Culture of Iran- Continued (no arts)

In Iran Persians are the largest ethnic and cultural group. Iran is also made up of Arabs, Kurds, Balochi, Bakhtyari, Lurs, and other smaller minorities, such as Armenians, Assyrians, Jew, and Brahuis. "Most Iranians are Muslims; 89% belong to the Shi'a branch of Islam, the official state religion, and about 9% belong to the Sunni branch. Non-Muslim minorities include Zoroastrians, Jews, Baha'is, and Christians(Travel Document Systems, Inc).

Culture of Iran- Arts

In ancient civilizations, scented oils were mostly used by the rich to cleanse, adorn, soften and mask the skin. Aromatherapy has its roots in the ancient culture and has been used for over 3000 years. Many scented plants were mixed with vegetable and animal oils to anoint the body. The Egyptians used fragrant herbs, oils, and temple incense as healing ointments and also to burn to soothe the mood of the gods. Throughout the African continent fragrant oils were used for protection against the sun and dust. The Mediterranean culture used oils for athlete before a competition. Olive Oil was a common oil from Asia was used and combined with scents such as lavender, lily, chamomile, rose, peppermint, rosemary, and sesame. The olive tree spread to Iran, the Mediterranean Basin and shores of Africa and Southern Europe including Greece and the Roman territories where it appeared all over. Henna was used to color hair and body parts and also nails. Thick hair was desired and hair extensions were used to enhance appearance. Tattooing with Henna was also popular. Facial Masks and frosted make-up were used and prepared with eggs. All substances were imported and exported and used by all nations. Lip paints were made from red ochre and facial powder was made from red oxide of iron, yellow ochre and white powder all found in Iran. Clothes were made simple fabrics and enhanced for the nobles by dying and hand painting. Footwear was the same for men and woman and was made from leather. Animal skin and fur were also used extensively for clothing. Ancient formulas for cosmetics were used and mixed with new products and ingredients. Face powder was made from chalk, eye-shadow was used and eyeliner was made from soot. Ocher was used for lips and cheeks. Cosmetics and perfume especially rose-water was applied liberally (Price).

Current Events in Iran- Iranian Democracy

Iran claims that it is the most democratic country in the Middle East. On June 12, President Mahoud Ahmadinejad will be challenged by three other politicians: Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Mohsen Rezai. Those four candidates are the only four allowed on the ballot. The remaining 471 candidates who registered were ruled ineligible by the powerful Guardian Council. 42 of these politicians were women. For most people this does not express democracy. Also even more politicians may have been deterred even from registering, because they knew they would be disqualified. This shows how democracy is being limited in an unfair way. Any politician who challenged the basic tenets of the Islamic Republic is not allowed to stand even if they would receive a majority of the Iranian votes. Although it is very unlikely that these candidates would receive a lot of support they still should have the right to run. President Ahmadinejad is allowing equal air time for all candidates during the campaign. Democracy is based on free and fair elections, and since both elections of President Mohammad Khatami in 1997 and President Ahmadinejad in 2005 were unexpected, there is suspicion that the government machine will be behind President Ahmadinejad again. There is also a lot of speculation about whether or not the Revolutionary Guards, the Basij militia, and government employees like teachers, will be "encouraged" to vote for President Ahmadinejad. Iran is one of the least democratic nations. There is very little freedom of press, most newspapers support the government and Iranian TV is openly behind the President. The Internet in Iran is also heavily censored(Leyne).

Current Events in Iran- Iran, world powers agree to meet again

Seven nations including Iran agreed in a meeting to try to overcome years of mistrust generated by Tehran's nuclear program and meet again to discuss this problem. “Adding to the optimism generated by the decision to hold follow-up talks was a rare bilateral meeting between the senior U.S. and Iranian delegates to the meeting. In addition, diplomats said Iran will open its newly disclosed nuclear plant to U.N. inspectors, probably within a few weeks.” “In Washington, President Barack Obama called the talks "a constructive beginning" but said that Iran must match its promises of cooperation with deeds.” "Talk is no substitute for action," Obama said. "Our patience is not unlimited"("Jahn et al").
President Obama said if Iran follows through with the inspections, "there is a path to a better relationship" with the rest of the world. The meeting appeared to be proof that Obama is committed to engage Iran directly on issues that other nations including the U.S. may be having with Iran. Since the seven nations including Iran plan to meet again, senior EU envoy Javier Solana said Iran has agreed to open its doors to its new uranium enrichment plant to Internation Atomic Energy Agency inspection. This new plant threatens to poison the atmosphere. It also cn make both nuclear fuel and fissile core of nuclear warheads. Manoucher Mottaki, the Iranian Foreign Minister, confirmed he is willing to discuss many topics with the six powers of the world. These topics include security, economic and political issues. Six members of the U.N. Security Council; the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany hope to persuade Tehran to stop the Uranium enrichment program(Jahn et al.)

History of Iran

The recorded history of Iran dates back about 2,500 years ago, when the Achaemenian dynasty ruled the country. The Dynasty was very significant because during the era the Pars tribes unified during the rule of Astyages and his grandson Cyrus, who formed a big Empire. But according to the "Aryans", inhabitants of the Iranian plateau, Astyages and Cyrus were not the founders of civilization, institute the first nation and establish a well-organized financial system. Achaemenian's famous military expedition against the Greeks took place in 480 B.C., when Iran was defeated and the seizure of undisputed power was given to Alexander (Embassy of Pakistan- Washington D.C.).
Darius, another prominent king, divided his empire into 20 states and appointed powerful rulers for each of them. He built roads for trade, enhance relations with the states and reach his military goals. The most famous road was "Shahi", or King's road, which connected Susa to Mesopotamia (Current day Iraq) which was 2,400 Kilometers long. In this era, many accomplishments were made including the creation of a tax and wage system for labour, a unified measuring system, private banks, coin minting and granting loans for agricultural purposes. Many Sea Routes were created and had ships with capacities up to 300 tons sailing frequently. The ship's sailors were mainly Phoenicians or Greeks, the officers were Iranians whereas a 10,000-strong military formed Darius's renowned "Immortal Army" (Embassy of Pakistan- Washington D.C.).
What seems to be most important after this era would be the Islamic Revolution in 1979 and the citizens voted for the Islamic republican system with a majority of over 98.8 percent. The assembly formed the Constitutional law of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Constitutional law was approved by the vote of the Iranian nation. With the creation of the Islamic government, many conspiracies were hooked by the world imperialism. All of them failed due to the presence of the Iranian people on the scenes (Embassy of Pakistan- Washington D.C.).
Main objectives of the Conspiracy theorists were of weakening and paralyzing Iran's economic and political system and the occupation of the fertile land of Khuzistan, was Iraqi regime's invasion of Iran directly provoked by the United States in 1980 -- which was only two years following the victory of the Islamic revolution. The war continued for 8 years and included the most savage bombings and chemical attacks leaving much destruction and damages in 4 border provinces of the country in the South and the West. Hundreds of thousands of the best and most faithful forces were martyred or disabled in the war and millions of people became homeless as a result of the war (Embassy of Pakistan- Washington D.C.).

-- Islam --

The Islamic flag has the symbols of the stars, moon, and sun, which represent the universe. These symbols are also a sign for universal peace. The religion of Islam was founded in Arabia, by a man named Muhammad, who is believed to be a prophet in Islam. Muslims, or people who follow Islam, believe that Muhammad was the last prophet of God, and that a judgement day on earth will come. Islamic people follow the teachings of the book The Koran, which is believed to be God's words that were spoken through an angel to the prophet Muhammad. Muslims who truely follow the teachings of Islam have many duties. In Islam, there are 5 "pillars of Islam", in which 5 duties are stated. The first is the Profession of Faith, which states that everyone must declare they are Muslim by swearing they believe in one God and Muhammad as his prohet. The second is Prayer, which states Muslims must pray five times a day. The third pillar is Almsgiving, or tax. In the modern world this does not exist anymore, but some countries would like to see it re-instated. The fourth pillar is Fasting, where Muslims must fast for the month of Ramadan. Muslims have to restrict eating, smoking, drinking, and sexual activity from dawn to dusk. The last pillar of Islam is the Pilgrimage. It states that at least once in every Muslims life, they must travel to Mecca, which is a holy place in Islam. The main goal of Islam is to promote peace and reform the earth. In Islam, it is only acceptable to use violence through jihad, or holy war. If Muslims are fighting to reform the earth for good, then it is ok, according to the Koran. This seperates some Muslims, and is why there are different sects of Islam. Two main sects of Islam are the Suni's and the Shiite's. ("Islam").

Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlevi

Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlevi was born in 1919. His father, Reza Shah Pahlevi, was the leader of Iran until after World War II. When his father left Iran, Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlevi became the shah of Iran. In the sixties he began to reform Iran, with help from the United States. He adopted many things from Western culture like litarature, art, construction, and the emancipation of women. Many people opposed the Shah because his pro-Western policies did not agree with the fundementals of Islam. ("Muhammad Reza Shah").

The End of the Shah

Mohammed Reza Shah was opposed during the 70's because of his use of his secret police. The police, the Savak, controlled the country. The Shah was opposed by another group in Iran called the Shi'i. The opposition of the Shah was led by Ayatollah Khomeini. The revolution was a success and in January of 1979, the Shah left Iran and was exiled around the world. He died on July 27th, 1980, in Egypt. ("Islamic Revolution of 1979").

Ancient Persepolis

The Ruins of Persepolis lie at the foot of Kuh-i Rahmat (Mountain of Mercy) in the plain of Marv Dasht about 400 miles south of present capital city of Teheran. The exact date of the founding of Persepolis isn't known; it is assumed Darius I worked on platform & structures between 518 and 516 B.C. It was burned to the ground when Alexander the Great conquered and looted persepolis in 330 B.C., he carried the treasures on 20,000 mules and 5,000 camels, according to Plutarch. It wasn't until 1260 A.D., when the site was 1st identified, it laid buried under its own ruins (University Of Chicago).
Many people travel to Persepolis and the ruins of its Achaemenid Palaces. Scholarly and scientifically planned work started in 1931, when Ernst Herzfeld, Professor of Oriental Archaeology in Berlin, was commissioned by James H. Breasted, Director of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, to start "an exploration, excavation and, if possible, restoration of the remains of Persepolis," (University Of Chicago). From 1931-1934, Herzfeld, and his assistant, Fritz Krefter found the Persepolis Terrace with the Eastern Stairway of the Apadana and the small stairs of the Council Hall. In 1934, Krefter left the job and Erich F. Schmidt took control of the job. For the next 5 years, until 1939, he continued the search of the Persepolis complex. But in 1939, World War II broke out in Europe, which put an end to his exploration in Iran (University Of Chicago).

Woman Of Iran

The Women's Forum Against Fundamentalism in Iran (WFAFI) is committed to promoting a greater awareness of the challenges women face living under fundamentalist regimes such as that of Iran. Our tasks range from raising public awareness, conducting research projects and initiating outreach programs -- to policy discussions and analysis. We firmly believe the political presence, participation and leadership of women are instrumental to achieving social, political and economic equality.
Support the democratic aspiration of the Iranian people, particularly women, in their struggle against Islamic fundamentalism. Support the efforts of Iranian women in areas of political leadership, economic development, and education. (Women's Forum Against Fundamentalism in Iran).

Iranian Revolution of 1979

6 June 1963, martial law ordered as riots follow the arrest of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. 16 January 1979, shah left the country after turmoil. 1 February 1979, revolutionary forces under Khomeini seize power after his return to the country (He had gone into exile after arrest in 1963.). 31 March 1979, referendum approved the establishment of an Islamic republic with Khomeini in de facto control. 7 April 1979, prominent Iranians executed. 4 November 1979, Iranian militants seized the U.S. embassy in Teheran and held sixty-six occupants hostage, demanding the return of the shah from the U.S. After the shah's death in 1980 in Egypt, an agreement was negotiated that freed the hostages on 20 January 1981. 2 December 1979, Khomeini became absolute ruler for life. 27 July 1980, shah died. November 1980, the First Gulf War broke out between Iran and Iraq. (Evans).