If you are lucky enough to be invited to dinner in an Iranian home, don’t assume they forgot to bring out the chairs, instead you may have to practice your squat. It is perfectly normal for a big Iranian family to share their dinner on cushions on the floor.
And don’t look around for a knife and fork either, in many instances, utensils are not used, and people eat with their hands, or more specifically only with their right hand. It is polite to wait to be told where to sit and taste all the dishes that are offered. So, our best advice is to arrive hungry.
The Biggest Carpet in the World
Due to its affinity for rug making, it is hardly a surprise that Iran has also created the biggest hand-woven carpet in the world. This enormous rug is roughly the size of a soccer field and was created in 2007 by the Iran Carpet Company specifically to be placed in the Abu Dhabi mosque in the United Arab Emirates.
It was made up of nine separate pieces and then put together in the mosque itself. The carpet measures a massive 60,600.81 ft² (5,630 m²). The original carpet was even larger, but some pieces were removed to ensure that the final product fit the mosque floor exactly.
Traditional Music
Some Persians may like to rock out, but the cultural elite enjoy the more traditional type of classical music the country has to offer. The music dates back to medieval times and it is not so much entertainment as a type of spiritual tool.
The musical system is made up of twelve modal units that are divided into small melodic units and ranges between improvisation and composition. Many of the pieces are connected to poetic Persian writings and they can vary widely in rhythm and intensity during the performance. The vocalist plays an important role in the tone of the composition because he or she portrays the feeling of the piece and decides what to perform and may even decide on the lyrics.
"RKOT"
RKOT or “The Rich Kids of Tehran” is a popular Instagram account that reveals that living it up with fancy cars, expensive jewelry and private jets, is not limited to the wealthy youth of the West. The account, which proclaims it is showing things “they” wouldn’t want you to see, is proof that young people everywhere are into pretty much the same things including shopping, skiing and pool parties.
These sons and daughters of Iran’s wealthy and powerful, are famous for their massive parties that are filled with fun and illegal alcohol. Instagram is currently the only form of social media which is still legal in Iran, although the administration has repeatedly threatened to add it to the national banned sites list. In any case, many Iranians use an overseas VPN to circumvent any temporary or permanent banning.
Skiing in Style
The word Iran brings to mind heat and deserts, but as we’ve already seen there is far more to the country than that. In addition to the plentiful mountains and even a few volcanoes, there are several ski resorts on mountain peaks just a few hours outside Tehran.
The two biggest resorts are Dizin and Shemshak. Dizin is the largest and even towers over Europe’s highest resort at 8,700 feet. Shemshak is not quite as high but features steeper and more challenging slopes, which are a favorite among seasoned skiers and snowboarders. They may not be quite as fancy and modernized as the European sites, but they are definitely less crowded.