Stranger in Tehran Moving Forward: My New Website

Imamzadeh Saleh is one of the highlights of Tajrish

I have incredible news for you! I am very proud to announce that now you can read all my previous posts plus all the new posts and guides which are about to come, on my own website at strangerintehran.com! 

I have one more surprise for you! Beside various posts, guides, tips and reviews, you`ll find information about my Walking Tours around Tehran on the website! I am so happy that my little project which started in 2014 as a personal blog containing my impressions on life in Iran has grown into an independent website where not only can I share my travel experience and knowledge about life in Iran, but also invite you to join me on my first (not so first, however) steps of holding private tours to the major neighborhoods of Tehran which have so much hidden inside! #WalkTehran with me! And don`t forget to follow and keep in touch with me on Instagram and Facebook! 

The Salesman Movie Review: Another Universal Drama From Asghar Farhadi

Photo: imdb.com

Writing movie reviews is completely new to me. However, my deep appreciation of Iranian cinema and its growing popularity in other countries have motivated me to give it a try. I`ve decided to start with one of the most recent and well-known Iranian movies - The Salesman. 

The latest film of world-famous, award-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi called The Salesman was a sensation at Cannes Film Festival last year winning two awards (Best Screenplay and Best Actor). The Salesman managed to win several other awards and is now running for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. It is Farhadi`s seventh feature film which tells the story of a married couple Emad and Rana who suffer a violent intrusion into their private life - while alone at home, Rana accidentally lets in a man who breaks her life with Emad into pieces. The title of the film is inspired by Arthur Miller`s play Death of a Salesman which the film is partially based. Reading this play before watching the movie will definitely help to understand it better.

Tehran Events Guide: February at a Glance

Islamic Revolution Victory Day

When? February 10
Where? Azadi Square

The major event of February in Iran is Islamic Revolution Victory Day. Each year thousands of people come to Azadi Square in Tehran to commemorate a day in 1979 when people came there to plead for the return to their own, Iranian, values which turned out to be a return to their Islamic background.

Tehran Events Guide: Christmas Edition

In Tehran Events Guide I`m introducing exhibitions, movies (in English, of course), concerts, festivals and other happenings that might interest you so that you won`t have to check multiple websites to decide where to go at the weekend! Tehran doesn`t have night life, but it doesn`t mean there is nothing to do here! So get ready to go out this weekend!

If you are staying in Tehran for Christmas holidays, don`t think that your holidays will be ruined. Although Iranians mostly don`t celebrate Christmas, there are still some places where you can catch Christmas spirit! Just take a look at some of my recommendations in my last year`s post. Moreover, life is still going on in Tehran, and there are plenty of things to do this week here!

Yalda Night in Iran: 5-Step Guide to Celebrate the Longest Night of the Year

Watermelon, pomegranate and nuts are traditional Yalda night treats
Source: hamgardi.com

As you might know, December 21st is Winter Solstice which means it`s the longest night in the year. Not many of us would have even noticed! However, for Iranians whose calendar is deeply intertwined with the laws of nature, it`s a big holiday called Yalda Night.

Yalda Night awakes nostalgic feelings  in most Iranians who had seen a more traditional, thorough and more widely celebrated Yalda night at their grandparents` house with all relatives gathered around korsi (a traditional heating device, if I may call it so) sharing sweet memories of the past, reciting poems of Hafez and having lots of tea and snacks together.

Nowadays, however, Yalda night is not celebrated so widely any more. It isn`t even an official holiday what doesn`t let many people enjoy the whole night celebration. Still, for many Yalda remains a good occasion to gather up with family or friends and have some quality time together.

Tehran Events Guide: December 15-21

In Tehran Events Guide I`m introducing exhibitions, movies (in English, of course), concerts, festivals and other happenings that might interest you so that you won`t have to check multiple websites to decide where to go at the weekend! Tehran doesn`t have night life, but it doesn`t mean there is nothing to do here! So get ready to go out this weekend!

Tehran Events Guide: Cinematheques in Tehran

Maybe it will be big news for some of you, but in Iranian cinemas you can watch ONLY Iranian movies. A couple of years ago a recently built shopping center Kourosh with 14 (!) cinema halls started showing some new Hollywood movies every now and then, but, unfortunately, it didn`t last long. Now foreign movie screenings are limited to cinematheques which have, however, become quite popular in Tehran. Their number is growing and there are more and more opportunities to watch a brand-new Hollywood movie or a good old European film. While some cinematheques show the retrospective of one director (like Museum of Contemporary Art) or relate their screenings to different books (like Charsou Cinema), others show a mix of old and new movies not related to each other (like Kourosh Cinema).