1st April: Iran

The Establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran happened on this date in 1979. Here are ten things you might not know about Iran.

1. The word Iran means ‘The land of Aryans’ in Persian (Iran was called Persia in olden times). Iran’s capital and largest city is Tehran which means “warm slope.”
2. Almost half of Iran has a desert climate, but there is are several Ski resorts, the most famous being Tochal, Dizin, and Shemshak, which are all within one to three hours travelling time from Tehran. Tochal is the world's fifth-highest ski resort (3,730 m or 12,238 ft at its highest station).
3. There is only one river in Iran, the Karun, which can be navigated by boat, but only for short distances.
4. English words which originate from Iran or Persia include “assassin” - which comes from an elite group of killers called “Hashishin” which believed that eliminating their enemies’ prominent members was better than waging a full-scale war. The members of the group become famous for only killing their targets and not innocent bystanders; the word “paradise” comes from a Persian word meaning “enclosed garden".
5. Persian Cats originated in the high plateaus of Iran where their long silky fur protected them from the cold. Italian traders brought the breed to Europe in the 17th century, where they became an exotic status symbol.
6. Iran is also famous for its rugs. Iranians have woven beautiful rugs for over 2,500 years. When creating rugs, Iranian weavers often make a mistake intentionally, because “only God is perfect.”
7. The current Iranian Flag was adopted in 1980. It has three equal horizontal bands of Green, White, and Red. Green represents Islam and growth, white represents honesty and peace, and red stands for bravery and martyrdom. In the centre of the middle white band is the stylized representation of the word “Allah” and the phrase La ilaha illa Allah (“None is worthy of worship but Allah”) in the shape of a tulip. Along the inner edges of the green and red bands the phrase Allahu Akbar (“God is great”) is repeated 22 times.
8. Iran is one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations, with settlements dating back to 4000 B.C.
9. The game of polo originated in Iran, and was originally a training exercise for the cavalry.
10. The first people to unify Iran included the Magi, powerful Zoroastrian priests. The most famous Magi are the Three Wise Men of the Christian Nativity story who brought gifts to the newborn Christ. Marco Polo claimed to have visited the graves of the Three Wise Men in Tehran.

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