Blogs from West, Iran, Middle East - page 6

Esfahan fully deserve it's title The Diamond of Iran. Our hotel was right across the (very congested and dangerous looking) road from the Allah Verdi Khan Bridge, which is absolutely gorgeous, especially when it's lit up at night. There are also a lot of beautiful historic landmarks we failed to find on the first night (look, I wasn't navigating okay) and a lot more that we passed, including lovely parks, a really ornate old university building and somewhere that may or maybe not have been Iman Hossein Square. ... read more

We returned to Takht-e Soleiman the next morning, it was powerful seeing it again, in a different light, just after dawn. Like a person you felt you knew it better, seeing the place at a different time of day. I just sat by the circular lake and dreamed my dreams, while AS told the others the story of the site. In Persian, it was no good to me, and so I enjoyed the time sitting alone. More village life was seen from the bus, shepherds with their flocks and a couple of dogs, a boy riding on a donkey, and a woman standing up from her work, thick waisted and dressed in the Kurdish style. A lonely crater could be seen from Takht-e Soleiman, this was the Zendan e Soleiman, or Soleiman’s Prison. Nothing is left ... read more

The next day we had been told to be at breakfast at 6.30, early for me! While most of the women were there, none of the men were! Great door knockings and retributions ensued, though all fairly good natured! So we got off a bit later than planned, first stop Takht-e Bostan/ Taq-e Bostan, just outside Kermanshah. This site has three well preserved Sassanian bas-reliefs showing the crowning ceremonies of the rulers. The first shows the kings Ardashir I and Shapur I , Khusroe II is shown on a charger, looking like a medieval European knight, the horse is his favourite Shabdiz, whose name means ‘like the night’. The story goes that Khusroe loved his horse so much that he warned that whoever told the king of his death would be put to death himself. Years ... read more

Here I am in the middle of Iran, in Isfahan. But first let me take you back to my arrival in Tehran at IKA airport, because you have some catching up to do. Sitting on the flight, wondering what was awaiting. The stories some people told, women never travel on their own, you will not be able to get about without a driver and interpreter, and of course, is Iran safe?, all are easily batted away with facts and figures when on solid land, but once in the air there was no going back. I was sitting next to an Iranian woman, hijab already firmly in place, though manteau folded neatly on her lap and a blond looking westerner. We started talking and I learnt R and her husband B, who was from Ireland, had lived ... read more

Iran - Part 1 Do forgive the brevity of this entry. Although it is arguably the most intense part of my trip so far, the Ayatollah apparently wishes that I do not open my travelblog. Perhaps the government deems it salacious? In any case, the crafty internet café guy has an anti-filter programme which now lets me send a message to you. Take that, Islamic Republic! I finally got my Iranian visa. Apparently Canada is on the Iranian black list. Whilst the country has finally smartened up and realized that tourism can be an integral part of its economy, grudges die hard in Iran, and the Zahra Kazemi affair (wikipedia it for a refresher) many years ago has meant that you average Canadian student like me has to jump through hoops to get there. Apparently hardly ... read more