Islamic Republic Of Iran Broadcasting
This site is in Persian and English and contains many items of IRIB, including Radio programs in 20 different language. enjoy it...
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Persian Heritage Foundation
This site contains the story of Iranian history and some other stuff
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Lonely Planet
This site contains lots of information about Iran and traveling
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Another large group was the Persians, comprising of many tribes. The Medes and the Persians were rivals, constantly at war with each other till about the middle of the 1st millenium BC. This rivalry came to an end in 550 BC when the king of the Persians, Kourosh or Cyrus overcame the Medes and established the kingdom of the Persians and the Medes, ruled by the Achaemenid dynasty, the first modern and all-embracing government.
The Achaemenids ruled over a large territory, mostly conquered by Cyrus which extended, in 330 BC, from the Caucasus region - which it included - in the north, down to the Sea of Oman in the south, and from India in the east to the Adriatic Sea in the west. The seat of this vast empire was Takhte Jamshid (Persepolis) in today's Fars Province whose ruins are still evidence of a splendid empire and a great civilization. During their era agriculture made enormous progress. Also, ironworks, stone carving, use of stone in building, architecture, construction, use of gold and copper... developed remarkably.
The Achaemenids had a very effective and intricate fiscal and accounting system and usually used coins in their transactions.
In 330 BC, Alexander the Macedonian, defeated the Achaemenid King Darius III conquered Persia (Iran) and thus ended the Achaemenid dynasty. After the death of Alexander, one of his great generals took over the Iranian territories and founded the Selucid dynasty. The Selucids ruled over Iran or Persia, down to 247 BC, when Ashkanian, also known as Parthians, overthrew the Selucids and took over the kingdom. During the ear of the Parthians roads were improved and the water transfer systems or qanats were refined considerably. Parthians ruled the territory down to 224 AD when Ardeshir of Babakan put an end to this dynasty and founded the dynasty of the Sassanids.
The Sassanid empire had a powerful central government. During the era of this dynasty the society was divided into strict strata, the cast system, with the Zoroastrian priests at the top and farmers at the bottom level of society. The Sassanids were insistent that roads, bridges, qanats and palaces should be improved and many new ones built. Many of these remain today as archeological sights. Because of the cast system, heavy taxes on the lower strata, and corruption, the Sassanids gradually declined and could not withstand the Moslem invasion which began in 645. The Persian army of Yazdgerd III was defeated by the Moslem forces.
The Umayyads were the first Arab dynasty to rule over Iran. Contrary to Islamic teachings they treated the Iranians as inferior to Arabs and were often cruel to them. Their harsh treatment of Iranian gave rise to unrest and repeated uprisings which finally toppled the Umayyads who were replaced by the Abbasid dynasty.
Acceptance of Islam resulted in many changes in Iranian culture and traditions. Zorastrianism lost much of its strength and popularity. Arabic became the official language of the country for many years and the Arabic alphabet was adopted by Iranians for good. It took about two centuries for Iranian governments to emerge as generals governing various provinces declared independence.
The Taherids were the first independent Iranian rulers founded by an Iranian general called Tahir who declared independence in Khorassan in 816. In 872, however, another Iranian, Yaqub Leith Saffari, overthrew the Taherids and founded the Saffari dynasty, which was in turn toppled by the Samanids in 903.
Then the Samanids became independent rulers in Khorassan from 903 to 999 AD, and also captured the northern parts of the country which the Alavids had ruled simultaneously.
Thus, after 200 years or so the Iranians, who had accepted Islam put an end to Arab rule. From the era of the Samanids Iranian culture and literature were revived. The Samanids were ultimately overthrown by the Ghaznavid Turks.
Meanwhile the pro-Alavi Ale Bouyeh continued to rule in some parts of Iran. Ghaznavids' vast empire succumbed to the next wave of the Turks moving towards Iran, the Seljuqs, who took over the power in 1037.
The Seljuqs enlarged the Iranian territory to almost the extent it had occupied in the era of the Sassanids. But soon there were conflicts among the various Seljuqs, branches or tribes emerged and divided the kingdom: Kharazmshahians, Atabakans,... ...
In the 11th century AD, Hassan Sabbah created and led the Hashshashin (whence the word assassin) movement from his base in a stronghold built on the top of Alamoot mountain.
Then came disaster. The Mongols attacked Iran in 1220, and not only dethroned the local dynasties, but seriously damaged Iranian culture and civilization. Man historic monuments and libraries were ruined or burnt down, and the inhabitants of many towns were massacred, amidst them many poets, scholars and scientists. Those who remained alive fled the country. The rule of the Abbasi caliphs also came to an end. The Mongols tried hard to change the culture and ways of Iranians but eventually, the reverse happened: They themselves became Moslems and were absorbed into the Iranian culture.
The wound caused by the early Mongols had not yet healed before Teymour (Tamerlane) r invaded Iran in 14th century, ruining many towns and massacring far too many people. Teymour's empire rapidly declined after he died, however, and was dissolved in the year 1500, at the hand of Shah Esmail the Safavid.
Shah Esmail was a Shia (friend of Imam Ali (AS) and his descendants). He established a dynasty based on the Shia thoughts as the official religion of Iranians. The Safavid developed a powerful central government, built many impressive monuments and helped arts and artists greatly.
Shah Abbas I moved the Safavid capital from Qazvin to Isfahan where he and his successors built a good number of magnificent monuments. There were numerous wars between Safavid Iran and the Ottoman empire, which were rivals.
Early 18th century large group of Afghans invaded Iran and toppled the weakened Safavid dynasty.
An Iranian general by the name of Nader Gholi Afshar gathered an army, defeated the Afghans and ultimately founded the Afshar dynasty in 1736 AD. He recaptured those parts of Iran which the Ottomans had grabbed from Iran in the then recent times. Then he invaded India and captured parts of this country. Being harsh on his entourage, Nader was killed by a few of his generals in 1747 and his dynasty began to decline from the day of his death.
In 1750 Karim Khan Zand founded the Zand dynasty and chose the city of Shiraz to be his capital. He preferred peace and prosperity for his people. But when he died, there were many serious conflicts among his descendants.
In 1796 Agha Mohammad Khan, the chief of the Qajar tribe founded the Qajar dynasty, and was crowned in Tehran. It was during the Qajar era when Iranians became closely aquatinted with Western culture. Gradually the powers of the day, Russia, Britain and France became increasingly interested in Iran. During this era two heavy wars took place between Iran and Russia, in which Iran lost large parts of its territories. Mirza Taghi Khan Amir Kabir, the vizier (Prime Minister) of Nassereddin Shah attempted to modernize Iran and place it in line with the latest developments and the progress being made in the West. But the Qajar princes intrigued against him and had him executed.
From 1896 till 1906 Iranians put up a political movement that is generally known as the Constitutional Uprising. A parliament was finally created, which ratified a Constitution for the country's political and administrative system.
During World War I, Iran was, despite its neutrality, divided into two zones of influence: The northern parts were to be under the influence of Russian, and the British were to dominate the southern parts. The central parts were supposed to be neutral. But in 1917 the Bolshevik Revolution overthrew the Tezar and Russian forces left Iran leaving the country entirely under the influence of Britain.
At this time there were uprisings against the British in Gilan and Azerbaijan. Reza Khan, the commander of a Ghazzagh unit, put up a coup d'etat in 1920 and effectively took over the power. Finally, in 1926 Reza Khan dethroned Ahmad Shah, the last Qajar king, and proclaimed himself the first king of the Phalavi dynasty and was crowned. But during World War II, the allies, who had occupied Iran, made him abdicate in favor of his son Mohammad Reza.
The Iranian parliament declared Iran's oil industry as nationalized and thus the Oil Nationalization. Movement began. In 1951, Dr Mosaddegh became prime minister and took on the leadership of the Movement. With the help of Ayatollah Kashani, he made great progress and was about to finalize the matter.
The Shah left the country, but his generals, helped by US security forces (CIA), arranged a coup d'etat and brought back the Shah. From then till the Islamic Revolution of 1979 he ruled as a dictator subduing any resistance, or disagreement with him. For example, in 1963 the citizens of Qom led by Imam Khomeini put up an uprising against the Shah which was crushed by the Shah's forces. Imam Khomeini was sent to exile.
In 1979 the people's protests reached a climax. The Shah left the country again and Imam Khomeini returned home and took on the leadership of the Revolution. On 11th of February the Islamic Revolution reached a victory and the Pahlavi dynasty was terminated.
With the downfall of the Shah's regime, Iran's first ever republic was established and was confirmed by a 98.8% vote in a special referendum.
In 1980 Iraq attacked Iran and occupied parts of western and southern Iran. Iranians fought bravely and finally the war came to a cease-fire according to the resolution 598 of UN.
Imam Khomeini passed away in 1989 and was succeeded as the leader by the then President, Ayatollah Khameneie.
After the imposed war (with Iraq) was over, Iran managed to restore and rebuild the war damages it had sustained. Hojjatoleslam Rafsanjani was twice appointed as the President, in 1989 and 1993. Currently Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Khatami is the President. This is the second term of his presidency having been twice elected, in 1997 and 2001.
As far as religion is concerned, Iran's history can be divide into two distinct ears: pre-Islamic and post-Islamic. Before Islam came to Iran, the nation was predominantly Zoroastrian. Indeed, in the opinion of a large number of historians, Zoroaster emerged about 1000 BC, bringing the Avesta, the holy book of the Zoroastrians, for his followers. The basics of this religion is the war between Good and Evil, God and the Devil, Light and Darkness. He maintained that in the end Good would overcome Evil, light would overpower darkness, and Ahura Mazda would defeat the Satan.
With the arrival of Islam in Iran, the Zoroastrian religion declined severely but there are, still today, a good number of Zoroastrians in various parts of Iran, Yazd, Kerman and Tehran in particular.
Jews have lived in Iran for thousands of years. When Kourosh (Cyrus) conquered Babylon in 538 BC, he freed the Jews who were kept there as slaves and returned all their belongings to them. From then on, Jews as a religious minority have lived in many parts of Iran, dealing mainly in trade. Presently Jews in Iran have their own synagogues and schools and a representative in the parliament.
There have always been some Christians living in Iran - beginning in the early periods of Christianity - coexisting alongside other Iranians. Most of the present Christians of Iran are Armenians in the main part and Assyrians in a smaller number.
As a result of relentless effort on the part of Christian missionaries in the recent centuries, many of the Armenians and Assyrians of Iran, who normally have their own churches, have developed inclinations towards Catholicism or Protestantism. Some of the churches built in Iran are considered as historic monuments of great value. Iranian Christians have three representatives in the parliament.
The Iranian Constitution accepts, besides Islam, the three religions of Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Judaism as official religions. The followers of these religions may perform their religious rites and duties in special places. They may also have their own press and journals, and representatives in the parliament. To give an example there are about 30 churches and 20 synagogues in Tehran alone.
Islam
The Holy Prophet Mohammad was born in the Arabian Peninsula in 570 AD. God appointed him as a prophet when he was 40 years old. In 621 AD he moved from Mecca to Medina and this event was decided to be the beginning of the Moslem era and calendar.
Islam is based on monotheism - there is no god but Allah - and its holy book is the Koran.
During his lifetime the Prophet invited the greatest kings and emperors of his time, such as the Roman Emperor and Persia's King, to accept Islam.
The Prophet left this earthly world in 632 and then the era of the caliphs began. Under Omar, the second caliph after the Prophet, the Moslem forces defeated the Sassanid army in a long battle which took place at Nahavand. Although Iranians willingly accepted Islam because it preached monotheism, equality and justice, they refused to accept Arabic as their tongue. They retained the Persian language, Persian literature and old Iranian customs, folklore, and culture. Eventually they freed themselves from the yoke of Arab domination.
There are two major sects in Islam: the Shia and Sunni sects. The Shias, as most Iranians are, believe that after the Prophet, Imam Ali (AS), his cousin and son-in-law, should have become his successor, in accordance with the Prophet's will. In practice, however, Imam Ali (AS) became the fourth caliph, to be soon after martyred while in prayer at the mehrab.
Shias consider Hazrat Ali as the first imam, and maintain that imamhood remained in his family. They consider Hazrat Ali's oldest son, Imam Hassan, to be the second imam, and after him his younger brother, Imam Hossein, the third imam... down to the 12th Imam Mahdi (AS), who, according to the Shias was the last imam. He is believed to be invisible to human beings but sill alive. He shall emerge to bring human salvation when God decides he should. He shall spread justice and equality all over the world. This is why Shias, in all their prayers, beg God to expedite his emergence.
Shias believe that the Holy Prophet, his daughter Fatemeh (AS) and her husband Emam Ali (AS), the Prophet's cousin, and Ali's 11 descendants as the fourteen innocents, free of all sin. Shias revere them, celebrate their birthdays and mourn on the days of their deaths.
Moslems, while having great respect for other religions, Christianity and Judaism in particular, believe that Mohammad is God's last in the line of the prophets of the three principal religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) in historic sequence. The Holy Koran refers to Moses and Jesus as God's prophets who came on earth to guide the human beings. The Koran also speaks of the Virgin Mary as a most chaste woman who became pregnant by the will of God without any man's touching her.
The principles of Shia thinking are:
1- Towheed (Unity): There is only one God, Allah, who has no need to have a partner.
2- Nabovvat (Prophethood): Mohammad is God's last prophet and there shall be no prophet after him.
3- Maad (Day of Judgment): After death human sprits return to God who shall judge them according to their deeds on earth.
4- Adl (Justice): God is just and fair and has created the human beings as equals. The criteria of superiority is one's degree of piety and chastity.
5- Emamat (Leadership): After the decease of the Holy Prophet, the innocent Imams shall lead the Moslems. The world shall never be without an Imam. Presently the 12th Imam is with us though we are not able to perceive him.
Each Moslem must pray five times a day facing Mecca. The prayer is said in Arabic and consists of a definite set of rituals. Ordinary (non-compulsory) prayers can be said in one's own language or in any other.
Shias, in their prayers, witness as to the wisdom and perception of God, the prophethood of Mohammad and Ali's imamhood as the first Imam. And they beg God for this guidance and forgiveness them. Prayers are said individually or in groups.
Shias, like all Moslems, fast during the month of Ramazan. From dawn till sunset they refrain from eating, drinking and smoking. The opportunity is used to clear and purify one's body and mind. Travelers, sick people and others, who for any reason, would be harmed through fasting, are exempted. Indeed they are forbidden to fast. But they, too, must avoid publicly eating, drinking or smoking. There are other prohibitions for the Shias as for all Muslims. They must not drink alcoholic beverages of any kind. Sexual intercourse outside marriage is forbidden.
On Iran's west, there was Europe which lay the foundations of a splendid civilization very early in history. On the east of it, there were the great Chinese, Indian and Japanese civilizations. Central Asians and Caucasians lived to its north and the Arabs in the south. The people of Iran exchanged goods and ideas with all these people as a result of which all these civilizations flourished. In today's Iran, one finds monuments left by the Greeks, Indian temples, symbols of Chinese culture, traces of Arab way of living, even signs of the presence of the Mongols and Tartars.
One of the first steps towards human rights was taken in Iran during the Achaemenid dynasty. In 538 BC, Kourosh (Cyrus) conquered Babylon, but instead of massacring its people and sacking and burning the cities, he went to their temple and worshipped their gods in their own fashion. He also freed the Jewish slaves and returned their possessions to them.
Traces have been discovered in Iran which go back to the age when human beings gathered and stored food, the Neolithic age . Also, remains have been found from later stages of civilization, when human beings had learned to grow food. Earthenware objects have been found, which date back to 10,000 years ago, indicating that people living in the area at the time, had already discovered the craft of pottery.
Objects found in Choghamish indicate that about 8,000 years ago people in Iran could already navigate and produce textiles.
In Syalk, near Kashan, remains of buildings have been discovered belonging to 5,000 years ago, that display a remarkable architecture. At that time (5000 years ago) Iranians were already producing copper and using copper objects.
In the next millennium, the pottery turner, the brick-baking furnace and baked earthenware were already in existence and lighthouses were built to help in navigation.
During the 3rd millennium BC, the Aryans migrated to Iran and soon writing and the signs used for it, were developed. Architecture made great progress, and Iranians became familiar with brass and about the same time they learnt to grow wheat. In the 2nd millennium BC, iron was produced in this region and circa 1250 BC glass was used in the building of Choghazanbil, not far from Susa.
In the 1st millennium BC Iranians made great progress in architecture and town planning, as well as in building dams, roads, and irrigation systems including qanats. The Achaemenid era is the zenith of civilization of the ancient Iran as illustrated, even today, by the splendors of Susa and Persepolis (Takhte Jamshid). Stone work and stone carving became very popular, examples of which have been discovered and are masterpieces of these crafts.
From 247 BC till 224 AD, the Ashkanian or Parthian dynasty ruled over Iran. During this era, academic, technical and material progress was not as remarkable as had been in the Achaemenid era but some achievements were made in architecture. Also, writing on the skin of the deer became current.
A very outstanding period of Iranian history began with the era of the Sassanids in the 3rd century AD. Sassanid kings ruled over Iran for about 400 years. During this period colossal bridges were built a few of which still remain and some are even used today. Dam building was very common in this era, when splendid places were also built. Navigation made great progress and traveling and cargo transportation by sea became routine affairs. As mentioned in the other parts of this book, most of the archeological sights and objects that can still be seen in Iran, remain from this period.
After the emergence of Islam and the establishment of Arab rule on Iran, as a result of political unrest not much developmental progress was made, and building methods did not evolve much for about two centuries. In the 3rd century, however, Iranians, who had accepted Islam almost unanimously, and considered themselves as equals among other Moslems, once again awakened and began a new era of historic and cultural glory.
Gradually, Iranian scientists, mathematicians, philosophers... appeared, each a genius. Kharazmi wrote his book ?Algebra?. Studies were carried out, with great achievements, in chemistry and astronomy. Zakaria Razi (Rases) discovered alcohol. Bu Ali Sina (Avicenna), the great physician, philosopher and physicist produced an enormous amount of work in many scientific and philosophic areas. Abu Reyhan Biruni (Albyruni), Omar Khayyam, Ghazali... and many others like them added considerably to man's knowledge and wisdom. Many buildings were constructed some of which are mentioned in this book. Also, Iranian literature began to flourish from the 10th century AD onwards, but more of this in the section on literature.
The Mongol invasion was a catastrophe that disrupted, for a while, all cultural and academic progress. The Mongol hordes burnt magnificent libraries and vast schools. Many scientists and men of letters and philosophy were killed or forced to flee. There was a period of total cultural stagnation, till Khajeh Nssirolmolk became the vizier of Holaku Khan. This great scholar worked ceaselessly for 30 years to revive Iran's academic movement.
He repaired or built many schools and academic centers in different parts of Iran, and took the academics under his own protection. Excellent libraries were created once again and as the Mongols were gradually absorbed into Iranian Moslem culture and civilization, sciences, philosophy, literature,... advanced rapidly, once again.
Taymoor's (Tamerlane's) invasion was another disaster which, once more, retarded cultural progress in Iran. But, as it had happened before to the Mongols, the ruthless Tartars, too, were ultimately - and very soon - absorbed by the fascinating Iranian civilization.
The Safavid era, though it is not praised for academic achievements, was an era of arts and crafts. Ornamental arts, architecture, carpet-weaving... made stunning progress. Many of the great architectural masterpieces that can be seen in Isfahan, today, were built in this era: such world renowned monuments as the Imam and Lotfollah Mosques, Khajou and Allahverdikhan Bridges, the Alighapou Palace etc, are reminders of this Golden Age of arts and crafts. It was during this period that the first political contacts were made with the new Europe which was making very rapid progress. But, the powerful Ottoman empire was an obstacle in these relations. In the era of Afsharieh, Iranians made attempts to develop modern merchant and military navies.
During the era of Qajars, 1779-1924, Iran was subject of many military aggressions and lost considerable parts of its territory. At the same time, Iranians became closely familiar with modern Western culture, and Western achievements in technology. They built factories, schools, printings-houses... on European models. They published newspapers and developed postal, telegraphic and railway networks. Then oil was discovered in Iran and everybody in the world heard of Iran just as the entire world had known about Iran, 2000 years earlier.
Among the provinces of Iran, the most densely populated that year was Tehran Province, which at the time had a total population of 11,176,239. Ilam, with a population of 487,886, was the least densely populated province that year.
During the years 1991-1996, the rate of growth of the population in Iran was 1.5% while in the earlier years it had been much higher and so the population had grown far too rapidly. Some of the most populated cities of Iran, besides the capital Tehran, are: Mashad, Isfahan, Shiraz, Karaj, Kermanshah, Qom, Ahwaz, Zahedan and Rasht.
In 1996, out of the total population of Iran, 58,954,228 were of Iranian nationality, 804,404 were Afghanis, 179,061 were Iraqis, 8,836 were Pakistanis, 741 were Turkish, 1,017 were the nationals of the Republic of Azerbaijan, 649 of Armenian Republic, 269 of Turkmenistan Republic, and 9,790 were of other nationalities. Also 96,493 people did not declare their nationalities.
In 1999, 27.4% of the population above the age of 10 were engaged in agriculture, 30.6% in the industrial sector, and 42.0% in services.
Migrating or nomad tribes, who travel back and forth between their summer and winter quarters every year, make up an interesting population feature of the country. In the western and central provinces of Iran, migrating nomads who live predominantly as livestock (mainly sheep and goats) breeders follow their animals to the cooler highlands in summer and the warmer lowlands in winter. Each tribe or subtribe has its own lands in the summer and winter quarters. This has been going on for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years and is a fascinating aspect of the country.
Throughout history, Iran has been on the way of the East-West route of trade and cultural exchanges, a bridge linking the East to the West. Therefore, it has had both conflicts and exchanges of civilizations. This is why there are many ethnic groups in Iran all of who consider themselves to be true Iranians. The Azaris are Turkish speaking people that live in the northwestern parts of the country; the Kurds live in the western parts; the Lors in southwestern regions; the Baluchs in the southeast; Taleshis in the north; and the Turkmans in the northeast and in Fars province in central Iran. Each tribe has its own peculiarities, dialect, costumes... but all share certain basic characteristics that bind all Iranians together. The major traditions and celebrations, notably the New Year, are common to all. Their identity is unanimously Iranian.
The Iranian year begins on the first day of spring; i.e. it is the first day of the first month of the first season of the Iranian year, when the length of the day and night is equal. The Iranian year has four seasons and every season has three months.
The first six months of the Iranian year have 31 days each. The next five months are 30 days long and the last month has 29 days except that every four years there is a leap year when the last month is 30 days long.
Spring
Farvardin: 21 March-20 April
Ordibehesht: 21 April-21 May
Khordad: 22 May-21 June
Summer
Tir: 22 June-22 July
Mordad: 23 July-22 August
Shahrivar: 23 August-22 September
Autumn
Mehr: 23 September-22 October
Aban: 23 October-21 November
Azar: 22 November-21 December
Winter
Day: 22 December-20 January
Bahman: 21 January-19 February
Esfand: 20 February-20 March
One of the characteristics of the Iranian calendar is that the first day of the year or the New Year's Day (Norooz or New Day) coincides with the first day of spring, when nature begins to wake up after its winter sleep. It is for this reason that the UN has named the Iranian New Year's Day the Day of the Earth. The beginning of the year is celebrated gloriously and the celebrations are called Norooz, a ceremony that has a history of some thousands of years. The festivities last 13 days and normally there is a countrywide bank holiday during the first 4-5 days and on the 13th day.
During the New Year holidays most of the people leave their homes to travel in the rest of the country, as is the custom. They go to visit the more attractive and climatically pleasing parts of the country.
?Sofreh Haftseen? or the tablecloth with seven Ss, is a custom that is seriously observed by all Iranians. Before the New Year begins a tablecloth is spread on the floor or a table and seven objects are placed on it whose names begin with an ?S?. In addition a volume of the Holy Koran and a few gold fish in a bowl of water are also placed on the cloth..
On the 13th day of the new year which is the last day of celebration and is known as ?Sizdeh-be-dar? (out on or with the 13th) every body goes to an outing, a picnics in the country, in a park, by a river... somewhere closer to nature. They spend a joyful day in the midst of nature and dispel the bad omen of the figure 13.
Norooz is the most important Iranian festivity. Before this festivity begins and during the days of its duration Iranians extravagantly celebrate the coming of the new, the revival of nature with spring. The 12th day of Farvardin (the 1st month of the Iranian year) is known as the Day of the Islamic Republic because it was on this day in 1979 (2nd April 1979) that Iranians participated in a referendum and almost unanimously voted for an Islamic Republic.
The 14th of Khordad (4th June) is the day Imam Khomeini (RH) passed away and is an official holiday. The 15th of Khordad (5th June) is the day of the uprising of the citizens of Qom who in 1963, led by Imam Khomeini (RH), organized demonstrations against the Shah's regime in which a number of citizens lost their lives. This too is an official holiday.
The 22nd of Bahman, the day of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979 (11th February) and the 29th of Esfand (20th March), the day of the nationalization of the oil industry, are also official holidays.
From 12 to 22 of Bahman (1st-11th of February) celebrations are held as the Ten Days of Fajr on the occasion of the victory of the Islamic Republic. It was on the 12th of Bahman 1979 that Imam Khomeini (RH) returned to Iran, from exile in Paris, and was received by millions of happy people. Ten days later the Islamic Revolution's victory was established. During the ten days of this celebration many festivals are held. In particular, the country's most important film festival and a number of artistic and sports contests and tournaments are held during these ten days.
But many festivities and occasions of official mourning in Iran are held according to the Islamic calendar which runs on the movement of the moon round the earth and the earth round the sun observed as changes in the shape of the moon. This calendar has a 355 or 354-day year, i.e. it is 11 days shorter than the solar year, on average. So, many Islamic occasions are held on different days with respect to the Iranian solar year. The Islamic year has 12 months as follows: 1- Moharram, 2- Safar, 3- Rabi-ol-Awwal, 4- Rabi-ol-Thani, 5- Jamadi-ol-Awwal, 6- Jamadi-ol-Thani, 7-Rajab, 8- Shaban, 9- Ramazan, 10- Shawwal, 11- Zighadeh, 12- Zihajjeh.
Because of the 11-day difference, the Islamic calendar does not coincide with the Iranian calendar. So, the Ashura, which is the day of martyrdom of Imam Hossein (AS), the third Imam of the Shias, and which is held on the 10th of Moharram of each year coincided with 27th of Farvardin of 1379 (16 April 2000). In 1380 it coincided with the 16th Farvardin 1380 (2001) and in 1381 it will coincide with the 5th of Farvardin (2002).
Iranians' most important annual occasions of feast or mourning, which are also official holidays, are as follows:
9 th & 10 th Moharram: mourning for the martyrdom of the third Imam of Shias, Imam Hossein (AS), and his entourage.
20 th Safar: Arbain, the 40th day after the martyrdom of Imam Hossein.
28 th Safar: the death of the holy Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him).
30tth Safar:the: death of Imam Reza, the eight Imams.
17 th Rabi-ol-Awwal: the birthday of the Prophet and the sixth Imam of Shias, Imam Jafar Sadegh.
3rd Jamadi-ol-Thani: the death of Hazrat Fatemeh, the daughter of the Holy Prophet.
13 th Rajab: the birthday of Imam Ali (AS)
27th Rajab: the day the Holy Prophet was informed of his prophethood.
15 th Shaban: the birthday of Hazrat Mahdi (AS), the 12th and last Imam of Shias.
21 th Ramazan: the martyrdom of the 1st Imam, Hazrat Ali (AS).
1st Shawwal: Eede Fetre, the end of Ramazan (the month of fasting).
25 th Shawwal: the martyrdom of Imam Jafar Sadegh.
10 th Zihajjeh: Eede Ghorban.
18 th Zihajjeh: Eede Ghadire Khom.
The months of Moharram and Ramazan are the two most important months for Shias, and in the lives of Iranians. During Moharram, Iranians spend sorrowful days mourning the martyrdom of Imam Hossein (AS), the son of Imam Ali (AS) and the grandson of the Prophet.
During Moharram most Shias dress in black, gather in mosques and mourn Imam Hossein and all that he suffered. The mourning reaches a pinnacle on the 9th and 10th of Moharram (the martyrdom took place on the 10th).
Ramazan is the month of fasting. All Moslems refrain from eating, drinking and smoking during the daytime. They can eat at sunset. After eating they go to mosques to mourn Imam Ali (AS), the first Imam of Shias, who was struck with sword while in prayer, on the 19th of Ramazan, and passed away on the 21st.
Those who visit Iran during Ramazan must remember that Moslems are very sensitive about their religious principles. Visitors must refrain from eating, drinking or smoking in public during Ramazan. But they may do so in the hotels, airports etc, where they will be given excellent reception.