Hello From The Persian Gulf

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Hello From The Persian Gulf

I am in Gheshm island جزیره قشم in the Persian Gulf. This island belongs to Iran with a heavy Arab influence. The intra-marriages of between the neighboring Arab countries, particularly, Iraqis and Iranian has cause the population of the growth of Arab culture in the southern provinces of Iran. About 60 to 70 percent of the population in Gheshm are Sonnies, which is contrary to the Shi’ite majority in the whole country. The Arab culture and fanaticism that comes is sharply influencing the Iranian culture, once again!!

I visited Esfahan, Shiraz and Bandar Abbas mainly, and many side trips to smaller towns along the way. I have met many interesting people and visited many interesting places that have contributed to my understanding of today’s complex Iranian culture. I met a very nice man named Hojjat in Gheshm island, with him and his son-in-law Ali we toured the island and visited a mountain and a cave made solidly of salt. It’s called Salt Cave غار نمکی in Farsi. Very fascinating place. A lot of native people have never visited this amazing landscape located about 120 km outside of Gheshm of which I have taken some good photos. The Persian Gulf archipelago is varied drastically from one island to the other. Tomorrow I will leave Gheshm to go to the next Island called Kish کیش which is about 6 hours by land and sea. I have to go back to the main land of Bandar Abbas and take 3 hour bus ride to a different port from which I can take a ferry to Kish.



The level of illiteracy in the southern provinces is much more noticeable. Government services are practically non existent. Everyone seem to be in very business, the cab driver can also provide real estate services. The bus driver is on his cell phone handling his other business, like buying and selling cars and much more. All of it on the phone and while he is driving the bus.

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