(Photo Courtesy of Mostaza Meraji)
How Much Do You Know About Iranian Culture?
A Test-Yourself Quiz
With the Middle East once again in a controversial spotlight of the international scene, I’m reminded of how Iran is a multifaceted composite of contrasts, contradictions, subcultures, and question marks (just like every other country, really, once you make a point of observing it). I admit that my encounters with Iran’s multifaceted nature do not stem from a controversial political context, but rather a very personal one.
When I first arrived at Iran in 1992 with my Iranian husband and our one-year-old daughter, I quickly learned that the overwhelming majority of Iranians did not seek to assess me from a political perspective, but to come to know and care for me as their guest. This is what their culture had taught them to do--and out of their example of sincerity, graciousness, and trust extended to me, I was inspired to respond in kind. Over the period of the nearly five years we lived and worked there (my husband Mahmoud taught crop science and I taught English at Esfahan University of Technology), I also had the opportunity to grow my understanding of certain aspects about Iran and its people.
I hope that the following quiz, related to my experience of common Iranian customs and values, will help the readers to confirm or disconfirm their understanding of the same, and perhaps (as I did in Iran) to pick up some additional insights along the way:
(To see the correct answer, click on the "+" to the right of the screen)
When I first arrived at Iran in 1992 with my Iranian husband and our one-year-old daughter, I quickly learned that the overwhelming majority of Iranians did not seek to assess me from a political perspective, but to come to know and care for me as their guest. This is what their culture had taught them to do--and out of their example of sincerity, graciousness, and trust extended to me, I was inspired to respond in kind. Over the period of the nearly five years we lived and worked there (my husband Mahmoud taught crop science and I taught English at Esfahan University of Technology), I also had the opportunity to grow my understanding of certain aspects about Iran and its people.
I hope that the following quiz, related to my experience of common Iranian customs and values, will help the readers to confirm or disconfirm their understanding of the same, and perhaps (as I did in Iran) to pick up some additional insights along the way:
(To see the correct answer, click on the "+" to the right of the screen)
1. Historically, Iranians share roots with the
a. Germans
b. Arabs
c. Chinese
d. Ethiopians
a. Germans
b. Arabs
c. Chinese
d. Ethiopians
Answer: The word “Iranian” comes from the root meaning “Aryan”: the nomadic tribes of Caucasian people who originated from central and southern Asia and were/are frequently identified as the Indo-Europeans. Among those Indo-Europeans who at some time between 3000 and 4000 BC emigrated west were the ancestors of the Germans; among those who emigrated south, the Iranians. The Iranians, whose identity is often thought to be one and the same as that of their Arab neighbors, were in fact conquered by Arab tribes in the eighth century. Because in this sense the Arabs represent conquerors of the past, and at the same time represent heralds of the Islamic faith that so many Iranians have embraced, Iranians often view their relationship with their Arab neighbors with ambivalence, but in any case, they will appreciate not being confused with them. So, the answer to the question is a.
2. The two languages most commonly seen on or around the streets and public buildings
of Tehran are
a. Persian and Arabic
b. Arabic and English
c. Persian and English
of Tehran are
a. Persian and Arabic
b. Arabic and English
c. Persian and English
Answer: Persian (or Farsi, which is actually the Persian word for the Persian language) is the official language of the Iranians and the language of the dominant culture represented. Because of the Arab presence and influence in Iran, most Arabic letters and many Arabic words have been incorporated into the Persian language, and many Islamic prayers and sacred texts (including the Qur’an, the holy book of the Muslims) are retained and recited in Arabic. Nonetheless, as an Indo-European language, Persian has a completely different system of grammar and pronunciation from what you find in the Arabic language. So, the answer to the question is c.
3. Which behavior is not considered offensive in Iran?
a. sitting or standing with your back to another person
b. wearing your shoes inside of an Iranian home
c. sniffling when you have a cold
d. asking about someone’s spouse (“How is . . .?”) if you are the opposite sex of the
spouse
a. sitting or standing with your back to another person
b. wearing your shoes inside of an Iranian home
c. sniffling when you have a cold
d. asking about someone’s spouse (“How is . . .?”) if you are the opposite sex of the
spouse
Answer: It is generally considered not only acceptable, but proper and courteous behavior to ask an Iranian colleague about each member of his or her family by name—from the spouse to each of the children; and even to mention members of the extended family when time and circumstances permit. In fact, it is not unusual to dedicate the first one or two minutes of an opening conversation to exchanging questions and answers (“How is . . .?”) about respective family members, one by one. This detail of Iranian etiquette stands in contrast to the general rule of thumb in many Arab cultures that suggests that men refrain from asking about the female members of another male colleague’s family. So, the answer to the question is d.
4. Many Muslim Iranian parents believe that for the first seven years of a child’s life in
Iran, that child
a. is expected “to be seen and not heard”
b. should be catered to whenever possible
c. is not to be cared for by anyone but the parent(s)
Iran, that child
a. is expected “to be seen and not heard”
b. should be catered to whenever possible
c. is not to be cared for by anyone but the parent(s)
Answer: Even when our daughter was past the ‘terrible twos’ stage, she would sometimes turn down an entire array of amazing delicacies served at the large family gatherings—and ask for home-made Iranian french fries instead. “What do you mean, you ‘can’t eat that’?” I’d say, (trying to camouflage my annoyance with her but recognizing my own mother’s admonishing voice in mine). “You’ll eat what has already been prepared for us, or maybe you’ll just have to be hungry.” But my dear mother-in-law would recognize the struggle in my voice above the joyful din of the crowd and come not only to my rescue—but to her granddaughter’s. “Let the little ones have whatever they want, as long as it doesn’t harm them,” she’d say gently as she handed me a plate of french fries that she had somehow already prepared (so I wouldn’t have to) and set aside for just such a moment. “Later they can and will learn what is to be expected of them, but in the first seven years of their lives they must first learn the most important lesson: that they are loved.” I didn’t resist my mother-in-law; I felt too loved by her! So, the answer to the question is b.
5. Customarily, a woman in Iran who marries
a. replaces her current last name with that of her husband
b. adds her husband’s last name to her current last name
c. retains her current last name without any change
a. replaces her current last name with that of her husband
b. adds her husband’s last name to her current last name
c. retains her current last name without any change
Answer: In Iran, women who marry retain the same name they assumed at birth; they do not take on the family name of their husband. So, it felt somewhat ironic to me that after I married, I was addressed as Ms. or Dr. Ahmadi, whereas once I moved to Iran I was known and addressed in the university community as Khanum Pahvel (“Ms. Powell.”) So, the answer to the question is c.
6. Over the past four decades, Iranian women have become what percentage of university
graduates?
a. Between 50% - 60%
b. Between 30% - 40%
c. Between 15% - 25%
d. Less than 15%
graduates?
a. Between 50% - 60%
b. Between 30% - 40%
c. Between 15% - 25%
d. Less than 15%
Answer: Over the past 40 years, women’s representation at the university have fluctuated between 50% and 60% of the total student population. Moreover, while I taught English as Esfahan University of technology, I frequently noticed that many Iranians expressed special pride in the academic and professional achievements of their wives, daughters, and daughters-in-law (including me)—in education, in athletics, in engineering, in medicine, in government. So, the answer to the question is a.
7. In Iran, attention to women’s fashion and beauty
a. is generally dismissed as a vain and immodest western notion
b. is frequently an important value to both men and women
c. is commonly expected by men, but resisted by their wives
d. is widely accepted by women, but discouraged by their husbands
a. is generally dismissed as a vain and immodest western notion
b. is frequently an important value to both men and women
c. is commonly expected by men, but resisted by their wives
d. is widely accepted by women, but discouraged by their husbands
Answer: I can attest from personal experience that many Iranian women have taken the notion of having to suffer for the sake of beauty (also familiar in the West, let’s admit it!) to new heights—as captured by the popular Persian phrase translated as “Kill me, but make me beautiful.” Long before the practice of threading eyebrows became popular in the USA, Iranian women had been exquisitely shaping their eyebrows and exfoliating their faces routinely—a procedure that some women (including myself) experience as agonizing, at least at the beginning.
Furthermore, the women of Iran generally know how to adorn themselves—and are even expected to do so—for family gatherings or at social gatherings when just among themselves. Ironically, the skill of so many Iranian women to make themselves stylish and stunning became especially apparent to me as I observed mere strangers in the streets: how with just a slightly different draping of the scarf (or chador, the familiar one-piece outer garment)—or with the slightest adjustment on the cuffs of those who wore overcoats— these women exemplified to me the best of both creative elegance and modesty. And in the more cosmopolitan areas of Iran, especially among younger women, one can see quite a variety of colors, cuts, lengths, and styles of the overcoats that are available and worn.
So, the answer to the question is b.
Furthermore, the women of Iran generally know how to adorn themselves—and are even expected to do so—for family gatherings or at social gatherings when just among themselves. Ironically, the skill of so many Iranian women to make themselves stylish and stunning became especially apparent to me as I observed mere strangers in the streets: how with just a slightly different draping of the scarf (or chador, the familiar one-piece outer garment)—or with the slightest adjustment on the cuffs of those who wore overcoats— these women exemplified to me the best of both creative elegance and modesty. And in the more cosmopolitan areas of Iran, especially among younger women, one can see quite a variety of colors, cuts, lengths, and styles of the overcoats that are available and worn.
So, the answer to the question is b.
8.When receiving guests in Iran, the host/hostess should
a. ask his/her guests shortly after arriving if they would like some refreshments
b. serve refreshments automatically without asking first
c. provide guests a wet towel for their face and hands and serve tea for drinking
a. ask his/her guests shortly after arriving if they would like some refreshments
b. serve refreshments automatically without asking first
c. provide guests a wet towel for their face and hands and serve tea for drinking
Answer: Iranian culture emphasizes the concept of deference one to another—which means that guests may be reluctant to trouble their hosts by accepting a service offered them (even if they would actually like the service or refreshment offered). To prevent their guests from facing such a predicament, Iranian hosts tend to serve their guests refreshments automatically, as a simple matter of course—and thereby demonstrate their own form of deference through the extraordinary and delectable art form of Persian hospitality. (Americans may benefit from the gentle reminder that when receiving Iranian guests, they should be prepared to serve some refreshment whether their guests verbally accept the offer or not.) So, the answer to the question is b.
9. When it comes to religion, in Iran it is safest to assume that the Iranians you meet
a. consider themselves Muslim and share the same Islamic beliefs as other Iranians
b. consider themselves Muslim but may represent varying beliefs and practices
across a spectrum, often within the same family
c. are subject to the laws of the Islamic republic, but may or may not consider
themselves Muslim
a. consider themselves Muslim and share the same Islamic beliefs as other Iranians
b. consider themselves Muslim but may represent varying beliefs and practices
across a spectrum, often within the same family
c. are subject to the laws of the Islamic republic, but may or may not consider
themselves Muslim
Answer: While the vast majority of Iranian residents would call themselves Muslim or affiliate themselves with the Islamic faith, the degree of their faith and how they interpret and practice it in their everyday life can vary significantly from person to person. At the same time, religious minorities officially recognized in Iran include (1) followers of Zorastrianism (its origin from ancient Persia) and (2) members of the Abrahamic faiths preceding Islam: Judaism and Christianity (also known as “people of the book.” People of other religious minorities discreetly reside in Iran as well. So, the answer to the question is c.
10. In Iran, when a person is hired to teach, train, or consult with another person,
a. they need to be the same sex as their student/client
b. their qualifications are considered first, gender second
a. they need to be the same sex as their student/client
b. their qualifications are considered first, gender second
Answer: Before I began teaching at the university, I made the mistaken assumption that as a woman in Iran I would be permitted to teach only other women at the university. What I discovered instead was the surprise of being met in the classroom by the smiling and respectful faces of male and female students alike—all who shared the same classroom and all who stood up for their professor (me!) as she entered the classroom! Moreover, university colleagues, male and female alike, sought my one-on-one coaching services as from, first and foremost, a licensed teacher and native speaker of English who could offer them a unique experience and perspective regarding language and cultural sensitivity. So, the answer to the question is b.
Now that you’ve gone through all the quiz questions, you may find you have questions of your own related to Iranian culture, customs, or people. If that is the case, I invite you to submit your questions in writing in the form just below:
We will address some of these questions in an upcoming forum (without disclosing your identity or personal information).
We will address some of these questions in an upcoming forum (without disclosing your identity or personal information).