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The 31st ADFIAP Annual Meetings hosted by Bank of Industry and Mine (BIM) will be held at the Esteghlal Grand Hotel, Tehran, Iran, from April 28 to May 1, 2008. The Opening Ceremonies of the Annual Conference is scheduled to begin at 0830 hrs on Wednesday, April 30, 2008, at the DARYA-YE-NOUR Conference hall on the ground floor of Esteghlal Grand Hotel. Delegates are requested to register starting 0800 hrs prior to the start of the Opening Ceremonies, if they have not done so upon arrival.
Parsian Esteghlal Grand Hotel *****
Bank of Industry and Mine
Closing Program and Gala Dinner
Closing program and Gala Dinner to be hosted by Bank of Industry and Mine, will be held on Wednesday, 30 April, 7:30 pm, at the Ground Floor, Darya-ye-Nour Conference Hall, Esteghlal Grond Hotel. May we also request that a token gift representative of each country be brought for the usual traditional raffle event held during the Gala Dinner.
Islamic Republic of Iran- Travel Data
Iran, formerly known internationally as Persia until 1935, means “Land of the Aryans” or alternative name given to Iran is “Land of Kindness”, an alternative name given to it in Persian literature and Iranian media. It is located in Central Eurasia and bounded to its southeast by the Gulf of Oman and to its north by the Caspian sea. Shi’a Islam is the official religion and Persian is the official language. Iran is home to one of the world’s oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating back to 4000 BCE. Throughout history, Iran has been of geostrategic importance because of its central location in Eurasia and is a regional power. Iran is a founding member of the UN, NAM, OIC and OPEC. The political system of Iran, based on the 1979 Constitution, comprises several intricately connected governing bodies. The highest authority is the Supreme leader, currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian government system is Islamic republic and its national day is 22nd Bahman (24th November). Tehran is the capital.
Geography
Iran comprises a land area of over 1.6 million square kilometer (the 17th country in the world by land area). It is located in south west of Asia and is one of the middle-east countries. Iran lies down the northern temperate zone, between latitudes 25 degree north and 39 degree 47’ north and between longitude 44 degree 02’ east and 63 degree 20’east. It is bounded by Turkmenistan, Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, and Armenia on the North, Afghanistan and Pakistan on the East, Oman sea and Persian Gulf on the South and Iraq and Turkey on the West. Totally, Iran has a border of 8731 kilometers of which 2700 kilometers go for water borders and 6031 kilometers for land borders. Highest point in Iran is Mount Damavand at 5, 610 meters high, longest river is the Karun River at 890 kilometers long (only navigable river), largest lake is the Orumiyeh Lake with an area of 4,868 kilometers and the largest island is Qeshm with an area of 1,491 square kilometers.
Iran’s climate is mostly arid or semiarid, to subtropical along the Caspian coast. On the northern edge of the country (the Caspian coastal plain) temperatures nearly fall below freezing and it remains humid for the rest of the year. Average summer temperatures exceed 38 o C (100 o F). The coastal plains of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman in southern Iran have mild winters, and very humid and hot summers. The annual precipitation ranges from 135 to 355 mm (five to fourteen inches).
Fifty – eight percent (58%) of the population speak Persian and Persian dialects. Other languages spoken are: Turkish and Turkic dialects (26%), Kurdish (9%), Luri (2%), Baloch (1%), Arabic (1%), Turkish (1%) and others (2%).
Standard time zone in Iran is UTC/GMT +3:30 hours
Every foreign visitor is required a visa to enter Iran except the following: nationals of Bosnia Herzegovina, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia and Turkey for stays of up to 3 months. The Embassy of Iran in the visitor's home country or overseas issues visas. Visas are only valid for the cities indicated on the visa. To obtain a visa, a Letter of Invitation is required from a sponsor in Iran and certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Bank of Industry and Mine, the Conference Host will liaise with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to expedite release of the member delegates’ visas. Once the permission is granted, it is then sent to the Iran Consulate overseas where the visa is issued. We are also requesting our host bank to liaise with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for visa on arrival arrangements for delegates with no Iran Foreign Mission in their respective countries. ADFIAP will issue guidelines on this arrangement, once finalized with our host bank.
Immigration - Customs Requirement
Travellers to Vietnam planning to bring in more than 7,000 USD and 300 grams of gold per person have to declare the information at the customs. Below is the quota of luggage exempt from tax:
The two main ways of getting around in cities of Iran are taxies and buses. In Tehran, subway is also a good substitute for many routes with 3 lines with 28 stations. It is also one of the most punctual organizations in Iran and operates from 6 am to 10 pm with a detailed schedule. One of the easiest way of getting around in Tehran is by taxi. There are two types of taxis: shared or private. Shared taxis are mostly yellow or orange in color. If you wish the driver not to pick up any passenger and take you directly to your destination, specify to travel “Darbast”, otherwise, he would go his route and pick up other passengers. If you hire him, he will charge you more and it is better to haggle over the fare. You can also call taxi agencies or ask your hotel to arrange that for you. The cheaper way to get around is by bus. In Tehran, finding the right bus route or the right station to get off will be difficult and confusing. Women and men are separated in the buses; women have to sit at the back and it will be very difficult if you are traveling as a couple and need to discuss where to get off.
Dress Code/What to Wear in Iran
Iran has a dress code which all travelers and residents are expected to follow upon their arrival and/or during their stay in the country. The rules are quite simple: gentlemen may wear short-sleeve shirts or T-shirts unlike women who are expected to wear scarf and loose shirts with long sleeves when in public. Please refer to attached document sent by our host with regards to guidelines on what men and ladies are expected to wear in public places in Tehran, Iran.
The rial is the currency of Iran. Banknotes currently in circulation are 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000, 20,000 and 50,000 rials. Portraits of Ruhollah Khomeini are found on 1000 rial banknotes and greater. Coins currently in circulation are 50, 100, 250 and 500 rial. The 5 and 10 rials are still legal tender but are not issued anymore.
Generally, Credit Cards are not accepted widely in Iran except by some shops and private banks. With regards to settlement of hotel accommodation charges, may we request delegates to have sufficient cash with them while Bank of Industry and Mine is in the process of negotiating with Saman Bank to accept credit card of delegates to facilitate payments at the hotel. You may bring US Dollars or Euros with you and have it changed into National currency (Iranian Rial) at the airport or bank upon arrival or other public exchange offices in the City.
Electric current in Iran is 220 volts at 50 Hertz.
Banks: Weekdays (7:30 am to 4 pm); Thursdays (7:30 am to 12 noon). Fridays and National Holidays (closed) Department Stores: Weekdays (10 am to 9:30 pm); Fridays and National Holidays (9 am to 7:30 pm) Shops: Weekdays (10 am to 9:00 pm); Fridays and National Holidays (9 am to 8 pm) Museums: Weekdays (9 am to 5 pm); Fridays and National Holidays (9 am to 5 pm) Offices: Weekdays (8 am to 4 pm); Thursdays (closed); Friday and National Holidays (closed)
There are numerous restaurants, fast food/pizza joints, Kababis, traditional teahouses and hotel restaurants serving both Iranian and foreign cuisine. Persian foods as Kabab, Ghormeh Sabzi, Abgusht, Chelo Morgh and Fesenja are available in almost all restaurants. Vegetarian meals are also available. Alcoholic drinks are forbidden in Iran. Drinks such as colas, locally produced Delster which comes in several flavors, and different fruit juices, are available everywhere. You can find tea and coffee in teahouses (chaykhuneh) and cafes all around the cities. Bottled water is widely available.
The incredibly rich history and exotic culture of Iran, but also wonderful museums and nice parks are main reasons travelers like to travel all the way to this city. Tehran is full of museums to help you better understand the Iranian culture. Tehran itself is not a very old city comparing to other cities in Iran. It's history goes back to 12th century but it becomes capital of Iran (known as Persia before 1935) at 1799. Iran's civilization dates back far, far into the history of our world, so you may want to start at the Archaeology Museum in the south-center of the city. Here is a list of other museums of interest that you can ask your tour guide or hotel about: Contemporary Arts Museum There are nice parks in Tehran. Iranians love to go on picnics. To have local touch go to Mellat Park on a Friday. It's a huge park in Vali-Asr avenue after Vanak square. Other parks:
Tehran offers also palaces open to public after the revolution:
Other places of interest include the Tehran University and Vali-Asr avenue. The city theater is also a beautiful building that you will want to at least visit for an architectural sighting; ask to find out about events and performances during your stay. The favorite Tehranis sport is mountain climbing on Fridays. Go to Darband or Darakeh. There are nice routes inside mountain with plenty of little places to eat or drink. Tehran has also many restaurants. Don't forget Chelokababis (local Iranian restaurants). To have sure quality goes to Aban (in Aban street near Karimkhan-zand avenue). Generaly most of them where ever you go are good quality. The Grand Bazaar is a fabulous place to shop for local goods, it also gives a taste of the local culture while providing a chance to interact with locals. The Azadi Tower is an enormous and impressive building that visitors enjoy; it was built in honor of the 2500th anniversary of Persia's empire.
Email & Internet : E-mail and Internet services are available in most hotels and within Tehran. There are a growing number of Internet users in Iran. So, almost all the major hotels provide their guests with Internet facilities and the others are being equipped for the same purpose. Also, many Internet cafes are already opened to the public and many other ones are going to be opened due to the increasing need of the people. Communication : Country code for Iran is 98. A direct call can be made from a public telephone displaying an international or domestic telephone sign. These phones can be found in airports, hotels, and other key facilities. With regards to mobile phones, the Iranian mobile system is not compatible with those of other countries, except for satellite phones. Travelers can buy prepaid Sim cards such as Hamrah-e Aval and Iran cell and use it. Moreover Iran has an international roaming contract with some countries whose travelers can use their cell phones (Without replacing their respective Sim cards ) in Iran. The list of countries are as follows: Germany - Azerbaijan - Africa - South - Africa – Albania - Austria - Jordan -Armenia - Uzbekistan – Spain - Australia - Estonia - Slovenia -Afghanistan –Algeria -United Arab Emirates - Indonesia - United Kingdom – Uganda –Italy- Ireland- Iceland – Bahrain- Brazil- Belarus- Belgium –Bulgaria –Bangladesh –Bosnia -Burkina Faso - Pakistan –Panama –Portugal –Tajikistan –Turkmenistan- Turkey –Tunisia –Bohemian – China – Denmark – Russia – Romania – Japan – Singapore – Senegal – Sweden – Switzerland – Sudan – Syria – Serbia - Iraq - Saudi Arabia – Oman – Ghana – France – Finland – Cyprus – Kyrgyzstan – Qatar – Cambodia - South Korea – Congo – Kuwait – Gambia – Georgia – Guinea – Poland – Liberia – Libya – Lithuania - Madagascar – Mauritania – Malaysia –Hungary – Morocco – Macedonia – Mozambique – Nepal – Norway – Nigeria- Holland – India - Hong Kong – Venezuela – Yemen – Greece – Canada – Croatia.
Imam Khomeini International Airport, formerly Mehrabad Airport
Upon disembarking, all delegates will be met at the arrival terminal of the Imam Khomeini International Airport by a designated staffmember from the host bank, Bank of Industry and Mine with a welcome placard showing one or all of following logos: the Annual conference logo, ADFIAP logo and BIM logo. All arrival/departure details need to be communicated to ADFIAP Secretariat, c/o Ms. Sandy I. Lim, Senior Executive, Membership at Fax no. +63-2 817-6498 on or before 15 April 2008. We would strongly advise delegates to secure return/onward flights prior to their departure for Tehran, Iran.
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