Iran

Iran Opinion

Tehran is not just “LA with minarets”: Against cliches of Third World cities on the brink of disaster

January 14, 2019 by alexrezashams

The Guardian covered Tehran in its recent article series, “The next 15 mega cities,” an examination of metropolises across Asia and Africa that will soon hit the 15-million population mark.

India Iran Reporting

On Persian pilgrimages, Pakistanis and Indians reconnect with Iran

December 6, 2018 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Dawn on December 6, 2018. Atop a rocky hill southeast of Tehran sits the shrine of Bibi Shahrbanu, a Persian princess who was the daughter of the last Sassanian

India Iran Opinion

How Nowruz is Celebrated Around the World

March 21, 2018 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on March 21, 2018. Nowruz is an ancient festival marking the arrival of Spring that is celebrated in parts of the Middle East, Central

Iran Reporting

Samuel Jordan, the American missionary whose name graces Tehran’s most glamorous street

March 9, 2018 by alexrezashams

Originally published by “Ajam Media Collective” For residents of Tehran, the name “Jordan” conjures up images of luxury apartment towers, expensive brand names, and twenty-somethings in fancy cars who spend

Iran Iraq Opinion USA

The Weaponization of Nostalgia: How Afghan Miniskirts Became the Latest Salvo in the War on Terror

September 6, 2017 by alexrezashams

Originally published by “Ajam Media Collective” The debate over Afghan women’s miniskirts have become the latest salvo in the War on Terror. Last month, Donald Trump announced that the US

Iran Reporting USA

Sedentary Fragmentation: Toward a Genealogy of Chicago’s Iranian Art Scene

August 22, 2017 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective. In 1951, a young Iranian man named Hannibal Alkhas moved from Tehran to Chicago, where he spent the next decade studying at the Art

Iran Reporting

Iran Hits the Beach

September 13, 2016 by alexrezashams

Tourism is booming, and millions of Iranians are re-discovering the seductions of their northern Caspian Sea coast.

Iran Reporting USA

The Tourist’s Guide to Tehrangeles: Exploring the Capital of the Iranian Diaspora

August 10, 2016 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on August 10, 2016. Los Angeles is the undisputed capital of the global Iranian diaspora. Home to a community of at least 700,000 Iranians

Iran Opinion

إيران “فارسية” ؟: تحديات الأسطورة الآرية والتعصب العرقي الفارسي

June 30, 2015 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on June 30, 2015. To read the original article in English, please click here. نشرت هذه المقالة لأول مرة باللغة الإنجليزية، تجدونها هنا. الكاتب هو اليكس شمس وهو

Academic Work Iran Opinion

Urban Space and the Production of Gender in Modern Iran

February 23, 2015 by alexrezashams

Originally published by “Ajam Media” What does an Islamic urban space look like? This question has dogged intellectuals and authorities in Muslim-majority lands for centuries, but in recent decades has