Happy Norouz Persian Kitty

Today is Norouz and beginning of spring! Norouz is the Iranian New Year, which takes place on the first day of spring, a secular holiday celebrated by many. Norouz means literally the “New Day”

"Hafsin" is the traditional table for Norouz, which contains seven items that start on the letter "S"

There is a cat in the Middle East called the Persian Kitty. Persia is the former name of Iran, which was officially changed in 1935. However, the citizens of Iran prefer to go by as Persians. Especially since Iran has not had the best impression in the world community in a few decades! The map of Iran looks like a cat! Persian cats are well known as well as the Persian rugs, and the Persian Gulf! 

The Map of Iran, on the top left corner is the head of the cat, on the right bottom corner is the tale, the cat is resting on the Persian Gulf

In the world today, media has a large influence on our minds. Entities like governments and corporations are capable of programming us through media. Wise citizens should not let propaganda affect their minds, people are the same all around the world, in general we are all citizens of this planet and our planet is just a small corn in the universe. We have different ways of doing things and we think different, we look different, and our social environment have programmed us a certain way, that doesn't mean that one is better than another!

Inside Iran is not as bad as it's presented worldwide. Living standard is as high as many other developed counties but there are some restrictions. There is a lack of freedom, freedom of speech, thought, clothing, and certainly, political view. Inflation has been a problem because of sanctions. But the sanctions has forced Iran to become self sufficient.

Every country has a role in the world. There are about 200 countries and Iran is by population and size around the 18^th biggest nation. Our world is striving to become ONE and all counties must join sooner or later! The fight for freedom and equality is going on in all corners of the world. Our planet is craving for an unified intellectual system. Ultimately the natural resources must be distributed balanced between the nations and people of the world. No individual nation should be allowed to have fully control of the world resources and it's distribution. Today we have to take down walls and build bridges. Because the world must become ONE. 

I have recognized more freedom in Iran in the recent years. Women let their scarfs fall on their shoulders while driving and there are less appearance restrictions. It seems as the new president is opening the doors to the west world. Lets all hope together that freedom and human rights take place peacefully in all the counties. Human life is valuable and humanity should be at a place where we solve issues without loosing people.

During Norouz people give money to each other as a gift. I remember as a kid,  excitedly gathering money during Norouz. Today, I got a deposit to my account for the same amount I paid last week to get my boat in water from two kind people in Panama!  

The nature in Iran is spectacular; four season climate make the land change color several times a year. Pictures are better than thousand words. Enjoy these sceneries of Iran. 

Alborz Mountains cover in snow in the beginning of Spring

A village in the middle of Alborz Mountains

Alborz Mountains outside Tehran

More Alborz Mountains

The Capital of Iran "Tehran"

"Kelar Dasht" is a small town on the Northern Iran

A street in Tehran

On the road to the Caspian Sea

Alborz Mountains view in Spring

The road through the Alborz Mountains

Stone Hills outside the City of Mashhad, Northwestern Iran

The Rocky Hills in Mashhad's outskirts

An old rest stop on the Silk Road

Canyons on the Silk Road

Rolly Hills on the Silk Road

More Unique Mountains

A view of Tehran in Spring

More Mountains on the silk road

A typical Persian nut store

Blossoming Apple Trees in Spring

Traditional Historic Estate in Kashan

Another View of Tehran

Traditional Historic Estate in Kashan

Pistachio Trees

The town "Lahijan" by Caspian Sea on the Northern Iran

One View of the Ancient city of Tabriz

A view of Tehran from the top of the Mountains

Iranian Woman

Recently discovered "Ghale Rudkhaan" located on the Northern Iran

Fort "Rudkhan"

The Forest of Wind (Jangale Bad)

Karaj Dam

The scenic "Chalus Route" through Alborz Mountains

The Bazaar in Tehran

And my lovely parents

 

Happy Norouz and Love from the Persian Kitty

 

Farewell Iran

Tabatabaei House, Kashan

The Iran trip came to an end and time went by so fast. I've traveled within Iran and got to do some things that I like. It feels like I haven't had time to absorb everything yet. I’m glad I take lots of pictures and that I write about my experiences so I can go back to it and relive it.

One amazing experience during this trip, which has been a dream of mine for a long time was to Para glide. Para gliding is flying in a kite off a mountain. We drove 3500ft up the Alborz Mountains on the north side of Tehran and flew down like an eagle with the city below us. I've realized I really enjoy to fly, I must been a bird in the past! I would love to do more Para gliding and get certified. 

Furthermore, I got to do a little project in my parents cottage close to Astaneh Ashrafieh in Gilan. Since I am a water person, I thought our orchard needed a little fountain. A fountain in a little pool would create a sound effect of water running down the stones and it would be a great add on to our home. The fountain project was a good learning experience. I made a 2 feet tall fountain wall with different size river rocks that I collected. This project will be 100% completed next time I visit my parents.

Fin Garden

 I also had the opportunity to give a day visit to "Kashan" with my close friend Peggy. Kashan is located couple hundred kilometers ( 120miles) south of Tehran. Kashan's history goes back to few thousand years as well as many other cities in Iran. Recently in Kashan archeologists found a human mummy, which is estimated to be 7000 years old. This city has many beautiful old architecture. In Fin garden you see water running from a well through creeks among tall pine trees with a classic persian home in the middle of the garden. Kashan is a place worth to see in Iran.

Iran is such a beautiful country with so many resources. Iran lies in a strategic geographical location and it has been the connection between east to west. This land and it's people has been under many different powers and ruled by many different government. This country has been taken advantage off and robbed so many times throughout history. Few weeks ago news released that $3billion is missing in the central bank system. Last week CEOs from 3 major banks resigned. Iran has become an extreme materialistic society. You are judged by who your parents are, what kind of car you are driving, where you live, what you do and how much you own. I have been trying to detach myself from this materialistic world and live only by my needs. I like beautiful things and comfort, but I don't want to find happiness with the things under my possession. I simply have nothing to show, it's just me! In Iran you can't just be you, you have to be somebody else!

People on our planet right now live in controlled societies. We live in a police world and the degree of that is really high on the scale in Iran. Today the situation in the Middle East is in chaos. All the countries in this region are very tense and concerned. In Iran the communication system is controlled. News and social websites like, BBC, Blogspot, and Facebook are filtered. The phone lines between major cities in Iran get interrupted and internet gets shut down during special events. Subconsciously, people in Iran are under constant fear. People are worried about their future and their children's future. People are worried about health care, work, and education. It's kind of part of the culture to be worried.

When you practice compassion, you can feel other people's pain or happiness. In some situations I think I feel worse than the other person since they don't really know in what degree of closed society they live in. For example, when I see a 10 year old girl covered head to toe in black "chador" I feel sorry and wish she could live just a 10 year old child life and had the opportunity to live in a less controlled world. Many people in this society are used to the system and don't realize the little cubical they live in. We all live in a cubical. Our cubical world has different thickness. The walls are very thick in Iran. I hope we can break these walls and let some light in and find peace and freedom. As an Earthling we don't need any borders between the countries on our planet. Everybody should be able to go wherever they like to whenever they like to. When we are not allowed to cross a line then we are more eager to see what's on the other side. I feel bad for many people in Iran and other countries in the world that can't get permission to go to other countries and see the world outside.  When the amount of resources available on our planet is equally distributed between everyone and it’s in harmony with nature then we can live where ever our hearts take us. Then we would not fight, kill, steal, lie, and we all would live better lives in a better world. I am looking forward to that day in my life time.

Love from Iran

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Taarof world

Taarof is a Persian way of being hospitable, polite, and respectful. It's about sacrificing yourself for your guest and to be humble, generous, and a servant. It is a beautiful part of the Persian culture.
Examples of Taarof:
When few people try to enter a door way that permits only one at the time the respectful approach is to let the oldest person enter first, then the guest, and last the host. It's common to see people at doorways insisting each other to enter first and they go back and forth and sometimes this ritual can repeat itself for a long time and can become somehow annoying.
Iranians sometimes get in fight over who is going to pay in restaurants. Everybody is taking their money out and try to tell the cashier to take their money and seldom we threaten the cashier if he/she takes money from the counterpart.
When you shop merchandise at a store in Iran, the cashier quotes the price and also tells you that it's on the house and don't mention it (Ghabel nadare). But at the end you have to pay for the merchandise.
At least but not last, when you are sitting in a gathering and a new person that you know enters, you get up of respect and greet. If the person is older no matter if you know the person or not,  it would be disrespectful to not stand up! Sometimes I think it's better to go to a gathering later than sooner otherwise you have to get up over and over again.

There are so many vocabulary used in Tarof that cannot be translated to english, I don't understand many of the words either. Some of the words are, "Ghabel nadare", which means it's not worth it for you to pay. In Iran you hear ghabe nadare everywhere. If you tell a friend what a beautiful watch she/he has, they usually say Ghabel nadare.
When somebody ask me to say hello to my parents I'll be polite and respond: I will send your greatness (bozorgitoon ro miresoonam). When you talk to someone that hosted you last, you start the conversation with: how are you dealing with our burdan!( ba zahmat ma chetorin)

As a person grown up in a western culture, sometimes Taarof becomes very challenging. You don't know if people really mean what they are offering or it's just a taarof. I usually tell people that I don't taarof, but that itself can be a type of taarof!

I also recognized that subconsciously I have been carrying the taarof culture in my life.
I faced complicated situations outside Iran and offered to pay for things in many situations where nobody else offered so I end up with the whole bill myself.
I would say we do have more of the Taarof culture in the U.S than in Sweden. I like to keep beautiful parts of each culture that I grew up in. There are certainly beautiful parts of Taarof. In the Taarof world I believe you have to mean what you are offering. Don't offer your watch to someone unless you are ready to give it away and don't offer to pay for a whole table unless you mean it and you can afford it!

Love from Taarof world

TABRIZ

Friends and family are so nice and hospitable to me. Everybody want to get together and some want to travel and there are so many places to see.
My best friend Mehdi in Iran, offered to fly me to Tabriz to visit his spouse's family and this ancient city. This was a great opportunity for me to visit Tabriz for the first time. And I had a great time staying with Mehranfar's family and I'm grateful for their hospitality.

Tabriz is in the East Azerbaijan province,  which is the Turkish part of Iran. The first language here is Turkish but everybody speak Farsi as well.  It feels foreign since everybody speak a language that I don't understand.
Tabriz is the 4th largest city in Iran and it use to be the capital of Persia during the Qajar period. The history of Tabriz goes back over 2500 years.

Qajaar House

Everything I ate in Tabriz from fresh Cantaloupe fruit Juice to the Baklava tasted great. I think the food products here in Tabriz are of a better quality than many other places.
Silky cream cheese topped with honey on fresh barbari bread along with tea is the best breakfast you can imagine.
The old Tabriz Bazaar is a must see, it's enormous and one of the largest and oldest in the middle east. It is actually the oldest covered Bazaar in the world.

Kandovan

Another site we visited is Kandovan, which is a village in the outskirts of Tabriz. The homes in Kandovan are carved inside large cone shaped rocks and some are as old as 800 years old. This village is just surreal. These cone shaped rocks must been reefs under water many many years ago.
Furthermore, you don't see as many homeless or panhandlers in this city. The air here in Tabriz is also much cleaner than Tehran or Mashhad.
To see the photo album of Iran please visit earthling sailor page.

Love from Tabriz

Alborz Mountains

So far during the time in Iran I've been on road trips east to Mashhad and north to Astaneh. Mashhad is the second biggest and a holy city in Iran. This city is a religious tourist destination. Many people from all over Iran & Middle east come to visit Imam Reza's shrine in Mashhad. My mother is originally from here and I visit my grandparents and family in Mashhad every time I am in Iran. 

There are several routes leading to Mashhad and to the Caspian Sea on the north. The nature on each road is scenic and unique. The roads go through mountains, desert, and forests . I love the mountains in Iran. The Alborz mountains separates the tropical caspian sea area from the lower Tehran plateau. It reaches several hundred miles east to west and its only few tens of miles wide. You definitely see some spectacular views when crossing these mountains. They are similar to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

The tallest mountain in the Alborz Range is Mt. Damavand at 18400ft (5600meters) elevation. A lot of  people hike in the Alborz mountains. Hiking in the mountains is one of my activities now, and I always been wanting to clime up to the peak of Mt. Damavand. I will make that dream come true in the near future. 

In addition to the nature, It's the month of Ramadan right now. During this month Muslims don't drink or eat from sunrise to sunset. Nobody is supposed to consume food or drinks in public and restaurants and coffee shops are not serving food for lunch. I would assume restaurant industry's low season in muslim countries is during the month of Ramadan, which ends in few days and it's celebrated as Eyd e Fetr. 

Astaneh Ashrafiyyeh is a town in the Gilan province by the Caspian Sea. The nature here is tropical and you see palm trees around. My parents have a get away home on the country side of Astaneh. In their little orchard here life is peaceful and pleasant. It's far from the city chaos and it's quiet. I like spend my quality time here next to the outdoor fire place and among fruit trees and rose bushes.     

Yesterday we drove back from Astaneh to Tehran and tomorrow we are going to Tabriz in Azerbaijan. 

Love from Alborz Mountains