Getting Bloody High in Iran (IX)


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Middle East » Iran » North » Tabriz
June 24th 2007
Published: June 24th 2007
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Blue MosqueBlue MosqueBlue Mosque

Still standing gracefully
A moment after I'd finished the sweet cups of tea that a local street vendor gave me, I suddenly realized they were definitely stashed with something. Panic struck me, although the corners of my lips couldn't get out of this ridiculously cheesy grin. Despite my horror, everything began to look like a joke. I laughed at the watermelons, the hysterically funny minarets (???), even the cops in front of me...COPS?

I'd heard that the police occasionally do their rounds and give trouble to both locals and tourists for inappropriate behavior/dress etc. Even recently, a fellow female traveller told me that she had been dragged into a police station for harsh questioning regarding her risque clothes - the loose tunic over her baggy pants had been an inch too short, revealing an inkling of curves of her sexy ass. That was all.

My Iranian friend had advised me earlier, 'If the police try and give you trouble, just CRY. Even before they start charging you, just CRY like a subservient asian woman and beg for MERCY. Crazier the better. Most of them will feel bad and leave you alone.'

So, seeing the two cops standing in front of
Minarets (that seemed so funny)Minarets (that seemed so funny)Minarets (that seemed so funny)

Don't ask, it was all the damned sugar.
me, I started to freak out - is it my headscarf? my dress? my cigarette? Whatever was stashed in my tea??? - oh GOD, what did they give me??? Drugs are obviously a massive deal in Iran. What would be my punishment? 50 lashes?!

Before they could question me, I cupped my face into my hands and did some major sobbing, the grin not leaving my face, of course. I must have looked like a schizepherenic freak show. Laughing, weeping, burning a hole through my headscarf with my cigarette, the performance was worse than a badly done high-school Greek tragedy.

"What is wrong with her?" the cop asked my host, "Is she pregnant?"
"I don't know sir," my host answered.
"Why is she errr...being odd?"
"I don't know sir, but I just gave her tea with sugar." Silence.
To this, the cops began laughing, until they controlled themselves again with a simple "you sell good sugar, friend."

As I wrote once, Iranian saffron sugar crystals are supposed to give consumers severe giggles. Although locals put a gazillion cubes in their daily gallons of tea and hence never break out into laughter, unaccustomed visitors are easily affected by
Another look at the BazaarAnother look at the BazaarAnother look at the Bazaar

Morning, out come the carpets before it gets too late
a simple glass of over-sweetened tea.
Locals find this rather amusing, and attempt to try this on tourists they befriend.

After my morning fright at the market, still laughing at trees and vegetables, I proceeded to the famous Timurid Blue Mosque of Jahan Shah (not the Taj Mahal's Shah Jahan - confusing). Rather, his daughter, Saliheh commissioned it. Although this beautifully tiled mosque was destroyed in a deathly earthquake back in the 1770s, repairs have been slowly made to the present day. Recently however, instead of repairing the tiles, patterns have been painted on surfaces - is this for preserving history or are they just short of bling? But then, originally the tilework took an additional 25 years to complete, so I suppose they're not going to bother with it...for now.

And lastly, El-Goli Park, the hotspot for young lovebirds. With pretty fountains and a lake amidst grassy lawns and trees, there's also a reconstructed 19th-century Qajar palace in the center. The palace itself is now a restaurant and cafe complex. Benches were filled with couples holding hands (wow, scandalous!) and chuckling together, so I obviously felt out of place trotting about solo with my camera. Bah, humbug!
El Goli ParkEl Goli ParkEl Goli Park

The Qajar Palace taking over the center of the lake





Additional photos below
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The Blue Mosque, TabrizThe Blue Mosque, Tabriz
The Blue Mosque, Tabriz

The main iwan over the entrance
The Blue Mosque, TabrizThe Blue Mosque, Tabriz
The Blue Mosque, Tabriz

Although it's still in ruins, the domes and archways are marvellous - but don't strain your neck!
Blue MosqueBlue Mosque
Blue Mosque

Remnants of Blue tiles that fell in the 1776 earthquake, that killed 77,000 Tabrizis
Blue Mosque repairsBlue Mosque repairs
Blue Mosque repairs

Still awing over the architecture and patterns
Interior, Blue MosqueInterior, Blue Mosque
Interior, Blue Mosque

Impossible to capture the size of the massive dome
Interior, Blue MosqueInterior, Blue Mosque
Interior, Blue Mosque

Impossible to capture the size of the massive dome
Interior, Blue MosqueInterior, Blue Mosque
Interior, Blue Mosque

Intricate patterns of tiles that survived the earthquake
Gardens outside Blue MosqueGardens outside Blue Mosque
Gardens outside Blue Mosque

another pretty garden surrounding the Mosque
Blue Mosque tileworkBlue Mosque tilework
Blue Mosque tilework

Admiring the mixture of various blues and greens...
Archway (Blue Mosque)Archway (Blue Mosque)
Archway (Blue Mosque)

Another shade of beautiful blue
Enjoying Chai 'n' TobaccoEnjoying Chai 'n' Tobacco
Enjoying Chai 'n' Tobacco

having smoking competitions using the strong tobacco water-pipes. I got an ice cream for not being so easily defeated, hahaha.


26th June 2007

Keep the photos coming!
Hey there: I LOVE all of your photos, and reading your journals is very enjoyable. You make me want even more to convince my husband that we should travel there, too!
26th June 2007

So funny!
Very funny anecdote, although I am sure that if I had been in your shoes I would not have handled it nearly as well! I really enjoy reading your blogs, and your pictures are equally amazing.

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