Iranian culture
Iran’s culture is very rich, civilized, and Iran’s historical cultural heritage is unique in the world. Iranian people are also aware of their culture. As a historical country, Iran witnessed dynasties such as the Achaemenid Empire in ancient times, during which a lot of culture and art was formed. Despite the political, religious and historical developments, Iranians have maintained a deep connection with the handicrafts of their past. Although daily life in modern Iran was infused with Shia Islam, the country’s native art, literature, and architecture are reminders of a deep national tradition and a broader literary culture that spread throughout the Middle East and South Asia in earlier times. Despite the Persian culture, Iran is still known as a multi-ethnic country, and the Lor, Armenian, Azeri, Kurdish, Arab, Baloch, Turkish and other ethnicities each have their own literary and historical rituals that date back to It goes back centuries. For example, in the case of Armenians, these rituals date back to BC. These ethnic groups are often closely related to neighboring cultures outside of Iran.
Elements of Iranian culture:
In general, the elements of Iranian culture that are beyond the political borders of Iran can be briefly listed as follows: 1- Persian language and dialects 2- Azeri language 3- National celebrations including Nowruz, Yalda night and the solar calendar 4- Philosophy 5- Zoroastrianism. Religions and rituals and love worship 6- Iranian art (Persian literature and poetry, Iranian architecture and Iranian cuisine) 7- Local cultures of Iranian people and 8- Traditional Iranian music in different cultures
Influence of Iranian culture:
Iran has influenced the cultures and people of the world to places like Italy, Macedonia and Greece, Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent and East Asia.In general, Iran’s rich history has left a significant impact on the world through art, architecture, poetry, knowledge and technology, medicine, philosophy and engineering.
life style
Food and cooking
Although Iranian cooking has been influenced by the cooking methods of the Arab world and the subcontinent, it is largely a product of geography and food products in Iran. Rice is a main ingredient in the Iranian diet, and meat (mostly sheep) plays a role in almost every Iranian meal. . Vegetables are important for the Iranian diet, and rice and bread are used in almost every meal. Animal husbandry has long been an ancient part of the economy, and dairy products such as milk, cheese, and especially yogurt, are commonly used on the Iranian table. Authentic Iranian cooking tends to create subtle flavors and prepare dishes with relatively simple preparations, such as stews and kebabs. The most prominent spice used in Iran is saffron; But many other flavorings, including lemon, mint, turmeric and rose water, are used in Iranian food as much as pomegranate and walnut.Apart from rice, bread is also a main ingredient in the diet of Iranians. Berberi, Tufton, Lavash and finally, Sengak, which is the best Iranian bread, are consumed by Iranians. Iranians use tehdig, barberry, saffron and nuts in cooking all kinds of challah. In the restaurants of this country, most of the main dishes are kebabs;Its most common items include Bakhtiari Kebab, Chaluk Kebab, Joche Kebab, and Kobideh Kebab. Iranian foods are similar. Abgousht, dolme, zarshak pilaf, sabzi pilaf, fasanjan, Qorme sabzi and mirzagasmi add considerable variety to the Iranian table. All kinds of Iranian sweets are also used as dessert. Falodeh and Iranian ice cream is one of the most important desserts of this country. Iranians usually have breakfast and tea in their diet. Lunch is the main meal and dinner is usually lighter. Iranian caviar is famous in the world and Iran was once the first producer of caviar in the world. Iranian wine also has a long history and this country is one of the oldest beverage producers. is alcoholic; Although it was banned during the Islamic Republic
Entertainment and sports:
The computer games industry in Iran has been rapidly increasing digital sales since 2013. Since 2013, the production of mobile games in Iran has expanded and the number of players has significantly exceeded the number of computer players. According to a report published in 2016, 35 out of every 100 Iranians are gamers, and half of these gamers play online. With the arrival of 8th generation consoles in Iran, related software and hardware revenues in the country increased significantly.
Sport
Traditional Iranian sports include wrestling, horse racing and bodybuilding. In the 20th century, team sports entered this country from the west, the most prominent of which are football, rugby and volleyball. During the previous royal rule, modern sports were included in school curricula. In 1948, Iranian athletes participated in the Olympic Games for the first time, and the first appearance of this country in the Winter Olympic Games was in 1956. Most of Iran’s Olympic medals have been won in wrestling, weightlifting and martial arts. Iran is the birthplace of wrestling and powerlifting and polo (disputed with Azerbaijan). Polo was first played in Iran in the 6th century AD. emerged and gradually spread to Tibet, China, Japan, Saudi Arabia and India. Zurkhaneh sports and polo have been registered in the list of intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO in Iran Football has become the most popular sport in Iran. As a brilliant period, the Iranian national football team won the championship at the highest level of Asia in 1968, 1972, 1974 and 1976, and qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 1978. During this brilliant era, Taj football club (now Esteghlal) also won the 1970 Asian Championship club tournament. Some of these successes coincided with Iran hosting the highest sports competitions in Asia, and the hosting of the Asian Nations Cup in 1968 and 1976 are examples of that.
Fashion and clothing:
The exact date of the origin of textiles in Iran has not yet been determined, but it is considered to be the same as the origin of civilization. Ferdowsi and a number of historians of the East and the West have considered Kiyomarth to be the originator of using animal skin and hair as clothing. Some historians have mentioned Hoshang as the first creator of using animal skin as clothing.Ferdowsi considered Tehmorth to be the initiator of textile in Iran. There are findings in the north of Iran, from about 6000 years BC, which point to the weaving of wool in that era. Other discoveries in the center of Iran, which are related to 4200 years BC, showed that since these years, the skin of animals was no longer the only common clothing in the Iranian plateau. The clothing of ancient Iran took an advanced form, and the fabric and color of clothing became very important in that era. Based on the social status, status, climate of the region and season, Persian clothing came in various forms during the Achaemenid period.In addition to being practical, the philosophy used in this dress also had an aesthetic role. In this period, all kinds of fabrics and colors (including turquoise) became popular. Iranians were largely inspired by women in their clothing. Another feature of the ancient clothes of this country is the presence of many ornaments on the clothes. Also, unlike the Parthians, the Sassanians were not influenced by the Greeks, and there was a tendency to negate the role of foreigners in changing clothes, crowns, and earrings during the Sassanid period. Is visibleDuring the era of Muzaffar al-Din Shah and Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar, the passion for European clothing penetrated the thinking of many strata in Iran, and imitation of Europeans was becoming popular; During this period, the clothing of people and some tribes changed significantly and became close to European clothing. Conflicts about clothes in Iran were formed until the era of Reza Shah Pahlavi, who played a major role in changing the clothes of the Iranian people. Until 1314, the Pahlavi hat became the fashion of Iran due to government pressure and became common among the people. A little later, the Shapo hat became popular.
Sights and visits and hospitality:
Some Iranian rituals, such as Eid-e-Dani, suggest visiting acquaintances. Until Nowruz travel was not spread in Iran, in the cities of this country and neighborhoods where there were business acquaintances and face-to-face relationships, Nowruz visits were considered a duty or even a requirement. Iranian media also considered Nowruz as a chance to see and visit. The hospitality of Iranians has been emphasized by the traveler. Music has been important in Iran since ancient times. During the Achaemenid Empire, music was used in religious and court ceremonies. The exact identity of Iranian music has not yet been determined, but research continues on it and some aspects of it have been identified. Music was very important in the Sasanian period and the Sasanians used many instruments. Barbad, one of the musicians of the Sasanian period, created the first musical instrument of the Middle East called Khosravani.But the instruments have reached present-day Iran in an oral form. Iran is the birthplace of the first complex instruments, some of which date back to the third millennium BC. The regions of Iran have a significant number of indigenous instruments of various types. They are wind, skin tone, self voice and strings. Instruments such as tar, three-string, barbat, centaur, qanun, fiddle, reed, qichak, rabab, tanbak, tambourine, dakhreh and dakhrezangi are used in the national music of Iran. In the 1330s and 1340s, Iranian music changed fundamentally. In the 1330s, pop music entered Iran And the first Iranian pop and rock groups were formed. In this era, Iranian pop music was influenced by western pop music. In the 1340s, the first branches of modernism appeared in Iranian music. In the mid-1340s, Iranian studios, along with bars and night clubs, helped to spread new music popular in Iran. In these years, poetry and music of Iran changed and music stars went on stage one after another.Dance in Iran has a long history and as an ancient example, a special dance was performed in the Sasanian court. Ferdowsi, an Iranian epic poet, mentioned Rameshgaran like Azadeh who played the harp, sang chame, were bartenders and danced. In general, Iran was one of the ancient empires that spread the art of dance. For this ancient nation, dance was an important social phenomenon and a religious ritual.The history of Iranian dance as an independent art form is estimated at least from the era of Mehr Pristian and the historical sources of ancient times have mentioned it. Iranian dance has been very common and Greek historical books have written about its importance for Iranians. In the Pahlavi period, in addition to modern education,
Art and design:
From the 4th to the 2nd millennium BC, art in Iran mostly included elements of religious beliefs. Decorated dishes and carvings such as Kurangon and Naqsh Rustam are among the remaining works of art from that era. At the end of the third millennium and in the second millennium, the bronze industry was followed with high skill in Iran. During this period, pottery was refined and animal designs were placed on them. Statues have also been found in Turang Tepe, which were probably made by the people of tIn the Achaemenid palaces, with the cooperation of the whole country, an effort has been made to display an image of that era, and many arts have been used in their construction. Stone paintings and carvings, colored details, gold and bronze coatings, and motifs on the interior objects of buildings are part of the Achaemenid art that have been preserved until now. After the art of the Parthians, which was influenced by Greek art, the art of the Sassanids once again influenced the Iranian civilization. revived Sasanian art was also influenced by other cultures, but it was basically Iranian; One of the important events in this era was that vaulted architecture became popular in buildings.his era.In general, Islamic culture in Iran did not create strong indigenous schools of visual arts. But there are also exceptional cases. One of these important cases is the spread of Iranian painting in schools such as Shiraz and Isfahan schools. But Iranian painting became extinct at the end of the Safavid era. But arts such as Iranian calligraphy, gilding, weaving, pottery and Iranian metalwork continued. Western classical painting and sculpture entered Iran at the end of the 19th century and adapted to Iranian themes. Modernism gained strength in Iranian art and the most important development in artistic modernism in this country was between 1941 and 1979. Modern art in Iran had a significant growth and many famous contemporary artists of this country flourished during that period. The Guardian newspaper has announced the works of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art as the greatest art treasure. Private galleries were opened and the Ministry of Culture and Arts organized annual festivals. Shiraz Art Festival was prominent among international music festivals from the very beginning due to its innovation and diverse programs.
Iranian carpet:
Persian rug or Persian carpet has been famous and used for a long time. In an example of its document, the Greek historian Xenophon writes in his book “The Biography of Cyrus” between 430 and 345 BC: “Iranians spread carpets under their beds so that their beds are soft.”[52]
Architecture and housing:
Iranian architecture has indigenous knowledge and a long history, and throughout history it has always been known as the best part of Iranian art. This architecture was superior in the Achaemenid, Parthian and Sasanian periods and has maintained its superiority in the Islamic period as well. The ancient culture of Iran has a deep architectural style. Sassanids, Achaemenids and other pre-Islamic dynasties have left outstanding stone works of their architectural grandeur.Chaghazanbil and Parse are among these works and both were recognized as UNESCO World Heritage in 1979. The collection of Iranian Armenian monastic works was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. The architecture of this complex is a combination of Byzantine, Iranian and Armenian. Cultures Since the beginning of the Islamic era, the architectural achievements of the Seljuk, Ilkhani and Safavid dynasties are remarkable. During this period, Iranian cities such as Neishabur, Isfahan, Tabriz, and Shiraz were among the big cities of the Islamic world, and their high number of mosques, Islamic schools, shrines, and palaces shaped the style of Iranian architecture, which is part of the larger Islamic complex .
Rituals and customs:
Iran has people from various ethnic groups who consider themselves to have Iranian identity and have celebrated Iran’s national festivals until now. Islamic holidays and mourning are also very common in this country. After the 1978 revolution, these ceremonies took a luxurious form and the Islamic identity was supported by the new government.Iranian New Year’s celebration, Nowruz, has been registered by UNESCO as a cultural and spiritual heritage of humanity, and the United Nations General Assembly has recognized March 21 as the first day of Spring as the International Day of Nowruz by passing a resolution. . This ancient Iranian ritual is celebrated by followers of different religions as well as in other countries.This celebration is known as the most important Eid in Iran, and it starts from the last Wednesday of the year, in which CharshanbeSuri was held, and is celebrated with holidays. who keep this celebration for 13 days
Literature and philosophy:
The oldest national literary tradition of Iran is the Avesta language, the sacred written language of Avesta, which consists of Zoroastrian legendary and religious texts and ancient Iranian rituals; Its history goes back to the pre-Achaemenid era. Iranian literature is one of the representative parts of Iranian culture. The great masters of Persian language, such as Ferdowsi, Hafez, Nizami Ganjavi, Jami and Molavi, still inspire Iranian writers. Persian literature in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries was deeply influenced by Western literary and philosophical methods; But still, it remained an agile medium for Iranian culture. This literature, both in prose and verse, has served as a tool for conveying cultural introspection, political opposition, and personal protests of influential Iranian writers such as Sadegh Hedayat, Jalal Al Ahmad, and Sadegh Chobak, and poets such as Ahmed Shamlou and Forough Farrokhzad.Current knowledge of Iranian mythology has been obtained from various sources, the most important of which is Avesta. Pahlavi literature includes religious explanations, inspiration, exhortation literature, epic literature, poetry and writings with historical importance; Avesta mythology and beliefs have been preserved in some of the writings of this literature. Bandheshan and Dinkord are also important informants of ancient beliefs and myths of Iran.After the beginning of the Islamic era in Iran, an important literary work of Iranian legends and myths was prepared. This work is called Shahnameh and it was created by Ferdowsi. In the Shahnameh, the history of Iran from the beginning to the arrival of Islam was reconstructed with poetry, and myths were interpreted as historical events. In many stories of the Shahnameh, the concept of the battle between good and evil is hidden. The mythology of ancient Iran includes cosmic battles, abstract concepts, religious figures, legendary heroes, legendary creatures, royal examples and brave people, which are directly linked to the beliefs of ancient times.Have had. Rostam (the most famous warrior of the Shahnameh), Esfandiar, Afrasiab, Kaveh Ahangar, Sohrab, Siavash and Fereydoun are among the most famous warriors of the Shahnameh. Farsi was the first language in Muslim civilization that broke the monopoly of Arabic in writing. Persian prose also includes a treasure of narrations. The first prominent Persian poet, who was Rudaki, also organized Kalileh and Demeneh. Also, in the classical tradition, the concept of “literature” has been almost synonymous with poetry.Philosophy in Iran includes a wide range of schools of thought due to the great political and social developments in this country. In general, philosophy in Iran can be divided into pre-Islamic and post-Islamic periods. Pre-Islamic schools include Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, and Mazdakism. As an example of these schools, the Mazdisena school followed the teachings of Zoroaster in the years 1000 to 588 BC. It appeared in some parts of Iran. Zoroaster was the first person who investigated the problems of evil from a philosophical point of view. His moral philosophy is based on the primacy of good thoughts, good words and good deeds.Little of Zoroastrianism was known in post-classical Western culture until the late 18th century, and he had a significant impact on Greek and Roman philosophy. In the study of the post-Islamic period, it is clear that the early Islamic philosophy has been very effective in the emergence of the new philosophy. One of the important effects of this philosophy has been on the theories of evolution. Among the important schools after Islam are Sinavi wisdom, Ishraq and Transcendentalism. As an example of these schools, Hekmat Sinavi was founded by Ibn Sina, an Iranian philosopher, and became the leading school in Islamic philosophy until the 12th century AD. Ibn Sina tried to reconcile Aristotelianism and Neoplatonic philosophy with Islamic theology, and his ideas had an impact on Western students of that time and had influence in the West as well.
