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
  • 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
    10 Instagram Accounts About Iran to Follow in 2020

    10 Instagram Accounts to Follow Before Travelling to Iran in 2020

    March 6, 2018
    Grand Bazaar_Food_Featured

    Ultimate Guide to Tehran Grand Bazaar. Part 2: Food

    February 27, 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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    10 Instagram Accounts About Iran to Follow in 2020

    10 Instagram Accounts to Follow Before Travelling to Iran in 2020

    March 6, 2018
    Protests in Saqqez_title

    Ways of Protest in Iran

    December 5, 2022
    Ashura in Tehran

    Ashura in Iran: What to Do on Ashura in Tehran

    September 29, 2017
  • Qazvin Guide-12
    Like a Local

    Cheat Sheet On Iranian Food: Eat Out Like A Local

    July 8, 2016 /

    I have seen lots of tourists who came to Iran (several times even) and tried only kebabs in Iranian restaurants. And that`s very sad, because Iranians have amazingly delicious cuisine that is worth trying and kebabs are only part of it.  There are several reasons why tourists order mostly only kebabs in restaurants. First of all, Iran is famous for its delicious kebabs. Made of different types of meat, they are prepared in various shapes and sizes, and in many parts of Iran you can find local types of kebabs which can`t be found anywhere else! And of course, kebab deserves to be the first must-try on foreign tourists` lists. …

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    Katya 0 Comments

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    Restaurants in Iran

    Cheat Sheet on Iranian Restaurants and Street Food

    May 27, 2017
    Protests in Saqqez_title

    Ways of Protest in Iran

    December 5, 2022
    Ashura in Tehran

    Ashura in Iran: What to Do on Ashura in Tehran

    September 29, 2017
  • About Iran,  Culture

    Ramadan In Iran: How Not To Starve!

    June 27, 2016 /

    Ramadan is almost over. People have adjusted to a new pace of life, waiting for its ending, though. But this year Ramadan is not as it was last year. Iranian society changes so fast that you can see little changes every year. Take a look at how things were here last year and it has changed. I remember meeting a friend from the UK who was travelling around Iran during Ramadan 2-3 years ago. After visiting a museum around lunchtime, I remember, driving around Tehran in search of food, and there  was literally no place to get any decent food. Finally, we went to the first supermarket we could find and…

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    Katya 0 Comments

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    christmas mood

    Feel Christmas Spirit in Tehran!

    December 21, 2015
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    Guide to Events in Tehran: The International Tourism Fair

    March 12, 2016
    Shab-e Yalda

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

    December 19, 2016
  • Grand Bazaar_Food_Featured
    Explore Tehran,  Like a Local

    Ultimate Guide to Tehran Grand Bazaar. Part 2: Food

    February 27, 2016 /

    Snacks & Lunch Options at Tehran Grand Bazaar A great variety of snacks and food are available at the Grand bazaar. While walking through the alleys of the bazaar you will occasionally see snack stands (mostly at the intersections) selling nuts and seeds, lavashak, steamed beetroot and bananas. Moslem Restaurant If you search for a place for lunch at the Bazaar on the Internet, the most frequent suggestion will be Moslem restaurant which is situated on the main street of the bazaar right on the right from Sabzeh Meydan.  It actually serves good food (and is famous for its tahchin that is rice baked with chicken) and is extremely popular among Iranians and…

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    Katya 0 Comments

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    Vardij mountains

    One Day Trip From Tehran: Vardij & Varish Villages

    March 28, 2016
    Grand Bazaar_Featured

    Ultimate Guide To Tehran Grand Bazaar

    February 19, 2016
    Moghaddam Museum of Tehran

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

    May 19, 2016
  • moharram tea
    Culture,  Events in Tehran

    Moharram. The time for mourning: Food

    October 31, 2014 /

    Food is an inseparable part of any Iranian holiday, festival or even the day of mourning! And moharram is no exception. During the first ten days of moharram after the evening prayer (i.e. after sunset) in the streets of Tehran you can see numerous tents where you can get tea with sugar, dates or sweets absolutely for free.     Some people, who are patient enough, visit so-called “heyats” where a mullah tells the story of Ashura and then the attendees get free food.  When a family gets into trouble, for example, a child gets sick badly, the family prays and promises to God that if the child gets well,…

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    Katya 1 Comment

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    Moharram. The Time for Mourning: The Day of Ashura

    November 8, 2014
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    Yalda Night in Iran: 5-Step Guide to Celebrate the Longest Night of the Year

    December 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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