Cradle of Civilization and Birthplace of Astrology
A fair record of my trip to Iran is on my blog and you're more than welcome to read about it there. But here are some pictures and notes from the trip.
A lot of Americans think Iran is dangerous, but it's not really. "But how can you go into a country that's at war?" one friend asked. Iran hasn't been at war with anyone since 1988. It does have a repressive government and you want to behave while you're there, but as long as you observe the rules and don't do anything stupid, it's really quite safe. At Ahwaz I was with in 50 miles of Iraq, and in Mashhad only about 100 miles from Afghanistan. But everywhere it was safe and -- with some adjustments for the plumbing -- quite comfortable. The Iranians are amazingly friendly and hospitable. It's a beautiful country and I can't recommend it enough as a place to visit.
Ooops. I lied! Iran is horribly, terrifyingly, deadly dangerous for just one thing: Iranian driving! It is the most chaotic, scary, riskiest adventure I've ever encountered. Boston, Italy, even Morocco all have saner traffic. Whenever I wanted to cross a busy street I watched the locals and would cross with them between me and the oncoming traffic. But aside from that, it really is a very safe and beautiful country!
The civilization of Iran goes back thousands of years, through the Persian Empire, and as part of the Abassid Empire that stretched from China to Spain a thousand years ago. When the rising empire of Arab Muslims brought their religion to Persia, they found cultural treasures which would become the basis for many Islamic arts and traditions. The Iranians still regard this as a mixed blessing and refer to the Arab invasion. Aside from the Arab invasion Persia/Iran has also survived the Greek conquest by Alexander, the Mongol invasion under Genghis Khan, and colonialization by Britain and the US. They have learned, adapted, and thrived through the millenia. Rather than presuming we have so much to teach them, we should be eager to learn from their long historical experience. (Although I prefer to think we can all learn from each other!)
Susa, Shusha, and the Tomb of Daniel
Persepolis: the Magnificent Capital of Ancient Persia
More to come.....
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