View source for Iran

Iran ranks 17th among [[List of countries by number of Internet users|countries by number of Internet users]]. [[Google Search]] is Iran's most widely used search engine and [[Instagram]] is the most popular online [[social networking service]].<ref name="Alexa Internet">{{cite web |work=Alexa Internet |url=http://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries/IR |title=Top Sites in Iran |access-date=2 December 2018 |archive-date=10 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101210145701/http://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries/ir}}</ref> Direct access to many worldwide mainstream websites has been blocked in Iran, including [[Facebook]], which has been blocked since 2009. About 90% of Iran's [[e-commerce]] takes place on the Iranian online store [[Digikala]], which has around 750,000 visitors per day and is the most visited online store in the Middle East.<ref>{{cite news |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/may/31/amazon-iranian-style-digikala-other-startups-aparat-hamijoo-takhfifan |title=From Digikala to Hamijoo: the Iranian startup revolution, phase two |last=Kamali Dehghan |first=Saeed |date=13 May 2015 |access-date=14 December 2016 |archive-date=12 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412095014/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/may/31/amazon-iranian-style-digikala-other-startups-aparat-hamijoo-takhfifan |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Cuisine ===
{{Main|Iranian cuisine}}
[[File:Kebab Bakhtyari.jpg|thumb|[[Chelow kabab]] (rice and [[kebab]]), one of [[Iran's national dishes]]]]

Iranian main dishes include varieties of [[kebab]], [[pilaf]], [[stew]] ([[khoresh]]), [[soup]] and [[āsh]], and [[omelette]]. Lunch and dinner meals are commonly accompanied by side dishes such as plain [[yogurt]] or [[Tzatziki|mast-o-khiar]], [[Sabzi khordan|sabzi]], [[Shirazi salad|salad Shirazi]], and [[Tursu|torshi]], and might follow dishes such as [[borani]], [[Mirza Ghassemi|Mirza Qasemi]], or [[kashk e bademjan]]. In Iranian culture, tea is widely consumed.<ref>{{cite book |author=Williams, Stuart. |title=Iran – Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture |date=October 2008 |publisher=Kuperard |isbn=978-1-85733-598-9 |chapter=DRINKING |quote=Iranians are obsessive tea drinkers |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YXYFAQAAQBAJ}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Maslin, Jamie. |url=https://archive.org/details/iranianrapperspe0000masl |title=Iranian Rappers and Persian Porn: A Hitchhiker's Adventures in the New Iran |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing Inc. |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-60239-791-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/iranianrapperspe0000masl/page/58 58] |quote=Iran is a nation of obsessive tea drinkers |url-access=registration}}</ref> Iran is the world's seventh major tea producer.<ref name="FAOSTAT2">Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations—Production [http://faostat.fao.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?PageID=567&lang=en FAOSTAT] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115042315/http://faostat.fao.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?PageID=567&lang=en |date=15 November 2011 }}. Retrieved 30 April 2010.</ref> One of Iran's most popular desserts is the [[Faloodeh|falude]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Foodspotting |title=The Foodspotting Field Guide |date=18 March 2014 |publisher=Chronicle Books |isbn=978-1-4521-3008-8 |chapter=24 / Dessert: Faloodeh |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PswWAgAAQBAJ}}</ref> There is also the popular saffron ice cream, known as ''[[Bastani Sonnati]]'' ("traditional ice cream"),<ref>{{cite web |author=Henninger, Danya |date=7 February 2017 |title=Franklin Fountain has an ImPeach sundae with 'nuts from the cabinet' |url=https://billypenn.com/2017/02/07/franklin-fountain-has-an-impeach-sundae-with-nuts-from-the-cabinet |website=BillyPenn.com |access-date=20 July 2017 |archive-date=19 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819144151/https://billypenn.com/2017/02/07/franklin-fountain-has-an-impeach-sundae-with-nuts-from-the-cabinet/ |url-status=live}}</ref> which is sometimes accompanied with [[carrot juice]].<ref>{{Cite book |author=Duguid, Naomi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v-GACwAAQBAJ |title=Taste of Persia: A Cook's Travels Through Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Kurdistan |date=6 September 2016 |publisher=Artisan |isbn=978-1-57965-727-7 |page=353 |quote=...{{nbsp}}havij bastani, a kind of ice cream float, made with Persian ice cream and carrot juice}}</ref> Iran is also famous for its [[caviar]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Sturgeon Stocks Slump |url=http://www.iran-daily.com/1383/2228/html/focus.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050716074736/http://www.iran-daily.com/1383/2228/html/focus.htm |archive-date=16 July 2005 |access-date=21 June 2013 |publisher=Iran-daily.com}}</ref>

Typical Iranian main dishes are combinations of [[rice]] with [[meat]], [[vegetable]]s and [[Nut (fruit)|nuts]]. [[List of culinary herbs and spices|Herbs]] are frequently used, along with fruits such as [[plum]]s, [[pomegranate]]s, [[quince]], [[prune]]s, [[apricot]]s and [[raisin]]s. Characteristic Iranian spices and flavourings such as [[saffron]], [[cardamom]], and [[dried lime]] and other sources of sour flavoring, [[cinnamon]], [[turmeric]] and [[parsley]] are mixed and used in various dishes.

=== Sports ===
{{Main|Sport in Iran}}
{{multiple image|
| align             = right
| direction         = vertical
| width             = 
| image1            = Dizin ski resort.jpg
| alt1              = 
| caption1          = [[Dizin]], biggest [[ski resort]] in the [[Middle East]]
| image2            = Azadi Stadium in the final week of the 39th League.jpg
| alt2              = 
| caption2          = [[Azadi Stadium]] in [[Tehran]], [[West Asia]]'s largest football stadium
}}

Iran is the birthplace of [[polo]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.polomuseum.com/history_of_polo.htm |title=The History of Polo |publisher=Polomuseum.com |access-date=27 March 2015 |archive-date=17 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130717015002/http://www.polomuseum.com/history_of_polo.htm |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/The-Origins-of-Polo/ |title=The origins and history of Polo |author=Ben Johnson |access-date=27 March 2015 |archive-date=28 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150228012509/http://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/The-Origins-of-Polo/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Iran Chamber Society: Sport in Iran: History of Chogân (Polo) |url=https://www.iranchamber.com/sport/chogan/chogan_history.php |access-date=26 May 2024 |website=Iran Chamber |archive-date=26 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240526112927/https://www.iranchamber.com/sport/chogan/chogan_history.php |url-status=live}}</ref> locally known as chogan, with its earliest records attributed to the ancient Medes.<ref>{{Cite book |author=Singh, Jaisal |year=2007 |title=Polo in India |location=London |publisher=New Holland |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=2ZF5EIfX9VwC&pg=PA10 10] |isbn=978-1-84537-913-1}}</ref> Freestyle wrestling is traditionally considered the national sport, and [[Iran national freestyle wrestling athletes|Iran's wrestlers]] have been world champions many times. Iran's traditional wrestling, called ''[[Pahlevani and zoorkhaneh rituals|koڑti e pahlevāni]]'' ("heroic wrestling"), is registered on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zurkhaneh Traditional Sports |url=https://traditionalsportsgames.org/index.php/sport/35-traditional-sports-recognized/214-zurkhaneh |access-date=2 May 2024 |website= |archive-date=2 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240502163840/https://traditionalsportsgames.org/index.php/sport/35-traditional-sports-recognized/214-zurkhaneh |url-status=live}}</ref> Iran's [[National Olympic Committee of the Islamic Republic of Iran|National Olympic Committee]] was founded in 1947. Wrestlers and weightlifters have achieved the country's highest [[Iran at the Olympics|records at the Olympics]]. In 1974, Iran became the first country in West Asia to host the [[Asian Games]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Asian Games |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1059784/history-of-asian-games |access-date=28 January 2024 |website= |archive-date=18 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118004949/https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1059784/history-of-asian-games |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Iranian Great Power Ambitions and China's Return to the Olympic Movement, 1973–74 |url=https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/iranian-great-power-ambitions-and-chinas-return-to-the-olympic-movement-1973-74 |access-date=28 January 2024 |website= |date=31 October 2016 |language=en |archive-date=28 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240128122610/https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/iranian-great-power-ambitions-and-chinas-return-to-the-olympic-movement-1973-74 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Teenagers won titles in the Tehran 1974 Asian Games where South Korea and Iran were the bests |url=http://www.asbcnews.org/teenagers-won-titles-in-the-tehran-1974-asian-games-where-south-korea-and-iran-were-the-bests/ |access-date=28 January 2024 |website= |language=en-US |archive-date=28 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240128122610/http://www.asbcnews.org/teenagers-won-titles-in-the-tehran-1974-asian-games-where-south-korea-and-iran-were-the-bests/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

As a mountainous country, Iran is a venue for skiing, snowboarding, hiking, rock climbing,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rockclimbing.com/ |title=Rock Climbing Routes, Gear, Photos, Videos & Articles |publisher=Rockclimbing.com |date=27 October 2009 |access-date=18 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615152628/http://www.rockclimbing.com/ |archive-date=15 June 2011}}</ref> and mountain climbing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mountainzone.ir/ |title=Iran Mountain Zone (IMZ) |date=11 June 1966 |access-date=18 June 2011 |archive-date=9 December 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021209175412/http://www.mountainzone.ir/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc-of-mountaineering.com/middle-east/iran/ |title=Mountaineering in Iran |publisher=Abc-of-mountaineering.com |access-date=18 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707072811/https://www.abc-of-mountaineering.com/middle-east/iran/ |archive-date=7 July 2011}}</ref> It is home to ski resorts, the most famous being [[Tochal Complex|Tochal]], [[Dizin]], and [[Shemshak (ski resort)|Shemshak]].<ref name="Snowseasoncentral.com_November_29_2015c">{{cite web |url=http://www.snowseasoncentral.com/work-a-winter-snow-season-iran |title=Iran – Guide to Skiing and Snowboarding |year=2015 |access-date=29 November 2015 |archive-date=8 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108113156/http://www.snowseasoncentral.com/work-a-winter-snow-season-iran |url-status=live}}</ref> Dizin is the largest, and authorised by [[International Ski and Snowboard Federation|FIS]] to administer international competitions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 December 2023 |title=Dizi (IRI) |url=https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/event-details.html?eventid=47908&sectorcode=AL&seasoncode=2021 |website=FIS |access-date=15 December 2023 |archive-date=15 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215183320/https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/event-details.html?eventid=47908&sectorcode=AL&seasoncode=2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Football in Iran|Football]] is the most popular sport, with the [[Iran national football team|men's national team]] having won the [[AFC Asian Cup|Asian Cup]] three times. The men's team ranks 2nd in Asia and 18th in the [[FIFA World Rankings]] {{as of|April 2025|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/associations/association/IRN/men/ |title=Iran: FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking |publisher=[[FIFA]] |access-date=4 May 2020 |archive-date=14 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414135244/https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/associations/association/IRN/men/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Azadi Stadium]] in Tehran is the largest association football stadium in West Asia and on a list of top-20 stadiums in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hayward |first=Joshua |title=Ranking the Top 20 Stadiums in World Football |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1804430-ranking-the-top-20-stadiums-in-world-football |access-date=26 December 2023 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en |archive-date=29 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229064950/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1804430-ranking-the-top-20-stadiums-in-world-football |url-status=live}}</ref> Volleyball is the second most popular sport.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aipsmedia.com/index.php?page=news&cod=16859&tp=n |title=AIPS Web Site – USA Volleyball president tips Iran to qualify for Rio |date=2 December 2011 |access-date=26 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015234936/http://www.aipsmedia.com/index.php?page=news&cod=16859&tp=n |archive-date=15 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldofvolley.com/News/Latest_news/170/volleyball-pioneer-ahmad-masajedi-says-irans-rise-to-the-top-wont-stop-.html |title=WorldofVolley :: Volleyball pioneer Ahmad Masajedi says Iran's rise to the top won't stop |date=2 December 2011 |access-date=26 October 2015 |archive-date=15 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015234934/http://www.worldofvolley.com/News/Latest_news/170/volleyball-pioneer-ahmad-masajedi-says-irans-rise-to-the-top-wont-stop-.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Having won the 2011 and 2013 [[Asian Men's Volleyball Championship]]s, the [[Iran men's national volleyball team|men's national team]] is the 2nd strongest in Asia, and 15th in the [[FIVB World Rankings]] {{as of|2025|January|lc=y}}. [[Basketball]] is also popular, with the [[Iran national basketball team|men's national team]] having won three [[FIBA Asia Championship|Asian Championships]] since 2007.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/espnmag/story?id=3671265 |access-date=21 April 2012 |publisher=ESPN |first=Sam |last=Alipour |title=Mission Improbable |date=21 April 2012 |archive-date=24 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121124115828/http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3671265 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Outline of Iran]]
* [[Transport in Iran]]

== Explanatory notes ==
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" /><div class="reflist reflist-lower-alpha"><references group="lower-alpha" /></div>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==

=== ''Encyclopaedia Iranica'' ===
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{Encyclopaedia Iranica|volume=online|title=Great Britain iii. British influence in Persia in the 19th century|year=2002|first=Abbas|last=Amanat|url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/great-britain-iii/}}
* {{Encyclopaedia Iranica|volume=online|title=Anūštigin Ḡarčaʾī|year=1986|first=C. Edmund|last=Bosworth|url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/anustigin-garcai-slave-commander}}
* {{Encyclopaedia Iranica|volume=online|title=Khwarazmshahs i. Descendants of the line of Anuštigin|year=2009|first=C. Edmund|last=Bosworth|url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/khwarazmshahs-i}}
* {{Encyclopaedia Iranica |last=Lawergren |first=Bo |author-link=Bo Lawergren |year=2009 |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Iranica]] |title=Music History i. Pre-Islamic Iran |url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/music-history-i-pre-islamic-iran |volume=online}}
* {{Encyclopaedia Iranica|volume=online|title=Aparna|year=2011|first=P.|last=Lecoq|url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/aparna-c3k}}
* {{Encyclopædia Iranica|volume=online|article=Economy iv. In the Sasanian Period|year=1997|first=Ryka|last=Gyselen|url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/economy-iv/}}
* {{Encyclopaedia Iranica |year=1998 |title=Ērān, Ērānšahr |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/eran-eransah |last=MacKenzie |first=David Niel |volume=online}}
* {{Encyclopaedia Iranica|volume=online|title=Safavid Dynasty|author-link=Rudi Matthee | year=2008|first=Rudolph P.|last=Matthee|url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/safavids}}
* {{Encyclopaedia Iranica|volume=online|title=Āgā Mohammad Khan Qājār|year=1984|first=J. R.|last=Perry|url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/aga-mohammad-khan/}}
* {{Encyclopaedia Iranica|volume=online|title=Zand Dynasty|year=2000|first=J. R.|last=Perry|url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/zand-dynasty}}
* {{Encyclopædia Iranica Online|volume=online|fascicle=|article=Esmāʿīl I Ṣafawī|year=1998|first1=Roger|last1=Savory|first2=Ahmet T.|last2=Karamustafa|url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/esmail-i-safawi#i}}
* {{Encyclopaedia Iranica |year=1987 |title=Aryans |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Iranica |location=New York |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/aryans |last=Schmitt |first=Rüdiger |volume=online}}
*{{Encyclopaedia Iranica|title=Iraj |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica |url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/iraj |last=Shahbazi |first=Alireza Shapour |date=2004 |volume=online}}
* {{Encyclopedia Iranica|volume=online|article=Sasanian Dynasty|year=2005|first=Alireza Shapur|last=Shahbazi|url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/sasanian-dynasty/}}
* {{Encyclopedia Iranica|volume=online|article=Nāder Shāh|year=2006a|first=Ernest|last=Tucker|url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/nader-shah}}
* {{Encyclopedia Iranica |year=2004 |title=Iran ii. Iranian History (1) Pre-Islamic Times |url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/iran-ii1-pre-islamic-times/ |last=Yarshater |first=Ehsan |volume=online }}
{{Refend}}

=== Books ===
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book |author1=Aeschylus |author-link=Aeschylus |title=The Complete Aeschylus: Volume II: Persians and Other Plays |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-19-045183-7 |translator-last=Lembke |translator-first=Janet |chapter=Persians |access-date= |orig-year=1981 |translator-last2=Herington |translator-first2=C. John}}
* {{Cite book |last=Aghaie |first=Kamran Scot |title=The Oxford Handbook of Iranian History |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-19-973215-9 |chapter=The Afghan Interlude and the Zand and Afshar Dynasties (1722–95)}}
* {{Cite book |last=Aigle |first=Denise |title=Iran Under the Mongols: Ilkhanid Administrators and Persian Notables in Fars |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2024 |isbn=978-0-7556-4573-2}}
* {{cite book |last=Axworthy |first=Michael |title=A History of Iran: Empire of the Mind |publisher=Basic Books |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-465-09876-7}}
* {{Cite book |last=Baker |first=Patricia L. |title=Iran: The Bradt Travel Guide |date=2005 |publisher=Bradt Travel Guides |isbn=978-1-84162-123-4 |orig-date=2001}}
* {{Cite book |last=Barthold |first=V. V. |title=Four Studies on the History of Central Asia: Volume III: Mir Ali-Shir: A Histoty of the Turkman People |publisher=Brill |year=1962 |chapter=}}
* {{Cite book |last=Blair |first=Sheila |title=The Monumental Inscriptions from Early Islamic Iran and Transoxiana |publisher=Brill |year=1992 |isbn=90-04-09367-2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Brown |first=Brad |title=[[Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World|Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: A Historical Encyclopedia]] |date=2011 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-59884-336-1 |editor-last=Mikaberidze |editor-first=Alexander |volume=1 |chapter=Ismail, Shah (Safavid) (1487–1524)}}
* {{Cite book |last=Dowling |first=Timothy C. |url= |title=Russia at War: From the Mongol Conquest to Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Beyond |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-59884-948-6 |series=2 volumes}}
* {{cite book |last1=El-Azhari |first1=Taef |title=Queens, Eunuchs and Concubines in Islamic History, 661–1257 |date=2019 |pub