Marivan, a small city in the west of Iran, close to the Iran-Iraq border, has earned a reputation for embracing popular environmental and social causes. Reformist newspaper Shargh Daily compiled a series of events in this city in the Kurdistan province, which has attracted attention even from the Western media.
There was a time when Marivan was known mostly for Zarivar Lake, writes Sadra Mohaqeq. But now the city is known for a teacher who shaved his head in solidarity with an ill student; its hunters who ceremonially broke their rifles and set caged birds free; and a coffee shop owner who broke all his shisha pipes due to health concerns.