Culture
Traditions
Territory
Useful information
Currency: The Iranian unit of currency is the RIAL equal to 0.09 Euros. Actually, the unit of account is the TOMAN, which is a theoretical coin equal to 10 Rial. There are coins of 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 Rial and banknotes of 100, 200, 500, 1.000, 5.000, 10.000 and 20.000 Rial.
Foreign currency can be changed in any bank and in most hotels. The most accepted currency is the Euro.
Credit cards are not used much but those most accepted are Visa and MasterCard. American Express and Diners Club are nearly always refused. Traveller’s cheques are accepted as long as they haven’t been issued by an American bank.
Language: the official language is FARSI of Indo-European origin written using the Arabic alphabet. However, English is widely spoken.
Climate: Iran is on a large central plateau that rarely has an altitude lower than 1.000 meters. 2/3 of the country have a dry climate.
Iran dress code: as Iran is an Islamic Republic there are a few rules to be respected: all women must wear something to cover their hair in all ‘public’ areas (squares, markets, restaurants or clubs, or places of worship…...). These rules date back to ancient times and were aimed at protecting women from invaders and dissolving social class differences (rich and poor).
Men must wear long trousers except at seaside resorts where they can wear Bermuda shorts.
Hygiene: public toilets don’t normally have toilet paper as it is Islamic tradition to wash (this custom dates back 1500 years). One can find taps that have a similar function to a bidet.
Men’s toilets do not have urinals as the standing position can cause residues to form in the scrotum which in the long term leads to the formation of calculus stones.
Shiite Islamic custom imposes cleansing after sexual intercourse using two possible methods.
Documents: A passport with a minimum validity of three months and at least three free pages is required. A visa is required and can be obtained from the Iranian Embassy or Consular Office.
For a stay not exceeding 72 hours a visa can be obtained on arrival.
Vaccinations: vaccinations are not necessary.
Food and drink: Iranian food is natural and genuine consisting mainly of aromatic rice and accompanied by a wide variety of sauces, especially meat sauces. Fruit and vegetables are excellent.
Alcoholic drinks and pork are forbidden.
The Iranian national dish is Celo Cabab (celo=steamed rice and cabab=roasted veal), served together with grilled tomatoes as well as other ingredients upon request.
Another traditional dish is dizi, a lamb stew with beans, chick peas and tomatoes, grounded dry Persian lemon and a little onion. This dish is served in special terracotta pots and is a very tasty and nutritious dish.
When visiting Iran one must taste the wide variety of traditional soups, fresh vegetables, yoghurt and falude which is a type of ice-cream.
Transport: the fastest means of inland transport is by plane (all Iran’s major cities are connected to the capital with regular flights). Buses are also widely used. The Train network is not as extensive. Car rental with chauffeurs is a good way to get around considering the cheap rates.
Among the International air companies that fly to Iran apart from the flag airline Iran Air, Alitalia has five weekly flights from Milan Malpensa.
Other airline companies such as Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Air France, KLM, and British Airways have several weekly flights to and from Europe.
All drivers that come to Iran for more than 10 days must ask customs to issue a temporary number plate for one’s vehicle excluding motorbikes. Number plates are issued at the Police Station near the Customs Office after payment of duties.
Drivers visiting Iran must keep the original number plate in order to re-use it when leaving the country. Temporary number plates must be returned to the nearest Police Station at the frontier.
Means of communication: post offices are present all over the country and are open from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. except Fridays.
In some areas before making an international call it is necessary to contact an operator.
In some cases mobile cellphone roaming is available.
The International Dialling Code for Iran is +98
Electrical supply: Iran’s electrical current is 220 volt and uses “suko” plugs (German-like).
Time zone: 3.5 hours ahead Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+3.30).
Iran operates Daylight saving Time between 1 Farvardin (March 21) and the 1 Mehr (September 23) when the time is 4.5 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+4:30).
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