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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
Explore Tehran, Iran Travel Guide

One Day Trip From Tehran: Vardij & Varish Villages

Seeing spring coming, it`s almost impossible to stay home. That`s why at the end of March, on the first day off, my husband and I picked up a backpack, hopped…

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March 28, 2016
Iran Travel Guide

Travel Guide to Qazvin: City of Ornaments

Qazvin is a city of ornaments and gorgeous tiles, “a city in the middle of a garden” (that`s how Nasseredin Shah depicted it to his European counterparts). Finally, Qazvin is the gate…

read more
November 27, 2016
Iran Travel Guide

The Most Scenic Train Ride in Iran

Train has been undeservingly avoided by many tourists travelling to Iran. Most of them prefer to travel by bus which is faster and available any time of the day and…

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January 15, 2020
  • 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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    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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    10 Instagram Accounts to Follow Before Travelling to Iran in 2020

    March 6, 2018
  • Restaurants in Iran
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    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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  • 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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  • 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 Iran,  Culture

    Yalda Night in Iran: 5-Step Guide to Celebrate the Longest Night of the Year

    December 19, 2016 /

    Watermelon, pomegranate and nuts are traditional Yalda night treats Source: hamgardi.com   As you might know, December 21st is Winter Solstice which means it`s the longest night in the year. Not many of us would have even noticed! However, for Iranians whose calendar is deeply intertwined with the laws of nature, it`s a big holiday called Yalda Night.   Yalda Night awakes nostalgic feelings  in most Iranians who had seen a more traditional, thorough and more widely celebrated Yalda night at their grandparents` house with all relatives gathered around korsi (a traditional heating device, if I may call it so) sharing sweet memories of the past, reciting poems of Hafez…

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  • Cinematheques in Tehran
    About Iran

    Tehran Events Guide: Cinematheques in Tehran

    December 12, 2016 /

    Maybe it will be big news for some of you, but in Iranian cinemas you can watch ONLY Iranian movies. A couple of years ago a recently built shopping center Kourosh with 14 (!) cinema halls started showing some new Hollywood movies every now and then, but, unfortunately, it didn`t last long. Now foreign movie screenings are limited to cinematheques which have, however, become quite popular in Tehran. Their number is growing and there are more and more opportunities to watch a brand-new Hollywood movie or a good old European film. While some cinematheques show the retrospective of one director (like Museum of Contemporary Art) or relate their screenings to…

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  • Qazvin Guide-1
    Iran Travel Guide

    Travel Guide to Qazvin: City of Ornaments

    November 27, 2016 /

    Qazvin is a city of ornaments and gorgeous tiles, “a city in the middle of a garden” (that`s how Nasseredin Shah depicted it to his European counterparts). Finally, Qazvin is the gate to amazing Alamut valley with its impressive castle. Although, it shouldn`t be missed by those who`re heading there.  I`ve prepared a travel guide for you where I`ll tell you about the atmosphere in the city, its people, main tourist attractions, share some useful tips and my own experience of traveling to Qazvin. Hope you enjoy! Qazvin was once a capital of Iran (only for 57 years though!) and, maybe, it owes its beauty to that time. Every sight you visit…

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    March 28, 2016
  • Uncategorized

    Moharram: There Is Never Too Much Of Nazri

    October 28, 2016 /

    I know, I have already written about it on the blog a couple of years ago, but every time I see it I just can`t keep silent! Yes, I`m talking about nazri and people`s excitement about getting more of it. Let me first remind you what nazri is. It`s food (or drinks or snacks) given out for free by people for various reasons. Some give out food to thank God for something, some – for the memory of Imam Hossein, while others – just to keep a tradition. I have written more about nazri in this post. So, during the first ten days of moharram people give out food almost at…

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    Katya 0 Comments
  • Ice cream_Featured
    Like a Local

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

    October 9, 2016 /

    Summer is coming to an end just like my ice-cream challenge. Summer heat has given way to autumn chill, but the sun still warms us up, and you still can give summer delights one last shot! And I hope my recommendations will help you to choose the best! Let me remind how it all started. It was around July when Tehran heated up to +40. The heat was getting unbearable. And to survive it we decided to check out some popular ice cream shops in Tehran. After searching different sources in Persian, asking friends for recommendations and just browsing various ice cream places on the web, we came up with…

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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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