Tehran - More Than An Islamic Megapolis

Iran is much in the news these days. Most of the US media coverage of Iran is concerned with Islamic extremism, the nascent nuclear program that has the Bush administration on a war footing, Iran's meddling in Iraqi affairs and of course, the theatrics of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But Iran is a large country of more than 70 million people and to define it narrowly in terms of its fundamentalist leaders is foolish and unfair.

My brother in law, Manoj Joshi was in Iran recently as a member of Government of India's press delegation. The purpose of the visit was to report on the current political situation in Iran and the state of Indo-Iranian relations.  Apart from his serious reportage, Manoj also wrote a light hearted piece on his observations of present day life in Tehran. Although he has addressed the article to his Indian readers, I feel the piece is of sufficient general interest to A.B. regulars to warrant posting here.

(Manoj Joshi is the editor of the Indian daily newspaper, The Hindustan Times. He writes on Indian and global politics. His specialty is strategic military and defense issues)

(Northern Tehran. Elburz mountains seen in the background)

There is a sense of unease that comes with travelling to Tehran, ruled by a system dominated by conservative mullahs. But actual experiences are always more pleasurable than clichéd instincts. The capital of Iran is a huge metropolis of 12.3 million people who represent one-fifth of its population and 50 per cent of its industry.

With a backdrop of the snow-brushed Elburz mountains, Tehran could be the most beautiful city in Iran, but it is not. That title goes to Isfahan. Tehran received a fatal blow when, during the rule of Mohammed Reza Shah, parts of the older palaces and buildings were razed to make way for structures that came up later in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, ugly high-rises ruin the view and, as Indian ambassador Manbir Singh realises in his palatial house and grounds, the neighbourhood.

Money counts

The most important street in Tehran is the Vali-e-asr that runs from the Tajrish locality in the north to the main railway station in the south. Tajrish is where the city’s affluent population lives; it is relatively pollution free and perceptibly cooler in the summer.

For this reason, perhaps, it was the site of a palace complex built by the Shah Dynasty, which was deposed by the Islamic revolution in 1979. The Sadabad palace complex has some 18 villas, which were used by the founder of the dynasty, Reza Shah and his son Mohammed Reza and their families. Today it houses museums and government buildings. Imam Khomeini’s place in a neighbouring area comprises a single room divided by a curtain, with a short walk to a mosque.

North of Tajrish is Darband, at the foot of a mountain of the same name. This leads to a popular hiking trail and a ski lift that leads to a set of ski slopes on the northern slopes of the Elburz mountains.

At the place where the hiking trails begin are small shops and hookah lounges that also serve as restaurants called ghavekhane sonnati, where Tehran youth unwind a little, but always too much for the conservative Basij militia personnel. At a restaurant built into the mountain, there are recliners where you can sit picnic-style on rugs and feast on chelo kebabs, grilled fish and khoresht stew served with buttered rice and Iranian naan. For starters there are salads, feta cheese and yoghurt and for accompaniments, doogh (somewhat like our chaanch), non-alcoholic beer and Zam Zam cola. (A friend swears that a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label, delivered at the door costs $42, less than what it costs in New Delhi, but you must be very, very careful.) After the meal and a cup of tea, the hookah is a must and it is not unusual to see hijab-clad beauties puffing away.

The sacred veil

The women’s dress varies from the all enveloping black chador that covers them from head to toe, to a mélange of styles that involve trousers, an over garment or manteaux and a hijab that covers the hair. Just how tight the manteaux are and how much of the hair is actually covered is a matter of discretion. Unlike her Arab counterpart, the Tehran woman is not housebound. Chador, hijab and all, she is visible at the workplace whether as a cleaning lady or a research officer in a think-tank; member of Parliament or Basij (paramilitary) officer.

Despite the monstrously huge metropolis they live in, the Tehranis are unfailingly polite. Not for them the frenetic aggression of the Dilliwala. There’s a sophisticated culture spawned by the scores of universities, theatres, art galleries and cafes manifest in a vibrant art, cinema and literature scene. But though Iran’s secular culture is highly developed, it is under strain.

The Islamic Republic does not officially ban music, cinema or art. But censorship and, worse, self-censorship, is the order of the day.

Home of art

World-class film directors like Abbas Kiarostami, Samira Makhmalbaf, Saman Salvar and Jafar Panahi are no longer lionised in their own country the way they are in Cannes, Venice and Locarno. Iran’s modern art collection, housed in the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, is the best outside of Europe and the US. But when I searched the galleries for Monet, Pissarro, Van Gogh, Diego Rivera, Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Munch and a score of other world-famous artists it is reputed to have, I found nothing: only painting after painting depicting the Islamic Revolution and a few pieces of brilliant Iranian modern art.

I asked a curator where the other paintings were and his response was: “They have been locked away since the Revolution and are displayed only once a year for a period of a month.”

No visit to Tehran can be complete without a trip to its Grand Bazaar, the world’s largest. Something akin to the enclosed bazaars of India, but cleaner and larger, the Grand Bazaar is split into many corridors each specialising in different goods. At the carpet market within the Bazaar you can buy large hall-sized carpets to smaller rugs and kilims, which can cost anywhere, up to $ 10,000, but do haggle.

If you don’t have money, don’t worry, as Mohammed of Asil Carpets told me: “Take the carpet and send the money to my account in Germany.” I did neither and opted instead for a cheap kilim from the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee shop, a little like our Cottage Industries Emporium.

Blogger's note: A hookah is a smoking pipe filled with water.  More images of Iran that the warmongers don't want you to see.

Comments

[Shunya]

I’ve read many of Manoj Joshi’s articles with interest (on his blog). This one brought back memories of my own pleasurable travels in the region. I too was struck by the cosmopolitan diversity of their capital cities and my ease in them. Iran is high on my travel wish list. Actually Iraq was higher, but will that now happen in my lifetime?

[Sujatha]

Better to visit Iran now than after the Bush admin tries bombing them into the same nothingness as Iraq, I think.

But you probably don't have much time left before that happens, judging from all the signs.

[Ruchira Paul]

May be there is some hope yet.

The middle east is a region I would love to visit. I passed up a couple of golden opportunities and now I regret it. As for feeling comfortable, I think for those of us who grew up in northern India, the middle east would probably be very familiar. As Manoj mentions in his article, the Grand Bazaar in Tehran appeared to him to be like a "cleaner" version of an old Delhi bazaar.

And yes, Manoj also told me that the overwhelming majority of ordinary Iranians are very kindly disposed towards America. They are just disgusted with the way the two governments are behaving - the US as the bully and Ahmadinejad as a provocateur.

Here is a telling story of how we prefer brinkmanship to diplomacy.

[Mike]

Excellent review, thanks. I wish the U.S. and Iran were at peace, for the sole reason that it sounds like a really nice place.

[Jesse G.]

I agree with Mike. I have heard that Tehran is a beautiful and interesting place with kind and polite people. Too bad I am American or it would be high on my list if only for the food.

[Tom g]

Interesting how different the country looks at ground level compared to the filtered level provided by the Bush Administration and the compliant press. I wonder if Baghdad looked like this in early 2003.

[qunfuz]

I've been to Iran too - it's a lovely country. But please tell your brother-in-law that the vast majority of Arab women are NOT housebound. He should travel even more before repeating false stereotypes! It's like saying all Indians do the rope trick.