From ayatollahs railing against the
Great Satan (aka the United States) to whip-wielding policemen on
motorbikes, Iran hasn't presented the most inviting face to the outside
world over the last few decades. But a few days ago the UK Foreign
Office stopped telling travellers to avoid non-essential trips. So
what's it like for a visiting foreigner? Amy Guttman shares her
experiences.
I'm fairly fearless in far-flung places, but arriving
in Tehran made me nervous. As a single, white female, I stuck out. I
scanned the hall for my guide Amin, and didn't relax until I spotted his
placard with my name on it.
British, American and Canadian
tourists must be accompanied at all times by a guide. This meant Amin,
short in stature, but long in kindness, would spend the next eight days
with me - many of them stretching from dawn until late at night. Amin,
with his warm smile, sharp sense of humour, and gentle nature became
like a brother to me. He also became my accountant. Hotels, food and
souvenirs are roughly on a par with American prices, but for an outsider
working this out can be tricky - Iran uses the rial, but prices are often in toman, which equal 10 rials... Let's just say there are several zeros to contend with, and long-division skills are a necessity.
A view of the Alborz Mountains beyond Tehran
Hotels in Iran are like a time
warp, circa 1979. That's when the Islamic Revolution forced the
termination of all foreign hotel contracts. Nowadays, they're referred
to by their former names, like "the old Sheraton". But despite the lack
of modern amenities and contemporary decor, the hotels I experienced
were very clean, and functional.
Breakfast is tea, dates, and
watermelon, served with thick, sesame-topped flatbread and honey or
quince jam, and sometimes whipped cream. Yes, whipped cream!
The
only thing missing was coffee - good coffee. A government backlash
against Western habits, such as socialising in coffee shops, has
shuttered many of Tehran's cafes. A few good coffee shops near the
university and north Tehran remain, but even the strongest cup doesn't
taste like a proper Americano. On the other hand, coffee drinking - and
cupcakes in typical American flavours such as red velvet - are gaining
in popularity. A Persian Starbucks would have bright prospects.
Amy Guttman at the Golestan Palace in Tehran
The Espinas Hotel, built in
2009, comes closest to five-star luxury. An influx of foreign tourists
has provided valuable lessons for local hoteliers like Amir Mousapour,
who manages the Espinas. "European guests always ask for quiet rooms,
away from the street, on high floors," he tells me. "We never had that
request before."
According to the Tehran Times, the number of
European tourists who visited the country in spring 2014 was more than
double the number who visited in the same period a year earlier.
All
women, including foreign tourists, must wear a headscarf and manteau, a
loose robe covering neck to knee, including elbows. Only the most
religious are cloaked in black. Most women embrace colours and patterns.
An
entire cottage industry has emerged to supply this mandatory uniform.
At one end of the scale you find bespoke interpretations from design
studios in sophisticated styles such as a pale-blue linen duster coat,
or fabric overlays in contrasting shades. Some are casual, others
elegant.
But there is a manteau for everyone. I wore a shirt dress
over trousers, which was totally acceptable, but visited Tehran's
Friday Market to buy more manteaux for the rest of my trip. There were
rooms and rooms of vendors selling antiquities, handicrafts, jewellery,
household goods, rugs and clothing, all crowded with local people. Most
tourists head to the Grand Bazaar, but it's the Friday Market where the
bargains are - and haggling is a must.
Iranian women at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran, in 2014
I wandered through it with
Sarah, another guide, who watched me admire an inexpensive, vintage
pendant and instructed me not to buy it. "I have one just like it at
home. I will give it to you," Sarah said. The legendary Persian
hospitality was in full swing, with no expectation of anything in
return. I was relieved she was by my side, when I received a warning
from the religious police - my headscarf had slipped to the back of my
neck and needed to be returned to the top of my head.
One long
road, Vali Asr, divides the east and west of Tehran, charting the
personalities of the city as it snakes from south to north. The south
is home to the more religious and traditional, working and middle
classes. The north is home to Tehran's elite, successful business owners
and the Alborz Mountains. In the south you find affordable dress shops
selling conservative styles - further north, these turn into boutiques,
which wouldn't be out of place in a European capital.
The streets
are quiet in Tehran in the early morning - until the rush-hour begins.
Then they become choked with traffic, and it stays that way all day and
into the night. Apart from that it's easy to get around Tehran, and the
rest of the country too. Most tourists travel by car, often with a guide
who is also a driver. The roads seemed perfectly safe to me.
A cleric stokes the coals of the "sacred eternal flame" at the Zoroastrian Fire Temple
I also took a short, domestic
flight to the city of Yazd, famous for its 15 different cookies and a
Fire Temple, containing a flame kept alight since 470 AD.
In the
departures hall, before the flight back to Tehran, men and women were
quite casual about mixing in public. A friendly man in his mid-thirties,
carrying a box of cookies for his family back home, struck up a
conversation with me. We joked about everyday topics and his geniality
didn't stop once we boarded the plane. After we landed, he saw me
waiting for Amin while family members and taxi drivers came to meet
others. "Are you OK? Is someone coming for you?" he asked. I assured him
my guide was probably delayed by traffic, but he insisted on waiting
with me until Amin arrived.
I also met women who made a big
impression. Fatemeh Fereidooni established her own travel agency two
years ago. She's a strong, single woman and the first to offer culinary
tours in Iran - as good a sign as any, that Western tourism is on the
up. With eight different kinds of bread in Tehran alone and each region
of the country producing its own unique watermelon, there is no shortage
of stops. Dishes like lamb with pomegranates and walnuts, herb stew
with beans and turmeric-seasoned beef or jewelled saffron rice with
slivers of almonds and dried fruit read like an Ottolenghi menu - an
imaginative reinvention of Middle Eastern cuisine - except they are
Persian classics.
A tourist admires the facade of the Golestan Palace
The steady increase in Western
guests has already given Iranians a chance to study what it is that
these visitors want - from their obsession with food, to their quest for
a good night's sleep.
Thankfully, Mr Mousapour and his colleagues are learning to set aside a few quiet rooms. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.
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