Persian Posts

Persian Posts is a series of articles and observations written about my experiences of Iran and its people. I am not a seasoned traveller and I don’t live in Iran permanently but, married to an Iranian from a town near Esfahan, I do travel to Iran and am fascinated by what I see.

I  am sometimes sad and disappointed to observe that the impression of Iran and its people portrayed by Western media does not always reflect reality and I am constantly approached by those who have read my articles and seen my photos expressing their surprise that the Iranians are nothing like what they see on the news or in documentaries. I hope therefore that what you read and see here helps to dispel the myths and misunderstandings perpetuated in the media and provide you instead with a detailed portrait of real Iran as seen through my eyes.

My background

I am an English woman married to Feri an Iranian from Sede, Esfahan and between us we have 2 sons neither of whom have yet been to Iran. I have an Iranian passport which enables me to travel to Iran without Visa. Feri was educated in the UK during the mid to late 1970′s and after 1979 only returned to Iran once until he went back to see his family in 2001. We now have a house in Sede, built next door to Feri’s sister so we have a base from which we travel the area and entertain the neverending relatives who pop in to say “Salam” when we are in residence. Unlike the Queen we have no need to raise a flag to signify our presence, the Iranian jungle-drum equivalent does a fine job in letting everyone know when we arrive!

We have Feri’s mother, sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, aunts and uncles, cousins, neices and nephews as well as the more remote but extensive family network most of whom live locally or apart from a few in Mashhad and Bushehr, in Tehran. All this means that there is always some family occasion going on and I have experienced engagements and weddings as well as the usual family get-togethers when it is quite normal to have 30 people round for dinner.

My experience of Iran is therefore very much family orientated with some sight-seeing and shopping trips thrown in for good measure. This is what Iran really looks and feels like.

Enjoy the experience.