The past 100 years have been very eventful ones in Iranian history.
In the beginning of the
century, under the Qajar dynasty, Iran witnessed a Constitutional Revolution in 1906. This
series of revolts called for the creation of a majles or parliament.
In 1921, Reza Khan, a Cossack officer, invaded Tehran with
his troops. He consequently became Minister of War. In 1924, he ousted the ruling monarch,
Ahmad Shah, ending over a hundred years of
Qajar rule and creating the new Pahlavi dynasty, becomming Reza Shah.
Reza Shah started Iran
on a track of modernization. Schools and universities were built and roads and rail
networks were dramatically expanded. He also made numerous social reforms, such as
forcing civilian men to adopt western attire and liberating
women from the traditional veil. Reza Shah was forced by the British and Russians to
abdicate in 1941 and consequently went into exile. He died in 1944 in South Africa.
Reza Shah's son, Mohammad Reza, assumed power upon his father's abdication. Returning to
power after a brief exile in 1953, the Shah began to implement his own
reforms in the early 60's known
as the White Revolution. The goals of these programs included land reform, increasing literacy
and improving infrastructure, in addition to
numerous other projects. Mohammad Reza Shah was coronated in 1968, adopting
the title Shahanshah Aryamehr (King of Kings, Light of the Aryans).
In 1971, Iran celebrated the 2,500th anniversary of the founding of the
Persian Empire.
Rising opposition towards the Shah in the late 1970s
led to the revolution of 1979. The monarchy collapsed soon after the Shah's
departure from Iran in January 1979 and the return of Ayatollah Khomeini
from exile the following month. The Islamic Republic was established
shortly thereafter, with Abolhassan Bani-Sadr becomming the first
president. The Shah died in Egypt in July 1980.
War broke out with Iraq in September 1980, lasting eight years and costing
both sides tremendously. The war ended in a 1988 UN-sanctioned cease-fire.
Ayatollah Khomeini died the following year, being succeeded by Ayatollah Seyed
Ali Khamenei as Leader of the Revolution. After the war, a massive
reconstruction effort was initiated, and Iran began improving relations with
other nations, particularly western ones. In 1989, Ali Akbar Hashemi
Rafsanjani was elected President of Iran. Mr. Rafsanjani, who began the
implementation of market reforms, served as president for eight years.
In May 1997, former Culture Minister Seyed Mohammad Khatami, a relatively
unknown moderate, won a surprising landslide victory against Ali Akbar
Nateq-Nouri in the presidential race, seizing 70% of the popular vote.
Mr. Khatami, who is arguably one of the most popular politicians in Iran's
history, has promised numerous reforms and the expansion of freedoms.
Since his inauguration in August 1997, Mr. Khatami has worked to
improve Iran's foreign relations, enforce the rule of law in Iran,
increase opportunities for women, and establish a "civil society", in
addition to massive economic reform. The date of Khatami's election, the
2nd of Khordad (May 23rd), has come to symbollize Iran's reform
movement. The 2nd of Khordad Movement is an umbrella term for Iran's
reformists.
In the two years since Mr. Khatami has been elected, many individual and
press liberties have increased. Relations with the west have improved as well.
In January 1998, President Khatami addressed the American public on CNN,
calling for increased dialogue between the citizens of the two nations.
Today, with events taking place in the Persian Gulf and the importance of the
Caspian Sea region, Iran is playing an increasingly important and influential role in the
area.
President of Iran: Mr.
Mohammad Khatami
Foreign Minister: Dr. Kamal Kharrazi
Iranian Ambassador to the U.N.: Mr. Hadi Nejad-Husseinian
Minister of Culture: Dr. Ataollah Mohajerani
For a more complete list of Mr. Khatami's cabinet, please refer to the
website of
the Iranian presidency.
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Iran's
economy is still largely based by petroleum, natural gas and agriculture. The
country is rich in mineral resources, including oil, gold, copper and silver.
Handcrafts, most importantly the world-renown Persian carpets comprise a large
part of the economy as well. However, an industrial base is developing in
Iran, providing for the local manufacturing of goods such as automobiles,
buses, televisions, furniture and foodstuffs.
President Khatami has recently announced Iran's next Five-Year Plan. Under
this plan, the government hopes to decrease inflation, and to privatize many
state-dominated industries such as telecommunications, post and sugar. This
plan recently won preliminary approval in the parliament.
The Iranian unit of currency is the Rial. 10 Rials equal one
Toman. The dollar is currently traded at approximately 830
Tomans.
By definition, "Iranians" are of
Indo-European
origin. However, many
people are of Arab, Turkish, Armenian, Kurdish and other backgrounds. The most
commonly spoken language is
Farsi (an Indo-European language). Each region has its own dialect of Farsi. The differences are
subtle enough that people from different regions can generally understand each other. Turkish is
also common, especially in the north, and there is an indigenously Arab population in the south
that speaks Arabic.
The majority of Iranians are Shi'ite Muslim, though there are also many members of
the Sunni Islamic, Christian, Jewish, Zoroastrian and other faiths.
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Iran's educational system is in many ways both similar and different
from the American system. There are 11 years of preparatory education, 5
years of elementary school (Dabestan), 3 years of Middle-School
(Rahnama'i), and 3 years of high school (Dabirestan). After completion of
these years, students graduate with a high school diploma. As of last
year, students have to complete one year of a separate pre-college program
known as "pish-daneshgahi". During that year, students can prepare for the
national College Entrance Exams (Concours). Based on the ranking students
receive on this test, they can select which university to attend based on
the ones that are available to them.
The first modern institute of higher learning in Iran was the Dar al-Fonoun
school set up
by Amir Kabir in the 1850's. The first formal university in Iran to resemble
western counterparts
was the University
of Tehran, a comprehensive university that was founded in the 1930s.
Iran's top engineering school is Sharif
University of Technology. Other major universities include Shiraz University, Shahid Beheshti University and Iran University of Science and Technology.
After the revolution, a series of semi-private universities known as Azad (Open) University opened around
the country. Iranian universities, like their American counterparts, are based
on the credit and semester systems.
Many Iranian students have in recent years been winners of various
international academic Olympiads, particularly in mathematics.
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The Persian calendar is solar like the Christian calendar, but dates from
the Arab/Muslim invasion of Iran and the introduction of Islam into the
country. Hence, it is currently the year 1378 in the Persian Calendar. This
calendar (called Hejrieh Shamsi), which is incredibly precise, was
devised by the renowned Persian mathematician Omar Khayyam. The Iranian months
are: Farvardin, Ordibehesht, Khordad, Tir, Mordad, Shahrivar, Mehr, Aban,
Azar, Day, Bahman, Esfand.
The Iranian calendar year was briefly changed in commemoration of the
2,500th anniversary of the Persian Empire in 1971. The year was changed from
1350 Hejrieh Shamsi to 2530 Melli (national). This calendar was
unpopular and the nation reverted to the old calendar soon afterwards.
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New Year's Day (Norouz) is
the spring equinox, usually March 20th or 21st. This year, Noruz will be on
Saturday, March 20th, at 8:46:29 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
The new
year's celebrations last 13 days, culminating in Sizdeh-be-dar, the
last day of the celebrations. In order to avoid bad luck in the home, families
traditionaly go outdoors for picnics, etc.
Prior to Norouz, on the last Wednesday of the previous year, Iranians
celebrate what is known as Chahar Shanbe Souri, where people jump over
bonfires in an attempt to rid themselves of the sins they may have committed
throughout the year or bad luck they may have. This holiday, like Norouz,
dates from Pre-Islamic times.
Today, Norouz is also celebrated in Turkey, Afghanistan and the former
Soviet republics of Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Some Norouz-related links:
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Music has traditionally played a large role in Iranian culture. Iran's music, though similar to
that of its neighbors, is at the same time very unique. There are several
"Iranian" instruments, such as the Santur, which is similar to the Sitar.
These instruments are commonly used. Piano and violin are also common. Iranian
pop music of recent years is consequently a mix of Iranian and western
instruments, with Farsi lyrics.
Some noted figures in Iranian music are
Javad Maroufi and Anoushirvan Rohani, who are notable in classical music
circles. Famous pop musicians include Viguen, Bijan Mortazavi, Leila Forouhar
and
Andy Madadian. Some noted bands include Shahin and Sepehr, and Black Cats.
A new wave of pop music is currently emerging inside Iran, with singers
such as
Shadmehr Aghili, Khashayar Ehtemadi, Mohammad Esfahani and Alireza Assar.
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Iranian cinema quickly risen to prominence in recent years. Despite numerous
constraints, Iranian producers have succeeded in making many high-quality
films that have increasingly received international recognition. One of the
most recognized directors is Abbas Kiarostami, whose films have won numerous
awards, including the Cannes Film Festival's Palm d'Or award in 1997. Other
directors Dariush Mehrjui and Tahmineh Milani. Famous Iranian films include
Badkonak-e-Sefid (The White Balloon), Banou-e-Ordibehesht (The
May Lady), Leila, Do Zan (Two Women) and Majid Majidi's
Bacheha-e-Aseman (Children of Heaven), the first Iranian film to be
nominated for an Oscar. Return to top
Persian food is greatly varied. The most popular fare by
far is Chelo Kabab which is kabab on a skewer served on a bed of rice,
usually served with dugh a yogurt-mint drink. Rice (namely
long-grain Basmati) plays an essential role in Iranian food. Additionally
important is Saffron, a very rare spice that is only grown in Iran and
Spain. Aash, a kind of soup, is also very popular. There are numerous
varieties of Aash. Other popular dishes are Zereshk Polo,
Gourme Sabzi and Addas Polo. Deserts include traditional Iranian ice cream (Bastani), which
is french vanilla with a strong scent of Saffron. Also popular is
Zulbia Ba'amieh.
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Many Iranians have
obtained
fame
outside of
their native country. The Iranian community is one of the most successful
immigrant groups in the United States. As former US House speaker Newt
Gingrich recently stated, "...Iranian-Americans have contributed much
to America since they arrived in the last several decades. We are
proud of your heritage and of the added strength you have brought to
our comunities nationwide".
Some famous Iranians and people of Iranian
origin include:
Christiane Amanpour, CNN Foreign Correspondent
Dineh Mohajer, Founder of Hard Candy
Vartan Gregorian, Former President of Brown University
Mohammad Khakpour - Player, New York / New Jersey Metrostars
Maziar Mafi - Democrat
Congressional Candidate (California)
Afshin Mohebbi, President and COO, Qwest Corporation
Pierre Omidyar, Founder of E Bay (and Tufts graduate)
Bijan Pakzad, Owner, Bijan Apparel and Fragrances
Shahriar Pourdanesh, Player, Washington Redskins
Sohrab Sobhani
- Republican Senate Candidate (Maryland)
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