IranIran is one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating back to 4000 BCE, making it a possible candidate for the earliest human civilization. Throughout history Iran has been of geostrategic importance because of its central location in Eurasia.
The 18th largest country in the world in terms of area at 1,648,000 square kilometers, Iran is about the size of United Kingdom, France, Spain and Germany combined, or a bit smaller than the US state of Alaska (1,717,855 km²). It has a population of over seventy million people.
Culture
Few countries enjoy such a long cultural heritage as does Iran, and few people are so aware of and articulate about their deep cultural tradition as are the Iranians. Iran, or Persia, as a historical entity, dates to the time of the Achaemenids. Daily life in modern Iran is closely interwoven with Shia Islam and the country's art, literature, and architecture are an ever-present reminder of its deep national tradition and of a broader literary culture. Iranian culture has long been a predominant culture of the Middle East and Central Asia, with Persian considered the language of intellectuals during much of the second millennium CE, and the language of religion and the populace before that. The Iranian New Year (Norouz) is celebrated on March 21 from Spain in the west to Kazakhstan in the east. It is celebrated as the first day of spring. Norouz was nominated as one of UNESCO's Masterpieces of teh Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2004.
Architecture
The main building types of classical Iranian Architecture are the mosque and the palace. Persian architecture display their extraordinary skills in making massive domes. Domes can be seen frequently in the structure of bazaars and mosques. Iranian domes are distinguished for their height, proportion of elements, beauty of form, and roundness of the dome stem.
Food
The cuisine of Iran is diverse, with each province featuring dishes, as well as culinary traditions and styles, distinct to their regions. It includes a wide variety of foods ranging from chelow kabab (barg, koobideh, joojeh, shishleek, soltani, chenjeh), khoresht (stew that is served with white Basmati or Iranian rice: ghorbmeh sabzi, gheimeh, and others), aash (a thick soup), kookoo (vegetable omellettes), pollo (white rice alone or with addition of meat and/or vegetables and herbs, including loobia pollo, albaloo pollo, zereshk pollo, and others), and a diverse variety of salads, pastries, and drinks specific to different parts of Iran. The list of Persian recipes, appetizers and desserts is extensive.
