Tehran Stories

Arash Jame offers Marco Werman a violin lesson on Iranian scales.

Violin masterclass — Why I wanted to learn Iranian scales

Last Friday night, The World's Marco Werman got a violin lesson in Tehran and learned what makes Iranian classical music scales different from Western music.

Violin masterclass — Why I wanted to learn Iranian scales
Mostafa Kavakebian speaks at a reformist gathering in Tehran.

It's election season in Iran, too

It's election season in Iran, too
Grand Ayatollah Reza Hosseini Nassab (L) of the Imam Mahdi Islamic Center in Toronto has teamed up with Rabbi Cory Weiss of Temple Har Zion (R) to help raise funds for Syrian refugees moving to Canada.

The ayatollah and the rabbi who teamed up to help Syrian refugees

The ayatollah and the rabbi who teamed up to help Syrian refugees
Photo of Iran

At the wheel of a Tehran taxi, a country’s history and a plea for peace

At the wheel of a Tehran taxi, a country’s history and a plea for peace
Hamed Jafari, Mohammadreza Azali and Alireza Jozi (left to right) are the founders of the Tehran startup TechRasa.

Iran’s startup tech scene is getting off the ground

Iran’s startup tech scene is getting off the ground
Pallett Band in Iran.

Iranians love their klezmer

Iranian folk-rockers from the band Pallett have attracted a huge following in their home country. Interestingly, their music includes a heavy dose of klezmer, a musical tradition from eastern European Jews.

Iranians love their klezmer
Marco Werman spoke with Persian food blogger Azita Houshiar in Tehran.

This Iranian American went to visit Tehran, and decided to stay for the food

Brooklyn-raised Iranian American Azita Houshiar visited Tehran last year and then decided to stay in the land where she was born. Houshiar is a former lawyer who writes a food blog about Persian cuisine called “Fig and Quince.”

This Iranian American went to visit Tehran, and decided to stay for the food
Mohammad Rahamian is a prominent Iranian playwright who's just made his first film inside Iran.

This Iranian film is a love letter to classic American cinema

There’s no love lost between America and the theocratic rulers of Iran. But Marco Werman discovered during a visit to the cinema in Tehran that many Iranians have a whole lot of love for classic American movies.

This Iranian film is a love letter to classic American cinema
The masterminds behind "Studio_On" of Tehran are Negin Nasiri (left) and Shaghayegh Jahanbani.

These Iranian entrepreneurs are building a future out of wood

Nagin Nasiri wanted to get of Iran. She was accepted to grad school in the US, but she was refused a visa. So, Nasiri started a company with her old friend, Shaghayegh Jahanbani. Now they make stunning custom furniture in a Tehran wood shop.

These Iranian entrepreneurs are building a future out of wood
Iranian folk-rock band Damahi performs in the country with approval from the government.

Iran’s cultural gatekeepers surprisingly greenlight a folk-rock fusion band

The band Damahi takes its name from a giant mythical fish of the Persian Gulf. It plays Western-sounding electric music and still manages to get support from the Iranian regime.

Iran’s cultural gatekeepers surprisingly greenlight a folk-rock fusion band
She's worked in London. She's worked in Berlin. But 32-year-old tech entrepreneur Nazanin Daneshvar encourages tech savvy Iranians living outside the country to move back home and get to work.

Iranian entrepreneur to expats: Move back home!

"We are the ones who are going to change this country," says the founder of Iran's version of Groupon.

Iranian entrepreneur to expats: Move back home!
The capital city of Tehran, Iran, is cosmopolitan, food-centric and not as conservatively religious as we'd expected.

We're back from Iran. Here's what most surprised us.

Host Marco Werman and reporter Matthew Bell spent seven days in Tehran, Iran, around the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. They found a cosmopolitan city with great food and some contrasting feelings toward the US.

We're back from Iran. Here's what most surprised us.
Skiiers at Tochal in Tehran.

Up the mountain, down the mountain in Tehran

In Iran, you probably think of deserts, perhaps markets, and maybe even the controversial nuclear program. But you should also think of skiing.

Up the mountain, down the mountain in Tehran
Young Iranians attend rally in Tehran.

On the 37th anniversary of Iran's revolution, the fervor remains — but the contradictions multiply

The revolution in Iran is still very much alive in its 37th year, but it's as much a study in contrasts as it ever was.

On the 37th anniversary of Iran's revolution, the fervor remains — but the contradictions multiply
Shoppers at the grand bazaar in Tehran.

Suddenly, everyone wants to go to Iran. Here's what I found.

In my first few hours in Tehran, I found people counting the finalists at the Fajr Film Festival.

Suddenly, everyone wants to go to Iran. Here's what I found.