The official currency in Iran is the Rial, but tourists who want to buy something will often be asked for payment in Tomans. It may be confusing, but there is no need to make another visit to the exchange desk, the Toman is simply what the old Iranian currency was called.
The Toman was replaced by the Rial in 1932 at a rate of 1 to ten, meaning 1 Toman is worth 10 Rials. Therefore, all you have to do if someone asks for a certain number of Tomans is to divide the number by ten and pay with your Rial notes. Explaining the math is easy, explaining why they still refer to the old currency almost 90 years later is less so.
The Customs of Taarof
Taarof is a complicated social system that can be seen everywhere in the daily life of Iran. The ancient Persian word means “meeting together” and the different behaviors of Taarof are the social glue of Iranian culture and help level the playing field between people of different social positions.
The custom stems from the Persian traditions of treating guests with the highest form of respect. Taarof is basically a negotiation between two people in which one refuses to accept things and the other presses them to do so. It is important to remain polite and refuse to keep from seeming greedy. This custom is especially confusing to foreigners, who may not understand why their taxi driver is refusing payment or that they shouldn’t accept a second helping of dinner in a Persian home even if it is offered to them.
Windmill Wonder
What some consider the earliest windmill design in the world can be found in Nashtifan, Iran. The windmills, made of natural clay, straw and wood, have been turning grain into flour for approximately 1,000 years. The area was originally named Nish Toofan, which means ‘storm’s sting’, an allusion to the strong winds which blow in the area.
The Persians were the first to harness the power of the wind. The vertical axis design then spread slowly throughout the world and was later modified by other countries, most famously by the Dutch.
Plenty of Neighbors
Although Russia and China have the most shared borders with other countries, Iran, which is two and a half times the size of Texas, has plenty of neighbors, sharing its borders with seven other countries. These are Iraq, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
The longest shared border is with Turkmenistan. It stretches between the two countries for an impressive 713 miles, while the Irani Armenian border is the shortest international border, at just 27 miles long. Iran also borders the Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman. All these land and sea borders are beneficial when it comes to the trading of goods.
The Flag
The Iranian flag was changed in 1980 into the flag that we all know, which features three equal horizontal bands of green, white and red. The green is considered the color of Islam and stands for growth, the white is a symbol for honesty and peace and the red represents bravery and martyrdom.
In the middle of the flag, on the white background is a stylized depiction of the word “Allah” along with the expression ‘La ilaha illa Allah’ which means “none is worthy of worship but Allah”, shaped like a tulip flower. The inner edges of the green and red bands feature 22 repetitions of the words Allahu Akbar, which translates into “god is great”.