The Other Iran

NY Times ^ | February 10, 2008

[nuconvert]

The Other Iran

JAMES VLAHOS

February 10, 2008

-excerpt-

If you’re going to get lost, Esfahan (also spelled Isfahan), a city of 1.3 million about 200 miles south of Tehran in central Iran, is an extraordinary place to do it. There’s a centuries-old saying that Esfahan is “half the world,” meaning it contains fully half of the earth’s wonders.

Jean Chardin, a 17th-century French traveler, wrote that Esfahan “was expressly made for the delights of love”; in the 1930s, the British travel writer Robert Byron rated it “among those rarer places, like Athens or Rome, which are the common refreshment of humanity.”

-excerpt-

(in Tehran) I walked past a painted slogan in rough English — “United States of America Ghods Occupier Regime Is the Most Hated State Before Our Nation”— and another that read “Down With USA.” A young man stood smiling in front of it. I snapped a photo; discreetly, or so I thought, but he ran down the sidewalk after me.

“I don’t hate America,” he said plaintively. “I love America.”

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Our itinerary would take us from Tehran to the highest summit in the Middle East, 18,606-foot Mount Damavand, to Persepolis, the 2,500-year-old masterpiece of the Achaemenids, the first Persian Empire. The highlight of the entire trip, though, was the long walk I took in Esfahan.

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If a traveler had any lingering doubts about the hospitality of Iranians toward Americans, this was the place to dispel them. Making a new friend required no more effort than standing still for 30 seconds.

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“In Iran we have no wine, no music, no dancing, no disco, no loving,” said a ranting middle-age neuroscientist. “We want your government. We want your freedom.”

[nuconvert]

Pong

[reg45]

Esfahan is the place to go if you want to buy an exquisite Persian rug.

[PolishProud]

Why does the writer need to ask directions, if he is accompanied by an Iranian “host?”

[nuconvert]

People ‘duck’ their guides to be able to wander on their own

[GOPJ]

Thanks for the ping.

[Allegra]

They want us to come in and remove the regime.

Like we did next door. On both sides.

Actually, it would reduce some of our problesm in the Middle East.

[G8 Diplomat]

If a traveler had any lingering doubts about the hospitality of Iranians toward Americans, this was the place to dispel them. Making a new friend required no more effort than standing still for 30 seconds.

I knew an Iranian kid in my chemistry class. He was a very nice person, much more so than most kids. 70% of Iranians like the US. That's more than many European countries combined. And it's not just Iran: I know someone who went to Dubai for a few weeks with some friends. She said they all loved Americans over there too.

If Iran were a secular US ally like it used to be, travelling there wouldn't be so bad. And gas is 11 cents.

[nuconvert]

During the time of the Shah, Iran was THE exotic destination.

As for Dubai, there are 2 Dubais. One for westerners and one for arabs. The part for westerners has alcohol and discos and hookers on the street corners. (lots of Russian girls, I hear) The other part is typical muslim UAE. (not that muslims don’t visit the ‘western’ section)
Dubai made a very smart business decision, realizing that attracting western investment and tourism meant providng the type of entertainment that westerners were used to having. Yes, they like Americans and want their continued investments and cash. They enjoy catering to the rich & famous.

[Schwaeky]

They even have casinos that would make the joints in Vegas look rather paltry...