Cultural reporting on Iran — music, film, literature and art, sport, diaspora life, and the censorship that shapes all of it — collected from independent English-language outlets.
(260824) -- TIANJIN, Aug. 24, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Tang Xin (R) of China spikes the ball during the pool A match between China and Iran at AVC Women's Volleyball Continental Championship in Tianjin, China, Aug. 24, 2026.
Nine in 10 respondents to an Iran International Instagram poll said they did not want to marry or have children under Iran’s economic, social and political conditions, according to results gathered from about 100,000 participants.
Haruki Murakami’s latest novel has yet to receive an official English translation, but at least six Persian versions have already been published or are in preparation in Iran, with some translators relying on unofficial English texts and AI tools.
Muslims advised to use less water to perform ablutions Submitted by Imran Mulla on Fri, 08/21/2026 - 11:46 Initiative by UK's water industry regulator also encourages Asians in Britain to use less water to wash rice The fountain in the Islamic garden of Cambridge Central Mosque, Britain's first eco-friendly mosque, pictured in 2021 (AFP) Off The United Kingdom 's water industry regulator has advised Muslims in the country to use less water for religious ablutions - the act of washing or cleansing the body - and Asian communities to reduce water use when washing rice. The advisory comes as part of the project by the “water efficiency in faith and diverse communities” programme funded by Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority. One of the project's recent initiatives was a partnership between South Staffordshire Water, the University of Cambridge's divinity faculty and the Cambridge Central Mosque, Britain's first eco-friendly mosque, as well as other organisations and water companies.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts called for a new definition of resilience in tourism, saying the sector should become a bridge connecting nations, reviving hope, supporting communities and contributing to lasting peace.
(260821) -- TIANJIN, Aug. 21, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Players of Chinese Taipei celebrate scoring during the pool A volleyball match between Iran and Chinese Taipei at the AVC Women's Volleyball Continental Championship in Tianjin, China, Aug. 21, 2026.
Sonepat (Haryana) [India], August 20 (ANI): Ahead of the 2026 Asian Games, the Iran national women's kabaddi team took part in a series of practice matches at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Sonipat centre.
Days before he was killed, Ali Khamenei gave a poem to a translator, a senior cleric says. Iranian outlets published it as his prophecy of his own martyrdom. Then readers ran down the first letters: I am Ali Khamenei, born of Satan.
A campaign by pro-establishment religious groups in Iran is asking people to help fund the ritual slaughter of 10,000 sheep as a religious offering for Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s health, with each animal priced at 250 million rials, or about $132.
(260819) -- YINCHUAN, Aug. 19, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Mohammad Abdi (R) learns Baduanjin, a traditional Chinese breathing and stretching exercise, at Ningxia Chinese Medicine Research Center in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on Aug. 15, 2026.
An Iranian film made in defiance of the censors reached YouTube last week, and the argument it started was not the one its makers might have expected: many viewers are asking not whether Bidad goes too far, but whether it goes far enough for the country it depicts.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian and Indonesian officials discussed ways to expand bilateral environmental cooperation, exchange technical knowledge and experiences, and develop specialized collaboration between the two countries.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Iranian agricultural scientist has taken a senior editorial position at an international academic journal in Brazil, strengthening scientific links between Iranian researchers and global communities working on agriculture, climate change, water management and food security.
In the Persian classic Shahnameh, Ferdowsi tells the story of Zahhak, the usurper king who is kissed on each shoulder by Ahriman, the spirit of evil, and finds two black snakes growing from the wounds.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s museums will remain closed until the country’s senior security authorities determine that conditions are safe following the US-Israeli war of aggression, Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Reza Salehi Amiri said.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - The book “Dawn of a New World Order” was unveiled during the conference “The New World Order in the Thought of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Mojtaba Khamenei,” held at the Intisar Hall in Baghdad on August 15.
Azad, a popular online debate program, has tackled topics that push the limits of Iran’s authoritarian system. Some wonder how it has remained on air.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian congratulated the country’s girls’ weightlifting team on securing a historic runner-up finish at the Asian Youth Weightlifting Championships in Uzbekistan.
New Delhi [India], August 15 (ANI): As India marks its 80th Independence Anniversary, Indian embassies, high commissions, and international partner nations across the globe have rolled out vibrant celebrations, cultural showcases, and high-profile diplomatic gestures.
'Mayfair means money': A walk through the Gulf elite's favourite part of London Submitted by Oscar Rickett on Fri, 08/14/2026 - 13:01 In Mayfair, wealthy tourists from the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and elsewhere in the Gulf visit restaurants and department stores as London bakes in the heat Selfridges department store in central London is pictured in 2022 (AFP) Off It is 10am on Thursday, but the temperature on the streets of central London is already pushing beyond 30C, in what is set to be the UK ’s hottest summer on record. Outside Oxford Street’s Selfridges, the sun beats down on the pavement, a homeless man asks for change and a discarded free newspaper tells of yet more wildfires across the country. Inside, the air conditioning runs smoothly and a concession selling Arabic coffee promotes Saudi Arabia , whose Public Investment Fund now owns 40 percent of the famous department store.
270 culture stories in the last 90 days.
