April 16, 2005

I am now in Espahan, a city straight out of a tale from the Arabian nights

BACKGROUND INFO
City in central Iran with 1.4 million inhabitants (2005 estimate) on the Zayandeh River, 400 km from the Persian Gulf on an elevation of 1,600 metres above sea level in the Zagros Mountains. It is the capital of Esfahan province with 4.4 million inhabitants (2005 estimate) and an area of 107,027 km².

Esfahan is well-known for its architectural wonders and public gardens. Much now rests in ruins, but still a lot is preserved or has been restored. One of several landmark of Esfahan is the formerly royal mosque, now Masjid-e Imam, from the 17th century, one of the best examples of Persian architecture. Other landmarks are the 17th century bridges, unique with their arches.

I did a seven kilometer walk through a labyrinth of streets and alleys, wandering through the bazaar... an authentic one, not a tourist one, seeing Persians going about their everyday life. Many little shops. The scents were a wonderful blend of spices and herbs.

Fine hand crafted urns at the Esfahan Bazaar

Got lost in the fruits and vegetables market and met a merchant who insisted that I take a picture of him in front of a mountain of fresh onions! Then I had to wait until he found somebody able to transcribe his address into our alphabet.

I also ventured into the animal market where I saw all kinds of birds, even chicks, brightly coloured in fushia or orange. Do they dye their feathers, I wonder?

I visted a couple of mosques with superb mosaics. I finished this memorable and most pleasant day at Imam Square (shown bottom left), a real gem of past splendor.

The Great Mosque dating back to the 11th Century

The Mihrab and Minbars inside the Great Mosque

At the far end of the square is the Royal Mosque,Imam Mosque

I had tea and cakes on the rooftop of a tea house overlooking the square. A gorgeous panoramic view, with the mosque, the palace and the arcades in the golden light of late afternoon. I shall visit the square leisurely tomorrow.

On the terraces there were many young Iranians, males and females, smoking a water pipe and sipping tea. Also a group of German tourists that were amazed that I was travelling on my own and that I had received a visa so easily. They were part of a tour group, able to vist the country for only a week and had been returned their passports only at the airport. Needless to say I feel blessed.

April 17, 2005

My days are well filled. I set off mid morning and come back to my guest house around 9pm. The evenings here are warm and velvety. I cover a lot of ground, mostly by foot; it is a great way to take the pulse of this magnificent city permeated with the enchanting, languid charm of the Orient.

Today, I left the Muslim part of Esfahan to explore the Christian Armenian quarter. For this I had to cross one of the many bridges. I chose the Si o Seh Pol (or the 33 Bridge, because it has 33 arches). It dates back from the 17th century. Made of sand coloured stone, it throws over the water gracious arcades through which one can amble and catch panoramic glimpses of the river. I stopped a long time under one of the vaults to have a picnic lunch. The water was a deep green, dappled with sunshine. I could see people enjoying a paddle in bright coloured peddle boats shaped like swans. I could hear the pearly laughter of some young girls giggling under their chador. At one end of the bridge at the bottom, a little tea house where locals were relaxing, watching the flow of the river while sipping some tea and taking a few drags from their water pipe.
Very idyllic.

Once on the other side I stopped to "chat" with an old man perched on top of his motorcycle, fishing! He showed me his catch, quite big specimen in fact. He had his fishing tackle tied to a little bell. So everytime a fish would bite, he could hear it. Very ingenious. I congratulated him and then left. He called me back frantically. I was walking away, my feet all entangled in his fishing thread! It took a while to extricate myself. Of course, he was unable to help me; touching strange women is taboo here!

Church of Beit-ol Lahm (Bethlehem) in Esfahan, Iran

I enjoyed the Armenian district. It has the feel of a village. Small streets, sand colored buildings with wrought iron windows and ancient wooden doors. I visited the 17th century Vank Cathedral. Even though it is a church, it has the dome shape of a Mosque. Inside dazzling gilded frescoes painted in vibrant colours in "naif" style with the usual Christian imagery underneath Islamic tiles, an interesting combination. The festooned ceiling took my breath away; it looked like it had been finely decorated with the tiniest of brushes.

There are not many tourists in Iran, even here in Esfahan, a famous Persian city. There are tour groups, all from Europe, none from North America and independent travellers vacationing in pairs. Have not come across any female travelling alone yet. Hope I will so that we can exchange impressions.

Iran is an inexpensive country. A hotel room with bathroom, TV and telephone costs around $15 US with breakfast. Breakfast is an interesting meal. Tea, of course, with bread, cheese and jam. Up until now I have tried two types of bread. Both have the texture of pita; one is flat and looks like bubble wrapping while the other resembles corrigated cardboard. They are in fact quite tasty. So is the cheese, creamy with a strong flavour.

Iranian food can be sometimes challenging to your palate at first. Imagine being confronted with carrot jam or garlic yogurt... but when you are hungry, you eat!

My only mild complaint is the stand up toilet. A gaping hole and two slabs often slippery like ice. I guess the good side is that on top of allowing me to attend to my natural needs it allows me to fortify my backside and inner thigh muscles!

TV for me is quite boring. In Terhan, I was able to catch BBC World in English but here I am stuck with Persian TV. Not much of a variety.

Either you have American cop shows dubbed in Farsi or sirupy soaps with people flirting with their eyes or having emotional fits. They also have lots of religious programs and documentaries on rural Iran. Needless to say I go to sleep early.

The cleaning ladies in the hotels are unique. They are usually elderly matrons. All of them are extremely affectionate when they come in to do the room. They grab me in their arms, smack a noisy kiss on my cheek and shout, "Canada very good". You get used to it and almost look forward to it!

Transport is cheap, too. I paid $3.00 in a comfortable, air conditionned Volvo bus. When we set off I was offered a drink and some cookies. On my first trip, for some mysterious reason, the driver decided to turn off the air conditioning after an hour. In my coat and scarf, I started to cook in my own juices. So did the other Iranian ladies, I am sure, as they were wearing more layers than I. The men felt fine in their shirtsleeves. How unfair! In the end, I could not stand it anymore. I pressed the button marked "Attendant".

A youngster materialized in front of me with a ready smile. I explained in gestures that I was too hot, pointing at the air conditioning vent. Sympathetic, he brought me a cold drink and turned on the cool air again. What a relief. The rest of the journey passed quite pleasantly watching the street vendors waving magnificent bouquets at us and Persian families picnicking on the side of the road. I could not help but smile however when I noticed the male passengers, one after the other grabbing their coats.

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