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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
"We are the ones who are going to change this country," says the founder of Iran's version of Groupon.
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.
In Iran, you probably think of deserts, perhaps markets, and maybe even the controversial nuclear program. But you should also think of skiing.
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.
In my first few hours in Tehran, I found people counting the finalists at the Fajr Film Festival.