New report, excuse the typo's
On goes the journey;to the city of Hamadan(Ecbatana in classical times)that dates from 728BC and lies on a high plateau.After centuries of prosperity, the city declined after the Turkish invasion in the 18th century and was redesigned in 1929 by the German.
It is a beautiful and friendly city, clean and good roads(the Germans..). If one asks for the way;often people unobtrusively follow and when you're looking again "where to go",they show you the right way. Yesterday was Friday=sunday for the muslim again, so most of the shops are closed. Probably for the best.....The pastryshops are open and have all colors of delicious things.The baker came out to ask wether I wanted a taste; of course!
Strange fellows: a butcher with his window full of honeycoombs.
In a basement I saw this chess-café; chessboards painted on the table, and the pieces waiting to be moved. Khomeini banned the chess, but it's a national sport, so that wouldn't work. I heard somewhere that Iran will be hosting the next World Chess Tournament.
There are interesting ruins and tombs, like the Esther and Mordechai-tomb, the burial site of Esther from the Bible. An important Jewish pilgrimsite; obviously there are few visits from the Holy Land these days. Is is impressive, this biblical history come to live. Esther saved the Jews from a massacre from Haman, the Xerxes I 's commander,by marrying that King about 2500 years ago. Mordechai was her cousin/ guardian.*
We were greeted by a rabbi who spoke French ( yeah!)and who happened to have a pen-collection "did we have a new one for him?". Yes, I had;a metal blue one with the enigmatic 'today was written yesterday'engraved in it.
On to the BuAliSina(Avicenna)Mausoleum.Avicenna 'The sun of the east'(980-1037).He was an influential thinker,physician and knowledgeable in philosphy,logic,music,poetry,politic.His genius is to compare with the Italian Michelangelo, so it is said..*
He wrote the great medical encyclopedia Canon Medicinae in the 10th century, which was being used till the 17th century in Europe. And he invented the aromatherapy. The little herbshop near the mausoleum, where his remedies arebeing sold, smells lovely of anise and essential oils.The garden around it is planted with lavender, rosemary, thymus, which all are good aroma's to have around one's house, one's final resting place.
Next to a Turkmen-museum. They make out about 2% of the population and are descended from the nomadic Turkish tribes; once rulers of Iran.I saw different aspects of their daily life, as the coffeehouses and customs, as oil-wrestling.
Last one for today were the evacuations on the Hegmataneh-hill;set up to do a research for
the civilisation during the rule of the Achaemenid(550-330 BC). The archeological museum nearby presents some of the archeological finds:amphorae, bronze dishes, engraved earthenware with zick-zack, white and greenblue glazed earthenware plates, indigo/white glazed bowls with flowers.
Walking for 8 hours straight through this city; I'm ready to call it a day.Tomorrow Kashan.Very exhausting occupation, being a traveller in Iran.
Iran is just not ready for loads of tourists. Its people are; they are so eager to welcome the tourists, to please, to speak English. At times it just is embarrassing. We are welcomed
everywhere, with ' hello, which country?".*
But the police-control on the initerary of any group of tourists is rather severe. We cannot take another road then is approved of; our driver has to check in with the police rather often and gets a telephone call when he is late..
And there are few railroads in this huge country.
BTW:You-tube is blocked, as well as Apple, and several news-and google search.
Saturday:We are nearing the Dasht-e Kavir, the desert; the Northern of the two deserts in Iran. Across the sparsely habited and often rather bleak plateau of the province of Markazi, we'll drive To Kashan today, which had inhabitants and monuments dated from the 7th
mill.BC. It is one of the oldest cities in Iran and has always been known for its pottery, textiles and tiles.
But first Qom,Iran's second holiest city after Masshad.Very conservative with shrines of the line of important hardline clerics that governed this country since 1980.Here started the revolution of 1979 in Iran. Everywhere students from across the world, who study in the
madrasehs(Qoranschool)and women in large black chador.We were told to dress 'right'. I wear my usual black Hajib(only face free),a dark blue longsleeved jacket and dark grey loose trousers.
The Hazrat-e Masumeh shrine is magnificent.It wasn't at all sure that we could enter, because the mosquepolice removes most foreigners. Bur we got a chador and went in, between thousands of women, all pilgriming in black.A frenzy of very devoted pilgrims and I was asked quite a often if I was muslim and Shiit. Dear folks: I'm a coward and answered "yes"at both questions ( ahem..).
At the square I saw scenes of the 9 th century martyrs playing out. Also hordes of men, clad in black, beating with one hand on their head, or with an iron chain on their back. Flagellation.
Non-muslims are not suppose to see the shrine of Fatemeh, sister of Iman Reza(8th Iman after Mohammed), who was interred in the 9th century AD at this Hazrat-e Masumeh. But we were lucky, after borrowing a chador. And warm...warm......It is also the three day national holiday in honour of Fatemeh's death:black triangle shaped flags hung everywhere.
This mausoleum is the spiritual and physical centre of Qom and a holy place. It is just beautiful with an enormous gold dome, flanked by minnarets and a golden cuppola.Splendid tiles everywhere and in the mausoleum itself glittering walls and magnificent glass chandeliers. A fairytale.
Tomorrow we'll see the sights at Kashan.It was a long hot day, under the veil.On to the hotel.
*