Illegal excavations have always taken place in Iran – peasants have dug up ancient monuments and sometimes remarkable works of art have appeared on the market, though unfortunately lacking any scientific documentation. This continues to be the case.

The core values of a nation play a significant role in the effective use of language as a means of communication, said William O. Beeman, who is professor and chair of the Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota in the U.S., and president of the Middle East section of the American Anthropological Association.

With the ascension of Shah Abbas Safavid to the throne in 1588, the craft industries of Iran underwent dramatic change. Local ceramic production during his reign exhibited a new trend that was sustained throughout the century. Whereas potters in the previous century merely emulated Chinese models, the objective during the first decades of the 17th century was to produce exact copies of imported porcelains.

Qanat is the Arabic word for kariz, it is a name used for an Iranian irrigation system in which underground channels bring water from underground sources to the lowlands. Moghani, or well diggers, build the kariz.

IRNA – In a meeting between head of the 39th Istanbul International Book Fair, Burak Kivrak, and CEO of Iran Book and Literature House Ali Ramezani, the Turkish side said that his country’s publishers are keen to take part in the next edition of Tehran International Book Fair.

Not sure which ones of Iran’s historical castles to put on your visiting list? As a country that has gone through the ups and downs of history and withstood countless invasions, Iran is dotted with these historical treasures.

GUARDIAN – “Goblin mode” has been chosen by the public as the 2022 Oxford word of the year. The term, which refers to “a type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations”, has become the first word of the year to have been decided by public vote.

The Iraqi and Iranian authorities have held talks on collaboration in the field of historical monuments, tourism and exchange of experiences.

Iran is, and has always been a multi-ethnic nation. Besides the various Iranian ethnic groups — such as, to name only the largest, the Bakhtiaris, Lors, Kurds, or Baluch — the population of Iran in its present boundaries comprises comparatively large ethnic groups of Turko-Mongolian and Arab origin. The folklore and popular literature of each of these groups naturally have their own specific characteristics, but they have been studied only to a minor extent.