World Travel Information and Advice
Iran and Fuel
Fuel production has been the main industry of Iran since 1920. Iran has a lot of fuels from which they generate energy. In 1970, Iran became the second largest producer of natural gas which is primarily used domestically, and crude oil. It is the second largest exporter of petroleum but this changed when the Gulf War started which reduced the production of oil in 1980. After the hostilities Iranian oil reserves remained the fourth largest in the world in 1989. [Read more...]
Iranian political system runs in a framework. It has an erected president and a parliament. It also has an assembly of experts and also local councils. The Iranian Parliament consists of 290 members and they are all elected for a tem of four years. In addition it has other institutions that oversee the elected officials. Most of political parties are banned in Iran. [Read more...]
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the current Iranian president. He was elected on June 2005 for four years term, making him the sixth president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He was born in 1956 in a village known as Aradan in South east of Tehrah. His father was an iron worker, and Ahmadinejad is the fourth born of a family of seven children. [Read more...]
Persia became the first country to have an empire under the dynasty of Cyrus the great. This dynasty of Cyrus was called Achaemenid Empire and was the one who founded the Persian Empire. Cyrus the Great was a powerful ruler who was known for his good leadership skills and strong military tactics. [Read more...]
There are many different religions in Iran and the official religion is Islam. Shia Muslim making 89% of the population, Sunni Muslims making 9%,and then 2% consists of other religions, mainly Zoroastrian, then Christians and Jewish.
Shia and Sunni Muslims share most of the religion believes but there are some differences for example when Prophet Mohammed died in 632 the Sunni believed that Abu Bakr, the prophet Mohammed’s father in law should succeed him. The Shia believed that the prophet’s cousin, Ali should succeed him.
Mohammed Ali had twelve descendants. The Shia Muslims believes that passed on Ali passed spiritual leadership to eleven of his descendant. They believe that the twelfth descendant turned to be immortal and left the earth. They believe that he will not return to earth until the day of the judgement.
Zoroastrian believed to be the oldest religion in Iran and it came about before Islamic religion however there are not clear dates on when it started although most people believe that it existed 1000 years before Christ. It’s believes are based on the teachings of Prophet Zoroaster.
Zoroastrians believe that two opposing forces exist. One force is that of goddess the light and that of the evil darkness. These two forces are believed by Zoroastrian that they are constantly fighting and the earth only exists to provide a battle field for these two forces. Zoroastrian shares the same believe with Islam that everybody will be a subject to judgement depending on how you led your life during your earthly existence either to die or be accepted to enter into paradise.
The history of the Jewish religion goes back from the Biblical times. Different books in the Bible tell about Jews. One book in particular, Ezra, says that the Persian kings allowed the Jews to go back to Jerusalem where they rebuild their worshiping temple. Persian Jews have inhabited the Persian territories (Iran) for over 2600 years.
The majority population of Christian in Iran belongs to the Armenian Orthodox Church. The rest are Assyrian Christians, Roman Catholics, Anglican and protestant Christians. Christians in Iran are permitted to participate in Iran’s economic and social life and they have achieved a high standard of living.
The war between Iran and Iraq took place between 1980 and 1988. Iran war was commonly referred to as the Gulf War or Persian Gulf War. Although many people believe that many things fuelled it, for example religious schisms, Iraq also wanted to acquire the three main islands: Abu Musa, Greater and Lesser Tunbs. Political differences were also a cause but the border between these two countries is believed to be the most possible cause of this hostility. Iran’s vulnerability did not go unnoticed by Sadam Hussein and he saw it as a big chance to invade Iran. With his wicked motivations, Sadam was jealous and his determination to stop Iran from being the dominant state as it had been since Cyrus the great and other Persian old leaders.
Since 1979, Iraq and Iran have been involved in so many border disputes over Shatt al Arab channel. In September 1980, it got more serious and it resulted to exchange of fire from both sides. A few days later, Saddam Hussein announced that the Shatt al Arab was returning to Iraqi sovereignty. Iran did not agree with him and hostilities escalated as the two sides exchanged bombing raids deep into each other’s territory, beginning what was to be a lengthy and extremely costly war on Iran.
On September 22 1980, Iraq attacked Iran without a formal warning, hoping to take control of the most territories in Iran. This caught Iranian army by surprise. Iraqi army attacked Iran’s air base near Tehran. They destroyed runways, fuel and ammunitions but they failed to destroy the air crafts. Iran was not prepared for this attack so Iraq managed to take control of some Iranian territories but by June 1982 Iran recovered almost all the lost territories. Although the United Nations Security Council made so many calls for ceasefire, the war continued until August 1988. When the war in Iran ended, it took a considerable period of time for the Iranian forces to leave Iraqi territory. The last prisoners of war were exchanged 2003.
The effect the war had in caused a lot of damage in people’s lives, economy not to mention more than 100,000 people, including soldiers and civilians who lost their lives with many others being injured.
Israel can be a bit scary if you’re there at the wrong place / time! Visitor numbers to Israel were in serious decline but things started to stabilize a little and tourist numbers are steadily increasing.
Jerusalem is amazing and is worth
Jerusalem
visiting Israel for just for this city. Do not let terrorism shock you too much, the quantity of attacks has fallen significantly and furthermore the hazard of injury is far below most bus travel in the East.
Tel Aviv has a laid-back beach culture to rival Sydney or Rio and like many major cities is absolutely buzzing with life: great parties, bars, hotels and places to visit – all things you will not of anticipated.
This new country’s culture is interesting, it is simple to go around and has a history like no other.
Recommendations: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jerusalem you may say the rest pails in comparison. Few places in the world inspire quite as much enthusiasm as Jerusalem ( Yerushalayim in Hebrew, Al-Quds in Arabic ), the 3000-year-old capital of Israel. As discussed in the introduction Tel Aviv has a lot to supply if you have the time to kick back. And ultimately if you think you can travel safety, well a visit is the West Bank, it’s actually worth the comparison. For those with the cash and time there’s lots more to do and see.
Beware: Eilat, politics and that paranoid feeling. Some biblical sights like Nazareth and Armageddon are displeasing Visa plan : Visa on arrival for so long as the individual on duty feels like giving ( or so it appears ). By going to Israel you may not enter ( on the same passport ) all Middle Eastern, Gulf or North African nations, aside from Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Oman, Morocco, Mauritania, and Tunisia.
Weather: Jerusalem gets cold in the winter, as with the remainder of the area temperatures soar in the summertime making sight-seeing on foot uncomfortable.
Money: ATMs are readily available in most places.
Costs: Israel is costly, compared against surrounding nations and should be considered on par with the expense of Western Europe or East Coast USA – minimum US$40 a day. Some costs can appear outrageous and it isn’t invariably straightforward to find value.
Accommodation: ensure you bargain and select carefully, the majority have a lived in feel. Hotels in Jerusalem are the least expensive. Become used to massive dorms if you’d like to save cash. Average cost: US$40-50 double room in hotel. Dorms a 3rd to quarter of this price
Communications: Brilliantly fast, but quite pricey web, many global call centres
Media: Books – most all in Hebrew. Good English papers and mags selection
Television: Subtitled Television and films in hotels, many theatres
Food: It is costly to eat out, your best chance is to cook for yourself in hotels.
Persia is a country in Southwest Asia which is known as Iran today. The name Persia was used in the West due to the ancient Greek name for Iran, Persis. The nation of Iran, its ancient empire and its people is described as Persia . Persian culture is one of the cultures that have a very long history.
Persia became the head of the Achaemenid dynasty during the 6th century B.C. Persia became the center of a powerful empire that consisted of all of West Asia, Egypt, and parts of East Europe; then this mighty empire was defied by the Greeks in the Persian Wars of the 5th century B.C, and was eventually overthrown by Alexander the Great in 330 B.C.
This country shares the same body of water known as Persian Gulf with countries like Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq. There are a few islands within the Persian Gulf and they are believed to be the subject of many disputes between the states in this region.
The Persian Gulf is a waterway that has been popular through out the history. From its shore, the Persian Empire, the world’s first and greatest civilisation, rose to conquer the surrounding countries. Also the ships of the ancient world traded in this gulf.
The countries that have a coastline on the Persian Gulf are referred to as the Persian Gulf States apart from Iraq. The reasons for this is because Iran’s exit to the gulf is narrow than these other countries.
The length of the Gulf of Persia is approximately 988 kilometres. It separates Iran from Saudi Arabia. The waters in this gulf are shallow.
The Persian Gulf and around its coastal area are the largest sauces of crude oil and this is where Al-Safaniya, the world’s largest offshore oilfield, is located.
The Persian Gulf’s waters have been very popular to geologist, archaeologists and geographers.
In recent years, some people have attempted to change the name of the Gulf of Persia but luckily, there is a certain group of people who are determined to preserve the name and the history of this famous gulf which plays a vital role in preserving this heritage of Persia (Iran) in history books.
Iranian Women
Iranian women are said to be some of the most beautiful women in the world. They are famous for their exotic looking eyes and dark hair but they are subject to a very restrict law regarding the way to dress but many of them find alternative and creative ways to meet the dressing requirements without breaking the rules. Because the face is the only area of the body an Iranian woman is allowed to show, makeup plays a vital role in Iranian woman’s life when it comes to beauty, especially eye makeup.
Iran/Persia women’s basic human rights is something that Iranian authorise cares about. For example, a husband is allowed to marry more than one wife. But on the other hand, if a woman was caught fornicating, she can be jailed, hanged or stoned to death.
When it comes to inheritance, Persian women can only inherit only half as much of their parents’ wealth as their brothers.
Since early 1979, Iranian governments, controlled by clerics have deprived women of their civil rights to participate in political activities. Since then up to today, only very small changes on how women lives have taken place but there are still strong limitations on basic women’s rights have not changed at all.
Most women in Persia are well educated. A large number of Iranian women work professionally in journalism, medicine or law, or human rights activists. Estimated 70 percent of university students in Iran are female. The reason why girls out number the boys is because while boys join the army when they are 18, most girls joins universities.
Some Women in Persia/ Iran have became human rights activists fighting for their human rights, hoping that the authorities would revise the law and end executions of women and other harassments But this has not been at all easy as Iranian forces are usually aggressive towards these brave women, even when they are having a peaceful demonstration.
These women, despite receiving a lot of threats, and sometime even being beaten up, they do not let all this hold them back from fighting for their basic human rights.
People known as “Persians” are people who make the Persian language as their prime language.Nevertheless the term Persian has additionally a supra-ethnic importance and has been historically referred to part of Iranian races.
The origin of the Persian people can be traced to the traditional Indo-Iranians, who arrived in parts of Greater Iran circa 2000-1500 BCE. Beginning around 550 BCE, from the area of Persis in southern Iran, including the present Fars province, the traditional Persians spread their language and culture to other bits of the Iranian plateau.
Many dialects and regional identities appeared over the course of time while a Persian alignment absolutely showed itself in Iran by the 20 th century, mirroring developments in post-Ottoman Turkey, Europe, the Caucasus and the Arab world. With the disintegration of the final Persian Empires of the Afsharid and Qajar dynasties, territories in the Caucasus, and Central Pacific Rim either became independent from Iran or assimilated into the Russian Empire.
As Persian was the lingua franca of the Iranian plateau ( the highlands between Iraq and the Indus ) it has come to be utilised by countless groups as a 2nd language including Turkic and Arab groups. While most Persians in Iran stick to Shia Islam, those to the east remain fans of Sunni Islam, apart from Farsiwans and most Hazaras. Tiny groups of Persians continue to follow Bah’ Faith, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Judaism.
While a categorizing of a ‘Persian ‘ racial group continues in the West, Persians have often been a pan-national group regularly comprising regional races who infrequently refer to themselves as ‘Persians ‘ and often use the term ‘Iranian ‘ instead. The equal use of Iranian and Persian endured over the centuries regardless of the sundry meanings of Iranian, which includes different but related languages and racial groupings. As a pan-national group, outlining Persians as an ethnic sector, at least in terms employed in the West, is difficult since Persians are a diverse group.