(Daniel) This morning, and over a breakfast of feta cheese, cucumber, dried toast and jam we decided to check out the city. We first walked to Imam Komemi Square, this is the second largest square in the world, behind Tiananmen Square, and is really a sight to behold. It is covered in archways, which lead into the bazaars behind, and has a huge mosque at one end, with a park in the middle. In it’s creation there was a Polo field in the square, and the posts still remain from where the goals once stood. The Iranians invented Polo, and I imagine that it must have been spectacular to watch a match here in days gone by.
As we walked through the square, many people came up to us, and welcomed us to Iran, they all wanted to talk and show us what a wonderful place Iran is. I found it quite sad, and will always remember as one man who was desperate to show us around the town, called to us as we walked away, “Please remember to tell people back in your country the truth about Iran! There are many stories and they are just not true!” I felt heartbroken, to think that America is talking about invading this country. I hope that they are just throwing their weight around, and if anyone thinks that we should invade Iran, they had better come and meet some of the people and think what will happen to them if that happens. I could not have any of these friendly and kind people’s blood on my hands, ever.
In Iran there is a festival going on to commemorate the death of The Martyr Hossain, and for this reason, there was a lot of activity going on putting up tents and speakers etc. I stopped to talk to some people while Rowan and Gabby walked on ahead, and soon got separated from them, when I eventually found them they had met a young man outside a carpet shop, who was talking to them about the town and what to see. He introduced himself as Abed, and invited us into his shop for some tea, and to have a chat. We obliged and went in to sit down. Far from having carpets shoved down our throats, no mention was made of them, and instead we discussed politics and tourism.
We agreed to meet Abed and his friend Essy for lunch in an hour and went for a walk to get our appetites up. I must admit that I was a little cautious, as people here were almost too nice. You couldn’t walk down the street without being stopped five or six times by people, just wanting to talk, and invite you for lunch. Having lived in England, and travelled in countries where you had to watch out for cons etc. and nearly being the victim of one in Istanbul just a few days before, alarms were ringing every time people were so nice. But slowly it was dawning on me that this is just the way that people are.
After our walk we went back to the shop, on the way we met a chap who said something that I though was worth noting, he said that the world is like a book, and that a person who does not travel can read only one page. To read the whole story one must turn the page, by travelling to other countries and meeting other people. This seemed especially fitting for our journey. When we returned to the shop, Abed and Essy were waiting. We walked with Abed to a local restaurant and ordered up various different dishes so as to get a taste for the cuisine. We then walked back to the carpet shop and sat down upstairs to eat. The boys were very kind, and told us all about the area and answered many of the questions that we were afraid to ask. Abed even brought out a bottle of Cognac during the meal. This shocked us as our understanding was that it was illegal to drink in Iran. The truth is that Christians are allowed to drink in private, and that many people drink, behind closed doors! We thanked the boys for their hospitality, and made a plan to meet Abed for dinner. Then walked back to the Hotel for a rest.
Later we went back to the shop and met Abed. The Hossain festivities were really getting into the swing. Far from being a fun filled festival, men stand and scream about the hardships of people who died over a thousand years ago, the crowd cries and beats themselves with their hands and chains. The overall effect is quite horrifying, but actually the people are following a tradition, and behind the scenes food is given away for free, and people get a chance to catch up with each other and get together in a country where parties and nightclubs are forbidden!
Abed walked with us back towards the hotel, to a shop where we met up with Abed’s girlfriend, another illegal practice in Iran. This really was the start of a learning curve, as the curtain on real life in Iran was drawn back for us. Together the five of us went to a tea house in the bazaar, and smoked a waterpipe or Hookah. Just for those who don’t know, the Hookah, is a waterpipe that filters flavoured smoke through water to taste in a similar way to cigars, they are a national pastime in most Middle Eastern countries. However in Iran, the Mullahs are tying to abolish them, and there are only two Tea shops left in Esfahan that serve them.
They contain flavoured tobaccos, from Watermelon to cappuccino and not any illegal substances, as some people may associate it with! In the South East of the country people have been known to put opium in the Hookah, but that is not normal practice by any means. We drank tea and chatted over two waterpipes, one with apple and the other with orange tobacco, although I don’t smoke any more, I don’t think that there is any harm in sampling this Eastern tradition.
After Tea, we walked to the main square, and took a taxi to the Arabo sandwich shop. We hadn’t thought about it, but Abed’s tip for a great dinner was fast food joint that served hot dogs and sandwiches. Quite funny really, but he obviously didn’t know Rowan and Gabbs! Nonetheless the sandwiches were excellent and Abed let us into a little known fact, that the secret ingredient of the hotdogs at Arabo is wild boar! What with being an Armenian area, most of the residents are Christian, and just across the road from the shop was a huge church over 500 years old. The sandwich shop is a favourite hangout for all the young people, and tonight they lined the street in their cars trying to look cool. The current fashion in Iran is a bit like an Elvis and James Dean mixed style, with big quiffs and white flares, very strange! I guess that they are a little behind, what with being so cut off from the rest of the world! After dinner we took a taxi back to the hotel and slept.
