Moving Forward...

The Astan-e Quds Razavi complex in Mashad contains the remains of Imam Reza, the 8th (out of 12) Imam of Shii Islam – as such it is one of the most holy places in the world. I spent the whole day within the complex, blown away by beauty, dedication and devotion. People praying, reading, shouting, crying, in silence, walking with coffins of recently deceased, on honeymoon seeking blessing, singing, filled with grief. The site is huge, over 300 meters in diameter and the outer ring is still under construction.
I concluded after a spectacular day that this was the absolute best possible end of my trip in Iran, so took the nighttrain to Tehran and flew to South Africa.

No pictures allowed inside, so I can show you very little…

Maybe the most suprising thing about the Tomb of Cyrus the Great is that today is seems to be in the middle of nowhere. And of course that these stones are still on top of each other after some 2500 years.

Nagh-e Rostam. The Roman Emperor captured by the Persian King.

Unicorns. An interesting change from the Greek versions.

Iranians like covering their women… this is some 1300 years before Islam!

So what actually happens to the Afghan refugees?

The tomb of Hafez, one of the most loved Persian poets. Hundreds of people come here every night, some just sitting, others reading his poetry aloud. The atmosphere is magical. One man was crying helplessly at his epitaph – where else in the world can that happen?

After taking my camera and playing with it for 10 minutes, this man insisted I took a picture of him. We’re sitting on Persian carpets in front of a mosque and we absolutely zero understanding of each others languages. I like it.

Detail of Vakil mosque.

Clean interior of the Vakil Mosque.

So… 137 what?

And always the mountains as backdrop to the city.

Friendly Shirazis insisting they buy me their local icecream.

More Shiraz pictures.

Ooh Esfahan! It’s called ‘half the world’ and although that might be overstating it, they have much going for them. Their many pieces of art are suprisingly intact, of delicate intricacy and absolutely magnificent. Basically, if you love Islamic art and architecture, you run out of superlatives here.

Lotf Allah mosque. What beauty! You’re allowed to cry.

The Naghsh-i Jahan Square beckons you every day.

Dome of the Imam mosque. The Friday prayer here is packed.

Si-o-seh bridge.

A hard sell… (you’re looking at a river in case you were wondering)

This lovely motif in the Jameh mosque can also be found in the Imam mosque.

I know a business opportunity when I see one. I love the ‘or even more’ part.

Iran is picknick country: thousands of people do so on the river shores at night.

Any questions? This is the hotel I’m staying at.

Jewelry shop… Girls will be girls.

Don’t laugh. This stuff is actually quite drinkable.

There are nice cafes in the Armenian quarter.

More Esfahan pictures.

Meet the family.

Meet the view.

More Fooladshahr pictures.

Your money goes a long way here. And how lovely: diamonds and hearts!

Traditional Dizzy… I carefully spied the people around me what to do with the metal unit…

If you’re bound to see ‘m you can: anti-US murals at the US Den of Espionage.

More Tehran pictures.

Due to internet filters, I’m not able to post photos on Flickr or access Facebook (but I can access email). I’ll post one-line updates in this post…

June 29: The holy city of Mashad.
June 27: Iranian telcoms threw me off their networks. Don’t expect me to receive sms.
June 24: Flying to Shiraz, where 40C is expected… Oh boy.
June 20: Esfahan. Feeling better – learning to cope a little with the pounding heat.
June 18: Iranian family invited me to sleep over. Interesting and confronting.
June 17: The heat is wearing me out.
June 16: The courtesy extended to ‘guests’ by Iranians is bordering the ridiculous.
June 15: Arrival in Tehran.