SECOND DAY IN TEHRAN

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TEHRAN, IRAN February 28, 2017

Well, we woke up at 2am and couldn’t get back to sleep. We’ll get this all sorted out in a day or two. We met our guide Hadi today and went to see the Niavaran Palace. This is a huge complex that covers 500 acres and has multiple parks and buildings The palace was started under the rule of the Qajars but completed under the Pahlavis. We toured two of the buildings which had been restored to their former glory and were filled with objects from the Pahlavi’s time. We then stopped for a cup of tea and then got back on our minivan and rode back toward the center of town for lunch. We stopped at a pizza place and had a good pizza and then went next door to the Reza Abbasi Museum. Its three floors were filled with artifacts from the history of Persia. From pottery, to gold work, to lacquer ware to ancient Qurans, the displays were quite amazing. Many were from the 4th and 5th centuries BC.

We met three other people from our group; a couple from Quebec and a woman from Chevy Chase Maryland. The latter, Clara, was the President of Northern Arizona University for 12 years before she retired.

We then stopped at the home of the Ayatollah Khomeini in the village of Jamaran. This was a very quiet village that has maintained its original character. It is right at the base of the mountains. We walked up the narrow streets to the entrance road to his house. We were body searched and then allowed to proceed. We came to his house which was a very small house which he rented. It had four rooms and was right next to the mosque. Khomeini is still revered in Iran. All of his sins and shortcomings are forgiven.

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