Life is not always a reality - Imam Khomeini's quote on the mural at Imam Khomeini Metro Station, Tehran.
Growing up in Pakistan I've always been fascinated by neighbouring Iran. As a little boy I use to read folklore stories about Iran and its heroes but never had the opportunity to visit Iran.
In July this year I finally visited Iran – bit too late? Perhaps in some ways, things are definitely not the way they use to be but Iran is still a fascinating country full of culture, history and some wonderful people.
I know Iranians well, but I soon noticed that people have changed, but I guess it's quite natural considering what Iranians have gone through in the last 30 years or so.
Thanks to international sanctions, International credit-cards nor ATM cards work in Iran and you can’t get money through Western Union either so you’re pretty much screwed if you forget to bring dollars or euros with you, unless of course you have mates in Iran to help you out.
First Impressions: My first port of entry was the capital city of Tehran, and I have to admit that my first impression wasn't so positive, I was wrong of course and it took me couple of days to figure that out. Thanks in part to international sanctions and several other issues, average working class folks find it hard to make ends meet and everyone is out there to make a buck any way they can, and for someone who’s never visited Iran before, this comes across as aggressive in the beginning. Like most developing countries around the world people are moving away from small towns to big cities for economical reasons and Tehran is not only the largest city in Iran, it's also the financial hub, so it's overly crowded.
International Sanctions: I’m no economics expert but I can only tell you that despite the sanctions average Iranians seems to do alright somehow, Iranians are extremely social people, they love eating out and everywhere I went restaurants were always full, hotels were mostly full and all the touristy places are always crowded with Iranians. I was at a beautiful historic village which relies heavily on tourism and it was full of tourist, all iranians of course. I’ve had several conversation with people about this and they all said the exact same thing – we don’t have any other choice, sanctions or not, life goes on and you might as well enjoy what you’ve got. The other nice thing I noticed was that the government is spending quite a lot of money into preservation of historic sites and buildings, throughout Iran wherever I went every important building was covered in scaffolding with people all around working on restoration projects, a heartwarming thing to see in a country that’s been bogged down by international sanctions but not so good from a photographer’s point of view – not ideal conditions to photograph something you’ve come a long way to photograph.
Some of us find life harder them others, it’s a global issue and I’ve seen this in every country that I’ve been to.
Simple ordinary folks, less fortunate then others, doing whatever they can to survive - It’s not just an Iran issue.
Choices, choices, choies – Mesmerizing Radio shop!
Traffic: Another thing you notice right away is chaotic traffic, everything you’ve heard about traffic in Tehran is true, it’s unorganised, it’s chaotic and mortality rate due to traffic injuries is quite high in Iran. Something strange seems to happen to the very same polite people when they get behind the wheels, they turn into… I don’t know how to describe it in words, it’s almost like Mad Max Road Rage, nobody seems to cares about anything, and it’s something that I just can’t get my head around – what happens to these ridiculously polite people behind the steering wheel? Road marking are there of course, but they are just a total waste of money, road authorities should save money on buying expensive reflective paint and use it for something better. It’s perfectly alright to ride your motorbike on the pavement without even a hint of apology, and it’s perfectly alright to drive your car full speed in reverse on a one way lane, you have to see it to believe it because I just cannot describe that chaos in words. I’ve heard quite a lot about Cairo’s traffic chaos as well but I doubt if it could top Tehran.
Street Kebabs
Foreigners: Iranians don’t see many foreign tourist and as a foreigner you constantly stick out wherever you go, and quite often you get ripped off and end up paying double the normal price whether it’s hotel room rates, taxi rides or even a simple can of coke, simply because you are a “Khareji”, for someone like me who understands basic Farsi, you hear that word often. The word “Khareji” means outsider/foreigner, just like Japanese who call foreigners "Gaijin". I must clarify that it’s not an insult in anyway, just a word they use for foreigners. Some folks just assume that since you’re a foreign tourist you must have loads of dollars, which generally is true I guess, but it gets a little annoying after a while, people are generally very kind and helpful and even when you get ripped-off it really is a small amount. Truth is that most foreigners don’t care much because they just convert everything into dollars or euros and still think that it’s a bargain, and in a way it is, to be fair, you face that in a lot of other countries as well, so it’s not just Iran.
Iranians never forget their fallen. Walking around Iran you come across these memorial plaques in every neighbourhood honouring young men that belonged to that neighbourhood. It's a poignant reminder of that war that lasted from 1980 till 1988.
The eight-year long Iran-Iraq war is an unforgettable event in Iranian history, Iranian people from all walks of life and regions participated in defending their country. Iran-Iraq war was one of the longest in modern history, it was also one of the costliest in terms of casualties, an estimated one million lives were lost on both sides, with twice as many injured or permanently disabled. Their suffering continues to this day.
Iranians and The West: From what I’ve seen first-hand, Iranians have a love and hate relationship with U.S and The West. In my experience with random young people, younger generation seems confused, from childhood they’ve been thought to think of West as the great enemy and therefore hate them – but we live in an age of internet (globalisation) and they love and adore all that western culture. Older generation seem to hate the west but at the same time would love to send their children to the west first opportunity they get! All over Iran there are signs and graffiti of their hatred but at the same time their adoration for all the opportunities that the west offers is too damn obvious, you talk to hard-core old guard Iranians and their faces light up when they proudly tell you that their daughter or son is in Germany, UK, Canada or USA and how well they're doing!
I once got stopped by a 21 years lad on the street who was interested in photography, during our conversation he asked me if I used Photoshop, when I told him Yes, his next question was “Did you buy it or downloaded it?” When I told him that I paid for it, he seemed confused, his next question was “Why did you buy it?" Well, you know, it’s a matter of ethics really, people who make Photoshop spend millions on research and development to bring us a software that we enjoy and a lot of us make our living with it, so if we can afford it then the right thing would be to respect that and pay for it. And then he said quite innocently…
“Our teacher tells us that the USA is our enemy and we should download all their films, music and software for free”... what could I possibaly say to that? Couldn’t tell him that his teacher is an idiot, so I just said: “I’m sure your teacher is a great man, but you’re a grown man now and you should try to use your own judgment on matters that confuse you.
“Our teacher tells us that the USA is our enemy and we should download all their films, music and software for free”... what could I possibaly say to that? Couldn’t tell him that his teacher is an idiot, so I just said: “I’m sure your teacher is a great man, but you’re a grown man now and you should try to use your own judgment on matters that confuse you.
Funeral Easels (wreath of flowers) outside a mosque in Isfahan.
I’ve been wondering around the world for last four month and it didn’t take me long to realise that at the core, we are all the same – sure, we may look a little different, speak a different language or might belong to a different faith but I keep seeing people do the same things that everybody else does around the world.
30,000 Tomans (1 Toman = 10 Rials)
Iranian currency confused the heck out of me for at least a week, never had to deal with so many zeros in my life before, but you eventually figure things out. Despite the fact that the official currency of Iran is Rial and the prices are written in Rials most of the times, a lot of Iranian business owners would still tell you the price in Tomans, and it confuses the heck out of you once agin!
Came across this banner in a public park, no protests or drama of any kind.
My knowledge of Farsi is quite basic and limited but below are some of translations (best I could):
• Protection of chaos and insecurity.
• The unrest in Syria: Not Iran nor Hezbollah.
• The unrest in Iran: Neither Gaza nor Lebanon.
• Stand up people, security forces and the Basij leaders.
• Green It is the capital of Israel.
• Solidarity is one of America's strategic goals.
Pebbles and Bottle Caps – DIY Checkers
Iran as a Travel Destination: In my humble opinion, countries are all more or less the same, sure they all have a certain something different about them but a geographical border on the map doesn’t make a country special, it’s the people, their history and their culture that truly make a country special, Iran certainly has a rich culture and the Persian history dates back to 1500 BC.
If you’re interested in culture, art, architecture, history, landscape and food then Iran should definitely be in your top 10 list. Iran is beautiful country, Iranian people are some of the most hospitable people I’ve ever met in my life, but I knew that already, I grew up reading about Iran and some of my best friends of last 26 years are Iranians. Although I’m no longer in Iran, every traveller I meet along the way whether socially or at a hostels, I tell everyone the exact same thing, GO TO IRAN, ignore what the media tells you about Iran, it’s a perfectly safe country to visit, perhaps safer then a lot of other countries, everything you hear or read about Iran is overly sensationalised and wrong, of course there’s no such thing as perfection, you just have to use common sense, go there with an open mind and be respectful towards their culture like you would in any other country and you would have a memorable experience, Iranian people are so inquisitive towards foreign tourist simply because they don’t get to see many, and when they see you on the streets, they often stop you and try to have a conversation with you, often, random strangers take selfies with you with arms around your shoulders like old mates, random people often invite you to their homes and share a meal with you. It’s such a shame that not many people choose Iran as a holiday destination, it certainly has some of the best landscape I’ve ever seen in my life, as good as Canada, Scotland or Italy, It certainly has some of the best food in the world, and it’s architecture, art, history and culture are among the oldest in the world. More people should visit Iran, it’s a perfectly safe country and it’s NOTHING like what most people think of when they think of Iran.
But, if your idea of holiday involves cocktails and clubbing, then Iran is the wrong place for you, it’s certainly not ibiza, although you can find everything in Iran if you know the right people, and Iranian house parties are quite legendary provided you have mates in Iran, sometimes you don’t even need friends if you’re social, you meet people and they invite you to their houses.
Bam-e-Tehran (Roof of Tehran)
Masouleh Village (Gilan Province, North of Iran)
Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Isfahan
Babak Fort Mountain Range (Arasbaran forests – East Azerbaijan)
Kandovan Village, Osku (East Azerbaijan Province)
Si-o-seh Pol (Si-o-se Bridge), Isfahan
Chehel Sotoun, Isfahan
Si-o-seh Pol (Si-o-se Bridge), Isfahan
Lake Urmia (Largest Salt Lake in the Middle East) East Azerbaijan
Chehel Sotoun, Isfahan
Final Words: Perhaps some things that I’ve said above might come across as negative, that’s not my intention at all, I have to be honest about my personal experiences though, besides I haven’t said anything new about Iran that the world doesn’t know about already.
I loathe political correctness, never did learn to be diplomatic. In my humble opinion, that negative image of Iran around the world has nothing to do with Iranian people, not one bit, but we all know that already, sadly, people who represent Iranian people don’t realise that at all. Everyone I spoke to in Iran hates the way things are but sadly generations have grown up living in that environment and it seems that they have more or less accepted things for what they are – sure there are election times, a slither of hope is reignited once again, people come out and express their opinions, but the truth is that no matter who is in charge, and no matter how good and sincere their intentions are, it’s more of the same as usual.
Dare I say, It took a revolution to get to this stage, I’m afraid it might take another revolution of some sort to make any serious changes, hopefully a peaceful kind of revolution.
Dare I say, It took a revolution to get to this stage, I’m afraid it might take another revolution of some sort to make any serious changes, hopefully a peaceful kind of revolution.
Religious Consultation office, Isfahan
About the Photos: I will be the first one to admit that there’s nothing special about these photos, I wasn’t trying to do anything special either. I wanted to experience Iran at the grassroots level, it was important for me to do that, so I stayed at simple, basic guesthouses and ate at neighbourhood sandwich shops and grocery shops like everybody else, if there’s anything these photos show then perhaps they might give you an idea of the atmosphere ordinary folks live in. I did take some touristy post card photos of monuments and landscapes as well, but they are just boring and no different then millions of other photos that you can find over internet, what could I possibly add to those thousands of photos
