An eye-opening escape to Iran - to be recommended!

When I told people that I was travelling to Iran, I got basically three types of replies:

1) "Why?" (negative)

2) "Why?" (curious)

3) "I'm jealous."

It was hard to reply to the comments, and especially to convince the people in the first group, as I knew so little about the country before going there. However, now back from our two week trip, I feel like responsible of spreading the message of this country and namely of its people who left me with a great impression of Persian hospitality, history and culture.

While the concert of Azam Ali (see video below) in Helsinki Festival last August was perhaps the concrete push for me to travel to Iran, it was also an exciting destination because most of us know basically nothing about Iran - except something negative related to nuclear power and strict Islamic state - and we have such huge prejudices against Iranians. Traveling to Iran was truly an eye-opening experience and also an interesting dive into Iranian/Persian history and Islamic culture.

Many people make common mistakes when thinking of Iran, so I'd like to stress three points:

First, traveling in Iran is safe. It is a surprisingly (for us who don't have much prior knowledge) developed country (no. 71 in the list of countries by GDP per capita before e.g. Thailand and Serbia) with a well-functioning infrastructure, highly educated people (everybody has studied engineering) that can all cite their national poet Hafez, and an important middle class that will make you feel ashamed if you are not prepared with a fashionable city garderobe. 

Don't mix Iran with its neighboring countries, it is nothing like Iraq or Afghanistan, while the bordering regions in Iran might better be avoided. If Islamic state is authoritarian, it has at least managed to keep the country calm and somewhat prospering even despite the sanctions. Of course, there is always a possibility of violent demonstrations that you want to steer clear of. Crimes against tourists are  however very rare and traffic is probably the most dangerous thing you'll be faced with.

Second, it is definitely worth visiting Iran. In addition to  beautiful Persian carpets, the country has plenty of historical sites, amazing Islamic architecture and design, good food and wonderful mountains. Two weeks is hardly enough to visit the country, we only had a glimpse of the central part of Iran. 

Our itinerary including the cities of Tehran, Shiraz, Yazd, and Isfahan is very typical for such a short trip and it serves as a great introduction to Iran, but I still have a craving to visit many other places (especially the city of Tabriz, and experiencing over-night stay in the desert and hiking in the mountains).

Walking in the streets of Tehran or Isfahan, you sometimes wonder if you're still in the Middle East: teahouses are full of hipsters (the Iranian guys are the true "lumbersexuals"), families gather in parks for a picnic, people take selfies with their iPhones, and public transport is clean and efficient. However, at the same time, you feel the strong presence of Eastern culture, Islam, and ancient history that will mesmerize you.

Third, please, make a distinction between the official regime of the country and its people. I've never felt more welcomed in any country I've visited. The Iranian people, young and old, are genuinely interested in discussing with foreigners, asking constantly our opinion of the country and its inhabitants. This offers a great opportunity to talk with various kinds of Iranians. Sometimes language barriers hindered any real conversation, but the message was clear: we were most welcome in Iran. 

The Iranians were also eager to show us a different image of Iran as they are well aware of the one-dimensional idea we often have of this country. People initiated discussions on politics and religion, sometimes shaking their heads to the mullahs and demonstrating their wish to come to Europe, but also being proud of their ancient culture and long tradition in science and arts. Some youngsters were open about their secret parties while some older people recalled their time in Europe decades ago, drinking wine and working hard. 

The ancient city of Persepolis, a UNESCO world heritage site.

We happened to be in Iran during Now Ruz, the Iranian New Year, which meant that the majority of Iranians were on holidays  exactly the two weeks we were there. In Tehran, this meant that most of the restaurants were closed and the streets were empty of cars. It was good for the quality of air as Tehran is said to be one of the most polluted cities in the world, but at the same time, the city was a bit boring, not the metropole we had expected it to be. Elsewhere in the country, hotels and tourist sites were busy, but this didn't bother us as it created an even greater opportunity to meet a lot of local people. 

And yes, we did meet people. In fact, our holidays was a good introduction to what it probably feels like to be a Hollywood star. I called our vacation as "the Angelina Jolie experience" for all the photos that were taken of us, all the nice smiles, all the people interested in us in general, and all the people wanting to have a chat with us. I don't know how to live without this limelight again...

Because of the Iranian New Year holiday, all the places were full of Iranian tourists. We didn't mind!

However, to be honest, in the end, when we were already able to go through the basic questions in Farsi, we started to struggle with all the attention we had. Suddenly, the locals seemed almost maniac in their approach to us. However, this doesn't diminish the appreciation we have for the hospitality and friendliness we experienced. I was basically smiling all the time because of these wonderful encounters. 

It is also important to note that Iran is not an Arab country and it differs from the experiences people may have in many other countries of the region. Moreover, what is relieving for a tourist, is the fact that people don't expect anything in return for their friendliness or for helping you. Not once were we asked to pay for random people showing us a way to restaurants or giving us a tour in a mosque or some other site. This is a complete contrast to the experience I had in Egypt where everyone asks for a "baksheesh" even for the smallest thing like opening a door. This is probably connected to the higher living standards (and pride) in Iran, in general, we could only see a very few beggars in the streets (less than in Brussels, for sure).

The Azadi tower in Tehran.

The Iranian politeness can also be troubling sometimes. The system of "ta'arof" means that every situation is heavy with small talk and polite praises. It also means that when the Iranians invite you over for a dinner or to stay with them instead of a hotel, you need to say "no" at least two or three times before accepting if the offer is made again and again. Once we finally accepted a dinner offer and it was truly fantastic to enjoy a home-cooked meal with an Isfahan family. It is an experience that should definitely be tried on a trip to Iran. Sometimes it is good to just let go off the European way of calculating the "effort, pay-backs, and debts", and just say "yes".

Without a doubt, there is something we can learn from the Iranians; first of all, we could follow their example of warm hospitality and curiosity towards strangers. What can be better in fighting prejudices and intolerance, and striving for greater intercultural understanding and even peace. Only a cold-hearted person would like to have sanctions against the Iranians after meeting them in person. 

Woman in Masjed-e-Jameh mosque in Yazd.