Since the revolution, a majority of foreign visitors to Iran have been religious pilgrims and business people. In Iran there are many Shi’ite Shrines, the two main ones being Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad and Fatimah al-Ma’sūmah Shrine in Qom. Rarely does another country have such a diverse range of climates. The greenest woods atop mountains with a view of the Caspian Sea may be found in Iran’s north. Landscapes that are highly worn and semi-dry are seen when you cross the Alborz Mountain Range. Iran, a mountainous, arid, and ethnically diverse country of southwestern Asia. The country maintains a rich and distinctive cultural and social continuity dating back to the Achaemenian period, which began in 550 bce. In recent decades it has become known for its unique brand of Islamic republic.