By Afshin Majlesi

20 wonderful, must-see cultural sites in Iran

If you ask foreign visitors to Iran about the most characteristic future they discovered during excursions in the ancient land, the most possible answers may be somewhat like these: “It is the friendliest country on Earth with loads of warm-hearted welcome!”; “It is the jewel in Islam’s crown in terms of architecture”; “Being home to fascinating cultural heritage sites”; or “a land where echoes of ancient civilizations still resonate down through the ages!”

Achaemenid clay tablets, Iron Age relics, and skeleton to go on show at Qazvin museum

TEHRAN – A batch of recovered Achaemenid-era (550-330 BC) clay tablets, which were on loan from Iran to the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago since 1935, along with an Iron Age collection composed of a human skeleton and burial relics, will be displayed at a museum in the city of Qazvin.

By Afshin Majlesi

Explore mausoleum of Esther and Mordechai

The purported burial site of Purim’s Persian queen and a pilgrimage site for Iranian Jews

TEHRAN – The mausoleum of Esther and Mordechai is a Jewish shrine in the city of Hamedan, west-central Iran, where, according to Judeo-Persian tradition is the burial site of the two cousins who played a pivotal role in the Book of Esther (also known as the Megillah).

Archeological find corroborates Japan-Persia ancient ties

TEHRAN – Japan has unveiled a rare discovery of ties between the then mighty empire of the East and people from the then Persia (now called Iran).

Tens of Russian guests tour Qazvin historical sites

TEHRAN – Some 70 Russian artists, literati and diplomats on Monday toured historical sites in Qazvin as part of programs in line with holding Russia's cultural week in Iran.

The Great Wall of Gorgan: longest ancient barrier between Central Europe and China

TEHRAN – Stretched for almost 200 kilometers along northern Iran, the ancient Great Wall of Gorgan was constructed from 420s CE to 530s as a northern frontier of the then mighty Persian Empire, which was then ruled under Sassanids.

We revealed how Achaemenids ruled Persia: Oriental Institute expert

TEHRAN – Years of deciphering and studying Achaemenid cuneiform clay tablets, which have been on loan from Iran to the Oriental Institute, has yielded valuable information about the Persian Empire, how it organized and how it ruled, a professor emeritus at the Institute has said.

Persian antiquities found in almost all museums worldwide

TEHRAN – People around the world visit countless pieces of antiquities from the Persian Empire in different museums every day, without ever asking themselves how those relics ended up thousands of kilometers away from their home in Iran, Press TV wrote in a recent article.