Next up was
the capital of Iran, Tehran. Tehran is also the largest city of the country and
is, against what one might expect, filled with western looking architecture. In
fact, Iran has since the thirties somewhat western-orientated country because
of the several reforms conducted by the Shahs. After the revolution in 1979-80,
Iran became the world’s first official Islamic republic and broke practically
all ties with the western world.
To a lot of
people the name ‘Iran’ spells nothing but doom. Mostly because of the rhetoric
of its rulers which is characterized by its often anti-Jewish and anti-Israel
statements. Nevertheless, Iran is the only ‘stable’ country in the middle-east,
this is something that is clearly visible in Tehran. The streets are clean, everything
looks organized and peaceful. There’s a lot to see in the city; old Mosques,
the palaces of the former Shahs and monuments like the beautiful Azadi tower in
the middle of the Azadi square which was originally erected to commemorate the
former Shahs. After the revolution it became a monument that celebrates the
Islamic republic.
There are
not many accommodations or attractions for tourists in Tehran and perhaps Iran
in general because not many (western) tourists come to Iran. This doesn’t come
as a surprise, travelling to the country is discouraged by many countries and
their trade is limited by embargos and UN sanctions. The people of Tehran are
very friendly and a lot of them complain that their country is lambasted
abroad, and if you try hard enough you might get some words of dissent against
their rulers out of them. A seemingly stable country, but at what price?
To close
our day, we visited the Iranian museum of contemporary art. A wonderful museum
filled with great artists like Picasso and Van Gogh, many however are in
storage because their imagery doesn’t comply with the believes of the republic
and religious leaders. Many haven’t been on public display for decades.
Thomas
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