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Business Gift Giving in Iran
If giving a business gift in Iran, avoid overly expensive or lavish selections. Try to bring gifts of beauty and quality or food stuffs from your native country. Pens, artwork and decorative ornaments are all safe choices.
When visiting an Iranian’s house, it is the height of bad etiquette to turn up empty handed. Flowers, pastries, sweets, and chocolates are the usual gifts for such occasions.
Remember that Iranians are Muslims. In the Muslim culture, the Koran forbids alcohol. Gifts of liquor or any product that contains alcohol would never be selected to give. Also, forbidden are products or foods from scavengers1, which include pork, birds, and shellfish. So a leather item made from pig skin or ostrich could not be given, nor any food from these groups.
Other categories are also not appropriate for gifts. These include personal clothing items, which are far too personal to give as gifts. Dogs are considered unclean, so any dog item, even something with a picture of a dog would not be given.
Artwork that consists of sculpture, drawing or photo showing the human body, especially a nude or partially nude female body, is not acceptable as a gift. And although nicotine is discouraged, it’s frequently used in the Arabic and Middle Eastern countries.
A good gift for a devout Muslim is a compass. Each day he must face Mecca2 for prayers. With a compass, no matter where in the world he happens to be, he can easily find the correct direction.
If you entertain Muslim business associates, select a restaurant that serves halal3 food. And don’t have alcohol served.
注释：
1. scavenger [5skAvindVE(r)] n. [动]食腐动物
2. Mecca [5mekE] 麦加[沙特阿拉伯西部城市]（伊斯兰教创立人穆罕默德的诞生地，伊斯兰教圣地之一，是全世界穆斯林的朝拜中心）
3. halal [hB:5lB:l] n. （伊斯兰教的）合法食物
