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Top Posts & Pages

  • Nowruz: Persian New Year Traditions
    Nowruz: Persian New Year Traditions
  • What Is the Best Ice Cream Shop In Tehran, or Ultimate Guide to Iranian Ice Cream
    What Is the Best Ice Cream Shop In Tehran, or Ultimate Guide to Iranian Ice Cream
  • Learn Persian Online
    Learn Persian Online
  • Ashura in Tehran
    About Iran,  Culture,  Like a Local

    Ashura in Iran: What to Do on Ashura in Tehran

    September 29, 2017 /

    Moharram is a month during which Iranians and other Shia Muslims commemorate the death of Imam Hossein. The mourning reaches its culmination at Ashura, the tenth day of Moharram. I have already written about Ashura in Iran and mourning ceremonies organized on this occasion here and here. During several years I`ve been living in Iran, I have attended quite a number of ceremonies in different parts of Tehran (there are still areas uncovered though). Some attract hundreds of people, while others are attended only by locals. However, many foreigners hesitate to go out on the day of Ashura which is the culmination of Moharram mourning ceremonies. Maybe, they are afraid of Iranians…

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    Katya 2 Comments

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    Feel Christmas Spirit in Tehran!

    December 21, 2015
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    Yalda Night in Iran: 5-Step Guide to Celebrate the Longest Night of the Year

    December 19, 2016
  • Like a Local

    Best Android Apps Made in Iran

    July 22, 2017 /

    Although Iran seems to be cut off from the outside world by the sanctions and political situation, it remains a dynamically developing country. A huge part of Iranian population is formed by young people who use smartphones on everyday basis. However, due to filtering restrictions and lack of English knowledge, most Iranians just can`t use some popular smartphone apps. That`s why the demand in quality, authentic apps that would satisfy Iranians` needs is rapidly rising. In this article I`m going to introduce best Android apps made in Iran and designed by Iranian developers which I believe, will help you understand Iranian culture and Iranians much better. So, let`s take a…

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    Katya 1 Comment

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    Restaurants in Iran

    Cheat Sheet on Iranian Restaurants and Street Food

    May 27, 2017
    10 Instagram Accounts About Iran to Follow in 2020

    10 Instagram Accounts to Follow Before Travelling to Iran in 2020

    March 6, 2018
    Ashura in Tehran

    Ashura in Iran: What to Do on Ashura in Tehran

    September 29, 2017
  • Tehran Event Guide - July
    Events in Tehran

    Tehran Event Guide: July at a Glance

    June 30, 2017 /

    Summer is on its peak, and the best way to spend these days is to seek shelter in galleries, cinemas, cafes or somewhere in the mountains to the north from Tehran. In this post I`ll provide recommendations for cultural events and galleries in July. One of the most curious events this month is certainly Tribute to Abbas Kiarostami Event organized by Iranian Artists Forum. It includes demonstration of the most famous Kiarostami`s films as well as scenes from his last film which was never finished, 24 Frames. The entrance is free, so don`t miss a chance to watch these films in the company of Kiarostami`s fans. Of course, if you understand at least…

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    Katya 0 Comments

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    Event Guide - December

    Tehran Events Guide: December 1-7

    November 30, 2016

    Tehran Event Guide: March at a Glance

    March 3, 2017
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    Moharram. The time for mourning: Food

    October 31, 2014
  • Tehran Event Guide-June
    Events in Tehran

    Tehran Event Guide: June at a Glance

    June 1, 2017 /

    Hey there! Happy Ramadan! Hope you are doing fine with not being able to eat out these days. However, staying in Iran during Ramadan is not as difficult as it may seem. If you don`t agree, take a look at one of my posts about Ramadan and find out How Not to Starve During Ramadan. As you might have noticed, this month`s highlight is Ramadan. This month is truly special for all Iranians – not matter how religious they are. It has its own traditions, and of course, yummy treats, which all Iranians enjoy. So, let`s take a closer look at what to do during Ramadan. Although Ramadan is the month of…

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    Katya 0 Comments

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    Event Guide-December-2

    Tehran Events Guide: December 15-21

    December 15, 2016
    Event Guide - December -1

    Tehran Events Guide: December 8-14

    December 7, 2016
    moharram tea

    Moharram. The time for mourning: Food

    October 31, 2014
  • Restaurants in Iran
    Like a Local

    Cheat Sheet on Iranian Restaurants and Street Food

    May 27, 2017 /

    For foreign tourists who are new to Iran it might be a bit hard to choose a restaurant as they don`t know what prices, quality and cuisine to expect from them. However, the cheat sheet on Restaurants and Street Food in Iran is there to help you understand what food options you have in Iran and always feel confident while entering a restaurant that the price on the check won`t exceed your budget. Moreover, in this cheat sheet you will find various street food options that are usually available all over Iran. Some can be a life saver for vegetarians or those who are sick and tired of rice with kebabs…

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    Katya 0 Comments

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    Ashura in Tehran

    Ashura in Iran: What to Do on Ashura in Tehran

    September 29, 2017
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    What Is the Best Ice Cream Shop In Tehran, or Ultimate Guide to Iranian Ice Cream

    October 9, 2016
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    Ways of Protest in Iran

    December 5, 2022
  • Tehran Event Guide-May
    Events in Tehran

    Tehran Event Guide: May at a Glance

    May 1, 2017 /

    In May Tehran, and the whole Iran, is in blossom. And it`s the right time to take a walk in Tehran`s multiple parks and gardens (like Moghaddam House which is stunning in this season) or even head outside Tehran and visit some highland villages sunk in gardens like Vardij and Varish villages and Shahrestanak village, or set off on a longer trip to the Caspian Sea, Gilan or Golestan provinces popular for their extensive forests (exactly what I am planning to do next week!). Anyway, if you decide to stay in Tehran, there are still plenty of things to do in May. And in this Tehran Event Guide you will find out more about some…

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    Katya 2 Comments

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    Tehran Event Guide - July

    Tehran Event Guide: July at a Glance

    June 30, 2017
    Tehran Event Guide-February

    Tehran Event Guide: February at a Glance

    February 1, 2017
    Tehran Event Guide-June

    Tehran Event Guide: June at a Glance

    June 1, 2017
  • Events in Tehran

    Tehran Event Guide: March at a Glance

    March 3, 2017 /

    In March it`s all about Nowruz, the start of a new year. Nowruz is the biggest and oldest holiday celebrated in Iran. It takes a month of preparations and two (!) weeks of celebration. So it might be a good idea to celebrate with Iranians. Although most Iranians spend these long holidays travelling, there are a lot of special Nowruz events held in every city, but I would recommend to stay in Tehran as other cities become overcrowded during the holidays. This month`s Tehran Event Guide will be dedicated to Nowruz holidays and how to take the most out of them.

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    Katya 0 Comments

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    Tehran Event Guide - November 2016

    Tehran Events Guide: November 24-30

    November 23, 2016
    Event Guide - December -1

    Tehran Events Guide: December 8-14

    December 7, 2016
    Tehran Event Guide - July

    Tehran Event Guide: July at a Glance

    June 30, 2017
  • The Salesman_Featured
    Iranian Cinema

    Top Iranian Movies: The Salesman Film Review

    February 10, 2017 /

      Photo: imdb.com Writing a film review is completely new to me. However, my deep appreciation of Iranian cinema and its growing popularity in other countries have motivated me to give it a try. I`ve decided to start with one of the most recent top Iranian movies – The Salesman.   The latest film of world-famous, award-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi called The Salesman was a sensation at Cannes Film Festival last year winning two awards (Best Screenplay and Best Actor). The Salesman managed to win several other awards and is now running for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. It is Farhadi`s seventh feature film which tells the…

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    Katya 6 Comments

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    Iranian Cinema: An Overview of Fajr Film Festival

    January 29, 2018
  • Tehran Event Guide-February
    Events in Tehran

    Tehran Event Guide: February at a Glance

    February 1, 2017 /

      Islamic Revolution Victory Day   When? February 10 Where? Azadi Square The major event of February in Iran is Islamic Revolution Victory Day. Each year thousands of people come to Azadi Square in Tehran to commemorate a day in 1979 when people came there to plead for the return to their own, Iranian, values which turned out to be a return to their Islamic background. Coming to Azadi Square in Tehran (or the main square in any other city) can be an interesting experience. You may even be asked by an old lady in a chador to marry her son who doesn`t even live in Iran! (that`s what happened to me…

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    Katya 0 Comments

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    Tehran Event Guide: March at a Glance

    March 3, 2017
    Tehran Event Guide-May

    Tehran Event Guide: May at a Glance

    May 1, 2017
    Tehran Event Guide - July

    Tehran Event Guide: July at a Glance

    June 30, 2017
  • Christmas in Tehran
    About Iran

    Tehran Events Guide: Christmas Edition

    December 22, 2016 /

    In Tehran Events Guide I`m introducing exhibitions, movies (in English, of course), concerts, festivals and other happenings that might interest you so that you won`t have to check multiple websites to decide where to go at the weekend! Tehran doesn`t have night life, but it doesn`t mean there is nothing to do here! So get ready to go out this weekend! If you are staying in Tehran for Christmas holidays, don`t think that your holidays will be ruined. Although Iranians mostly don`t celebrate Christmas, there are still some places where you can catch Christmas spirit! Just take a look at some of my recommendations in my last year`s post. Moreover,…

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About Me

I`m Katya, and I am here to share my insights on life in Iran as well as tips and tricks for travelling Iran!

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Про Иран сейчас говорят все Про Иран сейчас говорят все больше и больше, что не может не радовать. Хотя достойного контекта, который бы объективно показывал Иран, не так много.

В этом видео я собрала 4 видео, которые, на мой взгляд, наиболее разносторонне описывают Иран.

Если вы очень мало знаете об Иране, советую посмотреть серию выпусков от Mash Paradox и выпуск Редакции.

А если вы уже неплохо знакомы с Ираном и хотите углубить свои знания, очень рекомендую канал библиотеки им. Некрасова (там есть несколько лекций на тему Ирана) и канал LectOrient, где вы найдете лекции не только про Иран, но и весь исламский мир (в том числе и ислам в России).

Спасибо @maria_p_oleynik и @annushkarazlilamaslo за рекомендации!

#иран #иран🇮🇷 #иранцы #иранки #ирансегодня #проиран
Iran & Russia's ties are getting stronger each yea Iran & Russia's ties are getting stronger each year. Let's see what Iranian products can be found in a typical Russian supermarket!

Of course, most of them are sweets by popular Iranian brand Shirin Asal and all types of tomato paste which is used in Russia quite a lot too. Also, I saw different types of cheese by Kaleh, but didn't have a chance to snap a picture of it.

#iranianproducts #иран #иранскиепродукты #иранроссия #чтоедятвиране #iranianfood
Beards in Iran That`s interesting how a beard bea Beards in Iran

That`s interesting how a beard bears a lot of meaning like the person`s social status, political views, etc. However, it has become harder to judge a person by their beard now. While before, mostly religious people (or those connected to the government who are supposed to be religious by default) wore beards, now it has become a world-wide trend. So now, people of all sorts may have a beard in Iran.

Also, most countries have their own names for different kinds of beards. So let`s see what names various beards have in Iran!

Rish-e professori (3) - a professor`s beard is not the name of a professor`s beard, but rather a goatee with a mustache.

Rish-e kalle-ghandi (4-5) - a beard that resembles a sugar loaf.

Rish-e sattari (6) - a beard that became popular thanks to a singer called Sattar.

Rish-e hakhamaneshi (7-8) - a beard that resembles beards of the shahs of Achaemenid dynasty (4-6 centuries BC).

Rish-e toopi (9) - (a ball beard) a round big beard.

Rish-e saye (10) - shadow beard.

Which beard type is popular in your country? Write in comments!

#beards #beardsaroundtheworld
When you go to Turkey but visit a Greek village in When you go to Turkey but visit a Greek village instead.

A beautiful village by the sea is a reminder of a dark page in history of these two countries. In 1923 all Greeks (but practically all non-Muslims) were sent to Greece and Turks were invited to come from Greece and live in their houses and take over their farms.

#greekvillage
The language is definitely something that brings I The language is definitely something that brings Iran and Turkey close to each other. 

Although these languages have a different origin, they've had such a strong effect on it other that you can't be very sure whether some of the words originate from which language.

What's more, both languages experienced influence of other countries, so both of them have a huge number of common Arabic words and a few French words.

On the trip to Turkey, I made a long list of similar words and here are just some of them.

Emlak املاک
Vitrin ویترین
Tepe تپه
Kale قلعه
Belediyesi بلدیه
Sehir شهر
Sulh صلح
Taze تازه
Adet عدد
Kasap قصاب
Balkon بالاکن
Bahce باغچه
Vatan وطن
Devlet دولت
Tane دانه
Dünya دنیا
Mirasi میراث
Merkezi مرکز
Gümrük گمرک
Tesekkür تشکر
Sikayet شکایت
Siparis سفارش

#languagenerd
Many people think that Iran is a very religious co Many people think that Iran is a very religious country, it`s an Islamic republic after all. But in Turkey I realized that Iranians are mostly far from religious. Here are a few examples that made me think so.

The first thing you notice is a very loud azan that is performed live at mosques 5 times a day. (Outside city center a recorded azan is played, but still 5 times a day.) For comparison, in Iranian cities azan is never performed live, and it is played only 2 times a day (will never wake you up early in the morning). Also, you really need to have a mosque down your street to hear it (which is quite rare in residential areas).

Another thing is hijab. Let`s start with the perception of hijab in Iran and Turkey. Turkish women may wear short blouses, dresses or long skirts, but they will make sure their hair is hidden under the scarf. In Iran, though, having a little bit of hair out of the scarf is acceptable which is, I think, how Iranian women used to wear scarf traditionally.

Also, I was very surprised by the number of women (especially young ones) wearing hijab, even in its cosmopolitan capital. It`s hard to predict how many women would wear a scarf in Iran if it wasn`t compulsory, but something tells me that it would be less.

 #realiran
Modern Art in Tehran Art has long ago gone outsid Modern Art in Tehran

Art has long ago gone outside museums and galleries, public spaces, streets has created even more opportunities for artists.

In Iran, however, the relationship with modern art is not that simple. That is why this story seems like a miracle to me! An abandoned factory was removed from the list of cultural heritage to be demolished to free space for more residential buildings. But somehow it was turned into an art space.

This exhibition was up for a while now, so don't miss the chance to visit it before it's too late! Go to @kahrizak.sugar.factory for visiting hours and address.

#iranianart 

Music: Sunrise
Musician: Ilya Marfin
5 FACTS ABOUT TEHRAN METRO Tehran metro has 7 lin 5 FACTS ABOUT TEHRAN METRO

Tehran metro has 7 lines.

One-way ticket (inside the city) costs 10 cents.

Metro connects the city to Imam Khomeini International Airport.

The construction of Tehran metro started in 1978, but it started operating only in 1999.

The first and the last carriages are only for women, while the rest of the carriages are mixed.

#tehranmetro #iran #nextstopiran #seeyouiniran #iran_tourism #metro #subwaystation #metrostation #irancumentary #tehrandailylife #everydaytehran #lifeiniran
I constantly receive questions what to read or wat I constantly receive questions what to read or watch in Persian, so I thought I'd share with you what I read, watch and listen to.

I'll appreciate it if you let me know if this kind of stuff is useful for you!

#iraniancinema #streetsoftehran #tehrandailylife #everydaytehran #lifeiniran #iranianliterature #iranianpodcasts #podcastsinpersian #persianlanguage #irecommend
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