EM 2139 (Rev.) September 1975

I) I International 4-H Youth Exchange THIS IS

Area: 636,300 square miles Population: 30,550,000 Capital: Tehran Government: Constitutional monarchy Language: Persian Religion: Islam, 98 percent are Moslems Currency: Rial Flag: Tricolored, horizontal stripes of green, white, and red. White middle stripe features a lion holding a sword.

Iran's glorious past as the cradle of civilization, the part she played as "The Bridge of Victory" in the Second World War, her present strategic position as the fulcrum of the Near and Middle East defense, her commanding position in the Persian Gulf, her vast oil and mineral resources have made Iran the object of worldwide interest and attention. A country with a magnificent past, an important present, and a definite future.

Iran is one of the oldest countries in the world. Its history goes back 2,500 years to the days of the famous Persian Empire. The name Iran (formerly Persia) was officially adopted in 193 5.

The wealth and power of Iran were gradually lost between the 1200s and the 1900s. Land became unproductive and the great irrigation projects crumbled. In the early 1900s, however, oil was discovered and this wealth put Iran back as an important country. Iran is the world's fourth largest oil producer; petroleum provides most of its foreign exchange and government income. The Shah uses much of the profits from the oil industry to aid agriculture, education, and manufacturing. Other mineral wealth includes chromite, copper, iron, lead, manganese, zinc, barite, sulphur, and coal. Also mined are emeralds and turquoise.

Agriculture

About three-fourths of the people of Iran live in small farm villages nestled among the mountains in the west and north. The chief agricultural crops are barley, corn, cotton, sugar beets, tea, tobacco, wheat, rice, fruits, wool, and raw silk. Wooden plows pulled by oxen are still used but modem farm equipment and agricultural schools have recently been established. During the 1950s, the Shah sold much of his land at low cost to the farmers.

COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE • COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE • WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY • PULLMAN In cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture Issued in furtherance of the Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, by the Washington State University Cooperative Extension Service, J. 0. Young, Director EM 2139 - Page 2

Foods

The main are rice, bread, cheese, and lamb. The favorite dish is , meat roasted on a skewer.

Khoresh Badenjan (Iranian Main Dish)

3 T. olive oil (or salad oil) 1 large , chopped 3/4 to 1 lb. hamburger 3/4 t. salt 1/8 t. pepper 4 to 6 slices wedges or 1 cup canned tomatoes

Lightly cook onion in 1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add hamburger, salt and pepper, and cook at moderate heat. Stir while it browns. It should remain moist. While it is cooking, heat a spoonful of olive oil in another pan, add eggplant slices, a spoonful of water, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook about 5 minutes. Add tomato slices or canned tomatoes. Cover and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes. Add a little water if mixture seems dry around edges. Spread the hot meat mixture over the top, replace cover, and simmer slowly for 20 to 30 minutes.

Note: You could try the one-pan method if pan is large enough. Start the onion and then the eggplant, push it to one side and brown the meat. Add the tomato.

Iran is a country of vast cultural interest. Do you know:

• Iran's greatest farming problem? • Who weaves most of the Persian rugs? Why it requires as much as 5,000 hours to complete one? • Which three Persian poets are more famous in Iran than is Omar Khayyam? • What part Iran played in both World Wars I and II?

Bibliography

Bausani, Alessandro, The Persians, from Earliest Days to the Twentieth Century, 1971.

Bruce, M. , "King Khosrau's Magic Carpet," Coronet, Vol. 49 : 112-24, Aprill961.

"Buying Friends: Visit by Shah of Iran," Newsweek, January 20, 1975, p. 34.

Ehsan Yar-Shater, ed., Iran Faces the Seventies, New York, Praeger Publishers, 1971.

Falsafi, M., "Reply with Rejoinder," Harper's, January 1975, p. 99.

Fitzgerald, F., "Giving the Shah Everything He Wants~" Iiarper's, November 1974, p. 55 .

Frye, Richard N., Persia, New York, Schacken Books, 1969.

"Gardens of Isfahan and Shiraz," Sunset, Vol. 122:37-38, March 1959.

Graves, W., "Iran: Desert Miracle," National Geographic, January 197 5, p. 2. EM 2139 - Page 3

"Iran Bid May Spur Production of Condor," Aviation Week, November 18 , 1974, p. 18 .

"Iran Expected to Accept Offer of FAA Assistance with ATC," Aviation Week, and Space Technology, April 28, 1975, p. 33.

Lineham, E. J., "Old-New Iran, Next Door to Russia," National Geographic, Vol. 11 9:44-85, January 1961.

Miller, Janet, "Camel-Bells of Baghdad," New York, Haughton Mifflin Company, 1934.

"Oil Grandeur and a Challenge to the West," Time, November 4, 1974, p. 28.

Pranger, Robert J ., American Policy for Peace in the Middle East; A Problem of Principle, Maneuver, and Time, 1969-1971.

------, "Political and Economic Balance in Iran," Current History , Vol. 38 :278-84, May 1960.

Rudofsky, Bernard, The Kimono Mind: An Informal Guide to Japan and the Japanese , Garden City, New York, Doubleday, 1965.

Wilber, Donald N., Contemporary Iran, New York, Praeger, 1963, p. 224.

Willenson, K., "Teheran Ambush," Newsweek, June 2, 1975, p. 35.

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