Adrienne Smith, the Constant Traveler: An Iranian 'Idyll,' Part IV

By Adrienne Smith

Jun. 24, 2015: It's time now for a little education about Iran, some items the result of personal observation and others found on Internet sites, and, most certainly, of varying importance:

Iran's geographical area is slightly smaller than the US's largest state, Alaska.
Almost half of Iran is desert.
Its population exceeds 80 million people, making it the second largest in the Middle East and 18th in the world.
People of Persian extraction make up roughly 61% of the population, followed by 16% Azerbaijanis and 16% Kurds.
70% of Iranians are under the age of 30.
Somewhere between 90 and 95% of Iranians are Shia Muslims, representing the largest Shia Muslim population in the world, followed by India.
Iranians, who at least for the 61% prefer to be called Persians, do not consider themselves to be Arab. This is because they have their own language, Persian (Farsi), are Shia, rather than Sunni, Muslim, and have maintained a distinct national culture over the centuries.
The current president of Iran is Hassan Rouhani, who is considered a moderate, at least compared to his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The supreme leader of Iran is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the second ayatollah to serve since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
There are many ayatollahs, including a few women. Ayatollahs obtain their status via study and discourse.
Iran is the only country in the Middle East that offers a high school course of study equivalent to the A-levels and the International Baccalaureate and a university entrance exam equivalent to the A-level and IB exams and the SATs.
Iran sided with the Axis in World War II, which led to its occupation by the British and Russians in 1941.
Iran has the largest proven gas reserves in the world and is fourth in oil reserves.
Roughly 14.2% of Iranians are obese, compared to 33.9% of Americans.
Starting at menarche, young girls start wearing the hijab.
Girls of 13 or more may marry with the permission of their fathers.
Iran is the nose-job capital of the world. Young women with white bandages on their proboscises can be seen in all the big cities.
Iran is the locus of more sex-change operations each year than anywhere else in the world except Thailand. The procedure is legal and, often, state-financed.
Men who do not marry continue to live at home and are known as na-mard (not-men).
Private ownership of satellite TV dishes is officially banned but violations are mainly overlooked.
Polo had its origins in Persia in the sixth century.
Women in Iran can vote and drive but cannot wear bathing suits in front of men. Beaches and athletic clubs are segregated, the former with barriers down each side.

And now for my favorite factoid. Certain Shia men are allowed to enter into short-term marriages, called siigheh, regardless of whether they have wives and children at home. This is done by contract and can specify a time period ranging from an hour to years. The origin of this procedure seems to derive from pilgrims' "needs" on long, lonely trips to Mecca.

Add to this that there are no beggars on the street, littering is rare, cars don't honk, and young children seem remarkably even-tempered, and you have quite an unusual country.

Pictured here: Ayatollahs in Shiraz.

Photo by Adrienne Smith

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212-532-3400

800-776-1116

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Castle Hill Inn & Resort
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The Chanler at Cliff Walk
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http://www.themaidstone.com/

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305-365-4500
website

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Bronxville Graduate Cristina Slattery Travels to Saudi Arabia: Initial Impressions of the Kingdom

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