Stranger in Tehran

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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
  • 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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    Katya 2 Comments

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    Vardij mountains

    One Day Trip From Tehran: Vardij & Varish Villages

    March 28, 2016
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    August 7, 2018
    It`s a pleasure to have a picnic by the river.

    One Day Trip From Tehran: Shahrestanak

    November 25, 2014
  • Vardij mountains
    Explore Tehran,  Iran Travel Guide

    One Day Trip From Tehran: Vardij & Varish Villages

    March 28, 2016 /

    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 in the car and drove out of the city. This time, we were going to a place recommended to us by our friends years ago. And finally, its time came! We set off to two small villages lost in the mountains right outside Tehran: Vardij and Varish which are famous for human-shaped mountains formed by the wind and beautiful gardens (look for the map in the end of the post).

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    Katya 0 Comments

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    Grand Bazaar_Food_Featured

    Ultimate Guide to Tehran Grand Bazaar. Part 2: Food

    February 27, 2016
    Moghaddam Museum of Tehran

    Moghaddam Museum of Tehran: An Oasis of Peace in the Hustle of Tehran

    May 19, 2016
    Niavaran Palace

    Guide to Tehran Palaces: Niavaran Palace

    November 25, 2017
  • It`s a pleasure to have a picnic by the river.
    Explore Tehran,  Iran Travel Guide

    One Day Trip From Tehran: Shahrestanak

    November 25, 2014 /

      Iranians love travelling! Every time they get a couple of days off, they head for the North of Iran to enjoy beautiful landscapes and find peace away from hectic Tehran. However, even if there are no public holidays in the sight, some grab their backpacks at the weekend, fetch their friends and get off to one of the nice spots around Tehran for a day trip. One of these places is Shahrestanak in Alborz province which can be an amazing getaway destination during spring, summer and autumn. Shahrestanak is a village with lots of fruit-tree gardens and a Qajar palace which can hardly be called a palace now – unfortunately,…

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    Katya 0 Comments

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    Niavaran Palace

    Guide to Tehran Palaces: Niavaran Palace

    November 25, 2017
    Grand Bazaar_Featured

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    Moghaddam Museum of Tehran: An Oasis of Peace in the Hustle of Tehran

    May 19, 2016

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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