Iran! Well, the name can evoke mixed thoughts on one's mind. I too had some apprehensions about visiting Iran. 'Is it a place for tourists?' was one of my many concerns.
But finally after all the discussions and reading up, we started for our trip to, Shiraz' the cultural capital of Iran. We came across a few Iranians in the Sharjah airport (UAE) and they gave us a rough idea on what to expect there. The most important thing while travelling to Iran is women must cover their head with a scarf at all times, except in the privacy of your own home/hotel room. Also sleeveless, short sleeves, short tops, shorts, etc are strictly not allowed. Both men and women are supposed to be fully covered.
This was ok by me, I picked up some full length trousers, Jeans and long & full sleeves tops along with a scarf for the trip. For my 1yr old we carried along Gerber, cerelac, and other baby foods. This proved to be a good decision as we did not find stores in Shiraz selling the same. Fruits and vegetables are found in plenty here.
We came across many fast food joints selling pizzas and burgers. But we preferred digging into the local Iranian Cuisine. For chicken and meat eaters there is quite a lot of choice, the tandoori delights are a must try. But for vegetarians like me it can be a bit tough. Adas, made of lentil was a good vegetarian choice and of course the Iranian breads are very soft and delectable. The pilaf rice or saffron rice is also available everywhere. 'Faluda' is another must try. There is a place serving faluda exclusively in front of the 'argh khan fort' and is open till late in the night.
While waiting for my faluda in front of the 'argh khan fort' I was approached by some friendly Iranian female students, studying at the Shiraz university of technology. What I found good to see, is both men and women are free to roam around with each other and there seemed to be no restrictions as such, except for the clothing bit. The students chatted with me about where I came from and how we were liking Iran. They said their byes later with a 'welcome to Iran, have a good trip' line. Later I realised that most locals you come across are so friendly and almost all of them say 'welcome to Iran' and other niceties.
The Iranian people are very found of poetry and have a keen interest in the fine arts. Iranian movies have always found critical aclaim around the world. At the Hussain Tomb (a very famous Iranian poet/philosopher), one can witness the Iranian people's love for poetry. This place is peaceful and a source of inspiration for many.
For shopoholics, the vakil or wakeel market is an ideal place to be. It is a huge market in typical souq style with lanes and bylanes of shops selling all kinds of traditional Iranian things. The persian carpets and rugs are a riot of colours and a delight to own. The prices were also quite cheap I must say. Lot of collectables of persepolis (the ancient historic city) are available as well. And while here it is a good idea to pick up some ceramic Iranian art. Buying some local dresses was on my list too. Vakil market is huge and requires more than a day to explore. Friday is a holiday.
A visit to Shiraz Iran is not complete without visiting the ancient city of persepolis, plenty of history and a long tradition of tourism can be seen here. It is 70km away from Shiraz. This place attracts both foreigners and locals in equal numbers. People from all over Iran come to visit Shiraz, the city of gardens and culture. I was amused to find over 200 tents put up in parks and other such places, this is the typical way in which most local visitors prefer to stay as it saves up on hotel rents.
Language is not a problem here. Most can manage english and the guides especially are good at explaining things in English. The tourism companies employ guides who are educated and trained in this field. Even french speaking guides are available on request. In fact I heard a local Iranian friend say that 'merci' and merci beaucoup' are persian words :-)
There are many other places of interest in shiraz, but I have time only to talk about the above for now. Overall Shiraz Iran was a good experience, I learnt so much about this beautiful country.
