Iran

Iran (in Persian: ايران, Irân), also known as Persia and in long form as the Islamic Republic of Iran (in Persian: جمهوری اسلامی ايراﻥ, Jomhuriye Eslâmiye Irân), is a country in West Asia. It shares borders with Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Turkey. Its capital is Tehran (or Tehrān) with a population of 80,096,604 inhabitants in 2015. The official language is Persian and its currency is the Iranian rial.

The Iranian landscape is dominated by several mountain ranges that separate various basins and plateaus from each other. The western part – the most populated – is the most mountainous, with ranges such as the Zagros and Alborz (Elbourz) ranges; it is in the latter that Iran’s highest peak, Damāvand, rises to 5,671 m.

The Iranian plateau is the area between the mountain ranges located in the east and west of the country. The eastern half consists essentially of a series of uninhabited desert ponds (such as the Dasht-e Kavir) dotted with rare salt lakes.

Under development

Iran has one of the oldest continuous civilizations in the world. The history of the country covers thousands of years, from the ancient civilizations of the Iranian plateau, the Manna civilization in Azerbaijan, Shahr-i Sokhteh (« Burnt City ») in Sistan, and the ancient civilization of Jiroft, followed by the Kingdom of Elam, the Achaemenid Empire, the Parthians, the Sassanians to the present Islamic Republic of Iran. This culture is present in each city, each town, whether in Iraaj, Nain, Neiriz or Ispahan, the richness of cultural and architectural heritage is omnipresent. There are many UNESCO World Heritage buildings in Iran.

This is obviously the case of Persepolis, a unique invaluable archaelogical treasure dating back more than 2500 years ago. In a completely different register, the historical bazaar of Tabriz is also part of this heritage. This is one of the major trading hubs on the Silk Road. To tell you about a third place, the Sheikh Safi al-din Khānegāh and Shrine Ensemble in Ardabil, a place of spiritualism and a reflection of Iranian architecture, is an impressive set of buildings. Persian mythology is both very similar to and profoundly different from the mythology of Hinduism. It is very close to it because Iranians are, of all the Indo-European peoples, the one whose language has the most affinities with Sanskrit and also the one who has kept contact with the Aryans of India. It is very different from it, because the religion of the ancient Persians acquires a much more moral than mythological character.

The Iranian New Year (Norouz) is celebrated on March 21, the first day of spring. Norouz has been recognized as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage of humanity since 2009.

Vaccines and specific advice:

Find out about the vaccines you should make before going to this country and about the preventive and/or treatment measures for local diseases.

Checklist:

  • Vaccine updates, specific vaccines: 1-3 months before departure
  • Visit your doctor for any health problem, prescription renewal, contraception, etc. In addition, you will need to send your coordinator a certificate from your doctor certifying that you are well suited to take part in an international volunteering project.
  • Dentist: a dental check-up can be useful before going!

We advise you to visit the website of your country’s Foreign Affairs Ministry to consult the advice for every country.

Advice for American travellers here

Advice for Canadian travellers here

Advice for English travellers here

Iran travel advice

(dernière mise à jour faite le 2018-09-23T13:17:02+00:00)

Summary and Terrorism sections updated following an attack on a military parade in Ahvaz, capital of Khuzestan province, on 22 September

Pour plus d’info , lisez la dépêche complète Iran travel advice

Sarvsaan Cultural Heritage Group is a youth organization working in the field of the conservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The non-profit organization was created in 2015. Sarvsaan aims to promote the participatory conservation of cultural heritage, particularly among young people.

PROCEDURE TO OBTAIN A VISA

Under development

Naturally, we invite you to visit the website of the embassy before departure in order to be informed about any possible changes.

  • Embassy of Iran in the UK

50 Kensington Court
W8 5DB
London
United Kingdom

Phone+44-20-7937-5225
+44-20-7361-0824
+44-20-7361-0825

Fax+44-20-7938-1615

  • Embassy of Iran in the USA

1250 23rd ST#200 N.W.
Washington
D.C.20007
United States

Phone +1-202-965-4990
Fax +1-202-965-1073
Email [email protected]
Website URL www.daftar.org

  • Embassy of Iran in Canada

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List of projects available in Iran