Tehran

Iranians are warm, friendly and generous individuals with a strong interest in foreigners and other cultures.

 

The landscape of Iran is diverse, providing a range of activities from hiking and skiing in the Alborz mountains, to beach holidays by the Arabian Gulf and the Caspian Sea.

Tourism has traditionally been characterized by significant numbers of visitors travelling to Iran for its diverse attractions, cultural splendours and a diverse and beautiful landscape suitable for a range of activities. With Gardens, Palaces, Hot Springs, Ski fields, Archaeological sites, Castles & Monuments. Museums amongst other attractions, Iran has plenty for all tastes.

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The most popular tourist destinations are Esfahan and Shiraz while Mashhad and Qom attract a large number of pilgrims to its nearby holy sites.

Tehran, as Iran's showcase and capital city, has a wealth of cultural attractions. The Peacock Throne of the Persian Kings (Shahs) can be found in Tehran's Golestan Palace. Tehran is also home to the Iranian Imperial Crown Jewels, also called the Imperial Crown Jewels of Persia, it is claimed to be the largest, most dazzling and valuable jewel collection in the world.

The collection comprises a set of crowns and thrones, some 30 tiaras, numerous aigrettes, jewel-studded swords and shields, a vast amount of precious loose gems, including the largest collections of emeralds, rubies and diamonds in the world. It also includes other items collected by the Shahs of Iran during the 2,500 year existence of the Iranian Kingdom.

Culturally Iran is home to one of the world's oldest civilizations dating back several thousand years and for instance the blossoming of Persian literature, philosophy, medicine, astronomy, mathematics and art became major elements of Muslim civilization.

Area

• 1,648,195 km2

• Population

  79 million

• Capital City

  Tehran

• Currency

  Iranian Riyal (IRR)

• Language

  Persian

• Religion

  Muslim

• Government

  Federation

• Flying Time

  Flying time from Muscat: 2 Hours 50 Minutes

• Time Difference

  GMT +3.30 Hours