Iran from a distance

Looking back at the time in Iran – four weeks altogether, I realize that the deepest impression was made by all the people we met. The people of Iran must be it’s biggest tourism resource, they are extremely hospitable and helpful, I will mention some of them but (maybe paranoia) it could possibly be bad for them to be connected with this blog and therefore I have left out their full names and there are no photos.

First we met H. on the streets of Isfahan. He instantly asked us to go for a drink, then eventually invited us to his friends in the evenings that followed. It was very interesting to meet this crowd as they are very critical about the government, very non-religious and tries to live a western life as far as it is possible, they had vodka bottles in their kitchens and the girls instantly took of their hijab as soon as we came in. H. said that Islam is against happiness, “How can you forbid dancing” he said, “small children dance when they hear music, dancing is life!”

In Isfahan we also met Dr. T. he is equally friendly and equally against the government but deeply religious. His wife never took of her veil in front of Peter, even his daughter who seven years old had a scarf. Dr. T. drove us around to show all the monuments and holy places of Isfahan, for example the martyr cemetery where boys and men who died in the Iran-Iraq war are buried. He invited us to his house and we spent a night and several dinners with the family.

As we arrived in Shiraz we called a friend of a friend, Z. and she showed up with a rose for us and the news that she had taken two days off to show us Shiraz. Then followed a sightseeing frenzy that ended with us visiting more attractions in two days than we did in Isfahan in eight. Z. is also very Islamic and strictly kept the Ramadan fast, this means she didn’t even drink water during the day when we rushed through the hot and sunny gardens, museums and famous tombs of Shiraz. Z. makes half the money we do when working but she insisted on paying entrance fees and taxis. When we gave her a goodbye present she nearly cried.

I wish these people along with everyone else we met can make a brighter future in the multilayered Islamic Republic of Iran.