In
Teheran, a young woman tells me she has dreamed of meeting a foreigner
all her life; another young man insists I take books of poetry back
to my country as souvenirs. And everywhere Iranians young and old
beg the question, “Iran — good?” They want to reaffirm the vision
of their country as a great empire, not the maligned nation of terrorists
the West sees daily on television. They also want to know what the average
American thinks about George W. Bush. Cautiously, they broach the
subject, anxious not to offer offense. Iranians young and old beg the question,
“Iran—good?” They want to reaffirm the vision ofDespite their aversion
to the U.S. government, Iranians are infinitely curious about America,
and often express its superiority to their own land. In the cool
interior of a mosque, I watch as a teenage boy entertains his friends.
He stands on the cement tile reserved for imams, and in a voice that harkens
back to when the place was a city of tents, sings the opening words of
the call to prayer. Afterward, the group surrounds me, shy but enthusiastic.
their country as a great empire, not the maligned nation of terrorists
the West sees daily on television. --- Esfahan
nesf-e jahan ~ Half the World --- A Woman's Sojourn to the Islamic Republic
of Iran --
Bruneian Embassy in Tehran, Iran Embassy of Brunei Darussalam
in Iran No. 6/1, Mina Boulevard
Africa Avenue, Tehran
Iran
P.O.Box: 19835-381
City: Tehran
Phone: (98) 21 8781979
Fax: (98) 21 8780793
Email: tehran.iran@mfa.gov.bn Office Hours: 0830 to 1530 hrs Sunday
to Thursday
Bulgarian Embassy in Tehran,
Iran Bulgarian Embassy in Tehran,
Iran IR Iran, Tehran, 'Vali-e Asr' Ave.
'Tavanir' Str., 'Nezami-ye Ganjavi'
Str. No. 16-18
City: Tehran
Phone: (009821) 8877-5662
(009821) 8877-5037
Fax: (009821) 8877-9680
Email: bulgr.tehr@neda.net
Canadian Embassy in Tehran, Iran Embassy of Canada in Tehran,
Iran 57 Shahid Javad-e-Sarfaraz, Ostad-Motahari
Avenue
15868 Tehran, Iran
City: Tehran
Phone: (011 98 21) 8152-0000
Fax: (011 98 21) 8873-3200
Web Site: http://www.iran.gc.ca Email: teran@international.gc.ca
Chinese Embassy in Tehran, Iran Chinese Embassy in Tehran, Iran No. 13 Narenjestan 7th
Pasdaran Avenue
Tehran, Iran
City: Tehran
Phone: 009821-22291240
009821-22291241
Fax: 009821-22291243
009821-22290690
Web Site: http://www.chinaembassy.ir Email: chinaemb_ir@mfa.gov.cn,emchnir@neda.net
Colombian Embassy in Tehran,
Iran Embassy of Colombia in Tehran,
Iran Darrous, Hedayat St, Faryar St
Faryar St. No 5
City: Tehran
Phone: 009 98 21 2558957
Fax: 009 98 21 2541981
Croatian Embassy in Tehran, Iran Embassy of the Republic of Croatia
in Tehran, Iran 1. Behestan 25
Avia Pasdaran
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
City: Tehran
Phone: 0098 21 258 9923
0098 21 258 7039
Fax: 0098 21 254 9199
Email: vrh.teheran@mvpei.hr
Cuban Embassy in Tehran, Iran Embassy of Cuba in Tehran, Iran N 3, Hast Metro Ghaem Alley
Shahid Maleki St.
Moghaddas. Ardebilli, Tehran
Iran
City: Tehran
Phone: (9821)2205 4383
Fax: (9821)2205 4383
Email: embacuba.teheran@accir.com
Cypriot Embassy in Tehran, Iran Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus
in Tehran, Iran 328, Shahid Karimi St. Dezaship
Tajrish, Tehran
Islamic Republic of Iran
City: Tehran
Phone: +98 212 221984
+98 212 2201240
Fax: +98 212 2219843
Web Site: http://www.mfa.gov.cy/embassytehran Email: cyprus@parsonline.net
Czech Embassy in Tehran, Iran Embassy of the Czech Republic
in Tehran, Iran No. 199, Dr Lavasani Ave.,Corner
of Yas St., Tehran
P.O.Box 11155-4457
1953764358
City: Tehran
Phone: 98 21 - 2288149
98 21 - 2288153
Fax: 98 21 2802079
Web Site: http://www.mzv.cz/tehran Email: teheran@embassy.mzv.cz
Danish Embassy in Tehran, Iran Royal Danish Embassy in Iran Dr. Shariati Ave.
Elahiyeh Ave.
18, Dashti Street
19148
Postal Address: P.O.Box 19395-5358
City: Tehran
Phone: + 98 (21) 260 13 63 or +
98 (21) 260 70 20
Fax: + 98 (21) 264 00 07
Web Site: http://www.ambadane.teheran.suite.dk/ Email: thramb@um.dk Office Hours: Sunday through Wednesday
08.00 - 15.30 h Thursday 08.00 - 15.00 h
Finnish Embassy in Tehran, Iran Embassy of Finland in Tehran,
Iran Elahiyeh, Agha Bozorgi St
Shirin Alley no.4
P.O.Box 19395-1733
City: Tehran
Phone: +98-21-2220 7090, 2223 0979
Fax: +98-21-2221 0948
Email: sanomat.teh@formin.fi Office Hours: Customer Service:
Sun-Thu 9.00-13.00
French Embassy in Tehran, Iran Embassy of France in Tehran,
Iran 85 avenue Neauphle-le-Chateau -
Tehran
Iran
City: Tehran
Phone: + 00 98 21 64 09 4000
Fax: + 00 98 21 64 09 40 92/93
Web Site: http://www.ambafrance-ir.org/ Email: contact@ambafrance-ir.org
French Consulate in Tehran, Iran Honorary Consulate of France
in Tehran, Iran 85 avenue Neauphle-le-Chateau -
Tehran
City: Tehran
Phone: [98] (21) 66 70 60 05 a 08
Fax: [98] (21) 66 70 65 43
Web Site: http://www.ambafrance-ir.org/ Email: consulaire@ambafrance-ir.org
German Embassy in Teheran, Iran,
Iran Embassy of the Federal Republic
of Germany in Teheran, Iran Ferdowsi Ave., No 320-324, Teheran
City: Teheran, Iran
Phone: (0098 21) 39 99 00 00
Fax: (0098 21) 39 99 18 90
Web Site: http://www.teheran.diplo.de Email: nfo@teheran.diplo.de
Greek Embassy in Tehran, Iran Embassy of Greece in Tehran,
Iran Africa Express Way
43 Esfandiar Ave.
P.O.Box 11365-8151
City: Tehran
Phone: (009821) 2050533, 2053784
Fax: (009821) 2057431
Email: embgreece1@safineh.net
Greenlandic Embassy in Tehran,
Iran Royal Danish Embassy in Iran Dr. Shariati Ave.
Elahiyeh Ave
Dashti Str. 28, Tehran
City: Tehran
Phone: +98 (21) 2264 0009; +98 (21)
2260 1363; +98 (21) 2260 7020
Fax: 98 21 264 00 07
Web Site: http://www.ambteheran.um.dk Email: thramb@um.dk
The
18th largest country in the world in terms of area at 1,648,195 km²,
Iran has a population of over seventy million. It is a country of special
geostrategic significance due to its central location in Eurasia. Iran
is bordered on the north by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. As Iran
is a littoral state of the Caspian Sea, which is an inland sea and condominium,
Kazakhstan and Russia are also Iran's direct neighbors to the north. Iran
is bordered on the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan, on the south by the
Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and on the west by Turkey and Iraq.
Tehran is the capital, the country's largest city and the political, cultural,
commercial, and industrial center of the nation. Iran is a regional power,
and holds an important position in international energy security and world
economy as a result of its large reserves of petroleum and natural gas.
Iran
is home to one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations,
with historical and urban settlements dating back to 7000 BC. The first
Iranian dynasty formed during the Elamite kingdom in 2800 BC. The Iranian
Medes unified Iran into an empire in 625 BC. They were succeeded by three
Iranian Empires, the Achaemenids, Parthians and Sassanids, which governed
Iran for more than 1000 years. Iranian post-Islamic dynasties and empires
expanded the Persian language and culture throughout the Iranian plateau.
Early Iranian dynasties which re-asserted Iranian independence included
the Tahirids, Saffarids, Samanids and Buyids. The blossoming of Persian
literature, philosophy, medicine, astronomy, mathematics and art became
major elements of Muslim civilization and started with the Saffarids and
Samanids. Iran was once again reunified as an independent state in 1501
by the Safavid dynasty who promoted Twelver Shi'a Islam as the official
religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning points
in the history of Islam. "Persia's Constitutional Revolution" established
the nation's first parliament in 1906, within a constitutional monarchy.
Iran officially became an Islamic republic on 1 April 1979, following the
Iranian Revolution. --- From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
