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Atom program, Islamic Republic, Ayatollah, US sanctions, hijab, alcohol ban, women cannot even watch football. It is all true, but we often have no more information about Iran. Although the ancient ruins still remind us of the former greatness of the Empire, from the fabulous blue-tiled mosques in Isfahan to the Persian gardens in Shiraz, from the desert to the snowy peaks, Persia is so much more. Besides all that, Iranian hospitality is why Iran wins your heart forever.
The misconception of Iran
If somebody comes up with the idea to visit Iran, most of his family members and friends will react like: “Are you crazy, it is dangerous!” It was no different for me. But I could not get it out of my head. I wanted to see Iran. Besides, everyone who already visited this country always appreciates Iran and explains how different it is from what others think. The locals know also that the international press is not helping to build a positive image. So it seems they want to spoil the tourists, who, despite the negative image depicted by the media, were curious enough to come to this country. Locals are very interested in your impressions and feel so much satisfaction when you praise Iran.
We can forget alcohol during our trip to Iran, and foreign women also have to cover lightly their hair with a scarf outside the room and dress modestly, but it is not much of an enormous sacrifice for what we get in return from Iran.
We can identify the regime that governs the country with the people living there. And while several strictly religious groups sympathize with a repressive regime, most of the Persians would love to get rid of the constraints of the Islamic Republic. But until then, the only choice is adaptation.
Iran is one of the few countries where you can enjoy genuine hospitality. Perhaps this is why Iran conquers everyone’s heart, and the tourist returning home can only say: “But Iran is wonderful, let alone the Iranian people!”
You mostly experience it if you travel individually. As a solo female traveler, I felt even more that I am taken care of by the locals. I arrived in Iran during the Persian New Year, which is like our Christmas and New Year’s. During this time, Iranians go on a long vacation or shopping in one of the many bazaars. In short, everybody is on the move and visits with family and friends. Persians have a very open nature anyway, but especially at the time of Nowruz.
Festive dinner with a family in Kashan with great Iranian hospitality
In the city of Kashan, I found a small room in a guesthouse, where I got my first invitation from the twenty-year-old receptionist who worked there. Of course, it is often hard to undress the fears about what he wants and what can happen at all, and you always have to be careful. But in the end, I accepted. Such personal, family experiences often become the best memories and help you get to know the people. If we are not open, we may miss a lot of experiences. The family was very welcoming, many relatives were present, like at our Christmas dinner. I had the feeling – and as I found out later I was right – they had no foreign visitors before. Linguistic barriers do not pose a problem in this case, as long as everyone has the utmost interest in the other.
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According to Iranian habits, they spread the tablecloth on the ground with several dishes placed on it. Then after every new meal I tried, I felt a curious look on me. They were eager to know if I like it. Of course, I liked everything, it all tasted so good! Persian cuisine is known to be very delicious. Then we had a look at the family album, a lot of questions vice versa, and a group photo is a must at the end of the evening with all the ladies taking their shawls back on.
This was another example of Iranian hospitality.
The Abiyaneh excursion
In Kashan, I participated in an organized day trip to the Abiyaneh village in the mountains. It uniquely preserved its ancient language and traditions. During Nowruz, as I already mentioned, many Iranians travel in the country, so it is no surprise that I was the only foreigner in our minibus. We were ten, including young couples, a mother and her daughter, two cousins, and me.
Iranians’ English is not always the best, but I appreciated that Eliza, who was sitting next to me in the van, tried to translate all the information our tour guide shared with the others in Farsi. We ate, drank, and had a lot of fun as we dressed in colorful, local costumes. We had such a good time that somebody suggested creating the “Abiyaneh group” on Instagram. They invited me to sign up too, but I kindly refused as it would not have made much sense if I get messages in Farsi.
Eliza and I got along very well with each other from the beginning. She was worried about where I was going to find my bus and of course before I take a flight back home I shall not forget to visit her in Tehran because she would like to meet me. I promised, but this was just the beginning of my journey, so I could not be sure if we can do it.
Waiting for a night bus in Isfahan
I was fascinated by Isfahan with one of the largest public squares on earth, the Imam Square. From there, I wanted to take a night bus to the city of Yazd. Lacking time with a lot to see, I tried to save some time with night trips several times. Many women and children also travel at night, which makes you feel safe. If there is any free seat in the front, they send the women to sit there. Men sit next to men and women sit next to women. On the way to the bus station, I had to ask on the local bus at which stop I should get off.
A mother traveled with her adult son and explained to me clearly. It turned out that the central bus station was just a few minutes walk away from where I got off, so I could already see it from the bus. Although I told them I easily find it myself, they insisted on accompanying me. But once we had identified the exact location of the departure gate and waiting room, they still did not want to leave me alone.
I felt a bit embarrassed that at 11 pm I am wasting their time for who knows how long because the buses are usually not punctual and even a one-hour delay is nothing extraordinary. So I tried to convince them several times to go home, that everything will be fine. They kept on waiting, and I felt I was not a burden to them at all. I did not expect this kind of helpfulness in my life.
The policeman at Persepolis
After visiting Persepolis, the ruins of the Ancient Persian times, I was in trouble with how to get to my next destination, the royal tombs of Naksh-e Rostam. It was not far, but there is no public transport or shared taxi which I used to take. Everyone was traveling in closed groups. I could have taken a cab alone, but it would have been too expensive. (At the time of my journey, the Rial was five times stronger than now). A police officer standing there asked me if he could help me. I described the situation, and he told me to wait a bit, and he tries to figure out something.
A little later, he came back and said that his friend was a bus driver. He would arrive soon with a private group and then turn back empty. He could take me. The articulated bus arrived, the passengers got off, and I boarded alone as a VIP guest. He took me to the royal tombs, waited for me, and took me to the main road where I could get in a shared taxi. All right, I was on my way to Shiraz (60 km distance) when my local Iranian phone was ringing. To my greatest surprise, it was the police officer who just wanted to know that everything went well and if I had any problems, I could contact him for help. It was only when I closed the phone that I realized how absurd this situation is in today’s world and that Iran is full of pleasant surprises!
The program is changing on the way to Iranian Kurdistan
From Shiraz, I headed to Sanandaj, the capital of the Iranian Kurdistan region. It is a long, 17-hour bus ride and not the most comfortable one either. For sure, I was the only foreigner among the passengers. Already at the bus station before departure, I received a lot of attention from the ticket vendor. Since the bus departed at least one hour later as scheduled, he came every time to tell me to wait another 20 minutes and another 20 minutes.
Then he sent me to eat something, go to the restroom, and kept a caring eye on me until I took my seat on the bus. On the long road, we occasionally had a rest. To my great surprise, the driver himself came to me to show – as probably I am not familiar with the system – that I can get a cup of tea in the back corner free of cost. Some people bought sandwiches on the spot; some people brought them from home. The others noticed I did not bring any, so they were eager to offer me some bites but in a way that it was impossible to refuse.
Finally, I ended up getting off the bus 1 hour before reaching my destination, Sanandaj, because a family insisted on welcoming me into their home. They wanted me to stay for the entire day, but I did not have so much time, so we only visited the pond next to their village. Then they took me to the bus station so that I could continue my way to my original destination, Sanandaj,
Hiking in Tehran
Slowly I returned to Tehran at the end of the two-week Iranian tour, and on my last afternoon, I thought of going up the famous Tochal Mountain near Tehran with a cable car. The city itself is interesting, but not stunning. However, the panorama from the top is always great. In the end, I started to hike like others for the view. I talked to a mother and her daughter, who take this hike three times a week. As a first thing, they warned me that I must cover my hair even in the mountains while hiking.
The girl, about the same age as me, had been unemployed for quite some time. It is a problem that many other young Iranians face. Her mother had studied in England and then gave lectures there at university. But for a long time, she could not get a visa.
“There is no point in going to elections because the candidates are those approved by the Supreme Leader and the Council of Guards, so that makes no sense. At the time of the revolution, we did not know that this was coming.”- they were disappointed with political life.
And what a coincidence, it turned out that they previously rented their apartment to an employee of the Hungarian embassy and I happen to come from Hungary! I wished to stay longer with them, but I noticed the time passed by, and I still wanted to meet Eliza from the „Abiyaneh group” as we agreed before. To make it faster, I wanted to take the cable car on the way down, but I just missed the last ride. The mother and the daughter had a bad conscience. They felt it happened because they kept me busy. They descended with me at a high pace and amid big apologies, the daughter rushed to buy a bottle of water for me.
Meeting a friend last night in Tehran
I could not have wished for a better last night in Iran as in the company of Eliza. We went to a restaurant for dinner, and we felt as if we had been friends for years. The guys at the next table noticed it, so they asked if they could join us. They spoke good English, so it made our communication a lot easier. Finally, the four of us spent the rest of the evening together, then Eliza arranged a taxi for me and said, “keep in touch!” This is how it is, and we have since been in touch.
These are just a few examples that had given me a lasting experience in Iran.
And has my story with Iran endes here? No! Three years have passed, and now I introduce this mysterious country as a guide to my groups!
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by Agnes Simigh
I’m a passionate tour guide and travel writer, who is curious to discover places that seldom catch the attention of the media or that are misrepresented. My goal is to inspire you to choose off-the-beaten-track destinations by sharing objective and detailed information. I believe that it is mainly the lack of “intel” that keeps us away from incredible places. And that just shouldn’t be the case.
