Culture Smart! Iran takes you beyond the clichés to show how life in Iran really is and how you can feel comfortable in its society. It offers insights into a country full of surprises. Despite Iran deep commitment to Islam, the pre-Islamic Zoroastrian past is still part of everyday culture. Its language, Farsi, shares linguistic roots with English and French. It is a country where one of the more genuine democracies in the Middle East is overlaid by an unelected theocracy. And where no thank you really does sometimes mean yes please. If nothing else, this entrancing, beautiful, and sometimes infuriating place is a country whose inhabitants genuinely wish visitors Khosh amadi! Welcome! --Publisher.

Includes maps of: Iran.

Land and people -- Values and attitudes -- Customs and traditions -- Making friends -- Private and family life -- Time out -- Travel, health, and safety -- Business briefing -- Communicating.