Iranians

When visiting Iran, one of the lasting impressions on you will be the enormous diversity of ethnic types.

These are not to be found in one spot -the airport, for example- but will be seen during your tour of Iran.

The majority of Iranian ethnic types are descendants of the Aryan tribes whose origins are lost in the

antiquity. The Kurds, previously a fierce nomadic people, dwell in the western mountainous regions of

Iran. Also inhabiting the western mountainous regions are the semi nomadic Lurs, thought to be abori-

ginal Iranians. Closely related and known as the Great Lurs until the 15th century, are the Bakhtiari tribes

who live in the Zagros mountains, west of Iran.

Ways of life are changing. However, tribal dress, domestic tools, music, dances and handicrafts, are

only some of the points of interest of the nomadic way of life for the foreigner.

In addition to ethnic diversity there is a variety of religions. The uninitiated tourist may be astonished by the spirit of tolerance prevailing in this Islamic country where more than 90% of the population are practically Shi'ah. The non-Muslim visitor is

among the first to benefit from this tolerant outlook:churches and temples belonging to the world's major religions function freely. Mosques can usually be visited except on Fridays and at certain hours of the day devoted to

prayers. Only cities of Qum,Mashad, and Ray are out of bounds to non-Muslim visitors. The

latter are never