Seattle Iranian Festival

OVERVIEW

Seattle Center Festál presents Seattle Iranian Festival in partnership with Iranian American Community Alliance (IACA). The festival brings together Iranians, Iranian-Americans, non-Iranians in celebration of the culture with poetry, music, food, tea, comedy, and more.

HISTORY

2007 was the first year the active members of the Iranian community joined hand-in-hand with the board members of the Iranian American Community Alliance (IACA) to organize an event that has now become the annual Seattle Iranian Festival. IACA, as an organization, came from a vision the founder, Ali Ghambari had for the future of the Iranian generation here in the greater Seattle area. As parents, they already knew their roots and maintained their heritage through their household and upbringing of their children, but what about the generation of their grandchildren? That is when Ali and a selected group of Iranians formed the IACA organization to not only bridge the gap between the Iranian and the American communities, but to create an established organization for the existing community and the next generations. IACA has remained a well-established grassroots organization dedicated to organizing its largest event of the year, Seattle Iranian Festival, while supporting other organizations and events.

The Iranian American Community Alliance (IACA) is a Seattle-based, 501(c)(3) non-profit, community organization focused on cultural and educational programs, like Seattle Iranian Festival, and youth and leadership development through mentorship and service. It was founded in 2005.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Iranians were pioneer carpet weavers of the ancient world.
• Prior to the 1930s, Iran was called Persia.
• Persian (Farsi) is the official language of Iran. However, other languages are spoken throughout the country, including Turkic, Kurdish, Gilaki, and Arabic.
• Iran is one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations, with settlements back to 4000 B.C.
• Approximately 70% of Iran's population is under the age of 30.
• Iran is one of the world's largest producers of caviar, pistachios, and saffron.
• Iranians make up Iran (61%), followed by Azeri (16%), Kurd (10%), Lur (6%), Baloch (2%), Arab (2%), Turkmen and Turkic tribes (2%), and other (1%).
• The most popular sport in Iran is soccer. The national team also known as Team Melli, has won the Asian Cup three times and played in three World Cup Final competitions.
• Polo was played in Iran as early as the 6th Century B.C., mainly as training for the cavalry.
• Gardens permeate Iranian culture & history.
• Iran is the most populous country in the Middle East at about 82 million people and practice different faiths, despite Iran's Islamic Republic government practices and misconceptions all Iranians are conservative Muslims. Christians, Jews, Muslims, Zoroastrians and Bahai's all live in Iran.
• October 29 539 BCE - Day that Cyrus the Great, King of Persia, declared what is the first charter of human rights in the world.
• Iranians invented practical windmills around 500-900 A.D., used to grind grain or draw up water.
• The Postal Service was invented in Ancient Persia around 550 B.C. by Cyrus the Great.
• Iran is the 4th largest producer of oil in the world.