Iran's cultural calendar
Experience culture along its roads
The routes, events, poets, cities and cultural experiences of Iran and the cultural world around it
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- Routes
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- Events
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- Figures
Cultural routes
Experience culture along its roads: the routes that tie cities, poets, places and events together.
Coming up
Events, figures and places of Iranian culture — in one place, in the order of the year.
Featured
Mehr Poetry Night
A reading of Hafez's ghazals at Talar-e Hafez. Free entry.
- 12 October 2026
Hafez Day
An evening of poetry and song at the Hafezieh, with Hafez scholars and singers.
- 5 November 2026
The Song of Shiraz
Traditional vocal performance set to Hafez's ghazals, with setar and tombak.
- 17 December 2026
Sama Night
A sama night in memory of Rumi, with daf and ney.
- 21 April 2027
Saadi Day
The Saadi commemoration at the Saadieh, with an exhibition of manuscripts.
Figures
Each figure has a house of their own: the poems, the tomb, the events, the tours.
Latest notes
Blog14 July 2026
Why Hafez Day falls on 20 Mehr
No document records the date of Hafez's death. So where did this one come from?
2 June 2026
The turquoise under the dome
The Hafezieh pavilion is copper on the outside and turquoise within. That is not an accident.
18 May 2026
How to read a fal
Taking a fal is not fortune-telling. It is an old way of reading, and it has rules.
Newsletter
One letter at the start of each month: that month's events and a short note. That is all, and you can stop it whenever you like.