10/09/2018 - 14/09/2018
After our busy few days in the enchanting cities of Esfahan and Yazd we decided we wanted to do a bit more of the couch-surfing thing as we had two great experiences previous in Tehran and Yazd. After trawling through the 100's of Iranians eager to take up the offer of meeting some foreign backpackers, we managed to find another suitable host in the city of Marvdasht, about an hours drive away from Shiraz which would sadly be our final city stay in Iran. What drew Paul to our host Milad was that according to his profile he played 5 a side soccer most evenings and up to now Paul was eager to get a soccer game going but couldn't manage to find any, missing his favourite sport back home, it was a done deal and so we would head to Milad's family house for a one night stay. Arriving in Marvdasht by late afternoon we were greeted by his neighbour who invited us into her house as Milad was still in work, working as an English teacher. His neighbour had no english what so ever so for the next two hours waiting on our host to arrive home we sat in the sitting room but not on chairs as you might expect, but instead on the beautifully ornate Persian rugs. If you haven't already gathered from my previous posts about Iran, people here sit, eat and sleep on the floor and more often than not, all on the same floor of an empty big room, stark with furniture or fittings. Cheap, economical and quick to clean if you ask me!
After a few hours, Milad arrived home from his English teaching classes and welcomed us into his home and sitting room, another big empty space with just the decoration from the numerous silk Persian carpets on the floor, a custom we were quickly getting used to as we without hesitation plonked ourselves on the floor. We spent the evening flaked out on cushions talking to Milad and his family who greeted us in drips and drabs as they arrived home from their daily errands. Paul was excited about this soccer match he was to have with Milad and his friends at 11pm that evening so they both spent plenty of time bonding over their love of the sport and sussing out each other as competition until about 10pm that evening. However, unfortunately the soccer game they had both been looking forward to for the past few hours would not come to flourish as Milad got a phone call from his friends to say that due it being the first day of the festival for Imam Hussain where people take up prayer in the mosque, it would be cancelled. Paul was gutted and I was gutted for him too but it meant I could finally get some sleep and not have to listen to talk of football! The next day after another surprisingly comfortable sleep on the sitting room floor, just like the Iranians do, we decided to rent a car with Milad and his wife to spend the day exploring the city of Marvdasht and more excitingly for me, his father's rice farm out in the country side.
Our first stop was the ancient city of Persepolis, built for ceremonial purposes for the Achaemenid Empire and declared by UNESCO as a world heritage site. To be honest I never truly get super excited about visiting old rock ruins of really ancient places unless I think there will be baskets full of kittens lying around that I can fawn over, which of course never happens! For me it takes a huge amount of imagination, knowledge and in the dead heat of Iran when all you can think about is jumping into an ice cold swimming pool and whipping off your Hijab, that can be hard! However, after arriving at the site and with the option of some VR headsets to get a real in sight into this sites former glory I actually found myself really getting immersed in the history of the place. The VR set was a pretty nifty touch and I don't see why it isn't used more of in similar sites with the way technology is everywhere else these days. If it was, I would probably be a lot more enthused, so anyone out there doing jobs I don't know the name of at ancient sites, please take note!
After a few hours spent drifting through the rocky ruins of Persepolis we headed to the rice farm of Milad's father. The drive took about 40 minutes and meandered through incredibly lush green fields which was a welcome sight for us having only witnessed barren dry landscape throughout Iran up to now. Before actually going to the rice fields we stopped off in his former family home where he spent his early school years for some chai and chats on the floor...standard in Iran of course! At the farm I knew straight away I would leave covered in mosquito bites as they quickly swarmed me realising I was some kind of foreign fresh meat. Still, we strolled through the fields and nibbled on some fresh juicy tomatoes we had stollen from the neighbouring farm. On the way back ,where at this stage I was scratching my legs like a flea ridden dog despite the fact I was wearing trousers, we were greeted by Milad's uncle who also owns a little rice farm close by. We talked with him for a little while as he was eager to find out more about us and in true Iranian hospitality invited us back to his home for yet more chai but we were eager to hitch hike our way to Shiraz before night fall so unfortunately declined the generous offer.
As I mentioned above we wanted to hitchhike to the city of Shiraz as any opportunity for us to meet some more local Iranians. Getting to hear about their life in this country was an exciting quest for us and of course hitchhiking means a free ride and a free ride when on a tight budget is always welcome! We heard from other travelers that it was relatively easy to be picked up in Iran but we didn't realise that it would be 90 seconds easy! Yes, after only 90 seconds we were picked up by a lovely man by the name of Yashar who luckily for us spoke near perfect English and in the hour drive to Shiraz he spoke about his job in the gas industry, his desire to study psychology, his wife that's not yet his wife and his utmost love for his country despite it's problems. He was a truly lovely gentleman and we thank him for the memorable and of course, free ride to Shiraz!
The city of Shiraz, situated in south central Iran and best known as the epicentre of Persian culture would sadly be our final stop and so it was one last opportunity for us to go and explore the glittering shrines, exquisite mosques, splendid gardens and bustling bazaars. Our first port of call on arrival was of course a long lie on the following morning but when we finally decided to get our lazy asses out of bed we paid a visit to two of the main shrines in the city. The first being the resting place of Emir Ali, a disciple of the 8th Shia Imam boasting a bright blue dome overlooking the surrounding cemetery and where we were greeted by a lovely woman dressed in a customary black chador. After presenting us with some chai and biscuits and giving us one of the best explanatory talks about the workings of Islam we have been given on our trip here, she allowed us to enter the shrine and marvel at the breathtaking mirrored walls, which let me assure you, really are something to behold. Pictures don't give the inside of these marvellous shrines any justice but I have included one or two anyways for god measure!
Our next shrine of the day was to the Shah-e-Cheragh Mausoleum, the resting place of two brothers of Imam Reza. This mosque, unlike a lot of others we have entered was strictly monitored in that non-muslims are technically not allowed to enter but instead of forbidding tourists to enter they instead offer a free guided tour of the large open courtyard. The entire inside area was busy with worshippers and in true Iranian design was kitted out with detailed tiled patterns, red carpets and glittering glass interior that would undoubtedly make anyone breathless. A fascinating place to walk around soaking up the atmosphere and observing the religious rituals of the locals.
The créme de la créme for me of our trip to Shiraz was getting up at 7am the following morning (well, not that part!) to go and visit the Nasir al-Mulk mosque or simply known as the Pink mosque. The unassuming house of worship hides a gorgeously colourful secret and that is the multitude of stained glass windows that turn the inside of the mosque into a magnificent spectacle, like stepping into some kind of Kaleidoscope and best appreciated in the early morning when the sunlight shines through the stained glass windows and falls over the equally ornate Persian carpets. After lingering inside the mosque for god knows how long, totally mesmerised by its sheer beauty we took some time to admire the outside which seems to be forgotten by tourists alike but in my opinion was just as beautiful as the inside with its intricate pink coloured tile work
When we were done admiring the colourful spectacle of the Pink mosque we happily headed back to bed for most of the afternoon to let the dead heat of the day pass and to give us some energy to walk the passage ways of the huge bazaar where the smell of spices wafts through each walkway and the historic Eram Persian gardens where lush green palm trees and flowers bloom.
So that's it guys, we survived Iran!
There are so many misconceptions about this country due to political reasons and the way the mass media portrays it but I can assure you that once you arrive any fears will quickly dissipate. Yes, getting used to wearing a hijab in the high heat of midday can be tough and going without a nice cold glass of white wine and beer with our dinner in the evening was something we both missed but please sit up and take note from an Irish gal who at the best of times is a bit of a scaredy cat that there is nothing to be afraid of about visiting Iran. Even the water is safe to drink god dammit! You will immediately be greeted by the most hospitable people we have ever met on out travels and you will be immersed in a country full of fascinating culture and rich colourful history and to top it off, if you love rugs as much as I never knew I did until I visited here (which is not so good for my backpacking budget!) you can get a great deal on a luxurious Persian rug with some good clean haggling of course!
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