Stranger in Tehran

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  • Learn Persian Online
    Learn Persian Online
  • 10 Instagram Accounts to Follow Before Travelling to Iran in 2020
    10 Instagram Accounts to Follow Before Travelling to Iran in 2020
  • About me
    About me
  • How I Learned Persian
    How I Learned Persian
  • Travel Guide to Qazvin: City of Ornaments
    Travel Guide to Qazvin: City of Ornaments
  • Redfis
    About Iran,  Culture

    Nowruz: Persian New Year Traditions

    March 17, 2020 /

    Nowruz is the biggest and oldest holiday celebrated in Iran. It takes a month of preparations and two (!) weeks of celebrations. So it might be a good idea to celebrate with Iranians.  In this post, you will find out what Nowruz is and get familiar with Persian New Year traditions. Nowruz (Norooz) is as old as Iran itself. Somehow it is a symbol of Persian culture. The tradition of celebrating Nowruz unites Iranians from the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf. Nowruz means a new day. This is the day when a new year starts in Iran and corresponds with spring equinox which marks the start of spring.

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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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    About Iran

    Feel Christmas Spirit in Tehran!

    December 21, 2015 /

    Christmas spirit is hardly seen here in Tehran. No snow on Christmas Eve, I believe, no Santa Clauses in the streets, no people hurrying up for buying their gifts. Although there are some places that will certainly cheer you up before Christmas holidays! Here are a couple of recommendations for you. St Mary Armenian Church on 30th Tir Street First, and the main one, Christian churches. That is what Christmas is, actually, about, right?) Most churches are being decorated for the holiday season and hold  special services. There are Armenian, Orthodox, Catholic and so many other churches in Tehran, just choose yours!    IMPORTANT! Most of churches (especially not Armenian) open…

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About Me

I`m Katya, living in Tehran with my Iranian husband for almost 10 years. I am here to share my insights on life in Iran as well as tips and tricks for travelling Iran!

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I don't know about you, but I'm already making a l I don't know about you, but I'm already making a list of places (and cafes in the first place) I want to go when the 3rd wave is over. (Does anyone know how many of them we should expect?) So I decided to continue sharing #myfavoriteplaces_tehran and support those cafes that are still there. I discovered @clunagroup just a couple years ago but it instanly became my first choice for a quick and healthy snack. Quick snacks on the go in Tehran include falafel at a not-so-tidy food stall, greasy samosas or pirashki, or sandwiches with layers of kalbas. So I think Tehran really needed a healthier option. Cluna chain cafes offer a variety of sandwiches, salads, coffee and smoothies and even some desserts, everything freshly made, warmed-up upon request and nicely packed. Abundance of vegetarian option is another reason to love it. You can find sandwiches or rolls with hummus, kuku-sabzi, omelette, dates etc. But what I like the most is that it's located at key places along Valiast Street - just do a quick search on maps to find the closest one to you. I'm really happy that Iranians are moving to healthier options, and hopefully there will be more places like this. #noad
Have you ever wondered what Heaven looks like? Ira Have you ever wondered what Heaven looks like? Iranians have the answer! Surprisingly, no houris* involved. Swipe to see the first pictures from Heaven! The first one depicts Ghasem Soleimani in the embrace of Imam Hossein. There is Imam Khomeini on the right and a few shahids on the background. The second one shows famous Iranian traditional singer Mohammad-Reza Shajarian who passed away recently with poets Ferdowsi and Akhavan-Sales who come from the same area. *Houris - beautiful women who accompany faithful Muslims in Heaven. #heaven #islam #uncoveriran #discoveriran #everydaytehran #parksoftehran #باغ_کتاب #دریاچه_هنر
I have a confession to make. I've been thinking a I have a confession to make. I've been thinking about how I learned Persian a lot recently (you can read about it on my blog - tap the link in bio). And I remembered a funny thing. When my Persian reached a point when I could read novels in Persian, I started to read them while commuting to university (we, Russians, read a lot in the metro). But to be honest, I was always uncomfortable about taking out a Persian book out of my bag. Because as soon as I did, people would start staring at me. And believe me, you wouldn't like this kind of looks! The thing is Russia has a long history of terrorist attacks commited by Muslims, and I remember, after one of those attacks, the hatred to Muslims became so wide-spread that some people would even attack Muslims in the metro! So when I was reading a romantic novel in Persian, I felt that people around me were thinking I was reading a tutorial on how make a bomb or something. Later I came up with a trick - I would read only magazines with lots of pictures. It's Persian, meow 😁 Have you ever been uncomfortable about telling people that you are learning Persian or reading something in Persian in a public place? PS This story dates back to 10-15 years ago. I hope the situation isn't that bad right now. Although I don't pay attention anymore. #learningpersian #persianlanguage #persian #farsi #персидский #фарси #persianlearning #persian_language #персидскийязык #learninglanguages #autumnmood #autumncolors #autumnleaves #hikeinthemountains #hikemore #hikevibes #fallseason🍁 #neverstopexploring #welivetoexplore #exploretehran #lifeiniran #lifeintehran #everydaytehran #everydayiran #iranogram #iranogramers #letsfeeliran #seeyouiniran #middleeast #tehrangram
#myths_about_iran Before moving to Iran, the more #myths_about_iran Before moving to Iran, the more Iranians I met, the more persuaded I became that Iranian women are educated, progressive and keep up with men. Because every Iranian I met would tell me that more than a half of students in Iranian universities are women. BUT! Don't expect to see many women at work. Because according to the statistics, only 15% of Iranian women work. Is it their own choice or is it the consequence of a patriarchal society. Let look into it together. You might think that the reason is obvious - discrimination against women. And you are probably right. At some positions men are definitely more welcome than women, and some men prefer their wives stay at home. But that's a bit more complicated. What I have figured out about working as a woman is that the society on the whole is overprotective towards women. They are supposed to be taken care of everywhere. Some parents don't let their grown-up unmarried daughters come home late, some need to approve of the place their daughter is going to work at. For married women, it's husband who has to protect his wife, and the easiest way to do that is to make her stay home. At workplace, the employer is supposed to take care of female employees - they can't stay late at work, can't participate in any physical work (if it's not initially required by the job), of course under these circumstances employers prefer to hire men. On the other hand, many girls, following the long-established tradition, simply prefer to dedicate their life to family rather than a career which is completely understandable. I have to admit though that while in Iran you will see not only young women who don't work but also many young man which to me is more important and alarming. But that's another story. What do you think with all this situation? Why do you think there are so few working women?
A couple of years ago around this time we set off A couple of years ago around this time we set off on the most spontaneous trip ever! We went to the bus terminal in Tehran and bought tickets for the first bus available. Luckily for us, it was Isfahan. We had travelled to Isfahan before but I always wanted to go back there again. We ate a lot of food (the best part of any trip if you ask me!), walked a lot around the bazaar area and the Armenian quartier and watched the everyday life of Isfahan. It was a totally new experience to go somewhere for the weekend without any planning at all, without booking a hotel or doing research about places to visit. Fortunately, you, my dear followers, shared a lot of recommendations which made this trip one of the most memorable trips we ever had! What was your most spontaneous trip? >>> Swipe left for the highlights of our trip to Isfahan. #spontaneoustrips
Having reached 13,000 daily Covid-19 cases, Iran i Having reached 13,000 daily Covid-19 cases, Iran is finally applying more restrictions this Saturday (it will cover only cities with high Covid-19 rates though). In Tehran, shops (except supermarkets), shopping malls, restaurants, all cultural & entertainment businesses and religious sites are going to be closed for 2 weeks; companies and offices can operate only with 1/3 of employees. Using the car from 9 pm to 4 am is prohibited (unless it's a taxi). Driving between cities is also restricted (although you can hop on the bus or train). The universities and schools have been working online for a while already. So no new restrictions here. However, no restrictions can make people more responsible. Just a few days ago, I saw a family saying goodbye to their guests in front of their house in the street. They would take their masks off, kiss each other goodbye and put the mask back on. Are there any restrictions in your country? Are people readily following them? #stayhomestaysafe
#myths_about_iran You might have heard on the news #myths_about_iran You might have heard on the news about girls of 9 being married to grown-up men in Iran. And no wonder - only shocking news like that make the headlines. But is it a tendency in Iran or rather an exception? That's true that in Iran marriage age is quite low compared to other countries - for girls it's only 13 while for boys it's 15. However, you shouldn't think that young people get married as soon as they reach that age. The latest statistics (first 3 months of the current year) show that the average marriage age throughout the country is 22.8 for women and 27.4 for men. What's more, the situation is the same even in more traditional provinces. For example, in South Khorasan and in Sistan & Baluchestan the average is 20.5. What age do you consider the most appropriate? Some of you chose 21 on the quiz in Stories, and I'd love to hear out your opinion! #marriage #marriageisforever
I decided to embrace autumn, so we went for a hike I decided to embrace autumn, so we went for a hike to the mountains in search for the #autumnvibes🍁 And here is what we found✨
Silence is what distinguishes a public holiday fro Silence is what distinguishes a public holiday from any other day in Iran. You wake up in the morning and you don't hear any cars, construction or 'kharidaram' van roaming the streets. Normally, people wake up later and don't go out until afternoon. However, in the evening streets become busier, people heading out for dinner, a walk in a park or visiting family. Today was a public holiday in Iran, this time a real holiday (not a death anniversary which are probably even more than half of all public holidays) - the birthday of Prophet Mohammad. Location: Tehran Book Garden, Honar Lake. More photos & videos ---> Stories. #iranianscelebrate
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