HOW BIG IS IRAn?

It’s big. Larger than England, Germany, France and Spain combined.

is the Iranian new year religious?

No not quite. Though rooted in Iran’s pre-Islamic Zoroastrian religion, the Iranian New Year, also known as Nowruz in Persian, is a secular affair these days. As such, it is celebrated by Iranians of all ethnic and religious backgrounds and essentially celebrates the coming of spring. Other Zoroastrian rooted national celebrations in Iran include Charshanbe Suri, when Iranians jump over bonfires in the run up to Nowruz, the Sizdah Bedar picnic marking the end of the new year and, the Shabe Yalda celebrations marking the longest and darkest night of the year. There is also the Faravahar- a symbol of Zoroastrian origin which has evolved into a ubiquitous symbol of Iranian nationalism - adorning many shop fronts, car and bus windows, clothing items, jewelry and handicrafts across Iran.

PERSIAN OR IRANIAN?

Same thing. The ancient land previously known as Persia officially changed its name to Iran in 1935. We’ll let your curiosity and Wikipedia take care of why this name change took place. All you need to know here is that Persia and Iran, Iranian and Persian are indeed the same thing and so we use the terms interchangeably throughout this website. Iranians will normally say they are from Iran, their nationality is Iranian and their language is Persian. However, some Iranians living outside of Iran have been known to only use the terms Persia and Persian to distance themselves from the negative contemporary connotations surrounding Iran. And lets not forget those young Iranian guys who have also been known to introduce themselves as Italian …

Persian or Farsi?

Same thing. Farsi is how Iranians refer to and pronounce their language, which we in the west call Persian. Both terms derive from the word ‘Pars’ (which became ‘Fars’ after the Arab invasion of Persia; as the Arab language doesn’t have the sound ‘P’) which is the name of the central province of Iran from which the Persian Empire and thus Persian people, language and history effectively spawned. See the HISTORY page for much more. If you are an English speaker and fancy using the correct term outside of Iran then use ‘Persian’; using ‘Farsi’ is akin to an English speaker referring to Spanish as ‘Espanyol’ or German as ‘Deutsch’ which though technically correct sounds a little odd wouldn’t you say?

Do women in Iran have to cover their face?

No, they have to cover their hair. Certain laws and restrictions on women’s clothing came into effect following the Islamic revolution of 1979. These required that women keep their hair (not face) covered and wear an overcoat known as a roopoosh or manteau in public at all times. The enforcement of these laws (by Iran’s notorious morality police) have cyclically gone through periods of relaxation or tightening depending on the political climate and president in charge over the past 40. Nonetheless young Iranian women have in their usually bold and brilliant way -and as a means of self expression- pushed the boundaries on this front to make the mandatory headscarf and overcoat look rather fashionable (see for example WOMEN POWER, PEOPLE and FASHION pages).

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As of autumn 2022 the above situation is rapidly evolving in light of the Mahsa Amini protests - which are explained in a separate question further down this page.

Can you drink alcohol in Iran?

You cannot legally buy or publicly drink alcohol in Iran. This has been the case since the Islamic revolution of 1979. In reality though, a lot of bootleg liquor does circulate and some Iranians produce alcohol in the privacy of their own homes. Despite the current ban, alcohol has played its part in Persian culture for millennia. The ancient Greeks - and Herodotus in particular- often cited the Persian affinity to luxury, feasting and wine drinking. Wine is also commonly mentioned, if only in the metaphorical sense, in the renowned verses of Iran’s ancient mystic poets such as Rumi and Hafez. And don’t forget, the famous Shiraz wine is by origin from the city of Shiraz in Iran which by the 9th century had ‘established a reputation for producing the finest wine in the world.’

Is Iranian food spicy?

No it’s not. Though there might be some local dishes, particularly in southern and south eastern Iran that have a little heat, Iranian food is generally not hot and spicy at all but rich in sour, sweet, nutty, fruity and herby flavours. If to be compared, it’s somewhat similar to Greek and Lebanese cuisine, though a whole lot tastier…but then we would say that wouldn’t we! Head to the FOOD page for more of a taste.

Is it safe to travel to Iran?

It was until a few months ago. Based on the current situation (Autumn 2022) it is strongly recommend that you seek the most up-to-date advice of your given government about travel to Iran.

Putting the current situation aside - Iran has actually been one of the safest countries in the world to visit. This is particularly in terms of the risk of terrorist attacks (which are relatively rare in Iran) or petty or violent crime. In reality, most European and North and South American countries fare a lot worse on these fronts! To add credence to this, the reputable global risk experts and consultants ‘International SOS’ and ‘Control Risk Group’ released a 2019 Travel Risk Map of the world, showing Iran as ‘low risk’ and as safe to travel to as Canada, New Zealand, Australia, the UK and Denmark amongst other places! Go to to the VISIT Iran page for more on what foreign tourists, vloggers and writers are saying about their Iran experience. In the meantime, here is the Irish travel vlogger Murr with a taster (please keep in mind this page/below videos and all the videos on the VISIT page were all uploaded before the protests of 2022)…

WHAT about recent detentions?

Best to put it into perspective. In recent years a handful of dual nationals i.e. those of Iranian heritage but residing in other countries have been detained upon visits to Iran. These cases have tended to involve individuals with either academic or journalistic backgrounds and occurred cyclically at times of rising tensions, especially when the Iranian state has felt under considerable threat. While it’s not for us to discuss the details of any particular case here, it is fair to say that dual-Iranian nationals, particularly dual national British-Iranians and American-Iranians should be extra cautious and practice due diligence before visiting Iran at this time. Yet it’s also worth keeping perspective on this question: many hundreds of dual Iranian nationals, as well as foreign tourists travel to and from Iran on a daily basis without any issue. Though for everyone, we repeat our advice to check your latest government guidance, in current circumstances.

do i need a visa to travel to iran?

Depends where you are from. People from some countries (dark green on map below) do not need a visa. Citizens of most other countries (light green on map below) need a visa but can obtain these very easily upon arrival in Iran. If you are visiting from a country that is shown as grey on map below, then you’ll need to apply for a visa in advance of your visit and also travel with an official tour once you get there. Israeli citizens are unable to visit Iran at this time.

why THE BEEF WITH America ?

It’s 100% political beef! Now, we promised not to get political, however, this question and the two that follow need brief attention to dispel misconceptions and stereotypes that have tarnished the reputation of ordinary Iranians for decades. Iranian people have never had any issues with Americans. In fact, many Iranians, the younger generation in particular, have a strong affinity for Americans and American pop culture, as you will learn if you check out the PEOPLE and VISIT pages. However, it is true to say that the Iranian government, since the Islamic revolution of 1979, has been on very poor terms with the American government. Some ordinary Iranians may also be disgruntled with American political actions but clearly draw a line between the American government and its people. You can check out the HISTORY page to learn about the historical backdrop and roots to Iran’s ‘political beef’ with the US, but for now, we can turn to a suitably light hearted explanation from Daily Show’s Trevor Noah…

Why the beef WITH israel?

Again, it’s 100% political beef! The Iranian government has since the Islamic revolution of 1979 been staunchly against the concept of Zionism and the formation and policies of the state of Israel. This is not necessarily the view held by all ordinary Iranians. Moreover the Iranian government has always drawn a distinction between the state of Israel as a political entity and the Jewish people of Israel and beyond with whom Iranians have deep historic ties (see HISTORY page). It is also important to point out that thousands of Iranian Jews live and practice their religion freely in Iran, where they make up the second largest population of Jews in the Middle East outside of Israel…

Why THE terrorism link?

It relates to actions of the Iranian government and not of it’s people. Specifically, the Iranian government been accused of IRA style bombings of US targets in the 1990s and providing financial and military assistance to Palestinian and Lebanese political parties Hamas and Hezbollah which have been classified as terrorist organisations by some countries. What’s important to focus on here is that ordinary Iranian citizens have never been involved in any of the coordinated terrorist attacks or suicide bombings that have plagued major world cities in recent decades. The two major groups behind these attacks, ISIS and Al-Qaeda, are in fact sworn enemies of Iran and, Iranians have been amongst the victims of their attacks.

why so many contradictions?

It’s complicated. There is no doubt that Iran is land of countless contradictions. A seemingly austere and anti-western theocracy, yet home to one of the most youthful, vibrant, pro-western, social media savvy populations in the Middle East; restrictions on what women can wear in public yet home to incredibly ambitious, bold, educated and empowered women; a land of mesmerising deserts and charming countryside nomads, yet also a land of snowy mountains, ski slopes, lush forests, trendy urbanites and boutique coffee shops. It’s a complex and varied picture, much like the rest of the world we live in. Perhaps the surprise or confusion for the average outsider sets in -to some degree-because of many years of unbalanced journalism (e.g only covering what the Iranian government gets up to) and the consequent Iran-related stereotypes.

WHAT ARE the 2022 PROTESTS about ?

In a nutshell (as of late October 2022)…