Kids from Iran

• Location: Middle East
School:
• Girls and boys are educated separately until the university level. In addition, girls typically have only female teachers, and boys typically have only male teachers.
• Since Iran has an official religion—Islam > religious study is part of public-school education at all grades.
Play:
• Backgammon > takhteh nard, “battle on wood”—is an old favorite. Archeologists recently found a 5,000-year-old backgammon board in southeastern Iran.
• Soccer is the number one sport in Iran. Both girls and boys enjoy playing the game at school, though usually only men may attend professional games.
Family:
• It is traditional for families to eat meals together on the floor, gathered around dishes of food spread on a kind of tablecloth called a sofreh.
• Many children grow up in a home with at least one grandparent. If not, they are likely to have grandparents living close by.
Favorite food:
• Khoresh, a fragrant stew of meat, fruit or vegetables, nuts, and spices. It is usually served with fluffy white rice.
• Did you know? Iran, which until 1935 was known as Persia, was the site of some of the world’s oldest villages. They were built near the Caspian Sea at least 6,000 years ago.

For more information, go to the Fact Monster page about Iran.