Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Christianity
The Christian community in Iran consists mainly of Armenians who settled at Jolfa, in the
north of Iran, and were then moved to New Jolfa in Esfahan in Safavid times. Others live
around Orumiyeh (
Click here
)
. Today Iran's 250,000 Christians also include Roman Cath-
olics, Adventists, Protestants, Chaldeans and about 20,000 Assyrians. Christians are al-
lowed to consume alcohol and hold mixed-sex parties with dancing, just as long as no
Muslims can see the revelry, let alone partake.
Judaism
Iran has been home to Jews since about the 8th
century BC - even before Cyrus the Great fam-
ously liberated Jews enslaved at Babylon
(
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)
. Today about 25,000 Jews live in
Iran, primarily in Tehran, Esfahan and Shiraz.
More than 50,000 left Iran when life became
more difficult following the revolution - most
migrating to the USA. In 2007 Israel offered
up to US$60,000 a family to all remaining Iranian Jews to migrate to Israel. However, the
Society of Iranian Jews snubbed the offer, saying the 'identity of Iranian Jews is not trad-
able for any amount of money'.
Esther's Children: A Portrait of Iranian Jews,
by
Houman Sarshar, is a comprehensive history of
Iran's Jews from the Achaemenid Empire to the
community that remains following the revolution of
1979.
