9 Stereotypes about Iran, Which Are Completely Wrong

  1. Iranians Are Arabs.

Iran means land of Aryans! According to the official religion of Iran, Islam, and being located in the Middle East, one may conclude Iranians are Arabs and their spoken language is Arabic. In spite of the fact that 99.4% of people in Iran are Muslims; Iranians are Persians and the official language is Farsi, in addition to several regional languages such as Turkish and Kurdish; in other words, Islam is Iranians’ religion not their nationality. Due to Iran’s thousands years of remarkable civilization and culture, Islam didn’t Arabized Iranians; unlike some other countries such as Egypt! To learn more about Persian history you can search King Cyrus the Great, who is credited with the liberation of Babylon in 528 BC, and the oldest known charter of human rights, referred to as the Cyrus Cylinder.

  1. Iranians Are Undereducated.

This is the most wrong concept about Iran; as over 14590000 men and 15670000   women over 17 years old have academic degree. Education in Iran is free and to pass primary school is required by law. According to UNESCO’s report, Iran is a very educated country! It has a high literacy rate by regional standards; the country’s adults’ literacy rate stood at 84.6 percent in 2013, compared to 85 percent worldwide and 78 percent in the neighboring Arab states. The literacy rate among 15-24 year-olds is even higher at 98 percent in 2015. You can read this article at https://wenr.wes.org/2017/02/education-in-iran

  1. Iranians Are All Iranians.

Ethnically homogenous! Not so True about Iran.

Like so many other countries in the world, Iran consists of nearly a dozen varied ethnicities; by the way they all call themselves Persians/Iranians. Azeris, Kurds, Arabs, Balochis, Lurs, Turkmens, Qashqai, Mazandaranis, Taleshis, and Gilaks are the major ethnics other than the majority of Persians. Understanding this diversity is crucial to understand the very complex nature of Iran’s society. A brief review throughout the history of Iran would indicate the fact that this country has always been the host of diverse ethnic groups, due to its rich and prosperous civilization and vastness.


  1. Iranians Are Uncultured.

Search on Google for Ancient Persia and forget about whatever you’ve heard about Iran so far! To those who think of Iranians as desert people, herding goats and unaware of the outside world, it’s would be a bit shocking knowing that Iran is one of the oldest among the world’s cradles of civilization. According to Wikipedia, Iran’s history of civilization and urbanization dated back to 7000 BC; also there are evidences that prove the old Persia’s history actually dated back to 15000 years ago. Being that old resulted in Iran to be one of the richest in culture countries all around the globe. Iran has a great art and science heritage; fascinating buildings such as Persepolis and Imam Mosque, mindful and meaningful poems’ collections by Great poets like Rumi and Hafiz, Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi who discovered alcohol and Ibn Sina whose books in medicine were studied in European universities for hundreds of years, are just a few examples of greatness of this country’s culture.

  1. Iranians Are All Crazy Religious.

Iranians have always been religious people; but it doesn’t mean that they have nothing to do but saying prayers and going to mosques and holy shrines. Like other people all around the world, Iranians have jobs, lives, hobbies, children; they travel around Iran and the globe, have friends, watch movies and TV series and sport matches, read books, etc. Nowadays, Iranians may not look like other Muslims in other countries; but no doubt Iranians believe in Allah, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his 12 Successors by heart.

  1. Iranian Hate Western People.

A brief study in the Western countries-Iran relationship in the last 200 years would justified Iranians’ hatred of Westerners specially Americans; if there’s any! Surprisingly the kind hearts of Iranians is free from such a thing and they are mostly known as the kindest and most hospitable people in the world. Don’t be fooled by the ‘death to America’ chants; this sentiment is reserved for foreign policy decisions… it does not apply to ordinary people from the West! In fact, Iranian people are extremely welcoming and hospitable, so as a visitor you are sure to be continuously bombarded with dinner invitations and endless cups of tea throughout your time in Iran. As I mentioned him before, Mr. Peter Santenello, visited Iran and shares his experience in his Instagram page; recently he shared a video exactly about this “Iranian “Death to America” and flat burning” topic. Watching this short video at https://Instagram.com/Petersantenello is highly recommended.

  1. Iranians Ride Camels & Donkeys.

Yes, about 100 years ago Iranians rode vehicles other than motor cars; but even then they rode horses not camels except for some desert regions. In spite of what media says, Iran is rather a modern, progressing country. Statistically speaking, there are more than 20 million automobiles in Iran; including national corporations’ and imported cars. Despite heavy international sanctions, Iran has made considerable progress in science and technology, especially in fields such as nuclear science, aerospace science, medical development and stem cell research. Life in the bigger cities is also very cosmopolitan. Although most Iranians drive average priced cars, there are luxurious vehicles driven by rich Iranians such as Mercedes, BMW, Bugatti, Porsche, Audi, and so on.

  1. Iranian Women Are Oppressed.

Considering Iranian women as second-classed citizens in society, who are prevented from education or social activities, locked up in remote corners of houses, wearing veils and cover them from the top of their heads to toe, is thousands of miles far from the truth. Women in Iran have been educated academically since 1907; and in the long history of ancient Iran women never prevented from education; there’s never been Taliban or Boko Haram situation here! Actually both in Zoroastrianism and Islam religions it is highly recommended to treat women with the most affection and respect. Women have always played a crucial role in Iran through history; most recently Iranian mothers who send their beloved sons to the battel fields of Iran-Iraq war, sacrificing their love and need for them for the sake of the territorial integrity of Iran. In art, science and sport there are several outstanding women who reached the highest levels of success in their field; to name some: M. Mirzakhani winner of Fields medal in mathematics, P. Sabeti biology professor at Harvard University, Bibi Maryam Bakhtiari a brave woman who stayed against English invaders in southwest of Iran, P. Etesami a great contemporary poet, etc.

  1. There’s War Like/Unsafe Situation in Iran.

Iran is the safest country in the Middle East; end of discussion!

Just kidding; though there is no war or terrorist activity in Iran for sure. There is a whole “Is Iran Safe?” article available in https://yazdantravel.com/blogs you can read.

All assumptions aside, find your favorite package or order your required one right now and reach a first handed, adventurous journey to the Wonderland of Iran.




Yazdan travel has started it's activity in 2008. During these years, passengers' satisfaction has always been the most important goal of the agency . Yazdan travel has been providing high quality and innovative services to it's customers and cooperator agencies since the very first day of its activity. Attracting tourists to travel to Iran , is the first priority of Yazdan travel agency , and we strive for providing the best services ever, using best ideas of the staffs and establishing new ways with most mutual benefits to communicate other travel agencies,brokers,airlines,and leaders, taking steps toward it's ultimate goal.

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