Culture

Miniature painting by Mohammad Tajvidi on the cover of the Divan of Hafez ("Hafez's Anthology"), published 1969.

The Cyrus Cylinder was translated into all official U.N. languages in 1971.^[83]

Main article: Culture of Iran

See also: Iranian Cinema and Iranian media

Iranian culture has long been a predominant culture of the Middle East and Central Asia, with Persian considered the language of intellectuals during much of the second millennium AD, and the language of religion and the populace before that. Nearly all philosophical, scientific, or literary work of the Islamic empires was written in Pahlavi and then translated into Arabic.

The Iranian New Year (Norouz) is celebrated on March 21 from Spain in the west to Kazakhstan in the east. It is celebrated as the first day of spring. Norouz was nominated as one of UNESCO's Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2004.^[84]

Iranian customs and traditions often seem complex to the foreigner, but after further study reveal a rich and often intensely warm characteristic. For example, respect for the elderly and hospitality for foreigners, remain highly visible parts of Iranian etiquette, while the highly familial nuclear structure of Iran's society is in stark contrast to many western societies.

The Sassanid era, encompassing the length of the Late Antiquity period, is considered to be one of the most important and influential historical periods in Iran, and had a major impact on the world. Persia influenced Roman civilization considerably during Sassanid times,^[85] their cultural influence extending far beyond the empire's territorial borders, reaching as far as Western Europe,^[86] Africa,^[87] China and India^[88] and also playing a prominent role in the formation of both European and Asiatic medieval art.^[89] This influence carried forward to the Islamic world. The dynasty's unique and aristocratic culture transformed the Islamic conquest and destruction of Iran into a Persian Renaissance.^[90] Most of what later became knows as Islamic learning, including philology, astronomy, literature, history, geography, jurisprudence, philosophy, medicine, architecture, art and the sciences were taken from the Sassanid Persians in to the broader Muslim world.^[91][92]

The Cyrus Cylinder remains "the world's oldest human rights declaration",^[9][93] and women today compose more than half of the incoming classes for universities around the country and increasingly continue to play pivotal roles in society. These women are the inheritors of a heritage in which women commanded armies, led administrations, ruled empires, ruled kingdoms, supported the arts, became heroes, and even served as deities in ancient beliefs. The state also actively monitors the Internet, which has become enormously popular among the Iranian youth. Iran is now the world's fourth largest country of bloggers.^[94]

Persian language

Rumi in pensive mood.

Persian is an Iranian tongue belonging to the Aryan or Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European family of languages. The oldest records in Old Persian date back to the great Persian Empire of the 6th century BC.^[95] The known history of the Persian language can be divided into three distinct periods:Old Persian, Parthian and Middle Persian and New Persian.

Old Persian supposedly evolved from Proto-Indo-Iranian on the western wing in the Iranian plateau. The first known written evidence of Persian appears with the rise of the Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC.

During the Parthian and sassanid empires, the morphology of the language was simplified from the complex conjugation and declension system of Old Persian to the almost completely regularized morphology and rigid syntax of Middle Persian.

The Islamic conquest of Persia marks the beginning of the modern history of Persian language and literature. It is known as the golden era of Persian.The Islamic conquest of Iran commenced a synthesis of the Arabic and Iranian tongues.

By the tenth century, the effects of this diffusion threatened to erase native Persian entirely, as Persian writers, scientists, and scholars elected to write in Arabic (see List of Iranian scientists and scholars), the lingua franca of the day. This prompted Ferdowsi to compose the Shahnameh (Persian: Book of Kings), Iran's national epic, entirely in native Persian. This gave rise to a strong reassertion of Iranian national identity, and is in part responsible for the continued existence of Persian as a separate language.

Poetry

Main article: Persian literature

See also: music of Iran and Persian miniature

Manuscript depicting Persian poetry written in the sixteenth-century calligraphic style called "shekasteh".

Persian poetry is recognized worldwide and have served as an inspiration for writers and poets around the World. Iran's literary tradition is rich and diverse, However only a few names such as Rumi and Omar Khayam have surfaced among western popular readership, even though the likes of Hafez and Saadi are considered by many Iranians to be just as influential. Both Hafez and Rumi, for example were practitioners of Sufism, and are quoted by Iranians with the same frequency and weight as the Qur'an.

So strong is the Persian aptitude for versifying everyday expressions that one can encounter poetry in almost every classical work, whether from Persian literature, science, or metaphysics. For example, almost half of Avicenna's medical writings are known to be versified. Works of the early era of Persian poetry are characterized by strong court patronage, an extravagance of panegyrics, and what is known as سبک فاخر ("exalted in style").

"Love’s nationality is separate from all other religions,
The lover’s religion and nationality is the Beloved (God).
The lover’s cause is separate from all other causes.
Love is the astrolabe of God’s mysteries".--Rumi^[96]

همه عالم تن است و ایران دل
نیست گوینده زین قیاس خجل
 

"Iran is the Heart and all the universe, The Body,
Of this claim, the poet feels no regret or humility." --Nizami

بنى آدم اعضاء يک پیکرند
که در آفرينش ز يک گوهرند
چو عضوى بدرد آورد روزگار
دگر عضوها را نماند قرار
"Of one Essence is the human race
thus has Creation put the base,
One Limb impacted is sufficient
For all Others to feel the Mace."--Saadi Inscribed on the entrance of United Nations' Hall of Nations

Architecture

Main article: Iranian architecture

The main building types of classical Iranian architecture are the mosque and the palace. Persian architecture display their extraordinary skills in making massive domes. Domes can be seen frequently in the structure of bazaars and mosques. Iranian domes are distinguished for their height, proportion of elements, beauty of form, and roundness of the dome stem. The outer surfaces of the domes are mostly mosaic faced, and create a magical view. The architecture makes use of abundant symbolic geometry. Persians were among the first to use mathematics, geometry, and astronomy in architecture.

Persian (Iranian) architecture left a profound influence on the architecture of old civilizations. Professor Arthur Pope wrote: Architecture in Iran has at least 6,000 years of continuous history, The supreme Iranian art, in the proper meaning of the word, has always been its architecture. The supremacy of architecture applies to both pre-and post-Islamic periods. examples of which can be seen from Syria to north India and Chinese borders, and from Caucasus to Zanzibar."Each of the periods of Elamites, Achaemenids, Parthians, and Sassanids were creators of great architecture that over the ages has spread wide and far to other cultures being adopted.

Iran ranks 7th among countries in the world with the most archeological architectural ruins and attractions from antiquity as recognized by UNESCO.^[97] Fifteen of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites are creations of Iranian architecture and the mausoleum of Maussollos was identified as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Iranian art

Seventeenth-century painting from Hasht-Bahesht palace, Isfahan.

Main article: Iranian art

The Iranian Cultural Continent - consiting of the modern nations Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and surrounding regions - is home to one of the richest art heritages in world history and encompasses many disciplines including architecture, painting, weaving, pottery, calligraphy, metalworking and stone masonry. The art of carpet weaving in Iran has its roots in the culture and customs of its people and their instinctive feelings. Weavers mix elegant patterns with a myriad of colors. The Iranian carpet is a re-enactment of the Persian garden: brimming with florae, birds, and beasts.

Cinema

Main article: Cinema of Iran

Iranian cinema has continued to thrive in modern Iran, and many Iranian directors have garnered worldwide recognition for their work. (Iranian movies have won over three hundred awards in the past twenty-five years.) One of the best-known directors is Abbas Kiarostami. The Iranian media is a mixture of private and state-owned, but books and movies must be approved by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance before being released to the public.

Cuisine

Main article: Iranian cuisine

The cuisine of Iran is diverse, with each province featuring dishes, as well as culinary traditions and styles, distinct to their region. Iranian food is not spicy. Most meals consist of a large serving of seasoned rice and an accompanying course, typically consists of meat, poultry, or fish. Herbs are used frequently. Onions and garlic are normally used in the preparation of the accompanying course, but are also served separately during meals, either in raw or pickled form.