Last month, due to US President Trump’s decision to pull out of the nuclear deal,  Iran has been very much in the news. But what kind of place is it? What is it like to visit this country, variously described as the axle of the ‘Axis of Evil’ and as a ‘state sponsor of terrorism’? Well, back in the summer of 2011, I made it my business to find out.

In order to get there, I travelled by rail and ferry from London to Athens, took a flight from Athens to Izmir, and then travelled by rail and coach to Tabriz, Tehran, Yazd, and Isfahan. I returned by air, flying Tehran to Ankara, train to Istanbul, and another flight back to London.
My impressions of Iran were extremely positive. The main annoyances were the difficulty of obtaining a visa, and the frankly appalling attitude to road safety. However these were the only annoyances. At all times, Iranians were friendly, hospitable, and did their best to communicate.

A few episodes that stood out for me:

Arriving at the border near the Turkish town of Dogubeyazit, I was nervous about crossing into Iran. What would the border guards be like? I need not have worried – they reacted like they had never seen a tourist in their lives and thought taking my fingerprints was the best fun they’d had all week.

A conversation with strangers on in a sleeping compartment on a train quickly turned to politics…
Stranger 1: “Where are you from?” Me: “England”,
Stranger 2: “Ah, Ingilstan, it is so beautiful there! Do you think Ingilstan or England is better?” Me: “They are both very beautiful”.
Stranger 3: “What do you think of our government?” Me: “I don’t know much about your government”
Stranger 3: “Did they tell you to say that?”
And then it turned to the recent (Summer 2011) riots in London…
Stranger 4: “Why are they protesting?” Me: “I don’t know”.
Stranger 4: “I hear it is because everyone in England wants David Cameron to resign and the soldiers are killing the protesters”.
Me: “I’m not sure it’s quite like that”

On my last day I went to visit the former American Embassy, known locally as the ‘US Den of Espionage’. As I photographed the frontage, a smartly dressed man advised me not to take any photos. I stopped and walked to the underground station. He followed me.
I remembered what they do in spy films. I jumped on a train, so did the man. The doors started to close. I jumped off and caught a train in the other direction.

On the way back from the rail station I ran for a bendy bus and jumped in the rear doors. Oops, it was the womens’ section! I jumped out rather quickly, while they all burst into laughter.

My reflection is that Iran does its best to be a modern and progressive country, but it faces considerable constraints. People appear to be well educated, progressive in outlook, and interested in the world outside of Iran. Although women are expected to cover their heads, arms, and legs, this is done with a varying degree of enthusiasm, to say the least. Women are very much visible in the workforce (in most sectors), in contrast to Eastern Turkey, where the female population is almost invisible. Given time, support, and the right kind of international encouragement, Iran will surely develop in a positive way. I very much hope that despite recent decisions of the US President, that things do not take a step backwards in this fascinating, beautiful, and welcoming country.