Iran: A Few Thoughts

I’ve had a few thoughts on Iran that I haven’t quite managed to squeeze in elsewhere in the blog, so I’ve included them here in this post. This may be updated in the future if anything else comes to me. Not many photos I’m afraid, but here’s a picture of an Iranian mannequin, wearing a traditional chador and monobrow.

Religion & Clothing

Although the country is an Islamic Republic, from what I saw, the people are generally quite moderate in their beliefs, with most shops not closing during prayer times (Friday excluded). In fact, I heard the Adhan, (the Islamic call to prayer) ring out more across Turkey than I did in Iran! Most women also opt for the hijab over the more traditional and all-covering chador clothing (above). Of course there is still a sizeable proportion of the country that’s more traditional, particularly in Mashhad, but a lot of the younger generation in particular will push the clothing restrictions where they can, wearing as much colour and make-up as they can get away with. The below lion is a fairly good representation of this trend:

Food

Oh Iran, this is where you really let me down. I was expecting so much – I really like the Iranian food I’ve tried in London and our first meal, a buffet dinner at the beginning of our stay was so promising. Fresh and pickled vegetables, grilled meats, sauces and fresh bread. I hear this style of food is still eaten in homes across Iran, and the variety of produce available in markets would suggest that. But we didn’t eat at home, we ate in restaurants where all that was served and consequently all we ate for 3 weeks, was meat on sticks served with a mound of rice, or crappy western fast-food; imitation hot-dogs or stodgy deep-pan pizzas, made without tomatoes with a pile of processed meat on top. For a bit of variety, you might have skewered chicken skin instead of chicken, or mutton instead of beef, or a spinach or tomato soup as a side. Some of the kebabs were really good, some weren’t but when that’s all you have, you just can’t appreciate the good ones. Really good rice though (I did like the saffron flavour) and if you got the bread fresh from the bakers, it was delicious! But that’s not enough for me I’m afraid.

Coffee

Apart from one random service station and Tehran which has a decent café culture, finding proper coffee was nigh-on impossible, with 3-in-1 sachets the only thing available. Maybe it’s the sanctions, I don’t know but it’s not good! To be fair though, their tea was pretty good.

History & Culture

If you have an interest in Islamic history and architecture, Iran is a must-see. With over 2500 years of continuous rule, the Iranians have one of the richest cultural heritages in the world. Although it can become quite (very) similar after a while, the mosques and historic sites are beautiful and well-worth spending some time exploring.

Things To Do

Honestly? Not a great deal. Apart from sightseeing, we couldn’t find a lot to ‘do’ by way of activities. Tehran was a lively metropolis, with plenty to do and see to keep you occupied, but with no bars or nightclubs and most locals opting to picnic or eat incredibly late, we struggled to keep ourselves entertained at night. We ended up spending a lot of time shopping or in Tea Rooms and smoked a lot of sheesha / hookeh / qaylan / bubble pipe, which isn’t a particularly healthy way to spend our time!

Final Thoughts

As a country, Iran defies any expectations you might have of it. Rich in culture, the architecture is beautiful, if a little same-y after a while, while the people are warm, welcoming and friendly. As you might expect it can be difficult to find the time to speak to English-speakers in enough depth to really find out about the country, while the food in restaurants truly is terrible. It’s a fascinating country to see first-hand, but I never quite got the feeling that I saw the ‘real’ Iran. I’m sure so much more goes on behind closed-doors that you will never see while staying in a hotel.

If you’re open-minded and interested in experiencing new cultures, I would thoroughly recommend you visit Iran, as there’s nowhere quite like it. If you do, I think the best way to really see the country is to couch-surf, to stay at the homes of regular Iranians, speak to them, see how they live and try their proper, home-cooked food. They might even find you an alcoholic drink or two! Unfortunately this option wasn’t available to us, as current visa regulations effectively ban Brits, Canadians and Americans from travelling independently, as we have to be in a tour group with a nominated tour guide. Iran doesn’t have many Western visitors, especially younger ones, and Iranians are keen to show off the beauty of their country and culture, so stay with an Iranian family and see what the country truly has to offer!