The beautiful country of Iran welcomes a large number of tourists annually. Outstanding and unique ancient monuments of Iran pamper the eyes with their enchanting beauty and grandeur, desert nights with starry sky and light breeze winding among the thorn bushes charms the visitors, the rain-forests on the hillsides embrace the Eco-tourists in fog and clouds, northern and southern beaches are the best places to enjoy the warm sands along with the relaxing waves reaching to your bare feet, the aroma and taste of Iranian foods is mesmerizing but all of these are great just for one reason, hospitable people of Iran host the tourists in their hearts.

Iran is known as a country of 4 seasons from cold and mountainous to warm and dry climates. The diversity in climate as well as an eventful history has led people to have various ethnicity , dialects and customs, but they all have one thing in common: kindness. You never get lost, get into trouble or feel lonely in Iran, because there is always someone around to help. Some tourists at their very first visit to Iran are surprised by the hospitality of people in a way that they think this warmness is a plan for selling something or deceiving them but soon they realize that there is no plan except kindness. Security, respect and assistance to tourists, either individually or in groups, can be found even in public transport such as buses and taxis.
The culture of hospitality is originated from nature, history and religion of Iranians. The signs of Iranians hospitality can be seen in the architecture of old buildings . The old houses had rooms or halls called “Guesthouse” and were used to accommodate guests there have always been guest accommodations such as extra bedding and dishes in Iranian houses. Moreover, in Islam, as the dominant religion of the Iranians, hospitality is highly recommended and many quotes from Muslim leaders are available in this regard.

Generally, the Iranian hospitality culture is that before arrival of the guest, the host cleans the house and tries to best prepare the reception. After greeting, the guest will be welcomed with a cup of tea or other Iranian drink depending on the weather, then with seasonal fruits and different sweets. The host tries to provide the guest with the best traditional cuisines . The host will not start eating before the guest and will not stop eating before the guest finishes eating. During the meal, the host frequently insists the guest to eat more called this act is called “Taarof” in Persian. Taarof is one the Iranian etiquettes which is done in many situations such as receiving money by sellers or entering somewhere with someone else. This tradition makes foreign tourists confused particularly when they ask for the price of something but instead of the price, they may confront the sentences such as “be our guest” or “pay as you wish”. At the end, when the guest intends to leave, some Taarof are exchanged between the host and his guest, for example the host insists the guest for staying longer. These etiquettes are common in Iran but people of each region have their own way of hosting.

Iranian tribes and nomads also welcome guests with singing, celebrating and or fireworks. Tribal hospitality is to the extent that even if a murderer or sinner takes refuge to them the host would even endangers his life to protect the guest. Or, for example, in the Lorestan province, tribal women smoke aromatic plants for guests to welcome their guests wholeheartedly. Also in most parts of Iran, people are welcoming guests with their own local food and pastries, which sets them apart from others. Therefore, the diverse and beautiful customs of the Iranian people is one of the tourist attractions of Iran that should be addressed more.