The Hindu Business Line : Persian adventure

Travelling to Iran, a country projected as deeply conservative with special restrictions on women, seemed like a great adventure. But when we reached Tehran, the ancient land of Persia did not seem alien at all. There were plenty of tourists, with the parks and bazaars filled to capacity. An Indian traveller is bound to feel a sense of familiarity negotiating the chaotic traffic in Tehran; it is rated the most dangerous in the world, the city's residents tell us with a tinge of pride!

We soon realised that life is much more relaxed in the theocratic republic than we were led to believe. There is a dress code for women that we were advised to follow while in Iran, but contrary to expectations

Iranian women are not a self-effacing, submissive lot. We saw women striding confidently in their monteaus (knee-length coats) in different colours, their heads covered with flimsy scarves — they looked stylish rather than confined by their clothes. Bright-eyed young girls wearing colourful monteaus and rolled-up blue jeans could be seen promenading the parks in the evening or strolling along the streets in the market.

We were told that there are more women than men studying at universities in Iran and that women worked at all kinds of jobs, from banking and healthcare to photography and filmmaking. Although the religious leaders frown on Western music and dancing, both are common in private homes and parties.

Ties with India

Iranians are hospitable and love to talk; they readily strike up conversations with foreigners, with youngsters being as curious about the outside world as they are eager to dispel the misconceptions about their country. There is a great deal of spontaneous warmth and goodwill towards visitors from `al Hind' (India).

A couple of pedestrians surprised us by greeting us with a `namaste' and waving out merrily as they walked by. There is an affinity that stretches back to the ancient ties between the two countries and has been reinforced by widely popular Indian films.

The language, food and designs on carpets and textiles are strikingly similar. The vegetarians in our group found comfort in the thick, luscious yoghurt that is available in almost every eatery. It is easy to check out the presence of gosht (as meat is known in both countries) and look for Iranian specialities made of spinach, eggplant and lentils.

There are many familiar words in the Persian language, for Farsi had its influence on languages like Hindi, Bengali and Marathi, besides Urdu. A member of our group was excited to discover that the incense sticks a little boy was selling are called `ood' in both Tamil and Farsi.

Cradle of civilisation

Iran is proud of its heritage as one of the cradles of civilisation. Its tourist spots are clean and well maintained. The National Museum in Tehran has ceramics and seals dating back to the 5th millennium B.C. The collection is magnificent; every pitcher has a story to tell.

The National Bank in Tehran houses the Shah of Iran's crown jewels; there is a breathtaking display of emeralds, rubies, diamonds, and pearls by the kilo. However, there is a slight sense of disappointment for the Indian tourist: the Peacock Throne on display is not the real one. The original was actually dismantled and its jewels gonged out by marauding invaders, we are told.

In Iran any throne used by the Persian kings was called the Peacock Throne, and the throne in the vault at the National Bank is just any old throne. We watched the foreign tourists awestruck by the throne as we moved further into the hall-sized vault.

At Persepolis, we met Omaid, a young student, who narrated the story of the famed spring palace of Darius the Great, built 2,500 years ago. Iran's most famous archaeological site, it is the cradle of the Zoroastrian religion. We walked through the monumental archway called the Gate of All Nations.

Darius ruled a vast empire; the well-preserved bas-relief panels on the Apadana Staircase depict envoys of different territories coming to pay homage to the king — Parthians in tall hats, Abyssinians, Arabs, Greeks, Bactrians, Gandarans from Afghanistan and Indians from Sindh.

The city was burnt down by Alexander the Great in 330 B.C., an act of wanton destruction that the Persians mourn till date. To the Western world, Alexander was a conqueror, but for the Persians he was nothing more than a barbarian.

From Persepolis, we drove across the Dasht-e-Kavir, a desert plateau, to Yazd with a population of around three lakh. Legend has it that Marco Polo's travels brought him to this timeless desert city. Yazd is a centre of Zoroastrianism, and the Parsis came to India from here.

We walked around the fire temple in Yazd; the sacred flame in the temple is said to be burning for more than 1,500 years. The priest was more interested in selling us postcards than answering any questions about Zoroastrians living in Iran. He didn't want to talk about the temple or its congregation and dismissed our guide with the remark, "You can tell them all about it".

Later we came across a carpenter who could speak Hindi; he told us that he had worked in Mumbai for some time. The fire temple is being renovated and supported by the Parsi Anjuman in Mumbai, he said.

The city of Shiraz was the home of Iran's best-loved poet, Hafez; his tomb in the Aramgah-e Hafez is set in a delightful garden, which has a library and an open-air teahouse. People stroll through the garden, pay homage at the poet's tomb or sit by the two pools and read some poetry; it is clearly a favourite haunt for the Shirazis. Two pretty girls came up to us and explained the relevance of Hafez in Iranian life.

We enquired at the library about any reference to Rabindranath Tagore's visit to the tomb. The young seminarians shook their heads; however, the elderly librarian showed us a photograph placed opposite the main door... the familiar bearded figure of Tagore seated with a group of Iranian dignitaries. Tagore, we were told, was given a grand welcome in Shiraz, for his father was a well-known scholar of Hafez's works. Iran is a country in transition; traces of the revolutionary fervour of the Islamic Revolution linger on, but young Iranians are fun-loving. Tourism is opening up and many visitors find themselves warmly welcomed by ordinary Iranians.