When Zarathustra started preaching around 1200 BCE in ancient Persia, which is known today as Iran, he wasn't just founding a religion—he was creating the world's first environmental protection movement. Good thoughts, good words, good deeds. But there was a mantra and words to live by: don't pollute the earth, water, or fire. Ever.
Environmental activists in Iran often face significant personal risk when speaking out about illegal land grabs, deforestation, or the destruction of protected areas. In recent years, several high-profile environmentalists have been detained, interrogated, or imprisoned on broad national-security charges, sometimes without transparent legal proceedings.
It's full of rare and endemic species, and it's a UNESCO heritage site. Iran's natural treasure, a 1000-kilometer forest, the Hyrcanian forest has been on fire for several days. It stretches from the Caspian Sea and into neighboring Azerbaijan and is home to more than 3,200 kinds of plants.
Roshan’s reflection situates the Houston Ismaili Center within a broader discussion about architecture as diplomacy — where aesthetics, faith, and geopolitics intersect. Her words challenge readers to question whether “green” design and grand symbolism can coexist without transparency and accountability.
Iran’s second-largest city, Mashhad, is facing an acute water emergency after dam reservoirs feeding the city fell below three percent capacity, according to Iranian state and local media. Officials warn that without rainfall or improved inflows from neighboring Afghanistan, the city’s supply could soon collapse.
The TEDxOmid Architecture event in Tehran promised sustainability and social justice but revealed deep contradictions between its rhetoric and reality. This in-depth report exposes how Iran’s star architects—linked to commercial tower projects and weak environmental accountability—reflect a pattern of architectural greenwashing under the guise of “responsive design.”
Other notable mud structures in the wider Muslim world include the Bob Dioulasso Grand Mosque in Burkina Faso, and the Khiva Wall in Uzbekistan, which is built around a collection of Islamic schools and mosques. The Siwa Oasis in Egypt (which we visited and posted about here) and the Eastern Castle in Syria have also employed mud bricks in their construction, and research shows that the famous walls of Jericho were built using sun-dried mud bricks.
The strikes on Iran have sparked fierce debate, but from Israel’s perspective, the choice was easy: either accept the risks of a nuclear Iran or act decisively to stop it.
These “salt men” are ancient corpses that were either killed or crushed in the cave and naturally mummified by the harsh, salty conditions. The dry salinity of the mine preserved hair, flesh, and bone but also internal organs, including stomachs and colons, in remarkable detail.
The world's soils are becoming too salty for farming. These man-made problems are cause for concern but remediation of soils can be done.
On the verge of extinction, a rare breed of camel in Iran were brought back to life.
Amidst the picturesque desert landscapes of Rigan in Iran, one community is witnessing a remarkable revival of its culinary tradition while upholding environmental sustainability.
Climateflation presents a complex and multifaceted challenge for Middle Eastern economies, requiring concerted efforts from governments, businesses, and civil society to address effectively.
Iranian authorities’ decades-long systematic repression of Baha’is amounts to the crime against humanity of persecution, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
Child bride at 15 hangs for killing her abuser husband.