I am so confused it wasn’t supposed to be like this of all the places of all the countries all the years of traveling it’s here in Iran that I am greeted most warmly by total strangers. The other stuff is there, the Iran we’ve read about, heard about, have seen in the news. But this I wasn’t prepared for.
Tehran, city of nearly 8 million people. Capital of Iran. After all this time, I finally had the chance to see a country I had heard so much about. A big blank spot on nearly every travelers resume.
“Once upon a time there was an ancient kingdom where they found a lot of magical black stuff under the ground. But two other kingdoms had the key to the magical black stuff, and when they wouldn’t share the ancient people got mad. They voted and their leader said the magical black stuff is ours to keep. But the other kingdoms were afraid of losing all the black stuff so they gave money to some bad men to get rid of the leader. They put back in power another leader and have him money too. To some he was a good king, but to others he could be very very cruel.after many years the people of the ancient kingdom got mad. This time even madder, so they scarred the king away forever. And then things started to get really messed up.”- A child explains the history of Iran.
Okay, that’s a really simplistic and incomplete way to sum up the one hundred odd years of Iranian history. But the point is there were a lot of issues and different agendas leading up to the explosive rage known as the Iranian Hostage Crisis. It is worth mentioning, whatever you think, wherever we are now, that Saddam—supported by the U.S. government and with our full knowledge—used sarin and mustard gas on hundreds of thousands of Iranians. Less known in America, known and felt by everyone in Iran. Look, we know what Iran, the government does. George W. Bush famously called them part of the axis of evil. Their proxies in Iran have done American soldiers real harm. There is no doubt of this. But I hope I can be forgiven for finding these undeniable truths hard to reconcile with how I was treated on the streets everywhere we go. So forget about the politics if you can for a moment. How about the food the food? The food here is amazing. Chelow kebob was close as you can get to a national dish and the king of kebobs. Ground lamb with spices, a good place to start. Chelow kabobs would not be complete without Persian rice. Fluffy, long grained, and perfectly seasoned with saffron, the rice in this country is like nothing you’ve ever had. In this part of the world, whatever your background, bread is a vital, essential, fundamental, and deeply respected staple.
However there is a push happening between opposing factions in the government. On one hand, Iranians are the descendants of ancient Persia. An empire of poetry and flowers. The highly influential culture that goes back thousands of years.But the ruling clerical and military class are at best ambivalent and at worst actively hostile to much of that tradition. Severe religious based restrictions of speech, dress, behavior were ushered in by the rise of the Alytollah during the 1979 is Islamic revolution. So how does one have fun in Iran these days? This is the line that is constantly being tested. Alcohol is, of course, forbidden. You can get away with listening to rock or rap, sort of. Sometimes. But you cannot yourself rock or be seen to visibly rock. But the Iranian people continue to have hope for social progression. So far Iran does not look and does not feel the way I had expected. Neither East nor West, but always somewhere in the middle.
This is a land of secret recipes. Passed down within families like treasured possessions. These are very sophisticated very time consuming dishes to prepare. Always from scratch and always in excess of what you could possibly need. You ten to kill your guest with kindness around here. South of Tehran the land scape opens up. Only 300 miles of Iranian highway stretching to the city of Isfahan. Isfahan is Iran’s third largest city. “Half the world” was the saying back when it was the capital of Persia. The city is renowned for its architecture the grandest bridges and mosques dating back to the Middle Ages. The royal mosque, it’s the Imam’s square, the second largest square in the world behind the Hamin in China. At dusk families come to the square to cool off, picnic, have yes it looks like even a little bit of fun.
Across town, the Khaju Bridge where men gather spontaneously to sing. Is this okay? This impromptu giving oneself over to the creative urge to stand and sing out to no one in particular? Maybe. But it wasn’t okay to record them.
The road back to Tehran. Along the way, reminders of just how far back this culture goes. The ruins of ancient caravansaries, highway rest stops from when armies, merchants, traders traveling by camel, by foot all passed along these same routes. This right here a stop on what was once the Silk Road extending all the way to China.
Last day in Iran. Night falls and the kids, like kids anywhere, get in their rides and head for somewhere they can hang out.