My every journey was something special, full of experience, meeting new people and cultures. Often people ask me, which was my favorite, where was the nicest? I don’t want to be unfair towards anybody, so I tell people each country is something special for me. But mostly you remember the people you keep in touch with over the net. For me, that’s the biggest wealth I can acquire on my journeys. Before I embarked on my journey to the Islamic Republic of Iran, I’ve read many information about the land. Through the forum I’ve also met a fellow traveller – Simon Jelenko. It was a right choice. Both of us love journeys and it wasn’t difficult to talk and decide on the itinerary, as to what we wanted to see in this mysterious and rich land.
Our first contact with the Iranian culture began as we landed at the international airport of the capital city. Both full of energy and expectation we headed to Teheran and our hosts Sara and Salaman. We used the first three days to get used to the land, by watching many cultural, historical and other attractions – which are anything but a few. Today Teheran is the capital and the largest city in Iran. After the last data there are around 20 million people who live there. That’s about 10 times the population of Slovenia. The city was the capital of Iran for 32 times in its history – all together for the length of 220 years. The biggest problem of the Iranian capital today is the air pollution. According to the official data of ministry of health, there are about 4000 people who die of heart or lung disease. The main reason for pollution is the highly dense traffic in the city, wedged between two mountains. The building that is the pride of the city, is without a doubt the Azadi tower, that symbolizes the independence of Iran and has seen many protests. We walked around the Grand bazar, which remains an important trading spot, where people do their business and meet, but it’s also becoming a tourist attraction. It mostly deals with Persian rugs, traditional clothing and spices. If you ever visit the capital alone, you should go and see the Golestan complex, with 17 palaces and museums, which offer an interesting inside view on the history of Persia and the lives of the Persian kings. The best transportation for traveling around the Islamic Republic of Iran is the bus, or by arranged rides with cars of local people. I prefer the taller, as you get to be closer to people, with whom you travel.
In the village of Masuleh, tp the east of the country, some 56 km from the local large centre of Rashta, we had a pleasant encounter with the first of Slovenian we’ve met along the way. It was Mr Smole, who decided to travel from the capital of Iran – Teheran, to the capital of neighbouring Azerbaijan – Baku, by bicycle! He told us, if he knew beforehand about the traffic in Teheran, he would have chosen a different route. The village of Masuleh is a true pearl of architecture under the UNESCO heritage protection. It’s marked by the special friendliness of the people, an interesting tourist offer (hotels, food, many craft shops, and lovely souvenir shops, along with an abundance of homemade items) and the lush vegetation in the rather mountain landscape, with typical rain. While sipping tea, we exchanged our plans and shook our hands. We bid each other a safe journey and adieu, and went forth. Our plan was, among other things, to visit the Caspian lake, often also called the sea. The lake is on the border of continents, with its shores connecting Russia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Excited that we’ll take a bath, we took the swimming trunks and rushed to the shore, but soon realized, the water was way too cold for the two of us! Before going forth towards Tabriz, we took a day to explore the town of Astara, which lays on the border with Azerbaijan. But wherever I went to, it was the people who left the biggest impression on me. On the streets we usually heard: Hello mister! Where are you from? Most people never heard of Slovenia, but once I mentioned Yugoslavia, they usually knew, or at least pretended to know, where we were from. The people were simple and welcoming to the level you don’t get to experience very often. The Persians and the Kurds are famous for being among the most generous people in the world and what we have seen can only confirm this. Too many of us usually watch TV and believe the made up misleading of the media.
Exploring Tabriz, the fourth biggest city of Iran began at the oldest national bazar. Apart from the bazar I need to mention other attractions as well: the Jameh Mosque, The Blue Mosque, the traditional house from the times of Qarajan dynasty, the poet’s mausoleum… You get to see diversity in Iran at every step. This was also true while traveling Iranian Kurdistan. Out route took us to the capital of Sanandaj and other remote Kurd villages on the border with the neighbouring Iraq. In my opinion one of the most beautiful villages was the Kurd village of Palangan, which is hidden away from the rest of civilization. Here you get the feeling that time came to a halt a long time ago. People here live the traditional way, as they did in the past, without the washing machines or other modern appliances.
Another great impression, apart from the people, was the ancient city of Persepolis, which was the ceremonial capital of the Persian empire at the time of Iranian dynasty of Hominids. It lays 70 kilometres north-east from the contemporary city of Shiraz in the province of Fars. Since 1979 Persepolis was placed on the UNESCO world heritage list, although there had been very little of it left, after the fire set by the Alexander the Great. Still you can admire the greatness of the former complex. The construction of Persepolis began around 512 years BCE by the King Darius 1st (the Great). Today the remains of Persepolis are just the shadow of the former glory and the wealth of the city. Not far from the city are the royal tombs with the final resting place of the kings Darius 1st and Darius 2nd, Xerxes and Artaxerxes). At Naghsh-e-Rustam and Naghsh-e-Radjab you can see the mighty carvings made in the steep stones above the tombs.
And you can’t leave Eshafana out, if you’re traveling around Iran. This is the third largest city in the country and by many believed to be the most beautiful city in the land, so we took three days to explore it. The biggest attraction is the square Naqhsh-e Yahan, the second largest square in the world and a truly remarkable piece of Iranian and Islamic architecture. It is also a UNESCO world heritage site. The city has many other historical monuments and is also known for the paitings and rich history. At the square you’ll find the mosque Jameh, a seven level palace of Ali Qapu, and the mosque of Luftollaho. There is a river flowing through the city, known as Zāyanderūd, which flows down from the Zagros mountains. Some of the bridges across the river are among the architectural jewels of the city. The oldest is the Pol-e Shahrestan bridge, built in the 11th or 12th century. The most recognisable is the Si-o-seh Pol, or the bridge with 33 arches, made in 1602. It was made during the reign of Sach Abbas the Great and connected the Esfahan with Armenian suburb of Jolfa. Eshafan is the most touristic place of Iran, along with Persepolis and Shiraza.
We concluded our journey around the Islamic Republic of Iran with a one day stop at Kashana, which is 300 km away from the capital. We stayed at a traditional Persian hotel, which we found with the help of Lonely Planet. It’s a small town between Teheran and Esfahan at the edge of the Dašt-e Kavir desert. It’s known for producing the Persian carpets and perfumes, but also as the home of many poets, who created behind the walls of this glorious town. There is a legend about it, that Abu Musa Al Ašari dropped the thousands of scorpions from the desert in the city, to chase the people away and conquer the town. Exploring Iran was an interesting cultural experience, mostly due to the close connection between the state and the faith, and because of isolation from the western world. The culture of Iran are its people!!!
