The "Other" Iran- The Christians of Persia

The “Other Iran” The Christians of Persia

The Historical square in Esfahan.

Welcome to Esfahan, a city littered with the history of ancient Persia, from the mosques to the squares, to the food, the pottery, the literacy’s and the people. Despite the vast historical potential here in Esfahan, I discovered something very unique, a part of Iran that I did not know existed, at least not openly. This was the Christians of Iran.

Esfahan is known for being the cultural centre of ancient Persia, its historical bridge, squares, universities, gardens and palaces were all pillars of Persian society, yet the ones that designed and built these magnificent structures were as I found out, Armenian Christians.



Brian and Patrick, cruising the streets of Esfhan.



The Shahs(Kings) of Persia were so impressed by the skills of Christians artisans from the parts of historic Armenia that they conquered that they felt they had to bring these people to build the heart of their empire. The Armenian area they conquered was called  “Jolfa”, a town that still is located in Northern Iran, and is home to one of the most impressive Christian cathedrals in the middle east I am told. The Shahs gave a section of the city to the Christians, this area of Esfahan is also called Jolfa, they gave them religious freedom and exempt them from certain laws that Muslims must obey, such as the consumption of alcohol.

Amazing blue mosque in Esfahan. What a great first day.

The relationship between the Persians and the Armenians thus grew, and flourished, where today despite being a strict Islamic Republic, the Christians of Iran are guaranteed seats in the Iranian parliament and are allowed to follow their faith openly, and are still exempt from certain state rules, again including the consumption of alcohol and they are permitted to hold mixed sex parties and play mixed sex sports. I am even told they have their own night club in Tehran, which I suppose I will have to look up later on in this trip.

Main Mosque of Esfahan, truly beautiful.

Regardless, Esfahan is a beautiful place, the weather was warm and the light summer breeze made walking around this magnificent city a true pleasure. I explored the ancient square, visited the old city mosque, saw the dozens of shops selling fine Persian pottery, designed with the intricacies of Islam and ancient Persia, I sipped countless cups of tea and discussed my love of Iran with many of the Persians I met, it was a great first day.

Inside the mosque complex.

Day two, I made it my mission to explore the Christian section of town. I headed for Jolfa, not far from my guest house. When I arrived I saw cathedrals a plenty, designed very similarly to the mosques throughout the country. And then it struck me, many of these mosques were designed and built by Christians and resemble Christian churches, AMAZING! I had noticed a vast difference between Persian mosques and others in the Arab or sub-continent worlds, but it made sense now. Truly remarkable!

I also discovered that this area of town is not only protected by the government in Tehran, but it is celebrated, as the Christians of Iran hold a special place in society. The same as the Jews in Shiraz, their roots run deep in this land, and contrary to our beliefs out in the west Christians, Muslims and Jews have been living side by side in this country for thousands of years, it’s  not new to them it’s just new to us, lol.

The Christian quarter of Esfahan.

Outside Vank cathedral(Which is the Armenian short form of Holy Saviour cathedral), the main church in Esfahan stands a proud statue of an Armenian inventor, Khachatur Kesratsi ,  who brought the printing press to the Middle East! An invention claimed by Persia, and as such they celebrate it, even though it was a Christian who invented it. I walked about the church complex, visited by Armenians, Persians and other tourists. People come from all over Iran, not matter what their faith to see this historic place. I was amazed! It was here that I learned more about the Armenian genocide of the early 20^th century, at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. The exhibit was moving and Iran shows support for their Armenian minority in displaying it.

It was an emotional day, to see all this history before me, celebrated by people I am told hate Christians. How can we have this misconception? When it is so open to see here in Iran? I puzzle about this, as the more I learn about Iran, the more I discover it is not as cookie cutter as our government portrays it, and why should it be? This country has 7000 years of history! We in Canada and the States a mere few hundred.

Inside the Vank Cathedral complex.

Of course, it is important to pay attention to the reality of the situation. I discussed at length the relationship between Christians and muslims in Iran with Persians and they explained that even though Christians are allowed, if a muslim converts to Christianity, they can be executed. So it is not all rosey cheeks, but the notion that Persians hate Christians is not true, of all the Persians talked to, they embraced the Christians in their country as brothers, not outsiders, and even I as I have said before have been celebrated for being a Christian by muslims.

Soon I will head north to the beating heart of Iran, Tehran. Here I shall go to visit a close friend, Ali Banki and I am so glad that I have seen so much of his country to discuss with him. Iran has many treasures, many of which I have yet discover. Those that take the time to come to Iran know that the rewards far outweigh the price of getting here. I encourage everyone to come to Iran to see for themselves what is not being told of this incredible country.

Inside Vank Cathedral. Amazing art, and who knew?

Cheers to all for this incredible and surprising portion of Iran.

William Delaney

The "Other" Iran- A glass of Shiraz Anyone?

Shiraz, Iran.

Me, Fabs and the Persian Army.

August 2012

Well here we are, in the famed city of Shiraz. Legend has it that French crusaders brought grapes from Shiraz back to France and formed the modern say Syrah or Shiraz that I so love to enjoy on an evening out.

One of the many beautiful gardens of Shiraz.

Regardless of whether this is true or not, Shiraz the city is a must see when visiting Iran, it is right at the heart of the ancient Persia and is one of the mostly lively and liberal minded cities in Iran. Although many come here to visit the mighty persopolis and the surrounding attractions, the city of Shiraz itself is a gem, full of gardens, tombs of grand poets and offers up opportunities to meet some of the friendliest people in all of Persia.

Ancient gardens in Shiraz.

I have to say, the irony of how many Persians are in Vancouver did not set in to me until visiting Shiraz. Time after time while traveling in Iran I am asked, where are you from? I respond, Canada, and then they ask, ahhhh are you from Vancouver? I have an uncle there, or a cousin, or brother, sister, friend, etc. And the truth is, I am from Vancouver, and as I mentioned in my earlier post, I have some very good friends that are Persian in Vancouver. So immediately I have been able to establish a bond with so many people around this country, simply by just growing up in a place so many of them know or wish to live. A cool connection indeed.

Henry, Fabs and I stayed at a lovely little guest house in the centre of Shiraz, within walking distance of the famed undercover night market. We ate some fantastic food, and Fabrizio's couch surfing contacts guided us all over Shiraz. We visited lavish gardens, the beautiful tombs of the Poet's Sadi and Hafez, and saw the impressive gate that one enters into Shiraz. One quirky experience we got was when Fabrizio and I were stopped by a few soldiers outside the gate of Shiraz, the young men were dressed in full uniform, and I have not seen soldiers act so serious since I was at the Iran border with Afghanistan. The soldiers wanted nothing more than to take pictures with us and were thrilled to meet us and speak to us through our friend. Ironic indeed it is, an army that is supposed to hate me taking so much joy in having their photo taken with me. And one of the guys was a straight reincarnation of the Persian King Darius, I have said it before and I will say it again, Persians are dam good looking people.

Watching the sun set over Shiraz with the couch surfers of Iran.

The next day, Henry, Fabs and I embarked on our journey to visit the Tomb of Cyrus the Great, one of the most famous Persian kings. We also visited Necropolis, which I would describe as Iran's version of Petra(The famous Jordanian city, featured in Indiana Jones' Last crusade), and of course the mighty Persian imperial capital of Persepolis. Being a guy who loves history, this was a day that shall last forever in my mind, rivaling even the experience I had five years ago in Egypt when I first saw the pyramids. Persepolis lived up to expectations and the other sites were just the icing on the cake. Iran is truly a marvel for one to explore, and I have merely scratched the surface of its historical potential. I know now, that due to my time frame I will not be able to see all that is in Iran, not even close and am already planning on a return trip!

Shiraz by night.

The scorching hot day in Persepolis gave way to of course a fine round of ice cream covered in pistachio nuts, a Persian staple. And smoking a hooka pipe, hanging out with some other young Persians watching the sun set down over Shiraz was the perfect ending to such a glorious part of this country.

I maintain that if anyone of you reading this plans to visit Iran, a trip to Iran is not complete without seeing Shiraz and its surroundings.

Me and Henry at the Tomb of Cyrus.

The tomb of Cyrus the Great.

Henry living the dream in the Iran heat.

The only thing I have missed out on is the opportunity to have a glass of Shiraz in Shiraz! I was told by my contacts here that on my next visit to inform them in advance and they will contact some of their christian or Jewish friends(Shiraz has a large and thriving Persian Jewish community) and make it happen! I am stoked and cannot wait for my next visit.

Glorious Petra.

Entrance to Persepolis.

Necropolis.

Henry, Fabs and I are about to part ways. I will be heading north to Esfahan tomorrow, Henry will be catching a domestic flight up to Tehran and Fabrizio is heading off to see some desert castles in Bolochistan, near the far east of Iran.

Top View of Persepolis.

Henry reading about Persian history.

Thank you so much to all those that made Shiraz such a special stop. I will always maintain that a "Glass of Shiraz in Iran, is always HALF FULL". I am more historically armed, and I know now that I will be back to Iran again, and I haven't even left yet!

Team AWESOME, we shall meet again Mr. Tindal.

Cheers and god bless.

William Delaney

The "Other Iran"- The Ancient Home of the Three Wise Men

Yazd, Iran.

Grand Mosque, old town Yazd.

August 2012.

The adventure continues here in Iran. I left Mashhad with such a positive first impression of this vastly misunderstood country. I have now discovered here in Yazd, it ain't just Mashhad that was special, the people all over this country are incredible.

When I arrived in Yazd, I stayed at the Silk Road Hotel. This place is literally the backpacker Mecca for south central Iran. I met Europeans from Spain, Ireland, Italy, Germany, even Lithuania. It was a vastly different crowd than I expected, and all these people were just beyond excited to be here in Iran. Most of these other travelers had come to Iran via Turkey or Armenia, and some from Central Asia. I was the only one to come the other land route from Afghanistan, so we swapped stories and traded ideas and places to stay.

Zoroastrian Fire Temple. The ancient home of the Three Wise Men.

I met many people who were "couch surfing" in Iran. Now couch surfing is a great way to travel, I have done it in Europe before and it is an excellent avenue to get local information and guidance and usually make some great friends in the process, and I have hosted people from overseas in Calgary before. I have never used this site  in the developing world, for various reasons,  but all these other Europeans informed me that Persians due to the increasing sanctions placed on them are all the more ecstatic about hosting foreigners. They are keen to learn, and I managed to meet up with a number of Persian couch surfers, thanks largely in part to my good friend Fabrizio, from Italia.

Inside the fire temple.

For those of you interested in couch surfing in Iran, check out this site:

http://www.couchsurfing.org/

Regardless. Yazd is a special place and when I was making my plans for visiting Iran, a recurring thought kept popping into my head, the three wise men of the bible are said to be from Iran...... I NEED to find where they are from. Now I played one of the three wise men in our school play back in the 4th grade, and ever since then I have had a fascination for understanding more about these mysterious men than crossed half the known world to see our lord and savior be born in the most humble of places. I visited Bethlehem last year and right there staring at the art work of the nativity scene I kept contemplating the fact that these men went on foot and by camel all the way from IRAN! I dream of being able to make that journey myself, hopefully Iraq and Syria will one day stabilize and I may be able to pull it off.

Playing Volleyball in the middle of the night.

The three wise men, are said to have been Zoroastrian priests, also called the "Magi", and were known in the ancient world to be the wisest of the wise, and made huge inroads in the fields of science, mathematics, astronomy and engineering. Yazd is the city where the Zoroastrian fire temple still stands, and the same flame has been burning for thousands of years. So I felt that going to visit this temple is a phenomenal way to connect with something that the three wise men took part in and helped create, the eternal flame of Zoroaster.

Henry at one of the desert villages.

I visited this temple on my first day in Yazd, and explored around the old city. It has a very ancient feel in the old town, but the modern Yazd has all the amenities of Mashhad, with a bit more of a small town charm. A fantastic city indeed.

Patrick, Brian and Lucia.

A brief background about Zoroastrians. Zoroastrians are said to be the first monotheistic faith in the world. The religion was coined by the man Zoroaster, who is from modern day Afghanistan. As I mentioned in the Afghan Posts, I visited his birth place just outside Mazar-e-Sharif eariler on this journey. Zoroastrianism was the faith of the ancient Persian kings, and the religion of Persian until the Arab conquests in the 7th century, which brought Islam to Iran. There faith worships one god called, whom they call, Ahura Mazda.

 As I have discovered in Iran, Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians are all legal religions in Iran, and have representation in the countries parliament. The city of Yazd, although very conservative houses a large population of all these faiths. I also discovered that the Israeli Minister of defense, Ehud Barak is apparently from here(common knowledge to all the locals, but definitely new news to me). It is fascinating what one can learn in Iran.

Chak Chak, Zoroastrian holy site.

I made a few new friends in Yazd, Henry, Patrick and Brian from Ireland, Lucia from Spain and Fabrizio from Italy. We went on a guided tour to Chak Chak, another Zoroastrian pilgrimage site around Yazd and visited a desert village and some of the numerous ancient Persian forts that surround the city. It was a very cool experience. But the high light of the experience was that our tour guide invited us out to meet her friends.

Learning how to make a Persian Carpet in Yazd.

We went to a hookah bar, met up with her husband, his friends and a whole host of other persians. Since she could speak English very well, she translated to all those we met, and they were thrilled to meet some foreigners and by no means felt threatened or disturbed by us visiting Iran. Weird, as I always am told by our media that Persians are evil and want to blow the world up..... hmmmmm, puzzling indeed. Our media really needs to start differentiating between the governments of countries and their people.



We also discovered that Persians tend to bend the rules a little bit. After the hookah bar we were invited to play volleyball in a park in the middle of the night. This has to have been one of the high lights for my trip so far, as in Iran, technically playing mixed sex sports is Illegal. But we played anyways openly in public, and had quite an audience gather to watch the foreigners play against the Persians. All in to much fun! What a great city.

Henry, Fabs and I dined nightly on fantastic Persian food at the guest house, but I have to mention that Persians have an acute love for Pizza and Burgers. Who would have thought? And ketchup is a staple for both those meals, I mean it, Pizza + Ketchup equals success in Iran. Also Persians LOVE ice cream and one cannot walk more than a couple blocks without seeing an modern ice cream shop. There is no Baskin Robbins or dairy queen due to the sanctions, but these guys know how to hit the spot on a hot summers day.

So as we close out Yazd and head to Shiraz tomorrow I have to say, I am discovering more and more that Iran is NOTHING like what we are told back home. I can only imagine the discoveries that await me as I continue to venture through this ancient land.

Next up SHIRAZ and the mighty Persepolis!

Cheers to all in Yazd.

Sincerely,

William Delaney.

The "Other" Iran- Persianify Yourself

Welcome ladies and gentlemen to Mashhad, Iran.

This eastern most city has been my first taste of this amazing country and at none other than one of Iran's holiest times, the Eid festival at the end of Ramazan.

Shrine of Imam Reza.

Mashhad holds one of Iran's holiest shrines, the shrine to Iman Reza, one of Shia' Islams holiest scholars and leaders. It is here that muslims from around the world come to gather to pay homage and I was right there in the heart of the action. Getting into the action relates to the title, "Persianify yourself". When going around the shrine, anyone who looks foreign is immediately picked out by security and escorted throughout the site. I, being blessed with dark hair, dark eyes and one heck of a tan after being in Afghanistan decided to dress up like a Persian.

Outside the shrine.

Now I have to throw this out there, because this may be one of the biggest shocks about Iran. They dress, VERY WESTERN, in fact they are more stylish than most european states, and they are a very handsome people. So needless to say, no sweat pants, uggs boots, or hoodies rocking round this country. It was time to dress up and fit the mold, as the old saying goes, "When in Rome", or in this case, "When in Persia".

An amazing day to be here at Eid.

I succeeded in my venture and managed to walk around the shrine, at sunset freely and without hindrance, it was a special experience. And after being in Afghanistan, where security can change in the blink of an eye, seeing the calm, collected and relaxed feeling of the Persians gathered here gave me a very sober feeling. I am finally safe, and in a place where no one in the west would expect to be safe, in a country where the west wants to make war..... I kept pondering to myself.... Why???? How??? Not with these people? Not here?

Village outside Mashhad.

OK, let me give you a comparison of life in Mashad to life in Vancouver.... Both cities have about 2.5 million people. Both cities host a varied migrant population. Mashhad has many Afghans, Turkmen and some of the smaller tribes found within Iran. Vancouver may be next to Toronto the most culturally diverse city in Canada.

Stopping for Tea, Persian Style.

In Mashad, I walked around, alone at night throughout the city and I saw women sitting the park smoking hookah pipes and drinking chai together. I doubt for a second I would see such an activity in Vancouver. Despite Mashhad holding one of their biggest festivals of the year, there were hardly any police to be found, no riots(as is the case in Vancouver from time to time), and people were cheerful and joyful in their celebrating, not breaking police cars or stealing from shops.

Dinner, Persian Style.

Now mind you, Iran is still a dictatorship. If one lit a cop car on fire I cannot imagine what would happen to you, in Canada you'd be un-lucky to get any penalty at all. But in Iran, despite the governments apparent restrictions I did not feel a sense of tension out in Mashhad, there is tension without a doubt, just not in the form of social disorder.

Iran as I have discovered focuses a lot on their security, they are surrounded by hostile states, including Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and until recently the likes of Armenia and Azerbaijan. So almost as a reaction to all this instability around them, they themselves are very stable and safe, a pleasant surprise indeed.

I stayed here in Mashhad at Vali's homestay. It is a great little guest house, and Vali takes the whole experience to a new level while you stay in Mashhad. His son Reza was a gem and a computer whizz, and even though he is in the Iranian army, he did not want to lay waste to me, as so many of the news papers in the west will say.

Living the dream outside of Mashhad.

I went running with Reza and Vali's niece Behnaz, we went to explore outside the city to Vali's home village and catch some stunning views along the way. Any Persian I met who spoke english was glad to talk and very anxious to see how my experience was in Iran. Each night we would dine with Vali on his balcony to home made Persian food, some of the finest I have eaten and drink gallons upon gallons of chai.

It was a beautiful beginning to the Persian odyssey and I cannot wait to see what lies in store for the rest of the trip.

Behnaz helped me arrange my onward transport to Yazd. And as I sit here in the bus waiting to leave, reflecting on my first city in Iran. I ponder how this place can be lumped into a category with North Korea and Iraq. It is so safe here? So much more developed? Fantastic roads, near full literacy? Modern amenities at every corner? Everywhere has electricity... Even the small villages I visited.... You can drink the tap water.... You can go anywhere at anytime?

Iran is by no means a third world country. At least not so far.  We shall see what is up next.

I am now off to Yazd. The home of the Zoroastrian fire temple and the ancient home of the three wise men.

Cheers to all in Mashhad and thank you so much for an incredible introduction to Iran!

Sincerely,

William Delaney.

The "Other" Iran- The road to Iran, a long road!

Mashad, Iran

August 2012

Myself, Reza and Behnaz at Vali's homestay in Mashad.

Well here we are! IRAN! The Axis of evil! The ancient Persia! Wow, I cannot believe I made it.

I have been here for a few days now, celebrating Eid here in Mashhad  one of Iran's most conservative and holy cities. I have had a shock wave of experience and to be honest with you, Iran is NOTHING like what I expected. But before I get going on my experience so far in Iran, I need to explain what prompted me to come here and the pain staking process it took to finally get in, even up to the last minute.

Growing up in Vancouver I had a number of Persian friends, including the likes of Amir, Sanaz and Sherry. These three were the first Persians I met after I transferred from Catholic to public school. They were some of the nicest people and a very handsome people, and I thought to myself, and in the back of my mind I always wondered about Persians and what made them so unique. Not quite European, not quite South Asia, and not quite Middle eastern, just something completely different.

I went to University and my curiosity continued....

Round the World Fellas, Istanbul 2007. Myself, Ali, Rob and Tyler.

Five years ago, the spring of 2007 I undertook a trip with the University of Calgary. It was a trip around the world, where we visited 9 different countries and received class credit while travelling. It was an incredible experience and lay the foundation for the future travels that have taken place since. While travelling on the trip their were six of us fellas. Tyler, Vince, Jordan, Rob, Ali and myself. Ali hails from Iran and I had the pleasure of getting to know him on this trip.Ali and I shared a room together in Egypt and he would get up routinely to pray just before sunrise. This level of devotion inspired me, that together with Ali's kindness and fantastic outlook on travel and life planted the final inception, I NEED TO GO TO IRAN!

Ali and I five years ago in Hong Kong. Where the Iran idea really came alive!

So after that trip I began to travel more, and Iran has always been in the back of my mind. Ali moved back recently and when I discovered this and began to make the game plan for between the lines of Asia, I emailed him and we began to figure out how I could get to Iran.

Round the world fellas in Luxor Egypt. Where all my travels began.

I applied for a VISA, and after almost two months as the Embassy here in Canada, the REJECTED ME! I was outraged, as I was leaving only a few days later for North Korea and the trip was set in motion. I was furious, but Ali encouraged me not to give up and there is a few other ways. One other option was to fly down to Dubai, hop over to Kish Island (Iran's free trade zone and the only place you can go without a visa, and apply their for an onward transit VISA). I toiled over this for the first couple months of the trip. Then when I was in Kolkata a fantastic American gal named Sinead Harris told me about how while she was in Delhi with an Australian guy he had got his VISA there, through an online company with the help of a tour operation named Shafi.

Jenny and Sinead. The two ladies that helped bring the Iran Visa  process back to life

 I thought, hmmmmmmmmm, well why not give it a try! And I did! I met with Shafi, explained to him my situation and he said, "ahhhh apply online, this is the site and 'Inshallah' you will get your VISA".

I applied online, but it would take a couple days for my transfer payments to go through, as in Iran, all foreign bank transactions are under sanction, especially since I have a Canadian bank account. So you have to wire the money to Turkey, then they wire it to Iran, then they apply to the ministry of foreign affairs and you get your VISA! What a process. I boarded a bus to Kashmir for nearly two days, so I was out of email contact and the Iran Visa company sent me numerous emails freaking out about not receiving my payment, I thought I was done for, and my travel partner Jenny had to see my disappointment and frustration. But I have to give her credit, she kept me pepped up and told me not to give up, if it is meant for me to go to Iran, I will get there.

A few days later while in Manali India, I finally got my online VISA code, to apply at the embassy in Islamabad! I was set, or at least I thought so!

I arrived in Islamabad, and the Iran embassy, which Ironically is right beside the USA embassy(who would of thought?), were just flat out jerks, or at least the Pakistani guys at the front desk. They would not let me inside and repeatedly said "PLEASE WAIT", god I hate that term, especially with regards to VISA applications. They told me they had not received my confirmation code and that I should come back later. So I said screw it, went to Karachi and emailed IranVisa.com to resend the code. They did, I returned on the tuesday and they had my code, but this time "magically" they needed my finger prints done. So I had to go to the Islamabad police station and get those done. I was told it could take a week to process, so I greased a few palms and had everything done in less than 30 minutes. How things go from one week to thirty minutes is beyond me, but at this moment I was not there to analyze Pakistani corruption, I was just there to get the VISA. I returned the next day, submitted all my documents, they said I could pay 50 dollars and have it in three days or 80 dollars and have it in the afternoon. I gave him 80 dollars worth of Rupees and had my VISA in three hours. I was OVER JOYED! And boarded a bus that night headed for Northern Pakistan.

This has to have been the longest and most painful VISA procedure in the history of man, but I now know for future trips how to go about the Iran VISA, so hopefully I will not have the same problems as this previous adventure.

A few weeks later as I was leaving Afghanistan across the border I was of course the only non Afghan or Persian at the border. The border police stopped me and escorted me into a room. I have to say of all the interrogations and arrests I have had overseas, this was to be the most pleasant.  The Persians made me breakfast, tea and welcomed me to Iran. They asked me a series of questions about myself, my occupation, who my friend Ali was, where I was going in Iran and how long I intended to be here. But they were the nicest guys in the world in the process. For example, during on the question periods while I was answering the man said, "I am so sorry I forgot to offer you sugar with your tea, can you wait one minute while I get it for you", lol. I was in shock by this level of hospitality, by some of the strictest border security guards in the world. After the whole question period was done they told me they had no record of my VISA from Pakistan and that I would have to go back to Afghanistan. I nearly crapped my pants at this thought, and I pleaded with them to fax or call Pakistan, they did, and served me another cup of Chai while we waited for a response. They got it, said I was free to go. My translator, a young man from Tabriz hugged me and said, "I love Canada and you are a fine man Mr. William, I wish you well here in Iran". He then arranged me onward  transport to Mashad!

So here I am in Mashad. I shall publish the next series of my experience here. But I thought it was important to note the difficulty of getting into Iran. But despite all of this, patience is a virtue, that I am sure of now. For even with all these difficulties what waits for those in Iran is pure magic and the hospitality I received by the border security services was only the beginning.

Shrine of Imam Reza, during Eid festival. Mashad, Iran.

A special thanks to all those that I forgot to mention that helped make this whole process a success. Iran is a gem to be discovered and I cannot wait to share my experiences with all of you. Thank you so much!

Welcome to Iran!

Cheers,

William

Western Afghanistan- Pondering thoughts on the edge of Persia.

Herat, Afghanistan

Welcome to Herat.

August 2012

So here we are. I have flown across the country and I have arrived at the edge of Iran. I have arrived in what many call the safest city in Afghanistan, a more prosperous city, where many of the dangerous problems of Kandahar, Kabul and the North do not prevail. Where the people share more in common with their Persian neighbors than that of the eastern or southern parts of the country. Welcome to Herat.

Herat Airport.

Luggage collection, lol.

Herat is a famed city on the silk road, know for its incredible fort, built centuries ago by Alexander the Great and rebuilt and occupied by some of histories greatest conquerors including the likes of Tamerlane, Ghengis Khan and various Persian rulers. The fort today is now occupied by the Afghan security forces and was off limits to myself, but the outside view is flat out spectacular.

The city had a much different feel than the others I visited in Afghanistan, I have to say it was quite relaxed, a lot less edgy and the people have a much different dress style than elsewhere in the country. They are definitely more "Persianified" than the other parts of Afghanistan.

Post flight prayer.

I wandered through the different markets of Herat, saw the famed glass makers of old, the goods recently shipped from Iran or Turkey and people buying in preparation for Eid.

Herat city.

I only spent two days in Herat, as people were advising me to get out of Afghanistan before Eid, as the entire country basically shuts down. I enjoyed my few nights at the Marco Polo guest house, recommended to me by my friend Roberto, who travelled to Afghanistan earlier this year. I enjoyed the food here in Herat and the pre Eid celebrations had everyone excited. But I knew that all this happiness on the surface can change in an instant in Afghanistan and something in my gut told it was time to get out of dodge. I hired a taxi and he drove me to the border.

Grand Mosque, Herat.

Local kids outside the market.

I missed customs by only ten minutes, and with the border shut, I would have to spend a night in one of the tea houses on the Afghan side. Which I might add turned out to be one of the coolest experiences of the trip. I discovered that many other Afghans had too missed the border that afternoon and would also have to spend the night with me. But this was the night that the muslim holy fast of Ramazan ends, so in a way it is sort of like easter for christians, it is one big party! Afghan style.

Herat Markets.

Food was on the house! Gallons of tea were to be drank and the hookah pipes ran all night. I dined with the Afghan border police late into the night and with my limited Dari and their limited English it turned out to be a great send off to this incredibly interesting country.

Inside grand mosque, Herat.

As I sat in the tea house we were watching the news and saw that bombs had exploded in Herat that night, as terrorism attacks had sprung out across the country, as was to be expected following the breaking of the fast. I thanked god and my guardian angel for getting me to the safe haven on the border of Iran. And as I went to sleep under the stars on the deck of this tea house, I pondered my experience here in Afghanistan, as even down to the last minute, despite all the problems around them, the Afghans were still treating me as one of their own. I rested well and awoke the following day to my first and only normal breakfast in Afghanistan.

Ramazan is over! And so is my trip to Afghanistan, the Afghans were rushing me to the border with Iran. I was stamped out of Afghan customs and brought forward across the barbed wire border to seeing pictures of the grand Ayatollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Herat Citadel.

I write now in Mashad, Iran. And I cannot help but be so thankful that I am here safe and sound. It seems strange to me all that has happened the last few weeks in Afghanistan.

I come away with many concepts to puzzle and of course a lasting experience that I may never see again in my life. I will always treasure my experience in Afghanistan because of one particular reason, the PEOPLE of Afghanistan. No matter what their tribe, their status, their level of wealth, or anything, they treated me so very kind. Afghans have suffered more than most in history, but despite this, and their so few material possessions, they are rich in faith,  love, kindness and hospitality. One of the principle teachings I remember from church growing up was when Jesus preached the beatitudes on the hill above lake Galilee, and he said: "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God".

The man who would take me to the border.

The Afghans are the most pure of heart people I have ever seen and I believe myself to be a better man from having spent time with them. They are a people so misunderstood, and if there is any message I can convey from the trip "Between the lines of Asia", it is to look beyond the headlines and the stories of terror and stereotypes, and look closely at the people of these misunderstood lands. For the experiences they have and things they can teach us are so much and I am blessed from having explored here to see  and experience it. I wish them nothing but the best and I look forward to the day when I can return to visit their country, hopefully when peace comes to this land in the future.

Thank you so much to all those that made the experience in Afghanistan so special.

Sincerely,

Partying with the border security on the edge of Iran.

William Delaney

Celebrations following the end of Ramazan.

The Border with Iran.