Author: Elizabeth

Persepolis

Spent the morning at a wonder of the ancient world:  the city of Persepolis, built about 500 BC.  The original city covered a lot of ground, and the mud-brick construction of the larger city has not survived, but the “royal city” is in remarkably good shape, considering it was sacked by Alexander the Great’s army in 330 BC.

We also visited the tombs of three Persian kings: Darius, Xerxes, and Artaxerxes. Unfortunately the tombs were looted long ago, and were therefore found completely empty, except for broken coffins, and so they cannot be sure how the kings were buried, and with what or whom.

I was trying to think if I have ever visited any older historical site, and I honestly don’t think I have.

Shiraz

As the name might suggest, Shiraz was an early wine capital of the world. There are still vineyards, but in this alcohol-free land, they are now used for vinegar, alas.

Notable sights here included The Pink Mosque — it’s unusual because most tile work in Persian mosques is blue but for some reason this one is predominately pink.

Our group also had the chance to tour a carpet store, to see and hear about the different types of Persian rugs, from both nomadic peoples and city workshops. The workmanship is amazing; Geoff and I didn’t buy anything, but several members of the group did.

This rug is 180 years old, done in wool and silk, and originally belonged to the store owner’s grandfather — the level of detail is exquisite. By the way, the gold surround is NOT a frame, it is part of the woven carpet. And no, it was not for sale!

It seems like every restaurant in Iran serves chicken kebabs with rice! It has become a running joke on the tour — always the top item on each menu. But there’s an explanation. Most Iranians eat at home, and when they go out this is a popular choice, as most families don’t have the type of grill that makes good kebabs.

But kebabs apart, the food is varied and delicious. Particular favourites for our group have been eggplant with tomatoes and onion; beef or lamb cooked in spinach, mint, and herbs; lentil stew; meatballs filled with dates; and chicken in a walnut and pomegranate sauce.

Every meal includes flatbread and rice, and there are several varieties of each. One type of flatbread is rolled and pressed thin, then thrown against the wall of a wood-fired oven. It sticks to the wall and cooks super-fast as you can imagine, then is peeled off and sent out to the customers. Lovely and chewy, with a slightly blistered skin, just perfect for dipping in yogurt with scallions and herbs. It isn’t very Iranian to do this, I am sure, but I personally enjoy the flatbreads at breakfast spread with labneh (a mild soft cheese) and carrot jam. Rice pilafs often contain pistachios and dried barberries, and a special kind of rice which I have quickly come to love includes a crust of rice made by cooking it in a very hot pot.

Alcohol is illegal, but zero-percent “malt beverage” is popular; it comes in plain Beer-type flavour, also in peach, lemon, or pineapple, which are like shandies really. They also serve delicious fresh drinks that include combinations of fruit juice, ginger, lemon, and mint, and a carbonated yogurt drink (doogh) in both the cow and camel variety.

In a Persian Garden

Spent some time strolling in a classical Persian garden. Lovely place. Apparently the common features are a pool, a pavilion, cedar trees, and an orchard.  I understand that even in fairly modest houses, these features will be included, albeit in simpler form than we saw here.  The orchard offered me my first sight of pomegranates not in a grocery store!

Here’s a trivia side-note. Paisley pattern originated in Persia, and the distinctive swirls are based on the shape of cedar trees. Cedars are thought to be auspicious because, as evergreens, they are associated with long life.

The coolest feature in this garden — both literally and figuratively — was the Wind Tower arising from the pavilion.  We have seen many here, but this is the first one where we could experience the effect.  As the wind blows through openings in the tower, it is funnelled downward into several long shafts terminating in the basement ceiling, and when you stand in the room under it, it honestly feels like a blast from an air conditioner.  In the hotter weather, they fill a small pool at the foot of the shafts and the air cools even further as it crosses the water.  Amazing engineering!

Arg e-Rayen

The walled city of Arg-e Rayen (“Rayen Citadel”) was built some time in the period 300-600 AD, and was the second largest in Iran until the complete collapse of Arg-e Bam in a 2003 earthquake.  Bam was apparently 10 times larger, so this was indeed a great loss.  We wandered through Rayen, seeing the bazaar, the mosque, the siege-storage area, the extremely modest dwellings of the common folk, and the extremely large quarters of the Governor, complete with an enclosed garden.  Some things never change!

Clearly not all ladies behave well…

On a lighter note, check out the final exhortation in this sign.  More commonly seen at the opera, I would say, but — hey! — in a land of squat toilets, if it works, it works.  ?

Yesterday’s highlight was our stay at Zein-o-Din caravanserai. Nine hundred and ninety-nine such structures were built along the Silk Road by a Persian ruler in the 16th century, spaced at 25-kilometre intervals to accommodate a day’s travel for a camel train. Most are in extreme disrepair; apparently only a couple remain standing, and luckily for us, this one has been renovated into beautiful lodgings.

It’s a quiet place, with outstanding views. Some of our party – although not me, I must admit – got up at sunrise this morning to go onto the roof to meditate, do yoga, or perform tai chi.

The central courtyard is stunning. Open to the sky above, it’s perfect for sitting and relaxing. Apparently when the original travellers crossed paths at the caravanserais, they laid out their wares on the central platform for commerce with each other. It was easy to imagine the bustling scene, in this beautifully restored historic site.

(Please bear with me if these photographs appear sideways or upside down. Unfortunately, my blog software had a big upgrade since the last trip and I’m not familiar with it, and am trying different things to make my pictures stand up straight. They always look fine to me, but I hear back that they don’t look that way in the final version that reaches other people. Oops!)

Well, we have arrived, and are enjoying our trip. Landed in Tehran and saw a few sights on the day we spent there — a bazaar, two museums — but it is much like many large cities, so didn’t feel too too exotic. But we are now “on the road”, and starting to see some very different things. First note is that the people are SUPER nice — all very friendly, and very curious about where we come from and what we think of Iran.

it’s quite a while since I wrote my last blog and I am struggling with how to embed photos, so I hope you can line up what commentary goes with what, and I will try to figure it out before my next post.

We drove to Yazd on Sunday night and spent yesterday touring. First stop, a fascinating place: The Towers of Silence. I had heard about these for years and never thought I would see them. The Zotroastrians did not believe in burying their dead as it would pollute the ground, so they left bodies in these hilltop towers to be eaten by vultures. Don’t worry about me sharing scary pictures – the practice was done away with 75 years ago, and the towers are now very benign and beautiful.

Similar to the fresh-pressed orange juice sold in Canada at markets, they have the same type of setup here for fresh pomegranate juice. Unbelievably delicious, its not at all like the Pom we buy in bottles at home.  And yes, it is occasionally served with ice cream to tourists trying to cool off…

We also we visited a Zoroastrian fire temple, with an eternal flame that is now over 1,500 years old. Most of the country is Muslim, but we are told there is still a good percentage of Zoroastrians.

And then, of course, we had to visit the sweet shop, because Yazd is famous for its candies and little cookies. Lots of coconut involved, also almonds, and I think maybe condensed milk, but in any case all rather delicious. I will have to do lots more walking around the museum to work off some of these calories.