İran: Isfahan and the religious capital of Qom

Iran, its lands more than twice the size of Turkey, is a nation that is close to Turkey not only geographically, but culturally. It lies between Iraq and Pakistan, with coastlines that run along the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf as well as the Caspian Sea. With a population of close to 70 million, this Middle Eastern country, second only to Saudi Arabia in terms of land mass in the region, is a neighbor of Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan. Its natural resources include abundant amounts of oil and natural gas. The great majority of Iranians live in urban centers. Officially known as the Islamic Republic of Iran, the country chose a new flag in 1980, one with green, white and red stripes with "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great) written 22 times on it. Allah, or God, is written in the... [read full story]