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The experience of
being in the cradle of a civilization and culture that has had and continues
to have its impact on the world for more than 2,500 years of written
history-antiquity versus modernization. Recent
archaeological studies indicate that as early as 10,000 BC, tribes lived on
the southern shores of the Caspian, one of the few regions of the world which
according to scientists escaped the Ice Age. They were probably the first men
in the history of mankind to engage in agriculture and animal husbandry. It
was they and others who spread out shortly afterwards along the Zagros
mountains in central Iran and founded the first centers of civilization in
the land. Iran's
former name - Persia till 1935 - derives from the historical prominence of
the province called Fars or Pars ,at a time when Greeks - who called it
Persis - attempted to conquer the country. Practically speaking only the
English talk about Persia. It is like them to do so, for in reality
"Persia" is to "Iran" what "England" is to the
"United Kingdom". And that is not the main connection between
European civilization and Iran, for the word Iran is etymologically akin to
the word Aryan, and throughout history has been intermittently applied to the
peoples of Indo-European, that is ,Aryan Origin occupying the plateau, and to
the plateau itself. Persian
(Farsi) using Arabic letters is the language used and understood by the whole
nation. There are a number of other dialects and national languages - Turkish
(Azarbaijani), Kurdish, Luri, Guilaki, Baluchi and Arabic - used by the
corresponding provincial population for daily life purposes. Across the
northern Iran, at the southern coastline of the Caspian, which is 28m below
sea level, runs a narrow but high mountain range, the Alborz, which receives
more than 1,200mm of annual rainfall, and looms away eastward to the Afghan
frontier, with snow-capped peaks all the year round. The highest of some of
the peaks in the range are as follows: Damavand, northeast of Tehran, 5,671m;
Sabalan, west of Ardabil, 4,880m; and Takht-e Soleiman, northwest of Tehran,
south of Tonkabon, 4,820m. Natural
pasture and forest lands exist over wide areas of this region. In provinces
on the north of the Alborz most of the Alborz most of the fertile land is
used for cornfields, tea-plantations, and paddy-fields. The timber resources
of Mazandaran and Guilan provinces in the region are used through the
wood-processing factories of Asalem and Neka. Physically,
Iran is formidable. The shape of the land is a distorted square, as if it has
been melted in a furnace, and allowed to set crooked. Down its western flank,
from the Turkish frontier to the Gulf of Oman, run the Zagros mountains, so
strong a barrier that some world strategists considered them to be a real
boundary of the western world; however, Iranian historical monuments are
scattered far away on both sides of the range. From the southern end of the
Zagros range, Zard Kuh-e Bakhtiari, 4,309 m as its highest peak, a blistered
flat coastline runs toward the Indian Ocean. Due to the presence of great
quantities of limestone and other porous stones, many caves have been formed
in Iran that could be used by the average tourists as places of interest and
study. The most famous of these caves are to be found in Azarbaijan, in
Kurdestan, near Hamadan, Isfahan Province and in the Tehran area. The
climatic diversity in Iran is such that some tourists can enjoy winter sports
in the mountains while others can bathe in the warm waters of the southern
shores, both within a few hours drive from the main cities. In the
heartland of Iran and within these natural barricades lies the high central Iranian
plateau, much of it salt desert and most of it more than 1,200 m high,
including both the Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut with an area of over 200,000
and 166,000 sq km, respectively. Both deserts, despite their vastness, are
still considered to be the unknown and unexplored regions of Iran. Dasht-e
Kavir and Dasht-e Lut were traversed in the past by great trade caravans
carrying goods from the east to the west and vice versa. Fertile areas abound
where water resources are adequate, such as the Isfahan basin, northern
Khorasan, and the Qazvin and Varamin plains. The climate
of Iran is one of extremes, very hot and dry in summer and cold with some
snow in winter. The lands of the Iranian fertile crescent in the northwest
and west, including Lurestan, Kurdestan, and Azarbaijan, receive good and
relatively reliable rainfall and, despite marked seasonal extremes of
temperature, support large herds and prosperous dry farming. The
contrast in climatic conditions between the different regions has contributed
to the scenic magnificence of the landscape as well. The long southern area
of the country stretches from the plains of Khuzestan, along the narrow
plains and hills adjacent to the Persian Gulf and into the Mokran mountains
of Baluchestan. This suffers from a hot and debilitating climate with scanty
rainfall. The plains of Khuzestan have extensive areas of good soil, which
are cultivated irrigation from the Zagros mountains to the north. However,
Iran has a good climate compared to other Middle Eastern countries. More than
one third of the land surface receives rainfall of more than 250 mm on
average each year, while the heavy winter snowfalls on the mountains which
surround the central plateau provide a reservoir of water for irrigating
spring crops. Ferdowsi, the famous Iranian epic poet, described the southern
Caspian shores as an average region where spring prevails throughout the
year. The tourist
should know that the land is however, rich in terms of inland lakes and
wetlands (which amount to 33 in number), some of the most important of which
are: Lake Orumieh (West Azarbaijan), 483,000 hectares; Lake Parishan (Fars),
4,200 hectares; Lakes Maharlu and Barimshur (Fars), 21,600 hectares; and
Hamoun-e Hirmand (or Jazmurian) around Kuh-e Khajeh (Sistan), 40,000
hectares. Wetlands
must not only be prized as the home of a multitude of valuable waterfall, but
also for their intrinsically high natural productivity, their scenic beauty
and the sport and recreation which they provide. The
distance between Mount Ararat on the Turkish-Armenian-Iranian frontier and
the southeastern extremity of the country near the port of Chah Bahar on the
Sea of Oman is longer than that between Paris and Athens. If Iran were to be
superimposed upon a map of Western Europe, the holy city of Mashhad would be
over Budapest, Abadan within Sardinia, Tehran would take the place of Venice,
and Shiraz that of Naples! The vastness of the country is reflected in the
different climates from north to south, from east to west. This contrast
among the regions is increased by the contrast brought with each season: a
scorching summer and piercing winter can invade the same place. In the five
main tourist centers -Isfahan, Mashhad, Shiraz, Tabriz, Tehran- winter is
somewhat similar, except for Shiraz, which enjoys a milder temperature.
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The
visitor may be accustomed to this scale of distance. This is of great
importance, because upon it depends the planing of his trip and part of his
enjoyment. Laps are always long. Excursions around a central point rarely
take less than one full day. Persepolis, for example, considered as being
"near" Shiraz is 60 km away, and Pasargadae 130 km! Notwithstanding
such natural barriers, however, there have always existed close economic and
social ties between the people of the coastal and internal areas. The country
has many specific features of its own in its landscapes, inhabitants, arts
and customs. But over and above this superficial image, the enchantment of a
visit to Iran is the feeling of contact with a "different", but not
incomprehensible world, with a country which is both accessible, unusual and
diverse. Iran is not a country like Spain or Britain, that stands
theatrically distinct and complete. There is
nothing insular about Iran: It has always been a bridge-country. It has
frontiers with Arabs, Afghans, Turks, Pakistanis, Azarbaijanis, Armenians and
Turkmans; it has ancient connections with Greeks, Romans, Chinese, Indians,
Egyptians, Mongols, the British and the Americans, plus newly established
relations with many other independent nations of the world. FACTS AND FIGURES: Area: 1,648,195 sq km Population: 70,000,000 Bordered by: Iraq, Turkey, Armenia,
Azarbaijan, Turkmenistan, as well as the Caspian Sea, Afghanistan, Pakistan,
Persian Golf, and sea of Omman. The Islands: Minoo, Sheikh Saad,
Sheikh Sho'ayb, Hendurabi, Farur, Siri, Abu Mussa, the Greater and Lesser
Tumbs, Hengam, Larak, Farsi, Lavan, Hormoz, Qeshm and Kish. Ports: The most significant Iranian ports
on the Persian Gulf are: Abadan, Khorramshahr, Bandar-e Imam Khomeini,
Mahshahr, Deilam, Genaveh, Rig, Bushehr, Bandar-e Lengeh and Bandar-e Abbas. Free Zones; Kish Island, Qeshm
Island, Sirjan, Sarakhs, Chah"Bahar The Rivers: Karoon, Atrak, Aras,
Zayandeh Rood, Gorgan, Sefid Rood. The Mountains: Alborz range,
Zagros range.highest Pick: Damavand Religion: Islam Capital: Tehran Touristy Main Cities:
Ardabil, Bam, Caspian Coast, Hamadan, Isfahan,
Kashan, Kerman, Kermanshah, Mahan, Mashad, Neishabur, Persepolis &
Passargad, Qazvin, Qeshm Island,Shiraz, Tabriz, Takht-e Soleyman,
Khoram Abad, Kish Island, Susa,Uroomieh,.Yazd, For More
information about cities, please click here If you wish live experience, let us to take you to your
Magnificent
sightseeing of
Iran: Main Office: Abroad Offices: |
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