There   are a wide variety of different cultural  activities going on in  Iran   and particularly in the  Capital, Tehran, almost everyday. The  more costly   parts of these activities  are  sponsored   and  financed by  the government while  the  private sector's contribution    to  cultural     activities  are also remarkable. For instance, the government owns most  of the theater halls while music  tapes, magazines and books  are mostly produced by private sector.

Every year hundreds  of titles of books in  different fields of Arts ,culture  ,science and  literature are published  in Iran. Major publishers  publish  more  than a  hundred   books in different  areas  and have  their  own  distribution   system across the country while  on the other hand there are also publishers who produce only  one  or two books during the  year and  have  them   distributed through  professional distribution agencies.
 
Beside an International Book Fair which  is  held in  Tehran  every May, there are  several other book  exhibitions  across the country  usually held    on certain    occasions. Foreign visitors  have characterized  the turnout at the  Tehran  International Book   Fair as extraordinary. There  is also  a Book of The Year contest in Iran every year. A new organization named City of Book provides thousands of books in various languages particularly for children.
 
News stands in  Tehran and other major cities of the country  put on  display  scores of new  magazines, periodicals   and  newspapers every   day.  More  than 400 licenses  have so  far
been issued    for prospective publishers. The range of interests of magazines vary from  microcomputers  to  transportation and from the  kitchen to  the  space. However, most of the magazines   have  a cultural  character  dealing  mainly with arts and literature. The scope of  specialization of some     of    them      is  so  narrow    that one, for instance, advocates only the ideas  and   works of    what it  calls the  third generation of modern   Iranian writers  and  poets.

The  Iranian  film   industry produces something around   50  feature films for  more than 250 movie theaters  across  the  country. These theaters also  screen foreign productions  for different tastes.
 
In  the  year  1990 scores of Iranian movies found their way  to  international  film festivals  across  the world gaining  worldwide acclaim for the country's film industry.

The Fajr Film   Festival ,an  international cinema  event is  held in Tehran  every year in February, when movie lovers can see hundreds  of Iranian  and foreign films of high artistic  quality in a matter of 10 or eleven days.
 
Another international event in  the area of   cinema  is The  International  Festival of  Films for  Children  and   Young   Adults    held    in  the   beautiful  city  of  Isfahan  in  October. Winning an award in these  festivals can guarantee a  movie's box office success.
 
There are  also scores of other film festivals in Iran which have only domestic significance. On  the other hand, there are several film making  schools in the country  which  cater to the film industry's needs for artists and technicians.
 
Most   of   the Iranian feature  films  are produced by  the private sector   ,however, public sector organizations   like IRIB  and the Center for  the  Intellectual  Development  of Children  and Young Adults also  do  invest on film  production.

Every year  between September   and June (in the  next year)  there are at least four plays on stage in Tehran every evening, however, theatrical activities  continue during the rest of the year and elsewhere in the country.
 
Iran has a long dramatic tradition, notably   evident  in the  passion plays and Punch and   Judy shows. Nevertheless,  most  of the plays  on the Iranian stages have a modern  treatment  although their contents may be classic or traditional.
 
There is a  major theatrical  festival in Tehran in February  while  competition among theatrical companies   across   the  country continues throughout the year. The best  performances  are usually staged at the Fajr Theater Festival in February  where the artists receive their awards.
 
There  are  more  than one   school  in Iran where stage  directors, actors, set designers, etc. are trained.  The  City Theater, The  Sangalaj  Auditorium and Vahdat Hall are  among  the best of Iranian theaters.
 

Like  any other  art,  musical  activity  reaches   its peak  during the  Ten Days of  Dawn ceremonies marking the Islamic Revolution's anniversary every February.
 
On that  time, musicians from all over  the country  come  to  the capital to take part in a major festival  of traditional  Iranian music.
 
Traditional music  groups ,chamber   orchestra  and Tehran's symphonic orchestra perform at  Vahdat Hall several  times a  year.
 
Meanwhile , tapes of Iranian and foreign classical music can  be bought at any bookstore across Iran.
 

The aesthetic attributes  of written words have  been always appreciated  in  Iran. The   advent  of Islam redoubled the aesthetic value of words in the eyes of Iranians  owing   to the high significance they attached to Islamic texts.
 
During the 15th  and  16th centuries calligraphy gained even  more importance  when  it found  its  way into two  other significant  artistic  forms of that  period  namely architecture and miniature.
 
The  art of  Persian calligraphy reached  the  peak of   its  perfection  with  the emergence of the Nastaliq style  which display's the art's unique Persian characteristics. Initiated in   mid 15th century,  this  fine style  of Persian calligraphy  was   further completed    by masters of the art during 16th  and    18th    centuries. The greatest  master of this style was Mir Emad who died  in the year 1617.
 
Beside Nastaliq, more  classic  styles like Kufi , Naskh and Thulth,  as well as the newer style of Shikasta Nastaliq are still  being practiced  by thousands of  aspiring    Iranian calligraphers who are being trained  by masters  of the  art across the country.
 

As early as the 11th century, the Iranians were  the undisputed masters of the  art of miniature. Although the art was inspired by  Chinese motifs following the Mongol invasion of Persia, Iranian originality once again dominated later in skilfully composed and  pathetic illustrations inspired by the national epic Shahnameh or Ferdowsi's The Book of Kings.
 
Early in the year 1991, as Iranians celebrated  the millennium of composition of Shahnameh, several Iranian publishers   published beautiful Iranian miniatures which were released along with their new  editions of the book.
 

The Tehran Municipality has established several cultural centers in various neighborhoods in order to promote cultural activities and provide entertainment and artistic education for the city's youth. The first of these cultural centers, here known as Farhangsara, was the well known Bahman Cultural Center in downtown Tehran. Some of these newly established cultural centers have been listed here.

Amir Kabir Cultural Center                                        Park Gheitarieh,
                                                                                Gheitarieh 2207051-2213019
Andisheh Cultural Center                                           Shariati Ave.                       
                                                                                865090-868163
Arasbaran Cultural Center                                         Arasbaran Street

Bahman Cultural Center                                            Bahman Square      
                                                                               5051386 - 7
Eshragh Cultural Center                                            Jashnvareh Ave.
                                                                               779272
Khavaran Cultural Center                                          Khavaran Ave.    
                                                                               5312300-1
Sarv Cultural Center                                                 Valiasr Ave.

Shafagh Cultural Center                                            Park Shafagh     
                                                                               8718849
Vanak Cultural Center                                              Attar St., Vanak Square    
                                                                               8016853 - 2264566

The following is a list of only some of the major museums of Tehran. Most of them are closed one day in every week other than the official Friday holiday. Please call beforehand to make your arrangements.
There are also scores of other museums in other Iranian cities, probably the most notable among them is the museum at Persepolis.

Abgineh (Glasswork) Museum
30 Tir Street
Tel: 678154

Iran Bastan Museum
30 Tir Street
Tel:672061

National Arts Museum
Kamalolmolk Street, Baharestan Square
Tel: 3116329

Decorative Arts Museum
53, Karim Khan Zand Ave.
Tel: 894381

Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts
Kargar Ave.
Tel: 653200

Reza Abbassi Museum
Dr. Shariati Ave.
Tel:233001

Fine Arts Museum
Sadabad Street, Tajrish
Tel: 282031

The Carpet Museum
Kargar Ave., Fatemi Intersection
Tel:657707

National Jewels Museum
Ferdowsi Ave; Central Bank
Tel: 3110101-9

Rassam Arabzadeh Carpet Gallery
Passdaran Ave.

Coin Museum
Imam Khomeini Square, Bank Sepah
Tel: 3111271

Stamp Museum
Central Post Office
Tel: 679132

City Photography Museum
7th of Tir Square
Tel: 8848993