History

ranian television of the 1980s and 1990s underwent a unique transformation in the field of children’s programming. During a time marked by social, political, and cultural changes following the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988), television producers sought to balance entertainment with educational and moral lessons. Out of this movement came a wave of children’s series designed not …

In September 1955, Tehran was at the center of heated debates and media attention concerning the government’s opium supply and the violent incidents that occurred at dispensaries—known locally as pacharagh. These establishments, which had existed in various forms for centuries, were deeply embedded in Iran’s social fabric, but they also symbolized vice, addiction, and, in the eyes of reformers, the …

The decades leading up to the 1979 Iranian Revolution were years of rapid cultural transformation. Tehran, the bustling capital, witnessed a surge of modernization under Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, where Western cultural influences merged with Iranian traditions. Nightclubs, cabarets, and cinemas flourished, becoming key elements of the city’s nightlife. Among the prominent figures shaping this entertainment world was Parviz Hejazi, …

The cabaret industry in Iran, although relatively short-lived in its classic form, occupies a fascinating chapter in the cultural and social history of the country. Unlike Europe, where cabarets developed in the late 19th century as artistic and satirical venues, and unlike the United States, where jazz clubs and musical theaters shaped nightlife, the Iranian cabaret grew from a complex …

The event of September 17, 1978, widely remembered in Iran as Black Friday (Shanbeh-ye Siah) and in some accounts as the “September 17 Massacre”, stands as one of the most decisive and tragic moments in the final year of the Pahlavi monarchy. On that Friday morning, in Tehran’s Jhaleh Square (today Martyrs’ Square on Mojahedin-e-Islam Street), government forces opened fire …

Houshmand Aghili (August 2, 1937 – September 14, 1404) was an Iranian singer, composer, and performer of traditional and classical Persian music. Over the span of seven decades, his voice became associated with refinement, elegance, and nostalgia, bridging generations both inside Iran and in the diaspora. Aghili’s career began in the mid-1950s, and from the very start, his training under …

In the early days of Shahrivar 1343 (September 1964), the people of Tehran witnessed a sight unlike any before in their city’s history: the passing of the Olympic torch through their streets. The torch, lit on the slopes of Mount Olympia in Greece, symbolized the ideals of peace, unity, and competition that the modern Olympic Games carried across borders and …

Ustad Akbar Golpayegani (1933–2023), widely known by his artistic name Golpa, occupies a towering place in the history of traditional Iranian music. He is remembered as one of the great radif singers, a master of Persian classical vocal performance, and an innovator who bridged the older traditions of tazieh and religious recitation with modern performance styles on radio, stage, and …

Abbas Masoudi (1915–1974) stands as one of the most influential figures in the history of Iranian journalism. Best remembered as the founder of Ettelaat newspaper, which remains one of Iran’s most widely read and longest-running publications, Masoudi was not merely a journalist but also a politician and cultural mediator. His career straddled journalism, printing, and politics, and his life provides …

The cultural atmosphere of Iran in the 1950s was characterized by a dynamic and often conflictual relationship between tradition and modernity. At least two major cultural trends dominated society during this period. On the one hand stood the traditional atmosphere, rooted in customs, rituals, and values that had survived from ancient Iranian culture and evolved under Islamic civilization since the …