Travel & Culture
BY SABA SHAHID (ECON/IV)
Iran-Inspired
The poetry of Ferdowsi and Hafez, the paintings of Mahmoud Farshchian, the carpet weaving of Qom, the world's largest water-cave…
The best kind of holidays and vacations are the ones in which the most unexpected things happen. Unplanned, spontaneous trips often result in the best memories ever. The same is true for holidays that end up being the opposite of what you had presumed they would be. In fact, assumptions and stereotypes are an easy trap to fall into when you're a tourist in a foreign land. I realized this on my first trip to Iran a couple of years ago.
My trip started in the capital Tehran. Home to around 8.5 million people, the city has an array of places to visit. From traditional bazaars and museums to royal palaces and gardens, you name it and Tehran has it. Much like most eastern bazaars, Bazar-e-Bozurg, or Grand Bazaar, is a network of little streets and alleys where everything from food, souvenirs and carpets to kitchenware and clothing is sold. You'll hear shopkeepers welcoming you with "Khosh amadid" and shoppers eagerly bargaining with them. The Bazar-e-Bozurg is the perfect place to start to get the real feel of Iran.
Your next stop should be the Shadabad Palace complex. Visit the Shah's White Palace, an epitome of luxury and extravagance. The palace's interior is draped in silk, and decorated with mounted animals and the most exquisite silverware. The furniture and tapestry display an evident French influence. Continue your trip to the Green Palace, entirely covered in finely cut mirrors of different sizes, and you'll soon begin to envy royalty.
Climb up to Darband near the Alborz mountains and get ready to enjoy a meal unlike any other you've ever had. A choice of restaurants literally occupies the center of a riverbed! A waiter will lead the way down very narrow steps to the river, where small platforms made of steel are set above the water as dining tables. While you give your order, a sheesha lamp is lit for you. Sit back cross-legged and enjoy the racing waves as they flow under you.
Remember to squeeze in a museum on your agenda. Try the Carpet Museum to view a comprehensive collection of carpets. From those centuries old to more contemporary pieces, the museum boasts a variety, with the finest work from cities such as Qom giving you a chance to admire both the artist and the art of carpet weaving.
Traveling southwest of the capital brings you to Esfahan, a city whose beauty no one can deny. The place to begin your visit is Naksh-e-Jahan Square. Once a polo field for the entertainment of the shahs of the Safavid Dynasty, the square is now lined with souvenir shops that surround a vast fountain with waters of pure serenity. On one side of the courtyard is the Ali Qapu Palace, and on the other the beautiful Shah Mosque. The Ali Qapu Palace is a wonder in itself, but the best part of the monument is the breathtaking view it offers. Climb up to the Shah's terrace and look out to the horizon -- a cluster of domes, minarets and mountains awaits you. If you ever envied Aladdin and his flying carpet like I did, then this wish is readily granted by the Esfahani genie. While at Esfahan, make sure you visit the Si o Si Pol, or the Bridge of 33 Arches that stretches across the Zayandeh River, and have chai at the tea house situated under one of its arches.
Next on your list of places to visit in Iran should be the very important site of Persepolis. Also made famous through the title of the award-winning animation by French director Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis is probably the most treasured jewel of the Persian past. About an hour's drive from the city of Shiraz, Persepolis is a historian's delight. The very size of the ancient city is just one of the aspects that add to its grandeur. Ruins of great stone columns and arches in earthen tones scatter the vast area, and carved reliefs depict stories of the Achaemenid Empire: mythological creatures, brave soldiers, kings and slaves all line the walls of the structure that remains. The grand entrance of Persepolis, the Gate of All Nations, is the word "majestic" personified. Stone statues of Lamassus, mythical bulls with human heads, stand on either side of the gate, welcoming you to a site that nourishes your curiosity and encourages you to get lost in the exploration of all it has to offer.
Whether it's the contrast between the cosmopolitanism and traditionalism of Tehran, the fairytale beauty of Esfahan, or the opulence of history at Persepolis, something will definitely inspire you on your visit to Iran.