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Mashhad Travel Blogs

Background: Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling monarchy was overthrown and the shah was forced into exile. Conservative clerical forces established a theocratic system of government with ultimate political authority nominally vested in a learned religious scholar. Iranian-US relations have been strained since a group of Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran on 4 November 1979 and held it until 20 January 1981. During 1980-88, Iran fought a bloody, indecisive war with Iraq that eventually expanded into the Persian Gulf and led to clashes between US Navy and Iranian military forces between 1987-1988. Iran has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism for its activities in Lebanon and elsewhere in the world and remains subject to US economic sanctions and export controls because of its continued involvement. Following the elections of a reformist president and Majlis in the late 1990s, attempts to foster political reform in response to popular dissatisfaction have floundered as conservative politicians have prevented reform measures from being enacted, increased repressive measures, and consolidated their control over the government.




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Pigeons are sitting on the gold dome of Quds Courtyard, it was night and the gold dome was reflecting brightly. The one area that wasn’t was the top of the dome where the pigeons have shat all over it. Surely the greatest animal in the world is the pigeon! No matter where you are in the world they’ll shit all over it! Normally I feel I can’t get the full scope of a country until I see the capital. With Iran even after seeing Tehran, Mashhad is that place. Iran’s second biggest and holiest place. It became larger during the Iraq-Iran [View Full Entry]

thedribbleman - Drew Prineas | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
1018 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 7 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: April 3rd 2009 | 237 Views | [diary=381845]

The shrine from my balcony
Mashhad
The shrine

Reza is working, so he leaves me with his friend Mehrdad. Mehrdad and his taxi driver brother Mehdi come to collect me and after a sneaky lunchtime tea (behind closed doors so as not to offend the masses) we head to the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza. Apparently he was a pretty popular bloke because the sheer size of the Haram is unbelievable. After much confusion (since alot of the site is off-limits to non-muslims) we are allowed in and are ushered to the Islamic Relations Office and Foreign Pilgrims Affairs, where I am bombarded with Islamic propaganda by friendly staff. [View Full Entry]

uberdan - Dan M | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
1089 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 0 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: October 12th 2008 | 126 Views | [diary=333461]


Incompetent employees make us stay one more week in Iran Although we thought that we wouldn’t write you anymore from Iran… we have to spend an unexpected additional week in (very religious) Mashhad!! It seems that everything was going too well for us till now! Last Thursday, we experienced our first real bad luck during this trip!! This day, we felt that we had enjoyed our 30 days in Iran and, ready to take the flight to Bishkek, we were already dreaming of having a snack without shame during daytime and drinking a fresh beer on a terrace without hijab!! But… [View Full Entry]

SA SilkRoad - Silvan & Annamaria | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
1319 Words | 4 Comment(s) | 10 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: October 2nd 2007 | 810 Views | [diary=207702]

Flight ticket changed!
Letter from airline telling we can go to Bishkek!
Diner at home with family

Finally, this is our next blog entry... it took a while and is short wrap up of our last 10 days in beautiful Iran. Esfahan This city is the beauty queen of Iran. We stayed 4 nights but could have stayed a lot more. The biggest attraction is the Imam Khomeini Square. The second biggest square in the world (the biggest is Tiananmen Square in China) is not only huge, but it is surrounded by nice buildings. Among others two of the most wonderful mosques in the whole Islam. We visited both, the Imam Khomeini Mosque and the Sheik Lotfollah Mosque [View Full Entry]

SA SilkRoad - Silvan & Annamaria | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
1171 Words | 2 Comment(s) | 21 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: September 30th 2007 | 2926 Views | [diary=203417]

Esfahan - Imam Square with Imam Mosque
Esfahan - Sheik Lotfollah Mosque
Esfahan - Church of Bethlehem in the Armenian neighborhood

'Chador', in Farsi literally means 'tent'. It's the huge plain moon-shaped sheet that Iranian women donn themselves with, miraculously keeping it in place without the aid of any buttons or duct tape. Now, if it weren't for all the practice I got during dorm keg 'n' Toga parties and Greek/Roman plays (I knew Shakespeare and Sophocles would come in handy, everything truly does happen for a reason!) I couldn't have managed to drag myself around the Masshad's Holy Imam Reza complex feeling like I was going through one of those Asian 'sweat out the fat' diets for three hours. Rules [View Full Entry]

Yuki Jen - Yuki-Jennifer A.A Kurumi | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
1013 Words | 4 Comment(s) | 7 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: May 9th 2007 | 4519 Views | [diary=156715]

Imam Reza complex
Imam Reza complex
Masshad street scene

So what is this badgir you talk about? Well... It is the world’s oldest form of air-conditioning and very eco friendly too! Travelling through the desert cities of Iran, one can't help but notice them as they are everywhere... We might call them wind towers, because that is essentially what they are... Towers to catch even the slightest breeze and then lead it, through a column of water to cool it down, into the house, while the warm air is led through separate vents upwards and out of the same towers... How ingenious is that!! I for one think that everyone [View Full Entry]

His Dudeness - Ralf Kreuze | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
947 Words | 1 Comment(s) | 28 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: August 12th 2007 | 572 Views | [diary=191620]

Yazd
Yazd
Yazd

Hi all Remember how we promised to get things up to date before leaving Iran? Well, we blew it I'm afraid and a proper rundown of the last 6 weeks in Turkey and Iran (as well as KP's foodie post) will just have to wait until we hit Uzbekistan. We're in Mashad, north west Iran, right now and will get up at the ungodly hour of half 4 tomorrow morning (20th April) to catch our taxi to the Turkmen border. From there we'll be whisked away by our local guide to the ancient city of Merv, which hasn't been properly inhabited [View Full Entry]

Tweedledeedums - Kar Po & Rob | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
396 Words | 2 Comment(s) | 0 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: April 19th 2006 | 268 Views | [diary=53793]