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Iran seems to be torn between two worlds. Beneath public veils and behind closed doors, many Iranians apparently long for a little relief from the strict Islamic codes that have been enforced for more than two decades. On many rooftops, you can see satellite dishes beaming in forbidden programming from the West in open defiance of conservative legislation designed to exclude the wider world. On airplanes arriving in Tehran from elsewhere in the world, you'll see stylishly dressed Iranian women reluctantly donning shapeless coats or tentlike chadors that obscure their silhouettes.

It's equally clear that many Iranians remain reluctant to embrace Western values. Liberal-minded students continue to clash with police and Islamic conservatives in Tehran. For many travelers, the uncertainty of the political situation and the lingering anti-Western sentiments among some Iranians are enough reason to stay away. But for adventurous travelers who understand the risks, Iran can be an incredibly rewarding destination: It has ancient ruins, grand mosques, pomegranate groves, exquisite gardens and starkly beautiful desert and mountain landscapes.

Ordinary Iranians are almost unfailingly courteous and hospitable, regardless of international politics. What's more, crime is rare—the country is particularly safe for women, who are rarely subjected to the unpleasant attention common in some parts of the Middle East. Another benefit for travelers is that, because of the low volume of tourist traffic, visitors get an unjostled view of even the most important sites. On a good day you can have Persepolis practically all to yourself.

Geography

History

Iranians are descendants of Indo-Europeans who came from the Indian subcontinent about 2000 BC, although archaeological evidence indicates human habitation as early as 18,000 years ago. In 549 BC, Cyrus the Great began to make Persia (as Iran was then known) into a great empire that encompassed parts of eastern Europe, Egypt and India. In succeeding centuries, Persia first fell to Alexander the Great (333 BC) and later to Arabs, Turks and Mongols. In 1501, the country regained its political independence. The most lasting influence was from Arabs, who introduced Islam. (Today's Iranians embrace the Shiite branch of the religion.)

In the modern era, the Pahlavi dynasty (1925-1979) developed the country's infrastructure by using oil revenues. But the enforced modernization of society didn't penetrate beyond the social elite, leaving an angry underclass suspicious of Western influences. This wariness was reinforced by the 1954 CIA-aided coup that deposed the popularly elected prime minister and returned the shah to power.

In reaction to the oppressive regime of the shah and his Western supporters, Ayatollah Khomeini helped lead the revolution that brought to power a fundamentalist Islamic government in 1979. The world quickly got a taste of its diplomacy: A few months later, 52 staff members at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran were taken hostage for 444 days, and relations between Iran and the U.S. have remained tense since then. Shortly after the revolution, Iran's ayatollahs declared war on Iran's old enemy, Iraq, ostensibly over water rights on the Persian Gulf but more fundamentally in order to cement the revolution in martyrs' blood, a characteristically Shiite concept. The eight-year conflict had a catastrophic effect on Iran: As many as 500,000 Iranians were killed, and the drawn-out conflict left the economy in ruins.

In 1997, Iranians surprised many by electing Mohammad Khatami, a moderate cleric, as president. The conservative mullahs, led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, are still a powerful force, however, and the political seesaw swung the other direction in 2005 with the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Formerly mayor of Tehran, President Ahmadinejad is a hard-line conservative whose tough stance on nuclear weapons for Iran is likely to raise serious concerns in the international community. In particular, he has said he "can't imagine" restoring ties with the U.S. Criticism of Iran's nuclear program, paradoxically, has strengthened the hard-liners who like to play up their nationalist, anti-U.S. credentials—even when it means scuppering foreign investments such as Tehran's new airport and a proposed mobile-phone system. Yet, as long lines outside European embassies and full-to-bursting Internet cafes show, young and educated Iranians still yearn for a taste of life in the West. Many of them now fear a return to the restrictions imposed immediately following the nation's Islamic revolution.

Snapshot

The chief attractions of Iran are Persian culture, archaeological ruins, teahouses, beautiful architecture, fabulous rugs and mountain climbing.

Iran will appeal to adventurous travelers who have visited the Middle East before and are willing to adhere to the conservative tenets of the Shiites.

Potpourri

Iran is a theocratic country—meaning that the nation's top leaders are all Muslim clerics, or mullahs. They wear distinctive gray robes with white or black turbans, according to their rank.

Live music was banned after the 1979 revolutions, and many of Iran's musicians left the country. One who stayed is Sharam Nazeri, known as the Persian nightingale. He has become one of Iran's most popular singers. The live-music ban has since been lifted, and Nazeri performs his distinctive songs—a blend of traditional Persian music with mystical elements of Sufism—in Iran and other countries.

The most popular car in the country is the Paykan, a small, boxlike four-door sedan built from 30-year-old designs and technology. The cars cost as much as US$12,000, and the waiting list can be as long as 18 months. The Paykan logo is a stylized Sumerian horse-drawn chariot, which Iranians joke is faster than the car.

Satellite dishes first made an appearance in Iran in 1993. The initial result was a minor social revolution—suddenly millions of Iranians were able to tune in to MTV and Fox news, though nowadays many choose Al Jazeera over Western viewing. Today, the ban is widely flaunted, with millions of Iranian families hiding their dishes in trees and under plastic tarps, or even paying regular fines to the police for infringement of moral regulations.

Iranian films have won many awards at festivals around the world. At Five in the Afternoon, a story of a girl growing up in post-Taliban Afghanistan and directed by Samira Makhmalbaf, won the Grand Jury Prize and the Ecumenical Jury Prize at Cannes in 2003. Turtles Can Fly, a beautifully filmed tale of Kurdish children in the run-up to the Iraq war directed by Bahman Ghobadi also won awards at the Rotterdam and San Sebastian film festivals in 2004.

The fundamental disagreement between Shia Islam (the branch of Islam that predominates in Iran) and orthodox Sunnis is over who should have succeeded the prophet Muhammad. The Shia believe that the prophet's son-in-law and cousin, Ali, should have been the first caliph (the religious and political leader) and that only blood relatives should follow in succession. Ali eventually became the fourth caliph, but none of his descendants became caliph after him.

After Mecca, the main destinations for Shiites are the Iraqi towns of An Najaf (shrine of Ali) and Karbala (shrine of Hussein). Iran's holiest site is the city of Qom, home to the country's top seminaries, which in a theocratic country double as top schools for Iran's up-and-coming governing class.

Ashura is the Shia festival of atonement that commemorates the seventh-century killing of Al Hussein, a grandson of Islam's prophet Muhammad. Millions of Shiites around the world mourn the death by scourging themselves in public with special iron flails until blood streams down their ceremonial white robes. It is the holiest date in the Shia calendar and is celebrated during the first 10 days of Muharram, the first month in the Muslim lunar calendar.

The last shah's son lives in McLean, Virginia, and still hopes to rule Iran some day.

Friday is the Sabbath, and many businesses are open only half a day on Thursday. The workweek is generally Saturday-Wednesday.