Depart Iran with Fond Memories

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In the sea there are countless treasures, but if you desire safety, it is on the shore. – Sa’adi



After the Islamic Revolution in 1979 the country became the Islamic Republic of Iran, and this brought about many of the changes that people currently associate with the country, with bearded men and women covered in long black chadors, and concerns about anti-American sentiments and Iran’s nuclear program. Yet the nation is actually one of the oldest major continuous civilizations, and has as much history and culture as any traveler could desire, as well as amazingly friendly and inquisitive people.

The US travel ban affected Iran the most, with nearly half the banned visitors of the original seven countries coming from this particular Middle Eastern nation. Living in California, I’ve been fortunate to meet many Iranians and hear about their lives and experiences both in Iran and in the US. These encounters have given me an impression of Iranians as incredibly intelligent, educated and cultured; because Iran offers limited work opportunities, much exacerbated by sanctions, it suffers from one of the world’s worst “brain drains” which pushes many of the brightest minds to the UK, Australia, the US, Canada and beyond, where Iranians are often the most educated groups of immigrants. Our own guide was interested in pursuing his doctorate abroad but when 9/11 began the ivy-league university he was anticipating attending stopped responding to his messages. The travel ban does nothing to make us safer, and is funneling these bright and energetic immigrants to other shores, to our detriment.

During our trip our guide was a successful ambassador for Iran. Unbeknownst to us at the beginning of our tour, he was on a mission to present a moderate, reasonable voice for Shite Islam and for Iran and spoke forcefully against the dangers of all types of extremism. He spoke often to the differences between Arab and Persian identities and culture and provided essential historical context throughout our ten-day visit. He, as well as all the Iranian people I had the privilege of speaking with, supported an ideal of tolerance and understanding between Iran and the West, and America in particular. People were wary of what the election of Trump meant for Iranian-American relations while expressing enthusiasm for the American people.

The difficulties we encountered on this trip were mostly a matter of timing and the inevitable limitations of being on a tour, and in a country where I could not venture out without a guide. Many nights I would have preferred to stroll through the bazaar or lounge at a teahouse, experiencing local culture, instead of sitting in our hotel room, sorting through our plans for the upcoming day and catching up on some over-rated rest. We also spent much more time traveling by car than usual; we likely covered more ground but I ended up feeling somewhat removed from the cities we visited and, despite most of them having a functioning metro system, never took a train. And of course, having a guide meant that we ended up seeing the country through his eyes as much as our own; although we had the benefit of his experience, education and thorough understanding of the history and culture of Iran, the journey was a bit less ours because of this.

As always, I recommend exploring a country on your own, without the filter of a guide. If that is not possible and you must be accompanied then I can recommend the services of the Pars Tourist Agency, where the helpful Aliye Jafari will assist you with trip planning and your visa at the most reasonable tour rates you will find. Our guide, Mehdi Fatemi, was personable and extremely knowledgeable about the history of the various sights, and can be recommended provided you do not expect an early start to your day or a late night out on the town. Contact information is below.

Tour or not, Iran is a wonderful place to visit. We spent ten full days in the country; perhaps with overnight train travel that would have been enough, otherwise give yourself a minimum of two weeks and maybe throw in another destination; in addition to the cities featured here I have heard good things about the lovely architecture of Kerman and Kashan, the bazaars of Tabriz and the impressive religious sensibilities of Mashad and Qom. You can also stay with tribespeople outside the cities for a unique cultural experience, or make a visit to a timeless caravanserai such as Zein-o-din outside Yazd. There’s much to see, and you won’t regret the journey. Voyager c’est vivre!



Pars Tourist Agency (www.key2persia.com) (Shiraz, Iran)

Agency Contact: Mrs. Aliye Jafari ([e-mail])

Tour Guide: Mr. Mehdi Fatemi ([e-mail])

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