Photos: Kalat-Darreh Village in Yasuj, Iran
Yasuj is an industrial city in the Zagros Mountains of southwestern Iran, and is the capital of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province province. Yasuj had an estimated population of 136,509 in 2005. -Photos by Gholam Hossein Baharloo, ISNA - 6/29/09
Darakeh in Spring
As many of you know I have a great sense of nostalgia for many things that I used to do and places that I used to go when I was younger. One day last week I went to work very early and by lunchtime I had finished my work. Paul who had been to his dentist joined me and we were heading home when I said how much I had been wanting to go to Darakeh and suggested we went there for lunch. -Syma Sayyah, Tehran - 6/10/09
Persian Cooking Finds a Home in Los Angeles
I first discovered Persian food when I lived in Los Angeles in the ’90s, working as a line cook. While I had previously thought, naïvely, that there was something somewhat novel and Californian about using fruit in savory dishes, here was an Old World cuisine that offered up blushing rice with sour cherries (albalu polow) and chicken stewed with pomegranate and walnuts (fesenjan). -Sara Dickerman, NY Times - 6/10/09
Photos: Siahkal and Deylaman, Iran's Gilan Province
Siahkal is located 15 km far from Lahijan in a plain area. Shimrood, a small river, flows through the city creating a special beauty. Due to its geographical position, the city enjoys a mild and humid climate affected by the cooler climate of highland areas. -Photos by Amin Khosroshahi, ISNA - 6/4/09
A Happy and Refreshing weekend in Rostamabad
I had never been to Rostamabad, which is a town on the main road from Tehran to Rasht before last weekend. It is a short distance after Roudbar and Manjil, which is famous for its strong winds and scorpions. We went there to visit the Mother and Child Charity Foundation there and enjoyed the hospitality of Mr Fotovat, the foundation's head, at their guest quarters. -Syma Sayyah & Paul Sanford, Tehran - 6/2/09
A blissful weekend in Taleghan
The last time that we went to Taleghan, which is an area in the mountains near Ghazvin, to the west of Tehran, we just stayed close to our friends' villa and enjoyed the fresh air. This time, we decided to make a longer trip and spend two whole days there which was simply blissful. -Syma Sayyah, Tehran - 6/1/09
Photos: Alam Kooh in Iran's Mazandaran Province
Alam Kooh (Elevation: 15912 ft / 4850 m), located in Iran's Mazandaran province, is the second highest peak in Iran. (Damavand(5671m) is the first and Sabalan(4811m) is the third). Alam means some sort of object standing straight like a flag and Kooh means mountain. -Photos by Hossein Shahlaee, ISNA - 5/28/09
Photos: Arvand Rud Shores, Khorramshahr, Iran
Arvand Rud (Rud is Persian for River), is a river in Southwest Asia of some 200 kilometres in length, formed by the confluence of the Euphrates and the Tigris in the town of al-Qurnah in the Basra Governorate of southern Iraq. The southern end of the river constitutes the border between Iraq and Iran down to the mouth of the river as it discharges into the Persian Gulf. -Photos by Amin Nazari, ISNA - 5/26/09
Bam: Five Years After
On December 26, 2003, an earthquake killed 32,000 people, flattened 70% of Bam's buildings and equally devastated the nearby town of Baravat and 260 area villages. Bam Citadel (or Arg-e-Bam) was reduced from a stunning byzantine garrison, visited by more than 100,000 people yearly, to a canyon of pulverized rubble not much different than the other treeless, rock-strewn mountains that delineate the central Iranian plateau from the southern desert. -Ramin Mazaheri - 5/22/09
Photos: Lake Orumiyeh in Iran's West Azarbaijan Province
Lake Urmia (Orumiyeh) is a salt lake in northwestern Iran near Turkey. The lake is between the provinces of East Azarbaijan and West Azarbaijan, west of the southern portion of the similarly shaped Caspian Sea. It is the largest lake inside Iran, and the second salt water lake on earth, with a surface area of approximately 5,200 km square - 5/19/09
Construction of Mideast biggest tourism complex underway
The project to build the biggest tourism, residential and sports complex in the Middle East began in Roudshour, near Zarandieh, Central province. - 5/17/09
Cinema, Jigar and Ice cream
Last week Paul was away for a week and my friends Ali, Faroukh, and Afsaneh made sure that I did not feel lonely and took me out a few times. We do not usually go out to the cinema and often see the Iranian feature films when they come out on DVD which is quite fine with me, the only problem is that most of them do not have subtitles and unfortunately Paul's Persian is quite rudimentary! -Syma Sayyah, Tehran - 5/15/09
Mosqued marvel: Visitor sees side of Iran that might amaze you
I spent two weeks in Iran in April just after its New Year and found a delightful place with people that love Americans and hope for better relations with the U.S. I felt completely safe and really enjoyed touring the country. My travel and visa were coordinated by Frosch Travel in Fort Collins. -David Anderson, Coloradoan - 5/14/09
IRAN: Airport fiasco in Shiraz costs official his job
The Director General of Shiraz airport has been dismissed from his post for holding a plane en route from Shiraz to Tehran during take-off. Iran Air Flight 234 was stopped during take-off on Friday morning, so that the Iranian vice president for scientific and technology affairs, Sadeq Vaez-Zadeh, could board the plane. - 5/14/09
Photos: Maranjab Desert in Iran
Maranjab desert is located by Aran va Bidgol, a city in Isfahan province, Iran. Aran va Bidgol is is one of the ancient desert cities of the province and once composed of two separate cities, Aran and Bidgol. It is close to Kashan. The town is surrounded by desert from the north and east, and thus it has a typical climate of hot and dry in summer, cold and dry in winter, and very little rainfall during the year. -Photos by Gholam Hosein Baharloo - 5/13/09
Tehran's Touch Restaurant Successfully Maintains High Standards
One of the best eating places in Tehran is without a doubt Touch at the junction of Lavasani and Farmanieh. On several occasions we have taken our guests there and we have not been disappointed. The three friends who started this, Human Karimi, Makan Meshkati and Hamed Ehtesham have succeeded in keeping up their high standards. -Syma Sayyah, Tehran - 5/11/09
Photos: Spring in Aish-Abad, Tabriz
The following photos by Navid Jadidoleslam capture the beauty of nature in Aish-Abad area close to provincial town of Tabriz in Iran's East Azerbaijan province. - 5/8/09
A Gift To All Persians!
New York Celebrates Swiss Photographer Book "Paradise Lost: Persia from Above" at the Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery. In the late 1970's Gerster was granted permission by Her Majesty Empress Farah Pahlavi to record the Persian topography. -Darius KADIVAR - 5/6/09
Photos: 11th Tulips Festival, Garmab village, Gachsar
The 11th Tulips Festival is being held in a garden in the Chalous mountains north of Tehran. It is organized by a private company in cooperation with Tehran Municipality. The festival which opened on May 5th, will run for a week at tulips garden of Garmab village near Gachsar in Chalous. - 5/5/09
KOCE-TV Broadcast Celebrates Contributions of Southern California's Iranian-Americans
In an effort to better understand the perplexing nation whose government so exasperates America, and to showcase the contributions of Iranian-Americans in Southern California, KOCE-TV is hosting a rebroadcast of the travel program "Rick Steves Iran" on Monday, May 11 at 7:00pm. - 5/3/09
Quarantine units at Iranian airports to stop swine flu
Iran has set up quarantine centers in its international airports due to the spread of swine flu infection. - 5/3/09
Tehran's Fruit Market
Recently, on my way out to visit a location south of Tehran with my colleague Mr Astani, we visited the new Tehran fruit market. Although it is primarily a wholesale market, the public can buy there. I had not been to the market since my childhood when I used to go with my grandmother for serious food shopping -Syma Sayyah, Tehran - 4/29/09
Catching up with myself
We arrived in Oxford just in time to celebrate Chahârshanbe-Sûri in our very little garden with our neighbors, we sat outside even though the weather was a little cold and managed to have a barbeque, everybody seemed to enjoy it and some of them even joined us in jumping over the bonfire and reciting my yellowness to you, your redness to me -Syma Sayyah, Tehran - 4/24/09
A Day in the Darayache Namak Desert
Just before the New Year we did one of the things that I had wanted to do for a very long time, and that was to take a short trip to one of Iran's famous deserts. On the last Friday of the year, thanks to our friend Lizzi and the wonderful great Mehrdad, - the gentle Tarzan of Tehran, my title for him - we had a most wonderful day. -Syma Sayyah, Tehran - 4/20/09
Paradise Lost: Persia From Above
For the first time ever, 29 breathtaking aerial photographs of Persia by award-winning Swiss photographer Georg Gerster, taken in the immediate years before the 1979 Iranian Revolution, will be on exhibition at the Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery (LTMH) from April 4th through April 21st, 2009. - 4/14/09
Photos: Spring Snow in Zanjan, Iran
Iran's province of Zanjan was hit with snow on the 24th day of spring. The heavy snow caused the closure of schools in the province. Also, most main roads to Zanjan were closed due to the storm. -Photos by Meysam Mohammadi, ISNA - 4/13/09
Isfahan to host Fifth International Tourism and Hotel Management Exhibition
Announcing this, head of the Headquarters for Publicity and Tourism Exhibitions, Mohammad Hossein Barzin added that the event, which will be held in over 150 pavilions, will extend over an area of 4,000 square meters. - 4/8/09
Photos: Historic town of Loft in Iranian island of Qeshm in Perain Gulf
Historic Town of Loft is located in Iranian island of Qeshm. Qeshm is an island situated in the Strait of Hormuz off the south coast of Iran and east of the Persian Gulf. Qeshm Island is located a few kilometers off the southern coast of Iran, opposite the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Bandar Khamir. Photos by Rooholla Vahdari, ISNA - 4/6/09
Iran: 420 people killed on roads during New Year holidays
At least 420 people lost their lives in Iran's road accidents during the first twelve days of the Iranian New Year, which began on March 21st, police reported. - 4/4/09
Photos: Persian Gulf Shores, Bandar Abbas
Bandar Abbas is a port city which occupies a strategic position on the narrow Straits of Hormuz, and it is the location of the main base of the Iranian Navy. It had an estimated population of 352,173 in 2005. -Photos by Hosein Heydari, ISNA - 4/1/09
Photos: Flooding in Qom, Iran
Heavy rains have caused flooding and considerable damage in the city of Qom in Iran. Qom lies 156 kilometers by road southwest of Tehran and is the capital of Qom Province. It has an estimated population of 1,042,309 in 2005. -Photos by Mohammad Akhlaghi, ISNA - 4/1/09
Photos: Spring Snow and Rain in Tehran
Tehran is the capital and largest city of Iran, and the administrative center of Tehran Province. Tehran is a sprawling city at the foot of the Alborz mountain range with an immense network of highways unparalleled in Western Asia. -ISNA - 3/31/09
Photos: Norooz Days of Karun
Many Iranians travel during Norooz, the Persian New Year, holidays to visit family and enjoy sightseeing. These pictures, by Amir Hosein Kardoni, show people enjoying boat rides on Karun river in Ahvaz, Iran. - 3/30/09
Photos: Handicraft Exhibition in Shiraz, Iran
The photos presented here are from an exhibition held in Shiraz in early March to display the handicrafts of the region. Among the works presented were carpets, kilims and musical instruments. Shiraz is the sixth most populous city in Iran and the capital of Fars Province. Shiraz is located in the southwest of Iran -Photos by Sajad Avarand, ISNA - 3/28/09
Photos: Salt Domes in Fin, Bandar Abbas
Hormozgan is one of the 30 provinces of Iran. It is in the south of the country, facing Oman. Its area is 68,475 km2, and its provincial capital is Bandar Abbas. The province has 14 islands located in the Persian Gulf, and 1,000 km of coastline. -Photos by Peyman Kiyani, ISNA - 3/27/09
Isfahan: Iran's Hidden Jewel
Once the dazzling capital of ancient Persia, Isfahan fell victim to neglect, but a new generation hopes to restore its lost luster -Smithsonian magazine - 3/27/09
Photos: Norooz travelers visit historic Taq-e Bostan in Kermanshah
Taq-e Bostan is a series of large rock relief from the era of Sassanid Empire of Persia, the Iranian dynasty which ruled western Asia from 226 to 650 AD. This example of Sassanid art is located 5 km from the city center of Kermanshah in western Iran. It is located in the heart of the Zagros mountains, where it has endured almost 1,700 years of wind and rain. -Photos by Abdollah Moradi , ISNA - 3/24/09
Photos: Behestan Rock Castle in Zanjan, Iran
Behestan rock castle is located in close to the town of Mahneshan in Iran's Zanjan province. It is a creation of both nature and man and one of the great tourist attractions of the region. -Photos by Meysam Mohammadi, ISNA - 3/23/09
Iran - Museums to welcome visitors during Noruz
Iran’s museums will play host to visitors during the Noruz holiday, which runs from March 21 to April 1. - 3/23/09
Photos: Shahzadeh Garden in Mahan, Kerman
Shahzadeh Garden is located at a point 35 km from south-eastern Kerman, and at a point 6 km from Mahan, on the Kerman-Bam Road near the altitudes of Joupar. It is an Iranian garden benefiting from the best natural situation. -Photos by Hassan Ghareeb, ISNA - 3/22/09
Photos: Ardabil-tourism-attractions
Ardebil is one of the Azeri inhabited provinces located in the North-West Iran and its center is Ardabil. It is in the north-west of the country, bordering the Republic of Azerbaijan and the provinces of East Azarbaijan, Zanjan, and Gilan. Its center is the city of Ardabil. - 3/15/09
Tehran is a Muslim capital with a modern vibe
Tehran is modern and bustling, with thriving shopping malls, cars clogging the streets and most people wearing Western-style clothes. Unlike in many Muslim capitals, minarets do not dot the skyline, and I barely heard a call to prayer. -Rick Steves, SF Chronicle - 3/15/09
Photos: Village of Ziyarat in Gorgan, Golestan province of Iran
Gorgan is the capital of the Golestan Province, Iran. It is approximately 400 km from Tehran. It had an estimated population of 241,177 in 2005. -Photos by Mohammad Javad Maktabi, ISNA - 3/9/09
Iran nuclear plant to open for tourists
Iran says it is ready to host tourists who wish to visit its nuclear power plant in Bushehr during the Persian New Year holidays. Iranian officials seek to highlight their "peaceful" nuclear intentions by opening the nuclear installations in southern Iran during Nowruz. -Press TV - 3/9/09
Russia delivering Tupolev's Tu-204 to Iran
Russia's Ilyushin Finance Company (IFC) is expected to deliver five Tupolev Tu-204 SM passenger aircrafts to the Islamic Republic. - 3/5/09
No-Man's Land Inside an Iranian Police Station
The State Department representative said there was really nothing he could do because we don't have diplomatic relations, and said, "You know it is five in the morning here?" Gee ... sorry to bother you. -ABC News - 3/4/09
Photos: Salt Domes in Bushehr, Iran
More than 200 piercement salt plugs are present in southern Iran and in the Persian Gulf region. Recent investigations have shown the salt, the Hormuz Series, to be largely of Precambrian (late Proterozoic) age. -Photos by Mohsen Halavee, ISNA - 3/3/09
Photos: Gachsaran, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province of Iran
Gachsaran is a city in the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province in southwestern Iran. The population of this city, encompassing the suburbs, is about 150,000. Gachsarani people speak in the Southern Lurish and Qashqai Turkic. -Photos by Hadi Fakhr Ahmad, IRNA - 3/2/09
Iran's Dizin Ski Resort to Host Alpine Skiing Contest
The last stage of the International Alpine Skiing Contest will be held in the Dizin ski resort from March 2-4. The contest will be held in the fields of slalom and grand slalom. - 3/1/09
Six Subway Stations to become operational in Tehran by April
Managing director of Tehran and Suburbs Subway Company announced that Garm-Darreh station along the 5th subway line and Shohada station along the 4th subway line will become operational in the current month. - 2/25/09
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