Sunday 28th April, 2019
Landed in Tehran early in the morning and spent the day catching up with housekeeping before going with our friend Mohammad to one of his english lessons in the late afternoon. His pupils were two young women from well-off families living in north Tehran in a plush appartment.
Once again we were made very welcome and were offered fruit, cakes and tea whilst we were having conversation in english. They were delighted to have the opportunity to speak with native english speakers and we had some interesting discussions regarding genetics !
We had a farewell dinner in the eveningwith Mohammad and Ma’in and were sad to leave our friends.
Monday 29th April, 2019 – Hamedan
Drove to Hamedan, around 4 hours South West of Tehran. The town is a gateway to the Zagros Mountain range and was always a mercantile route. Little remains of architectural interest but the town has a dynamic feel with some trendy shops. It has a large pedestrian square giving access to the Tomb of Avicenna (Ibn Al-Sina) a 10th century muslim scientist who fled Bukhara ( Uzbekistan) and settled in Hamedan around 1015 to practise as a doctor. Most of the books he wrote have been lost but his “Book of Healing and Canon of Medicine” was the standard medical textbook in Europe until the mid 17th century.
Hamedan used to have one of the largest jewish community in Iran but today only the Tomb of Esther and Mordichai remains and according to the custodian only 10 families still practice their faith. The tomb is of medieval origin with a low and narrow entrance forcing those who enter to bend their heads in respect.
Tomb of Esther and Mordichai 
Another building of interest is Gonbad-e Alavian, mausoleum to the Alavian family who controlled the city for 2 centuries although experts argue over the exact time it was built ( 14th century ?). The building has wonderful plaster work despite the present dust and gloom inside and out.
Gonbad-e Alavian
Tuesday 30th April, 2019 – Bisotun
Continuing our way south we stopped at Bisotun, 30km before Kermanshah to admire the immense rock reliefs dating from 521 BC and depicting the victories of Darius the great. The reliefs are very high on the mountain face and scaffolding erected for conservation work block the view. There is no access. However with the help of binoculars one can admire the picture set in stone. Very impressive considering it was carved 2,500 years ago and must have sent a clear message to anyone passing, even from a distance.
Statue of Heracles- 148 BC 
Pic-nic : national passtime 
Old caravanserai
Wednesday 1st May, 2019 – Kermanshah -Taq-e Bostan
The town of Kermanshah was heavily bombed during the Iran-Irak war and many posters of “Martyrs” :young men killed in the conflict, still adorned lampposts and city squares. ( This is true of many cities and small towns in Iran too). There are 2 huge military bases near the town.
North-west to the town is another site of interest:Taq-e Bostan. Two small “grottoes” with elaborate carvings are set in the side of the mountain. The exact function of these manmade caves is unclear but the hunting scenes depicted suggest they were part of
what is called a paradeisos ( hunting garden) dating from the Sasanid period: ((224 – 658 AD).
On the way, we passed wide valleys with fertile soil and saw lots of sherperds leading their flocks to pastures.
We stopped overnight in the small town of Aligudarz. There, after failing to find somewhere to eat (nothing appealed…) we were coming back to the truck to have a frugal dinner of bread, tomatoes and cheese, when a young woman accosted us and after some exchange in english, invited us to her house where her family was eagerly waiting for us. We took a taxi, but had to walk the last hundred meters as a wedding party was underway on the street with loud music and traditional dancing. We feasted our eyes and ears… Once in the house, we were greeted by the mother, brother and a younger sister who spoke good english and did most of the traduction during the evening.( sorry cannot remember your name !) The house comprised one large room with carpets on the floor but otherwise devoid of furniture and a couple of bedrooms to the side. The family were genuinely pleased to have us as guests and they shared with us their meal of Gormeh Sabzi ( another staple of iranian cooking: chicken or lamb cooked with beans and a mix of herbs giving it a slight sour taste). Sonaz and family, if you are reading this, a million thanks for the pleasant evening and delicious food.
Thursday 2nd May, 2019 Kashan
We made our way to Kashan arriving early afternoon .This town is a popular tourist destination thanks to some wonderful example of rich merchant houses dating from the late 19th century. We visited these on a previous trip so our main aim was to go to the Maranjab desert some 60km away. The road goes as far as Aran and Bidgol then you pass a checkpoint where you are told you need a guide and cannot go any further without an irani person on board your vehicle. The area is sensitive due to military installations but I suspect this is also a nice little earner: we were asked to pay USD 40. Not such a large amount in the scheme of things but we refused on principle as it did not seemed justified and thought our access would be limited.
We instead visited the Shrine to Hilal ibn Ali in Aran and Bigdol ( he was the son of Imam Ali (AS) who himself was the cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad ). Just outside the mausoleum building one can notice the sound of melodic prayers that some visitors say upon the graves of fallen heroes of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war (embedded in the floor of the courtyard). Women have to wear the chador as this is a religious place. ( provided free if you do not have one !) Many visitors offer sweets and cakes as part of their devotions. We stood out as tourists and a young girl offered to guide us through the building. It is quite impressive with its blue-tiled minarets, arched arcades, domes and halls.
Inside is heavily decorated with mirror-tiled ceilings, stained glass windows and chandeliers.
We chatted for a while with our volunteer guide, she offered us ice creams and her father who was there to remember his deceased father even invited us to go and stay with them. We had to turn down the offer as we wanted to move on.
