Iran Travel Guide

Browse the Iran Photo Gallery

Iran is located in the Middle East, bounded by Turkmenistan and the Caspian Sea, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, Iraq and Turkey. The center and east of the country is largely barren desert with mountainous regions in the west. Tehran, the capital, is essentially a busy and modern city, but the best of the old has been preserved.

As one of the first countries to be occupied by the early Islamic armies which came out of Arabia in the seventh century, Iran has a rich and detailed history. The antique sights of Persia, one of the greatest empires of the ancient world, can be witnessed alongside bustling metropolises and vast mountain ranges. Several bazaars are just as old and Iran is the destination for those in search of the most expensive rugs and carpets in the world.

Iran has maintained a distinct cultural identity within the Islamic world by retaining its own language and adhering to the Shi’a interpretation of Islam. As a unique Islamic Republic, Iran is ruled by both supreme leaders and elected presidents.

Geography

Iran is located in the Middle East, bordered to the north by Turkmenistan and the Caspian Sea, the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan, the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and the west by Iraq and Turkey. The center and east of the country are largely barren undulating desert, punctured by qanats (irrigation canals) and green oases, but there are mountainous regions in the west along the Turkish and Iraqi borders and in the north where the Elburz Mountains rise steeply from a fertile belt around the Caspian Sea.