart.net/ebbc/f/2013/027/c/d/achaemenid_empire_engorged_by_daeres-d5sxia8.png stretched all the way from northwestern Indian subcontinent to Greece, then down to Egypt]]. It was the largest empire in the ancient world had known by that point, even surpassing the Roman Empire, which only reached such extent about five centuries later. Such accomplishment obviously netted him many titles, including the King of Kings, Great Leader (this time, that pretentious title ''is'' justified), and believe it or not, ''[[MessianicArchetype Messiah]]''. The last part was even written in Literature/TheBible; Cyrus' annexation of Babylonia happened when the Jews were in the midst of their exile. Being known for his leniency against minorities, he allowed the Jews their safe return to the Holy Land and even approved the building of the Second Temple, two things that the Jews will never forget him for. For this reason, he is the only Gentile (i.e. non-Jew) to explicitly be called by their prophetic title: Messiah.

** Just about the only country more reviled than even America is UsefulNotes/SaudiArabia. Iran and Saud are so diametrically opposed to one another that it's a miracle war has not broken out. For starters, the Saudis are in the Arabian Peninsula, the homeland of both the Arab pan-ethnicity and the entire religion of Islam; Iran is mostly Persian, and has been conquered by Islamic Caliphates at various points in time. Saud is a leading member of the Sunni version of Islam, whereas Iran became the largest Shia-leaning Muslim nation (the schism between Shia and Sunni Muslims [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/Islam is better-explained here]]). Modern Iran was founded on populism (it's not called Revolution for nothing), Saudi Arabia was founded through tribal dynasties playing power politics while Western empires destroyed the last Caliphate. Iran is something of a theocratic authoritarian oligarchy that often settles internal oligarchical differences by polling, while Saudi Arabia is an {{Egopolis}} absolute theocratic monarchy that has a solid division of power between the royal family and theocratic Sunni instructors who run domestic policy. Both are major producers and developers of oil, so they tend to butt heads over the right to regional hegemony. To that end, Saudi Arabia sabotages the countries that are allied with Iran, such as [[WeAreStrugglingTogether parts of Lebanon]] and Syria, and rallies fellow totalitarian monarchies to gang up on Iran. Meanwhile, Iran supports predominantly-Shi'ite resistance groups such as the Houthis in Yemen and the protesters in Bahrain. Syria is the highest this conflict has ever reached, where many would consider it to be less of a CivilWar and more of a proxy war between Saudi Arabia (and its allies) and Iran.

** Just about the only country more reviled than even America is UsefulNotes/SaudiArabia. Iran and Saud are so diametrically opposed to one another that it's a miracle war has not broken out. For starters, the Saudis [[CaptainObvious are in the Arabian Peninsula]], the homeland of both the Arab pan-ethnicity and the entire religion of Islam; Iran is mostly Persian, and has been conquered by Islamic Caliphates at various points in time. Saud is a leading member of the Sunni version of Islam, whereas Iran became the largest Shia-leaning Muslim nation (the schism between Shia and Sunni Muslims [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/Islam is better-explained here]]). Modern Iran was founded on populism (it's not called Revolution for nothing), Saudi Arabia was founded through tribal dynasties playing power politics while Western empires destroyed the last Caliphate. Iran is something of a theocratic authoritarian oligarchy that often settles internal oligarchical differences by polling, while Saudi Arabia is an {{Egopolis}} absolute theocratic monarchy that has a solid division of power between the royal family and theocratic Sunni instructors who run domestic policy. Both are major producers and developers of oil, so they tend to butt heads over the right to regional hegemony. To that end, Saudi Arabia sabotages the countries that are allied with Iran, such as [[WeAreStrugglingTogether parts of Lebanon]] and Syria, and rallies fellow totalitarian monarchies to gang up on Iran. Meanwhile, Iran supports predominantly-Shi'ite resistance groups such as the Houthis in Yemen and the protesters in Bahrain. Syria is the highest this conflict has ever reached, where many would consider it to be less of a CivilWar and more of a proxy war between Saudi Arabia (and its allies) and Iran.

* Iranian cuisine is very interesting and tasty. Those unfamiliar with it should think of a blend of Pakistani/North Indian, Caucasian and Middle Eastern, with Middle Eastern more dominant. Of course, it isn't so much a blend as a part of a larger spectrum of cuisines; many dishes considered characteristically North Indian or Middle Eastern have their origins (if not in their current forms) in Iran (e.g. ''kofta'' for the Middle East, ''piti'' for The Caucasus and ''naan'' for Pakistan/India), while Iran has itself imported, modified, and naturalized a large number of dishes from its neighbors. Naturally, the Iranian kitchen produces many delicious dishes:

* Iranian cuisine is very interesting and tasty. Those unfamiliar with it should think of a blend of Pakistani/North Indian and Middle Eastern, with Middle Eastern more dominant. Of course, it isn't so much a blend as a part of a larger spectrum of cuisines; many dishes considered characteristically North Indian or Middle Eastern have their origins (if not in their current forms) in Iran (e.g. ''kofta'' for the Middle East and ''naan'' for Pakistan/India), while Iran has itself imported, modified, and naturalized a large number of dishes from its neighbors. Naturally, the Iranian kitchen produces many delicious dishes: