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Archive for the ‘Iran-General’ Category

Odds and ends!

Posted in Iran-General, tagged , , , , , , , on March 21, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

When I visit Iran my camera is with me everywhere I go. I take thousands of photos but I am definitely a snapper and not a semi-pro and my camera is a very basic point-and-shoot model. I take photos so I don’t forget my experiences and  they are not necessarily well-planned or thought out-just taken ad-hoc when I want to capture an experience, or a memory. Going through some of my photos I realise that many of them won’t be seen by anyone else as they don’t match anything I write about; they are odds-and-ends collected during the course of a day’s roaming.

Here’s just a small collection which you might find interesting;

The village baker at work-fresh bread 3 times a day

The village baker at work-fresh bread 3 times a day

Engagement/Wedding dresses

Engagement/Wedding dresses

Very old vinegar vats

Very old vinegar vats

The gold quarter

The gold quarter

Cuddly toys

Cuddly toys

Even Shaun the Sheep is big in Iran!

Even Shaun the Sheep is big in Iran!

Work in progress

Work in progress

More gold

More gold

Road to nowhere!

Road to nowhere!
More dresses

More dresses

Spring chickens!

Spring chickens!

Inside a pigeon tower

Inside a pigeon tower

Congregational mosque Esfahan

Congregational mosque Esfahan

Three wise men!

Three wise men!

Abyaneh-dresses for sale

Abyaneh-dresses for sale

Sexy underwear.....ladies only!

Sexy underwear…..ladies only!

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Nowruz Mubarak 1392

Posted in Iran-General, tagged , , , , on March 18, 2013 | 2 Comments »

BeFunky_003.jpg

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Edinburgh Iranian Festival 2013

Posted in Iran-General, tagged , , , , , , on September 26, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Held every two years, Edinburgh hosts 10 days of celebrations focussing on Persian culture, history, music, literature and art. I was lucky enough to be working in Scotland two years ago and attended a few events whilst there. This time round, I am hoping to combine my work committments with the festival once again and will be taking the train up to Edinburgh during the first week of February.

The 2013 Festival will start on Friday 1st February and end on Sunday 10th February so there is plenty of time to enjoy the activities.

Details of what we can look forward to have not been released yet, but will appear on this website in due course.

Edinburgh Iranian Festival 2013

This is the official programme for the 2011 event-I look forward to seeing the 2013 version.

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Driving in Iran….

Posted in Iran-General, Iran-Go and visit!, tagged , , , on June 12, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Everyone who knows me and with whom I have discussed my visits to Iran will understand how passionate I am about the state of driving in Iran. From experience it is simply AWFUL! I quake in my boots every time I get in a car and try not to look immediately in front of me, preferring to gaze out of the side windows pretending to be cool.

Most Iranians look at me blankly when I rave on about their driving exploits clearly thinking I am a hyper-sensitive neurotic woman who knows nothing about driving. However, I seem to have found an ally in Maziar Bahari, whose book I am reading this week whilst on Jury Service. In his book ” Then they came for me”, he describes Iranian driving as follows;

” The effect of years of chaos and insecurity, war and revolution, can easily be seen in the way Iranians drive; these generally courteous people turn into monsters behind the wheel. They rarely allow another car the right of way and honk their horns as soon as a pedestrian steps into the street. Road rage-even using machetes against other drivers-is not unheard of in Iran. As a friend of mine once put it, “The disgraceful way we drive is like crapping on more than twenty-five hundred years of Persian history, arts, and culture.”

Thank goodness I’m not the only one who thinks that Iranian driving could be improved! I was beginning to think I am a hyper-sensitive neurotic woman who knows nothing about driving.

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Myth Busting

Posted in Iran-General, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 20, 2012 | 1 Comment »

I’m forever trying to bust myths about Iran when asked about my visits and some of the questions I’m asked seem ridiculous when seen from my eyes and with my experience. But that’s the issue. I’ve seen some of Iran myself and experienced family life over there. I’ve bought fruit and vegetables, clothes, done the tourist “thing”. I’ve been to weddings and mourning ceremonies in the mosque. I’m not a practising Moslem but no one minded. I respect their culture and dress code just as I expect visitors and residents to respect our culture and expectations here in the UK.

The picture that the media portrays of Iran  is very different and whilst I understand that the political situation is controversial, the propaganda and unbalanced approach to the reporting is very frustrating. I’m not qualified to comment on politics be it about the situation in the UK/Europe or about the latest Middle East issues. It is complex and frankly very confusing so I don’t do it. Many may think this is a cop-out, but I could spend 24 hours a day, 7 days a week trying to understand world politics and I honestly just don’t have the time.

I happen to think that there is room for more information to be made available about Iran from a non-political perspective. There is so much more to Iran than the nuclear debate, human rights issues and the religious tension and we will all get along better if we understand the different cultures and history and learn to appreciate our differences and similarities.

I found this quote on the net today. Sadly the author’s link was broken and I’ve been unable to trace its origins to give credit. I like this as it deals with many of the myths and attitudes embedded so deeply in people’s psyche. I know, as I get asked the questions.

  • No, I am not a terrorist nor a wife beater,
    I don’t live in a tent in a desert
  •  
  • I speak Farsi, not Arabic
    Iran is pronounced “EERAUN” and not “I – ran” (it’s not track & field)
  •  
  • News flash: Iran and Iraq are two different countries ,
    Middle east is a region and NOT a continent,
    And camels are not our way of transportation.
  •  
  • Iranian women are just as outspoken (if not more) and liberal as the
    European women,
  •  
  • Iran is the first country to have red white and green for a flag,
    A beautiful country ran by the wrong people
    But still the best part of Middle East
  •  

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“Leafs”

Posted in Iran-General, tagged , , , , , , , on May 18, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

These crocheted mittens are “leafs”, an Iranian homemade version of a body polisher or “scrunchie” exfoliator. Worn on your hand in the bath or shower and lathered with shower gel, they are an ideal non-abrasive way to get your blood flowing in the morning!

These are made out of cotton whereas the ones you  buy commercially are usually made out of synthetic material.  A lovely lady in the town where we live makes them to order for us when we are there and as long as we give her some notice I end up bringing a bag full home with me.  They don’t lose their shape, and are fabby to take on your travels as they roll up small.

I love them and they make original girly- presents.

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Iranians are “potty”, it’s official

Posted in Iran-General, tagged , , , , , , , , , on May 15, 2012 | 2 Comments »

Reading another post from PeaceofIran this morning brought to mind some of my first encounters with Iranian cooking pots. This may sound a little strange but as you have probably gathered I loathe cooking, and entertaining more than 2 people at once gives me nightmares. So when I see industrial-sized cooking pots stacked up in the kitchen it gets me worried.

Why on earth would I need a pot THAT BIG?  You invited HOW MANY?

Before meeting Feri and his family in Iran, and before touring the Bazaareh Mesgaran (literally the copper market) in Esfahan, the only pots and pans I had seen close to this size were at school and in hospital. That made sense to me. They have a lot of people to feed, but coming from a small family where entertaining was never top of the agenda, these pans did, and still do give me the heebie-jeebies.

I was slightly reassured by Feri’s last purchase in Sede before coming home.

A “baby” rice pot. Now that’s more my size.

 

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Through the Turnstiles

Posted in Iran-General, tagged , , , , , , , on May 14, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

 

Villa! Villa!

I’m a big football fan here in the UK and after the Premier league finished yesterday with my team (Aston Villa) just avoiding relegation and sacking their Manager today, I’m looking forward to The European Championships which start on 11 June. I have been attending live matches for 40 years and we still travel to games as and when we can.

If I was allowed to go to football matches in Iran I would support my local team Sepahan Isfahan. ( I like the yellow shirts)

But, as a woman and as the rules stand at the moment, I am not allowed to go.

Just this week however, I learn that  “Ali Kafashian, the head of Iran’s Football Federation, has announced that Iranian women can attend the Asian Youth Football Championship games in Tehran.

The Shargh Newspaper reports that Kafashian said: “We follow the regulation of the Asian Football Confederation and act along its requirements.”

The chairman of the national competitions committee of AFC told ISNA that, according to confederation rules, there must be no gender discrimination in who’s allowed to attend the games”

Small steps but progress all the same.

One day perhaps Sepahan here I come.

Just one question-Do my flashing antlers go with hijab?

 

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“Which way’s Mecca?”

Posted in Iran-General, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on May 13, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

As you would expect, the Holy Shrine in Abyaneh has rooms and facilities to enable people to pray during their visit should they wish to do so.

Helpfully, there is not only an arrow on the wall pointing to Mecca, but the mats are also placed in position facing towards the Holy City so that the prayer or worship ritual of salah can be carried out. Salah is usually performed 3 times a day by Shia muslims;

Morning – Fajr

Midday-Zuhr/Afternoon-Asr -carried out together

Evening- Maghrib/Night/darkness- Isha-carried out together 

 

Here we have a prayer mat and Jaa_namaz- which is what the prayer stone, beads and copy of the Q’ran is wrapped in.

Islamic Rosary or prayer beads- with either 33 0r 99 beads and known as Tasbih 

Prayer stone- An embossed clay tablet  used by Shi’ite Muslims. Known as a Mohr (Seal) or Turbah (Arabic) Turbet (Farsi)

These are my lovely string of amethyst (my birthstone) prayer beads which I bought in Esfahan.

 

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Shaun the Sheep

Posted in Iran-General, tagged , , , on May 5, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Apparently in Iran, Shaun the Sheep is a dog.

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