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Report from MR's veiled traveler in Iran:
We started out from Ardabil to Tabriz yesterday. On the right we had the Sabalanmountains and on the left the Bosqush with eternal snow. The sky was cloudy today and the mountains just visible.
A harsh landscape it is, as well for the eye as for all living things. There are not that many trees on the plateau; little protection for the shepard-boys that tend their flock of long-legged sheep and goats. Many rocks, sparse and wiry grass for the animals; I guess they are kept for their dark brown wool, these sheep and goats.*
Bad roads all the way and the houses I saw were half finished or in ruins. Hard to imagine anyone could live there.*
Halfway we stopped at a tiny village Sarab. The same story here: poorly constructed houses. We had dark tea out of a samovar on the sidewalk; the owner didn't want money and offered us cakes and bread. Such hospitality was embarrassing for us; well fed wealthy tourist. Many men waved and shouted hello. Many of the women look older than their age; white faces, bad teeth and skinny legs. I chatted to some of the woman, who are invariably friendly.
A huge mosque with three gold minarets, in the middle of the village.Garbage on the streets and the toilets next to the mosque(as they often are placed) were undescribable....
The driver asked around wether we would like to see some Armenian church tomorrow: he then would have to get a license/permit from the police. So...we're well looked after.
On to Tabriz along those bumpy roads. Irinian drivers drive like obsessed: they grab the wheel in both hands-lean a bit forward-one hand on the klaxon and away they are on their dangerous mission. No wonder that a foreigner isn't allowed to drive in Iran.
At the end of the afternoon we came in Tabriz (1.5 mi.habitants). Tabriz is next to the river Ajichay, which at its turn is said to have been flowing out of the Garden of Eden(in biblical times), so this city would have been situated at the gates of Paradise!
Anyway;it has a rich history, with invasions of Mongols,Timurids,Turkmen and the Russians during both world wars in the 20 th century. Russians still live here apparently, as some people asked me if I could speak Russian.*
About money on this trip: we all travel with cash and in Tabriz we can change our euros into rials: 1 euro= 15.000 rials. No Western credit-card can be used in Iran. I think we'll have to phone our embassy in Teheran if we need money(?). Our Majesty's Embassy in Tehran keeps track of us as well; they invited us (together with all Dutch currently in Iran) for the national drink "Oranjebitter" (like cointrau, but orange) and herring, in honour of Queensday on the 30th of april.That's a natinal holiday in the Netherlands. Well, obviously we had to decline that invitation.
Tabriz has a famous Bazaar which I visited of course: about 7 sq km with domed halls. Construction began over a millennium ago. It is even more beautiful and older than the one in Teheran.
The smells of all the spices sold are intoxicating: barrels full of cinnamonsticks, kardamonnuts, curry..you name it, they've got it. We bought some safron for 140.0000 rial= 5 euro. Sugar is sold in cubes, but also in the shape of a huge white cone.
And of course the oriental rugs; predominant colour is a deep velvet red. I saw the cotton sold for the weft threads, different sized for the horizontal and vertical ones. And bags full off sheeps-and goats wool, geese/duckfeathers. But also lots of goldshops with veiled ladies looking at the finery: it glitters and sparkles, the more the better.
It rained all day, but hey..the bazar is indoors. In the caravanserais one can eat well; I had a nice pearl barley soup and lavash(thin bread) with a garlic/coriander/yoghurt sauce,salty pickles.
Next stop was the Archeological museum of Azarbayan. Interesting artifacts, but poorly displayed.(I make exhibitions myself, so I am a bit critical).
The Blue (Kabud) Mosque (1465) I visited next was really worth the visit. When it was build, every surface was covered with blue tiles and intricate calligraphy. A lot of that is lost as it barely survived two severe earthquakes in the 18th century. It is being restored.*
A groupmember got escorted to the hotel by a policeman, when she photographed a bridge. Our passports are being kept in the hotel. Apparently one cannot photograph any public buildings. Well, I didn't know that either and photographed all that took my fancy.*
Tomorrow, early at 7.30, to Takab.
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