CULTURE
Iran's
religiosity is its most striking cultural feature - it pervades
all aspects of life. The essence of Islam is the belief that there
is only one God, and that it is the people's duty to believe in
and serve Him in the manner that is laid out in the Quran. In
Arabic, islam means submission and a muslim is one who submits
to God's will. The most visible daily expressions of Iran's brand
of fundamentalist Shi'ite Islam are the modest dress code and
behaviour at mosques. The national language of Iran is Persian,
also known as Farsi, an Indo-European language. The other main
regional languages are Azari, Kurdish, Arabic and Lori (spoken
by the Lors); and there are dozens of other tongues throughout
the 26 provinces, such as Gilaki, Baluchi and Turkmen. The Arabic
script was adapted to Persian after the introduction of Islam,
but there is no standard method of transliterating Persian into
English.
In
Iran, as in all Islamic societies, art favours the non-representational,
the derivative and the stylised. Many Iranian art forms predate
the Arab conquest, but since nearly all of them reached their
peak within the Islamic era, religious influences are rarely absent.
Persian carpets are Iran's most famous cultural export, dating
back to the 5th century BC, and are still an integral part of
religious and cultural festivals (and the economy). The most appealing
and melodious traditional music is found among the ethnic minorities,
such as the Turkmen, Azaris, Kurds and Lors. Persian poetry first
appeared in the 9th century AD, and slowly developed into the
enduring canon of epic poems and non-rhyming couplet poems which
are part of its cultural treasury today. Persian painting dates
back to the Seljuq period, which then faded until the 16th century
when it flourished along with calligraphy, especially in Shiraz.
Other notable Persian crafts include metalwork, glassware and
woodwork, while, more recently, Iranian films have been remarkably
successful. Mohsen Makhmalbaf, maker of Gabbeh, is Iran's most
controversial, and most lauded, filmmaker.
At
its best, Iranian cuisine is very good. It's heavily based on
rice, bread, fresh vegetables, herbs and fruit. Meat, usually
lamb or mutton minced or cut into small chunks, is used to add
flavour but is rarely the dominant ingredient, except in kebabs.
Sadly for travellers, this usually translates into the same two
or three standard dishes of kebabs or chicken, with rice, vegetables
and bread - you need to be invited into homes or splurge on upmarket
hotels to eat the best Iranian food. The national drink of Iran
is undoubtedly chay (tea), always served scalding hot, black and
strong. All sorts of delicious fresh fruit juices, milkshakes
and yoghurt drinks are available throughout Iran. Alcohol is strictly
forbidden to Islamic Iranians, though it is permitted for religious
purposes, such as communion wine in churches, and to non-Muslims
with special permission.
