The growth of Persian and Iranian studies in the United States can be viewed in several ways. One is through its evolution from the study of a predominantly ancient or classical civilization to a modern and international academic field. Another is through its pattern of growth at different institutions of higher learning, and a third is through the expansion of Persian language training.

When President Obama sent Nowruz greetings to Persian-speaking peoples around the world, he quoted a familiar line of the great Persian poet Saadi. Remarkably, the English translation that he used ("The children of Adam are limbs to each other, having been created of one essence") is more than 150 years old, by the 19th-century American philosopher and writer Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The Sassanian Dynasty or Sassanid Empire is the name of the last pre-Islamic Iranian empire. It was one of the two main powers in Western Asia for a period of more than 400 years. Sassanians, who inherited the economic conditions left behind by Parthians, were quick to forge an economic state so powerful and distinctive that its fame spread well beyond their political frontiers and their period.

The second phase of archeological excavations in the Iranian port city of Siraf yields new evidence confirming the antiquity of the Persian Gulf title.

The Rain Festival (Jashn-e Tirgan) is an ancient Persian festival one of the three most widely celebrated feasts observed by Zoroastrians on July 1.

Tabriz is known more for its carpets, pottery, jewels and precious stones than silverwork.

The Ali Sadr Cave originally called Ali Saad (meaning dam) or Ali Saard (meaning cold) is a cave located about 100 kilometers north of Hamedan, western Iran (more accurately at 48°18'E 35°18'N). The cave walls can extend up to 40 meters high, and it contains several large, deep lakes. The cave has a river flowing through it and most travel through the cave system is done with a boat. Ali Sadr cave is situated between the large cities Hamadan, Tehran, and Qom making it a popular destination for Iranians.

The ancient Shooshtar waterfalls in Iran's southern Khuzestan Province have been registered on the UNESCO 2009 World Heritage List.

Isfahan flourished under the Safavid Dynasty and is renowned for its outstanding Islamic and Iranian architecture. In those times, it had a population of one million and boasted of many parks, libraries, public baths, shops and mosques that amazed domestic and foreign visitors alike.

Khatamkari is one of the Persian arts of marquetry wherein the surface of wooden or metallic articles is decorated with pieces of wood, bone and metal cut in a variety of shapes and designs.