A land of ancient and rich culture
Iran is a land of ancient and rich culture - its numerous historical monuments standing testimony to the country's high cultural standards and national originality.
Iran is famous for decorative arts in architecture: tile work, metal work, wood work, stained glass and mirror decoration, glassware and ceramics. Iranian hand-woven carpets are an art form as well.
Iran is also well known for poetry in particular, which has always played a prominent role in the country's culture. Rudaki (AD 880-954) was the first major Persian poet who became an icon of cultural identity. Ferdowsi, considered Iran's national poet, wrote Shahnameh (Book of Kings) in 1010. Omar Khayyam (1044-1123), a mathematician and astronomer as well as a poet, is perhaps the best-known Iranian poet in the world.
Iranians are great music lovers and during the course of their 25 centuries of recorded history, they have developed not only a very distinctive musical style but also numerous musical instruments, several of which were the first prototypes of modern musical instruments.
The first references to musicians in Iran were found in Susa, the capital of Elam.
Iran has 30 provinces, each of which has its own culture and tradition. Shiraz, the capital of Fars province, was nominated by the UNESCO as the world's second City of Literature in January 2007.
Shiraz is renowned for its rich cultural and artistic heritage. It is the city of prominent poets Hafez and Saadi, as well as other stalwarts in the fields of literature, philosophy and calligraphy.
Isfahan city, capital of Isfahan province, is the second largest in Iran. Most world Iranologists and archaeologists recognize Isfahan as one of the greatest Islamic cities in the world.
As the Islamic world's second cultural capital for 2006, Isfahan is a manifestation of Islamic thought, a lively city where several prominent intellectuals and philosophers of the world live. It is a storehouse of artistic works that has always attracted the attention of tourists and historians.
(China Daily 02/18/2008 page16)
