[desertblues]

A beautiful morning again on this fascinating journey through Iran,It seems to be a journey through time as well in some regions.
After a breakfast of Ahmad tea, soft feta-cheese, tomatoes,cucumber and eggs I'm more then ready for this new day.We have a very primitive hotel; toilet a hole, well....

This day will be for the exploration of the Kurdish territory and its cultural history, as we're in the capital of Kordistan, Senna (Sanandaj); a city of major importance in the Middle Ages; a sprawling, friendly, big city now.
Men,also young men, often wear the traditional cummerbands and baggy trousers. And they look good in it; swaggering, a bit dashing, exotic. I like it.

We are near the border with Iraq. Through the gentle green slopes, but at times harsh and
barren as well, of the Kuh-e-Sahu mountains, we drive to Negel. Here is the home, a holy muslim place, of one of the four of the oldest
Qoran since Mohammed's days;732,the third generation. In the Jame Mosque of Abdollah ben Omar. The prophet Mohammed preached from 622-632 from Mekka to Medina, so this Qoran reflects his words best. It has been stolen three times and miraceously recovered each time. Women and men see it seperately, in their own sections, on their pilgrimage along holy places.

Lake Zeribar, nearer to the border, next. We relaxed a bit, had some tea and took a walk along the lake:huge green/ brown frogs and little mountainflowers yellow/pink/lilac/bright white and red. A herd of longhaired sheep wanted to nibble at us, westeners. A beautiful silent lake and the green mountains with eternal snow rising above it.

In Jezli, a few miles near the Iraqi border, we asked and got permission to walk through this Kurdish village. Very interesting; the women are more indepent than elsewhere in Iran, with brighter colors *as well. It is a dangerous area, so we had to stay together and were closely followed by the bus.

On our way back we were stopped at a road-block and got thouroughly searched and
intimidated by the police. Yes, passports back in the hotel (mandatory)and copy in suitcase(stupid of course)in the hotel.We were allowed to pass after some time and arrived safely at the hotel.

Again 'en route' along green moutains and patches of fertile land along one of the small rivers, herds os sheep and the occasional donkey. Men and women both work the fields;a lot of manual labour.There are a many stone-quarries in this region.Our end-destination today will be Hamadan, via Kermanshah,Tak-e-Bustan and Bisotun.

Kermanshah, a city which develloped along the Royal Road to Bagdad in the 4th century AD, is famous for its basreliefs at Tak(q)-e-Bostan. It are Sassanians(AD 224-642)reliefs, carved in a towering cliff:elephant-back hunting scenes, with the kings KhosrowII,ShapurII+III and Shah Ardashir, defeated Roman emperors and the Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda.
Well, they are magnificent, impressive in stature. There are also some other bas-reliefs from Kings and gods from 2200 BC.

I visited the Shiite Hosseiniehs: plays are acted out, in remembrance of the martyrdom of
Imam Hossein at the battle of Karbala(AD680), which divided the islam in Shiism and Sunnism.Shiism is most influencal in Iran.
A beautiful shrine that was build in 1913. With res/blue/yellow leaded windows, thousands of decorated tiles; depicting scenes and pre-islamitic figures, but also 19th century scenes and buildings.*
For the Sjiites, the nephew of the prophet Mohammed, Ali is the direct successor of Mohammed, and for the Soennites the appointed Caliph.
In the tiles is also a clay footprint of Ali, worshipped by all.

Bisotun is the next stop. Huge cliffs flank this city, were I saw another series of basreliefs, dated from 521BC. Those are engraved in the cliffs that are part of the Kuh-e-Parawmountains. It is an Unesco World Heritage site.
Most important engraving is the one of King Darius the great(522-486BC, rule of the Achaemenids 550-330). It depicts him receiving imprisoned supplicants while a farohar(Zoroastrian angel of purity)hovers above.And quite low a figure of Hercules, hewn out of the rocks and the remains of a hunters cave of the Middle paleolithical period, where Neanderthaler bones were found.
On the way to the hotel,on the right the Kuh-e-Alvand mountains. A beautiful rainbow divided the sky in dark and light. I could even see the beginning of it....

Folks: this was the most beautiful day since I went to Iran. I'm very happy about all I've seen and heard. Four weeks is too little for this magnificent country and its friendly inhabitants; 17 days to.
Another 4 hours in the bus, before we reach Hamadan, where I really hope to have wifi(+ normal toilet and some other food than lentilsoup and salad)so I can post a 4-days worth of travels. I miss you all a bit...