"Why would you go to Iran?"
"Is it safe?"
"Can you visit this country?"
We were asked many questions like this prior to our trip. We had of course asked around - done our research and therefore knew that indeed it is safe to visit. And of course we had our own reasons to go to Iran: we wanted to see traces of the Persian empire.
We always had an odd fascination for the place. In Western media, Iran is portrayed as another reckless country in the Middle East. Yet the Iranians we know are decent, well-educated people who speak highly of their country. Look at the map and you see that Iran borders Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc - and one cannot help but think of Islamic terrorism. Yet Iranians regard themselves as very different from their Arab neighbours. They rather compare themselves against Europeans and Americans - the world's other modern civilisations (and in fact they currently lead the ground force against ISIL in an odd pact with the US who lead the air force). In history lessons, we learnt an awful lot about the ancient Greeks and how they fought the Persians in various battles (eg, the battle of Marathon). But we learnt little about the other side - the Persian emperors, religions, cultures and customs.
Perhaps, in a nutshell, the fascination for Iran stemmed from the country (and probably the entire Middle East) being Europe's imagined "Other": I (Tom) once learnt at uni that the verb "orient" (ie, finding one's position in relation to unfamiliar surroundings) stems from the noun "orient" (ie, countries of the East). So Europeans perhaps partly found their identity in differentiation to Persia / Middle East / Islam / Orient... The Other.
"Is it safe?"
"Can you visit this country?"
We were asked many questions like this prior to our trip. We had of course asked around - done our research and therefore knew that indeed it is safe to visit. And of course we had our own reasons to go to Iran: we wanted to see traces of the Persian empire.
We always had an odd fascination for the place. In Western media, Iran is portrayed as another reckless country in the Middle East. Yet the Iranians we know are decent, well-educated people who speak highly of their country. Look at the map and you see that Iran borders Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc - and one cannot help but think of Islamic terrorism. Yet Iranians regard themselves as very different from their Arab neighbours. They rather compare themselves against Europeans and Americans - the world's other modern civilisations (and in fact they currently lead the ground force against ISIL in an odd pact with the US who lead the air force). In history lessons, we learnt an awful lot about the ancient Greeks and how they fought the Persians in various battles (eg, the battle of Marathon). But we learnt little about the other side - the Persian emperors, religions, cultures and customs.
Perhaps, in a nutshell, the fascination for Iran stemmed from the country (and probably the entire Middle East) being Europe's imagined "Other": I (Tom) once learnt at uni that the verb "orient" (ie, finding one's position in relation to unfamiliar surroundings) stems from the noun "orient" (ie, countries of the East). So Europeans perhaps partly found their identity in differentiation to Persia / Middle East / Islam / Orient... The Other.
The closer we came to departure, the more we also became interested in revolutionary Iran; ie, the Iran from 1979. The country is of course an Islamic Republic and an authoritarian regime. But it's difficult to criticise the country's politics too much as a Westerner: there were a few democratic movements in Iran in the 20th century that all give lie to those who suggest that Iran or other Middle Eastern countries are somehow culturally unsuited to democratic government. Many of the 20th centrury democratic movements were forcefully shut down with British and American help because, simply put, the previous (also authoritarian) leaders of the country were the Americans'/Brits' trusted partners in the Middle East (and of course it helped that they secured oil revenues for the British and Americans, with only a tiny margin being shared with the Iranians).
Now, should YOU go?
If you're interested in all this a little - ie, the mix of ancient history and modern Iran - it's a great place to visit. But even without this interest, it's got loads to go for: Iranians are mild-mannered people who are keen to ensure you've got a good time. The food is excellent (particularly if you like grilled meat dishes). The sites in Isfahan and Shiraz are stunning regardless of if you know of its histories. And it is perfectly safe!
Our trip was organised through a local tour operator, here is a link to his website, who's got a network of guides and drivers who can tell you a lot about what you see, and ensures that logistics (eg, pick up from Airport, drive from site A to B) work smoothly. Our tour operator was also very good at building an itinerary that reflected our interests and time available. We can highly recommend him.
Now, should YOU go?
If you're interested in all this a little - ie, the mix of ancient history and modern Iran - it's a great place to visit. But even without this interest, it's got loads to go for: Iranians are mild-mannered people who are keen to ensure you've got a good time. The food is excellent (particularly if you like grilled meat dishes). The sites in Isfahan and Shiraz are stunning regardless of if you know of its histories. And it is perfectly safe!
Our trip was organised through a local tour operator, here is a link to his website, who's got a network of guides and drivers who can tell you a lot about what you see, and ensures that logistics (eg, pick up from Airport, drive from site A to B) work smoothly. Our tour operator was also very good at building an itinerary that reflected our interests and time available. We can highly recommend him.
Our Favourite Pictures
(Click on the picture to see it enlarged)
This was outside a public toilet in Persepolis. Our tour operator and Tom were waiting for Josi. These girls were standing outside of the bathroom too and when they saw Tom sit there, they thought it was a great idea to take a joint selfie. (They spoke little English, all they said grinningly was "Selfie?"). So they did this. But our tour operator Farbod then also offered to take a picture of all of us and he took it on each of their phones... one after the other. Tom then said as a joke that he should speed up "because my wife is coming out any moment and would see me with all these girls." Farbod translated and the girls then ran in all directions shrieking and laughing.
Josi eventually came out and saw all the laughter and clamour. And when she was explained what happened, we took another joint picture.
This was outside a public toilet in Persepolis. Our tour operator and Tom were waiting for Josi. These girls were standing outside of the bathroom too and when they saw Tom sit there, they thought it was a great idea to take a joint selfie. (They spoke little English, all they said grinningly was "Selfie?"). So they did this. But our tour operator Farbod then also offered to take a picture of all of us and he took it on each of their phones... one after the other. Tom then said as a joke that he should speed up "because my wife is coming out any moment and would see me with all these girls." Farbod translated and the girls then ran in all directions shrieking and laughing.
Josi eventually came out and saw all the laughter and clamour. And when she was explained what happened, we took another joint picture.