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Published: October 19th 2009
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"Iran? But it's dangerous there!" That was the common response I got when I told people that I will be visiting Iran, or land of Aryans. The truth cannot be any further from that statement. True, some people do support Ahmadenijad. True, by law women do have to cover their hair. Certain stereotypes about the government and religious rules are evident, but my encounters with Iranians and the ancient culture have to be some of the most eye opening, refreshing, and engaging.
Yesterday, south eastern Iran saw another suicide bombing. Sunni extremists attacked a Revolutionary Guard facility. The region that boarders Pakistan is constantly turbulent, with government trying to combat drug dealers and extremists. Still, it is life as usual for Iranians, as they are used to this type of conflict, a situation that I was unaware of. Perhaps this, and along with the other things I have witnessed here, serves as a reminder that Iran is just like any other country, and Iranians deserve much more recognition.
Day 1 - Mashhad:
Iranian customs was hassle free, and the most troublesome phase was washing the blue fingerprinting ink off my hands. Only Americans have to be fingerprinted, since US
Making New Friends
They actually stopped me to chat... fingerprints selected foreigners.
Our journey started in the north eastern city of Mashhad, the 2nd holiest Islamic city in the world after Mecca, also the 2nd largest city in Iran. This is where Imam Reza, the 8th Imam of Shi'ite and direct descent of Muhammad, is buried. The shrine receives 15 million pilgrims per year. We arrived on a Friday, also the 1st day of Imam's birthday, and luckily our guide got us special permission to visit the holy shrine. As one of the only 10 foreigners walking inside a magnificent mosque with close to 10,000 people praying underneath minarets made of pure gold, surreal, unimaginable, and extraordinary are not strong enough words to describe the experience.
We not only received warm welcomes and positively intense questions from volunteers who worked for the shrine (mostly professors, doctors, and engineers), we were also individually interviewed by national TV on our views of Iran, Mashhad, Islam, and Iranian hospitality. They were doing a special program on Imam Reza's birthday, and we luckily ran into the crew. Reverse tourism or propaganda, it was an exceptional reception nonetheless, considering it was our first day in Iran. It would have been an interesting
Imam Reza's Shrine
2nd Holiest Site for Shi'ite Muslims segment in Sohrab's documentary.
Mashhad is also known for the tomb of the much celebrated Persian poet and father of the Farsi language, Ferdowsi. In 950AD, as the Homer of Persia, he revived Farsi during Arab rule by writing an epic and philosophical poem with old and new Farsi words. 1st part is legend of people's origin, 2nd part is the story of a legendary hero Rostam and his deeds, and 3rd part is the history of Persia. The famous Iranian hospitality was again evident at the memorial, where for the first time in all of my travels, more locals were busy taking photos of me than me of them. Either oddity or curiosity, Iranian's eagerness to engage with foreigners would put any seasoned traveler and extrovert to shame.
Day 2 - Tehran:
The Turkmenistan entry could have been my last, ever. Luckily, I survived the Iran Air flight from Kashhad to Tehran, and the Mahan Air flight from Tehran to Shiraz (Adam, you just got two more collectibles). This was done all in one day, with enough time in between to rush through important sites. The old Russian jet was...old. Tail wing covered in sud, fuselage with
Gotta Love Iran Air
This was the only moment during the trip when I worried about my safety visible scratches, and crammed cabin drowned in smell of petro were all very comforting. I should thank the trade embargoes.
Most, if not all, Iranians think oil is their birthright, and that's probably why water is more expensive than gas: one gallon costs 40 cents. Sitting on the 2nd largest oil reserve, this makes UN sanctions mere word plays, as trades with Russia, China, and to some degree Germany, are still active.
With eight million people stuffed in concrete block apartments, Tehran combines LA's sprawling / poor city planning, Hong Kong's toe to toe population density, and Cairo's suffocating pollution. Walking around, there is no trace of Islamic extremism or anti-Western sentiment, as media fed people would believe. On the contrary, I had multiple strangers walking up to me, asking where I am from, and said "Oh America! I love America and Obama!" Like in any other country, people here are focused on buying groceries, going to school, and getting the latest cell phone.
Forgot to mention, I became an instant multi-millionaire in Iran. With 10,000 rials to the dollar, I walk around with a thick wad of bills. The inflation rate is 19% and rising, mostly
due to a poorly managed petro economy and trade embargoes. People may one day carry backpack full of bills to buy dinner. The high inflation rate impacts the already high unemployment rate (~30%), and with majority of the country been young, educated, and eager for meaningful jobs, the problem only becomes exacerbated.
Day 3 & 4 - Shiraz:
City of poetry, love, and of course, history. Famous poets Sa'di (1207-1297) and Hafez (1325-1395) were both born here. While Hafez is perhaps the most popular poet in Iran, Sa'di is famous in the western world with his poem on the Hall of Nations in UN HQ:
Of One Essence is the Human Race,
Thusly has Creation put the Base.
One Limb impacted is sufficient,
For all Others to feel the Mace.
The Unconcern'd with Others' Plight,
Are but Brutes with Human Face.
We spent all of today visiting Persepolis. Being built in 530BC and destroyed by Alexander in 330BC, the ruins are still awe inspiring. I will let the photos do the talking.
THE ELECTION STORIES - Part I
Sohrab and I wanted to visit Tehran earlier this May. For
better or worse, life had other plans for us. In my feeble attempt to make up for it, below is a collage of conversations I had with people about the recent election, with some snippets about the economy, the nuclear program, and Iran in general.
"Not many educated people believe in the election. I certainly don't, and my friends don't It's not dangerous for people to talk about it, and they certainly do, like how I'm talking about it now. It's not a police state. With 70 million people, they can't control what's coming out of our mouths. There are still demonstrations going on, in Tehran, and in other cities. It is dangerous to be in demonstrations. People are arrested and jailed. The conflict is still going on, and the opposition leaders are still working."
"We hope that things here will change for the better, little by little. Iran was occupied by many different countries in the past, and with 2,500 years of history we were able to melt them and teach them Persian culture."
"People are religious here, but more and more people believe religion and politics should be separate. More and 50% of Iranians believe
that. Religion is pure, and politics need some untruth to get things done. Many people don't like Ahemadenijad and his government, and the election is fixed."
"Iranians should have nuclear power, and we deserve it, but only in the right way, for electricity and such. We the people want nuclear power. We only know what the government tells us, and we don't want weapons. Islam doesn't allow weapons that kill lots of people. We are peaceful people, and we have seen what war does to the country, all eight years of it. I was in the war, and I saw my friends die. We don't want that again. Pakistan has nuclear power, and its political situation ,economy, and infrastructure are not as good as us. Israel has nuclear power and it's so small. Why can't we Iranians have nuclear power?"
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Wes
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Wish I was there
I remember talking about going there with you 2 years ago. If only I didn't have a job!!!!!