Iran part 1 : Tehran.
Jul. 7th, 2015 03:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Here's me at the former US Embassy, or as it is called on the local maps "the US Den of Espionage."

As I was posing, a group of Iranians drove past on their motorbikes and pissed themselves laughing.
So, we started and ended the tour in the capital Tehran, and below are pics from the first and last days of the tour, begining with UNESCO World Heritage Site, 19th Century Qajar era Golestan Palace.


Photos were not allowed inside the main palace, so the next 4 photos I got from google images...

We were told that mirrors were shipped in from Europe, but by the time they arrived in Iran, most of them had smashed in transit. So... waste not want not, the pieces were cut up into mosaic shapes and used anyway.

With spectacular results. You felt as if you were inside a diamond!

"Formal reception with the Shah of Iran at Golestan Palace in 1975"

One of the first shocks of Iran is that despite being a famously muslim country, figuative art (both old and new) is in abundance. Check out these boobie ladies.

Even more surreal, was how much the tiles reminded me of Portugal, complete with illustrated European scenes.

Interior of a side building...

THIS WAS JUST THE FIRST DAY! We emerged reeling in "shock and awe" of the more delightful, culturally inspiring kind.
Now phasing across time to the end of the tour, returning to Tehran, and stopping off at the (still not quite finished) Holy Shrine of Imam Khomeni.

Wait whut? WHAT HAS HAPPENED HERE?

Panic over, it's just full of men snoozing. Apparently, people used to bring picnics here before anti-Daesh (anti-ISIL) terrorism security had to introduce scanners and ban bags.

Children run around playing and the whole place is deliberately chilled out and almost playful, speaking of which, I had a bit of a giggle with these duster ladies.

Ladies (and gents) patrol with dusters to keep the place spick and span, after being clocked (grinning) taking photos of them, the ladies approached me. I had no Persian, and they had no English, but I think they asked me if I was French, which I confirmed by mentioning Paris, which went down very well. I indicated that I needed a bit of dusting myself they dusted me down chortling and laughing. I felt blessed!
Here's me... muffled in a chador. As well as having to wear a hijab at all times (and covering legs and arms) chadors are provided at some mosques and shines and one is expected to fully muffle up.

I'd not mind... but the blokes are under no such restrictions of dignity, many slopping about in scruffy jeans and ratty t-shirts. This bloke wore his jeans half-mast - showing his gigantic grandad Y-fronts to all and sundry. "Sister, look to your hair, Brother, look to your eyes." My arse! Or rather his arse. BAH!

We rounded off our trip with a quest to find the former US embassy. As it happened, we had 2 Americans in the party, though we were all agog to see it. Photos of the murals are feasible, but the interior is now an army base so photos of the inside are not recommended.





For the Americans, this was one of the highlights of the trip!
And so, winding back time, after Day 1, we got up very early Day 2 to drive to the Domestic Airport to take a flight to Shiraz, thus I was only able to grab a snap of the famous Azadi (Freedom) Tower snapped at dawn from the window of our speeding taxi.


As I was posing, a group of Iranians drove past on their motorbikes and pissed themselves laughing.
So, we started and ended the tour in the capital Tehran, and below are pics from the first and last days of the tour, begining with UNESCO World Heritage Site, 19th Century Qajar era Golestan Palace.


Photos were not allowed inside the main palace, so the next 4 photos I got from google images...

We were told that mirrors were shipped in from Europe, but by the time they arrived in Iran, most of them had smashed in transit. So... waste not want not, the pieces were cut up into mosaic shapes and used anyway.

With spectacular results. You felt as if you were inside a diamond!

"Formal reception with the Shah of Iran at Golestan Palace in 1975"

One of the first shocks of Iran is that despite being a famously muslim country, figuative art (both old and new) is in abundance. Check out these boobie ladies.

Even more surreal, was how much the tiles reminded me of Portugal, complete with illustrated European scenes.

Interior of a side building...

THIS WAS JUST THE FIRST DAY! We emerged reeling in "shock and awe" of the more delightful, culturally inspiring kind.
Now phasing across time to the end of the tour, returning to Tehran, and stopping off at the (still not quite finished) Holy Shrine of Imam Khomeni.

Wait whut? WHAT HAS HAPPENED HERE?

Panic over, it's just full of men snoozing. Apparently, people used to bring picnics here before anti-Daesh (anti-ISIL) terrorism security had to introduce scanners and ban bags.

Children run around playing and the whole place is deliberately chilled out and almost playful, speaking of which, I had a bit of a giggle with these duster ladies.

Ladies (and gents) patrol with dusters to keep the place spick and span, after being clocked (grinning) taking photos of them, the ladies approached me. I had no Persian, and they had no English, but I think they asked me if I was French, which I confirmed by mentioning Paris, which went down very well. I indicated that I needed a bit of dusting myself they dusted me down chortling and laughing. I felt blessed!
Here's me... muffled in a chador. As well as having to wear a hijab at all times (and covering legs and arms) chadors are provided at some mosques and shines and one is expected to fully muffle up.

I'd not mind... but the blokes are under no such restrictions of dignity, many slopping about in scruffy jeans and ratty t-shirts. This bloke wore his jeans half-mast - showing his gigantic grandad Y-fronts to all and sundry. "Sister, look to your hair, Brother, look to your eyes." My arse! Or rather his arse. BAH!

We rounded off our trip with a quest to find the former US embassy. As it happened, we had 2 Americans in the party, though we were all agog to see it. Photos of the murals are feasible, but the interior is now an army base so photos of the inside are not recommended.





For the Americans, this was one of the highlights of the trip!
And so, winding back time, after Day 1, we got up very early Day 2 to drive to the Domestic Airport to take a flight to Shiraz, thus I was only able to grab a snap of the famous Azadi (Freedom) Tower snapped at dawn from the window of our speeding taxi.
