Shia religion

As we progress through Iran, where the vast majority of the population follow the Shia sect of Islam, we are learning a bit more about the differences between that and Sunniism, which we were more familiar with in our region of the world.

I had previously been led to believe that Shites were extremists and intolerant. There have been no sign of any aggressive or unfriendly gestures from the many Iranians we came across. In fact they were all friendly and "Welcome to Iran" was a common greeting by total strangers in the streets.

I need to clarify further what I posted a few days ago about the depiction of life forms in wall decorations etc. We have a very good local guide (plus an equally impressive lecturer from UK) who explained that Shia tolerates such depictions and indeed we saw many examples of that. In fact, Sunnis are more intolerant of that and for their structures, calligraphy dominates the decorations. There are Shia shrines to prominent people, which would not be allowed in strict Sunni countries, such as Saudi Arabia.

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As for dress code, Kay apologised profusely one evening when she did not have  her scarf on when some workers were in our room; they were equally profuse in reassuring her that it did not matter.  Dress codes are of course stricter within some religious (very few) buildings, such as the shrine of the brothers of the 8th apostle. 

Yazd to Isfahan

Today we left Yazd and our first stop was Meybod.  This is a town that is at least 1800 years old, and made largely of adobe.  This is the citadel

and a close up of the adobe.  Grass and mud.



We also visited a pigeon house/dovecote, used for harvesting pigeon poo, for fertiliser.  This is about 18th century.  No longer used as such but restored for us to see.

This is the inside view. Apparently the pigeons sleep with their bums sticking out.   Apparently there is one still in use in Isfahan but it is considered to dangerous for tourists - you can imagine!

One of the highlights of the day was a group of Iranian school children (probably upper primary in our system) who smiled and waved at us.  This is becoming commonplace on this trip. When instructed by their teachers, we received a resounding cheer.  We felt like celebrities!

 We are now safely in Isfahan after a longish bus ride and longish sleep.  Tomorrow we see the city centre, designed by Shah Abbas in the sixteenth century.  It is getting difficult to keep track of all the dynasties and periods of the things we are seeing!


No access to the blog in Isfahan either.  Just a lot of squiggles comes up on the screen!

A Special Request from Patricia

Kay in dress code buying postcards.

More in Yazd

The town of Yazd.  No high-rise.


The Friday Mosque in Yazd.  Apparently the minarets are at an angle so if they collapse, they are unlikely to damage the mosque.  The Taj Mahal has the same feature.

 We visited a UNESCO listed Persian Garden.

And for those of us who grew up with one, this was seen - in a UNESCO listed site!

It is still cold, but as you can see, bright and sunny. They have fitted a lot into this tour, with plenty of time for explanations, but it also means long days and a lot of time on your feet.

We visited an Iranian sweets shop but too busy buying to take pics!

Unable to even view the blog here, so hope all this is visible!

Out and about in Yazd

The first trip of the day was to the Towers of Silence, which Zoroastrians used to dispose of the dead. If you want the gory details, the bodies are left to the elements (and the vultures) and after a while the remaining bones are swept into the centre ossuary. For various reasons, this ceased to work satisfactorily sometime in the 1950s I think and they resorted to cemeteries, but the towers have remained.

Two towers of silence - the ones on the hills that is, not the two brick structures.

Preparing to climb.

At the top.

Pushing the limits

The downsized pics seem to work, so will try again.

This is the tomb of Cyrus, the guy who built Pasagardae.  It was very striking in the middle of the plain.  The colours of the stone blend in so well with the colour of the terrain and the blue sky.

I tried unsuccessfully to post this a few days ago.  It is maqanas decoration in a mosque at Shiraz.  It is a series of geometric forms, painted in this case, suspended from the roof behind those arches you see in Iranian architecture.  It is intricate and beautiful.  In some pics without colour, it does look like the wasps have built a nest, but the coloured variety are gorgeous.

Now will see how TWO pics go!

Sunday drive

Today we went to Pasagardae, more ruins that pre-date yesterday's Persepolis.  The guy who built PP took over (or rather, took) from the guy who built Pasagardae.


It was cold but clear.  Am trying to enclose a pic of the group, with KM to the left.  You can also see the terrain, and mountains in the distance, as well as the colours of the landscape. 





The 5 hour  drive to Yazd was through one of those mountain ranges, we got up to 2,500 metres.  It was beautiful and stark scenery, quite a bit of snow at the top and I was surprised it wasn't billed as a feature of the day. Perhaps it is just a common sight in Iran.


A couple of toilet stops - China training came in useful!  And bought some "Persian Delight" at one shop - not Turkish Delight here!


Tomorrow is a day in Yazd.

Did he or didn't he?

Our lecturer (from the UK) explained that Alexander was not popular in Iran.  We might call him Alexander the Great, but Iranians do not.  To them, he was Alexander of Macedon, the man who burned down Persepolis.

But ironically, Iran can thank Alexander for setting fire to and destroying Persepolis back in 330 BC, for in the process a major wall collapsed burying many of the fine bas relief carvings and protecting them from the elements, leaving them in near pristine conditions today.

The Apadana staircase also remains. I need to get a pic from KM's camera!

So is Alexander good news or bad news? 

Persepolis

An unforgettable day at Persepolis, 60 odd km out of Shiraz.   Darius I was one of the Archaemenid emperors (The first Persian Empire) and he built Persepolis after 550 BC as a ceremonial and religious hub for his empire. The primary god was Ahura Mazda, also worshipped by the Zoroastrians.  (There were plenty of comments about Japanese cars, but any connection is unclear).  This is his symbol.  We got to know it.

More pics. KM in black puffy jacket with blue cap.

 

Some lovely figures in bas-relief.

A palace at Persepolis.

And in the hill behind, one of the several tombs of Archaemenid emperors.

We were warned that the site was "exposed" so we were well prepared for the cold weather.  This was not over-dressed.  Fortunately there was no rain as we had the previous day.  The umbrella was for the sun.

Out and about in Shiraz

Today we met  our group.  One US person had withdrawn because Iran banned US visas, but we have one person from Ireland who booked at the last minute.  So we are 12.

Started with our first mosques today.  The leader said that she would be pointing out the characteristic features of each one that we visit. Persian mosques typically feature an arch at the front, called an "iwan" (or ivan) and more internally.  A mosque can be a "four iwan mosque" or fewer than that.  There are beautiful decorations on the walls.

From the Pink Mosque.  One of the few depictions of a christian church in a mosque. But no bells apparent on the church.

The iwan at the Madrassa. 

 Looking up.  No, it is not a wasps nest, it is a stalactite ceiling or honeycomb ceiling, or muqarnas.

They are beautiful.  If you look closely, you can see painted decorations.  I want one under our front porch.

We visited a shrine of two brothers, a sacred site in Shia Islam.  We had to wear a chador.  A helpful attendant knotted it very securely for me.  At least it wasn't black!

Who is who? It was cold and windy.

As is becoming commonplace, we were approached by a group of girls who wanted to "interview with us".  The tour leader obliged to be interviewed.  Where are you from, how do you like Iran we were asked.  I could hear her asking questions too!

Saw a cat today - guess what kind - the one with long fur!

Tomorrow is a long day - we go to Persepolis - the ancient capital of the Archamedic empire, and see another palace complex on the way home.  At least the rain has stopped but the temperature will be between 4 and 7 degrees.