Culture and Customs of Iran (Culture and Customs of the Middle East)

273 Pages·2006·5.01 MB·English

by  Elton L. Daniel

Culture and Customs of
Iran
Elton L. Daniel
Ali Akbar Mahdi
Greenwood Press
CULTURE AND
CUSTOMS OF IRAN
Iran. Cartography by Bookcomp, Inc.
CULTURE AND CUSTOMS
OF IRAN
Elton L. Daniel and Ali Akbar Mahdi
Culture and Customs of the Middle East
Greenwood Press
Westport, Connecticut • London
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Daniel, Elton L.
Culture and customs of Iran / Elton L. Daniel and Ali Akbar Mahdi.
p. cm. — (Culture and customs of the Middle East, ISSN 1550–1310)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0–313–32053–5 (alk. paper)
1. Iran—Civilization. 2. Iran—Intellectual life. 3. Iran—Social life and customs. I. Mahdi,
‘Ali Akbar. II. Title.
DS266.D265 2006
955—dc22 2006022941
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright © 2006 by Elton L. Daniel and Ali Akbar Mahdi
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2006022941
ISBN: 0–313–32053–5
ISSN: 1550–1310
First published in 2006
Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
www.greenwood.com
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Every reasonable effort has been made to trace the owners of copyright materials in this book, but in some
instances this has proven impossible. The authors and publisher will be glad to receive information leading
to a more complete acknowledgments in subsequent printings of the book and in the meantime extend
their apologies for any omissions.
Contents
Series Foreword vii
Preface ix
Chronology xiii
1. Introduction: The Land and the People 1
2. Religions and Religious Life 37
3. Literature 65
4. Drama and Cinema 93
5. Architecture 119
6. Carpets 137
7. Food and Dining 149
8. Family, Women, and Gender Relations 157
9. Holidays, Festivals, and Annual Events 177
10. Music and Dance 189
Glossary 211
Selected Bibliography 215
Index 223

Series Foreword
At last! Culture and Customs of the Middle East fi lls a deep void in reference literature
by providing substantial individual volumes on crucial countries in the e xplosive
region. The series is available at a critical juncture, with, among other events,
the recent war on Iraq, the continued wrangling by U.S. interests for control of
regional oil resources, the quest for Palestinian i ndependence, and the spread of
religious fundamentalist violence and repression. The authoritative, objective, and
engaging cultural overviews complement and balance the volley of news bites.
As with the other Culture and Customs series, the narrative focus is on
contemporary culture and life, in a historical context. Each volume is written
for students and general readers by a country expert. Contents include:
Chronology
Context, including land, people, and brief historical overview
Religion and world view
Literature
Media
Cinema
Art and architecture/housing
Cuisine and dress
Gender, marriage, and family
Social customs and lifestyle
Music and dance
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
Photos and country map

Preface
G reenwood’s series on the culture and customs of different countries is a
wonderful way of introducing the intricacies of various cultures to English-
speaking readers. We are glad to have the opportunity to be a part of this
series by exposing the rich and varied elements of Iranian society and culture.
We have tried our best to provide an accurate presentation of various aspects
of the cultures and customs of Iran. However, wr iting about the culture and
customs of a multicultural society like Iran is not without its challenges. We
believe i t is important to acknowledge the challenges we faced and the extent
of coverage we offer.
First, Iran has had a long and tumultuous history. The country has been
invaded and infl uenced by foreign forces several times. These invasions often
interrupted the social and economic life of the country, changed demograph-
ics and ethnic composition, and infl uenced the culture and customs practiced
in daily life.
Second, ethnically, religiously, linguistically, and regionally speaking, Iran
is a very diverse society, despite the fact that P ersians make up the dominant
ethnic group, the Persian language is the offi cial language, and Shiism is the
dominant religion. This diversity can hardly be described in simple catego-
rizations. Cultural customs associated with the same event often take vari-
ous forms in different regions among different ethnic, regional, and religious
groups.
Third, culture is a dynamic phenomenon, subject to change and interpre-
tation. The meaning and signifi cance of an event and the customs associated
with it vary for people of different religions, ethnicities, and social classes
within the same society. When affected by the ideological and political trends