Blogs from Iran, Middle East - page 32

Now we are in the Islamic Republic of Iran...and absolutely out of europe and into a whole new world! As like most countries i haven't been to before...i didn't know what to expect from Iran...but just wanted approach it with an open mind to learn as much as possible! I had heard Iran was a beautiful country with very kind people! but also knew this was a country where the rights of men and women are far from being equal and I would have to wear a scarf to cover my hair. Now most the news we get in the media about Iran tends to be about nuclear testing, human rights abuses and also protests from the recent elections! so I was excited and about travelling through Iran and also facinated about the people and ... read more

For more of my blogs about Iran, please visit The Real Iran and Fundamentalist Iran Believe it or not, there is a well-trod tourist trail across the vast country of Iran. Travelers generally enter by air at Tehran or, following the hippy trail from Europe to India, enter overland from Turkey and on to Pakistan. Nowadays on the road you meet loads of these adventurous overlanders, many of them tackling the route on motorcycle or bicycle. Iran is a rare country where high snowy mountains, deserts, and coastal beaches lie practically side by side, but unfortunately I was a little too early for ski season. The city of Esfahan is the pinnacle of any sightseeing tour of Iran. It is regarded by many as the most beautiful Muslim city in the world. ... read more

Hicran Cigdem Yorgancioglu Iran Tehran 2009 coming soon Halının gobeğinde ilmegim Ozan Firdevsi 'nin gazelindeyim Hicapli kadim medweniyetin Kadinsal emelindeyim Deyin ki Acem ilindeyim Yad elindeyim Eşarp yarıya inmiş uzaya kadın gönderiyorsa Bir sebebi var Hicran Cigdem Yorgancioglu Iran Tehran 2009 Ortadoğuya yönelip dört mevsimi yaşayan En eski i medeniyetlerin beşiğini salladım İranı pulladım alladım Kendimi tahran’a yolladım 28.10.2009 ... read more

For a day and a half I was by the Persian Gulf, in the south of Iran. Here there was a marked liberal air, in relation to the rest of Iran, of course. Clothing was more colourful, women's ankles were often to be spotted (for those who were looking) and that obscure fanciful practice known as swimming was undertaken in full public view. I arrived in Bandar Abbas at 8.30am, and already it was very hot - such a contrast to cooling early autumnal Esfahan. The first sight to shake me from my night-bus hangover was the startling face-coverings worn by some women in the Gulf region as part of the burqa. I was too sleepy to take a picture of this, so concentrate on the description: Bright red and stiff, made of I don't know ... read more

Sitting at Imam Khomeini airport, the only thing I can think about is how the environment of the ancient Silk Road changed over the millennium. I have traveled from the beginning of the Road in China to its midway in Middle East, each border crossing requiring extensive visa application process, and each country requiring a local guide to translate lunch orders. It was not like this 2,000 years ago. Aside from the infamous conquerors, the road from Beijing to Venice was relative safe and well traveled. The connected countries traded goods, knowledge, religion, language, and culture. Today, the Silk Road is divided into distinct spheres of influences, each sphere trying to gain the upper hand in geopolitics. It was not until recently the countries tried to re-establish long forgotten relationships, but it is only due to ... read more