Iran culture

Iran culture

Identity:

The culture of Iran is one of the oldest in the Middle East. Iranian Identity, a collective feeling by Iranian peoples of belonging to the historic lands of Iran.

language:

The major language in Iran, former persia, is Farsi. Aside from Iran, Farsi is spoken in Afghanistan, Tajikistan and the Pamirs Mountains.

In keeping their native tongue, Persians expanded the nature of Islam from a religion with primary Arabic origins to a more encompassing world religion.

Persian language became the major literary instrument for many poems and religious works.

Poetry:

Persian poetry is some of the most beautiful poetry in the world and the Persians cultivated four unique types of poetry; the “epic”, the “ghasideh” a purpose poem, the “masnavi” a narrative poem, and the “ghazal” a lyrical poem. Ferdowsi, author of Shahnameh, took 35 years to write his epic poem about the heroes of Ancient Persia.In the 13th and 14th centuries Saadi, Rumi and Hafez perfected the ghazal, lyrical poems but filled with passion. And Rumi’s Masnavi is considered one of the most beautiful Persian literary works, if not of all Islamic writings.

Art:

Persian art or Iranian art has one of the richest art heritages in world history and has been strong in many media including architecture, painting, weaving, pottery, calligraphy, metalworking and sculpture.

The most notable Persian artwork is seen in the masterful woven carpets. Persian weaving flourished in the second half of the 15th century during the Safavid Dynasty.

The cities of Ardabil, Tabriz, Kashan, and Isfahan are the chief producers of Persian carpets. The colorful displays are usually designs taken from book covers, but geography can influence the tapestries as well.

Religion:

Sunni and Shi’i are the two largest branches of Islam, with the overwhelming majority of Iranians practicing Shi’i Islam. About 90 percent of Iranians practice Shi’ism, the official religion of Iran.