A trip to Iran

Hello all :)

Note: We apologize for the extended absence from this blog, but various forces kept us away from creating any new posts. Work and school can sometimes be overwhelming but none the less, S took a recent trip to the Middle East, the experience of which we thought we would share with you all! 

I recently had the opportunity to visit one of my closest friends from college, an Iranian- American who is currently residing in Tehran, Iran. Speaking from personal experience, I am the first of friends and family to ever visit a Muslim country and even though I love traveling and seeing new things, this trip was definitely an experience like no other. There’s a variety of cultural stereotypes that come to you when you’re about to embark on such a journey but I feel that taking a trip to a country that’s completely different from anywhere you’ve ever been before allows you to absorb a variety of influences and learn things about yourself that you wouldn’t be able to learn under other circumstances. 

 

I’m sure that anyone who ever wanted to go to Iran or another country that requires a visa has had to go through the tiring process of figuring out how the visa thing works. When trying to get a visa to Iran, it becomes a little more difficult, because the bureaucracy is really bad. None the less, there are various sites that explain how to get the best visa for your type of trip (tourist, Visa Upon Arrival etc.) and I can say that reading through these websites was very helpful. Even though Iran does not have many tourists, there are a lot of people that are interested in experiencing the culture and history of this wonderful country, so do your research and figure out the best way to get there! 

There are a few airlines that fly to Iran; the cheapest one (at least for when you’re traveling from Greece) was Turkish airlines. The connecting flight was at Istanbul and that’s where I quickly changed my clothes into what I was planning to wear for entering Iran. Being a foreign woman, you want to take into consideration that this is a Muslim country you’re visiting, but also remember that you are just that: a foreigner. And Iranians (authorities and civilians alike) are well aware of that. Meaning that, as long as you dress modestly, you can pretty much wear whatever you want. And yes, you need to wear a headscarf if you’re a woman, but honestly, it’s not that big of a deal. Some might consider it a sign of oppression towards women, but there is a cultural, social and historical background that you need to take into consideration before passing judgement. It's just a different culture :)

Tehran, the capital of Iran, is a very fashionable place and women dress beautifully. I saw girls and young women dressing the exact same way I do back home in Greece with the exception that they wore head scarfs. So, what does “dressing modestly” mean for a foreigner visiting a country where “modesty” means something completely different? It’s true that there are rules for modesty for both men and women in Iran, but the responsibility for dressing appropriately falls mostly on the women. There are so many “rules” you can read about concerning how to dress when visiting Iran but here’s my experience: jeans, a shirt, and a cardigan that buttons at the front or a knee-length long-sleeve shirt which you can wear over your regular clothes and under your coat (if you have one) is the best option. I wouldn’t recommend dresses or leggings, it’s better and more comfortable to wear pants. No shorts, or short sleeves (even in the summer). Honestly, as long as your clothes are loose and they don’t show off your curves, you’re fine. You can wear whatever colors suit you, paint your nails and wear as much make up as you want – you’re in the capital of Iran and, like I said before, there are a lot of fashionable people there.  

 

 If you’re still not sure as to what to wear, you can always buy a manto, which is what most women wear over their clothes. I borrowed one from my friend, but for my next visit, I think I want one of my own. 

One thing to keep in mind is that you can be fashionable in Iran, if it's important to you.

I actually really liked this one..

Tehran is a huge city with beautiful museums, parks, coffee shops and restaurants to see and I must say, I am in love with Persian cuisine. There’s a particular dish made with rice and cherries which I fell in love with. A bread called barbari is now my favorite thing in the world.  Also, everything is very affordable in Iran – at least with the Euro and the Dollar. Another thing I fell in love with in Tehran were the mosques. I wasn’t able to go into one on this visit, but the exterior architecture was absolutely breath taking. 

Here are some pictures to give you an idea of the things you can see in Tehran.

The walls on some of the buildings are decorated with murals, dedicated to great leaders, martyrs and the like.   

Here are some pictures of a beautiful mosque...

 

And this is the bread I mentioned earlier, called barbari. You really need to try this when you're in Iran.

Some pictures from a lovely park near where my friend works  

 

 The park had statues with the names of the animals the statue depicted, like this one


 

 

This is a statue of Hafez, a famous Iranian poet.

And this is the Water and Fire Park in Tehran. There's a fire what water show going on at nighttime, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend it.

And just a couple of pictures from a museum I visited :) 

 

Things to keep in mind:

-          ✓ Public transportation (buses and subway) has separate sections for men and women. If you’re a woman and there’s no space in the women’s sections, you can go to the male section, but men can’t do the same. 

-        ✓ People drive like raging psychopaths in Tehran. Seriously. Just be careful when you’re crossing streets. My friend and I were joking that you can tell who is not from Iran by the way they’re crossing the street: if there’s someone holding him and carefully helping him cross the street, chances are he’s not from around there.  

        ✓ Not many people speak English, especially cab drivers. They understand it, but they don’t speak it. By the end of my visit, I could actually speak very basic Persian from interacting with people all the time and listening to my friend, her boyfriend and their friends. Everyone’s very friendly and tries to help out as much as they can. Hospitality and respect is a big deal to Iranians which is something I could relate to, and it's very comforting when you're a foreigner.

-            ✓Alcohol is illegal in Iran.

-         ✓There’s a variety of different cabs to choose from. If you’re a tourist, I would stick to the yellow of green ones that actually look like cabs, because, honestly, I couldn’t tell the difference between the other types and civilian cars. 

-         

    ✓Visit the bazaars. It’s a lovely experience and you get to see/buy some really cool stuff.

                                 

     

    ✓It’s nothing like the media make it out to be… 

      

      *S

p.s If anyone is interested in further information on how to acquire a visa, what to do in Tehran, or if you have any other questions please post them in the comment section below! We will be more than happy to answer them :)