Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

283

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S

W E

A lAnd of rugged mountAins and

harsh deserts, iran was ruled for many centuries

by the shah, or king. in the 1979 revolution, the

shah was overthrown and iran became an islamic

republic, ruled according to strict religious laws.

Between 1980 and 1988, border disputes led to

a devastating war between iran and its western

neighbor, iraq. the cost of the prolonged war

has strained the economy. Although iran has

very substantial oil reserves, it has very few other

industries. eggs from sturgeon caught in the

Caspian sea are used to make caviar, an expensive

delicacy, which is exported. fine, handmade

carpets are also an important source of income

for villagers, who grow wheat, barley, and rice,

and herd sheep. iran’s strict islamic laws have

discouraged tourists, although the country has

a great wealth of historic buildings and

magnificent mosques.

the kurds

the kurds are an ethnically and linguistically

distinctive group who live in iran, iraq, and

turkey. they were once sheep- and goat-herding

nomads in the iranian highlands, although in

recent years they have turned to farming and

village life. there are 25–35 million kurds, the

largest group of stateless people in the world. in

iran, they are pressured to become part of

mainstream society, and they are severely

CArpet weAvers discriminated against in turkey.

iran’s famous carpets are

made by hand-knotting the

wool, which is colored with

a range of vegetable dyes.

many of the patterns used

are hundreds of years old,

and were created for the

opulent carpets used in royal

palaces and mosques. each

region prides itself on its

carpets, specializing

in unique designs and

color combinations.

Iran

iran lies at the heart of Asia,

bordered by the Caspian sea in the

north, and the persian gulf and gulf

of oman to the south. the elburz

mountains and Zagros mountains

enclose the central plateau, a land

of barren, rocky deserts.

mAshhAd

most iranians belong to the minority

shi’ah branch of islam, and mashhad is

their main shrine, the place where the shi’ah

leader riza (770–819) was martyred. iran has

a religious government that imposes severe

restrictions on the people. women must wear

the chador, a dress covering all but the face and

hands, and public behavior is closely monitored.

CAspiAn seA

The Caspian Sea is a salt

lake that lies between

Europe and Asia. It sits

92 ft (28 m) below sea level.

Find out more

Asia

earthquakes

islam

persians, ancient

statistics

area: 636,372 sq miles

(1,648,195 sq km)

Population: 81,824,000

capital: tehran

Languages: farsi

(p ersian), Azerbaijani,

gilaki, mazenderani,

kurdish, Baluchi,

Arabic, turkmen

Religions: shi’ite

muslim, sunni muslim

currency: iranian rial

Volcano Mountain Capital

city

Large

city/

town

Small

city/

town

Ancient

monument

0

0 100 200 300

100 300200

scaLE BaR

km

miles

I r a n i a n

P l a t e a u

Makran Coast

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tEHRaN
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