TEHRAN —People walk past colorful trees attending a local festival of traditional handicrafts and cultural events at Qa'em Park, southwest Tehran, on December 17, 2022.

According to organizers, the festival was designed to combine delicate scenes of fall foliage with Persian cultural heritage in an innovative approach, Mehr reported.

The 50-ha park showcased arrays of handmade textiles, woodwork, potteries, personal ornamentations, and local dishes.

Moreover, it hosted live performances, traditional spreads for the UNESCO-registered Yalda Night, as well as fun hobbies such as face paint masks for kids, to name a few.

For color enthusiasts, finding autumn gold is highly rewarding when heart-shaped leaves go glorious red, orange, and yellow.

From another angle, fall is possibly one of the most significant seasons in Iranian culture. Persian poetry and fiction frequently address the glow of sunsets, melancholy, and an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. In Iran, there is a proverb that reads, "Autumn is the spring of love.”

Poets and writers have long drawn inspiration from the changing seasons. Classical Persian poets frequently used metaphors like maturation, the abundance of the harvest, or the end of life when describing autumn. As an illustration, the renowned Persian poet Rumi from the 13th century used autumn as a mystical allegory for death. Additionally, Mehdi Akhavan-Saales, a modern Iranian poet, referred to autumn as "the king of all seasons.”

Iran is one of the few countries where seasonal changes can be observed and felt, providing a variety of vacation options for nature lovers. The country is brimming with autumn foliage spots to celebrate rainbows of splendor against the snowcapped mountains, lush meadows, urban terrains, or golden rolling hills as the temperatures have started to drop.

The ancient land has a long fall color season that lasts at least until December due to its vast size, varied terrain, diversity of tree species and exceptional microclimates.

AFM