THE OLD PERSON - IRAN

Tehran is the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran, a 14 million metropolis, yet still with lots of nice, interesting, only Iranian raisins. Golestan Castle - Former Shekha Residence. Shiraz - a cradle of Persian culture, a city of poets, education, roses, gardens and wine. Tombs of the most famous poet Hephaus, the Iranians for his works are in honor of the Koran. Private garden, mosques and medres. The largest Persian city of Persepole ruins. Naqsh-e Rost Necropole - The place of rest of the Persian emperors carved in the rocks. Persian King Kira's Great Tombs in Pasargada.

One of the oldest cities in the world, Jazda: Jamja Mosque with two 48-meter high minarets, Silent Towers Zaratustras cemetery and antique ventilation towers that have allowed the inhabitants to survive in the middle of the desert for centuries. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Isfahan, one of the most beautiful in the Middle East. Vancouver Cathedral - the heart of the Armenian Church in the Muslim world. 10,000 bodybuilders in the ancient Eastern Bazaar of Isfahan and Shiraz. Luxurious Merchant Residences and Gorgeous Fin Gardens in Cabo.

Most of you, when you hear about a trip to Iran, will probably have some fright. Many would confuse it with Iraq, many would remember the scandalous Iranian president and his winged expressions. Many think of a radical Islamic regime, which is certainly hostile to foreigners. And since we are in NATO and the EU, we definitely have this country hostile. Due to such and similar stereotypes, many Latvian travelers will probably be better off in their warm slippers when they hear about the opportunity to visit this land and think, "Who am I ... There's no safe way ... I'm better off somewhere else ..." .

I'll admit honestly, in my first thought, before going to this land was similar. Probably similar to my companions. And this, of course, has its foundation, because there are very few people in Latvia who would have been in this land. There is very little information on this land, and in the world tourism industry, this land is still left aside from the major tourist routes, the loud resorts. Terra Incognita of its kind - an unfamiliar land.

So we, the nine travelers from Latvia, arrived at the unknown heart in August on the Riga-Istanbul route. The first interesting adventure already took place at the airport - we must follow the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding clothing. Women must be covered with head, t. i. must wear a scarf, should not have naked shoulders and hands or other garments that blasphemy Islamic values. For men, practically the only restriction on clothing - should not wear shorts. This is perhaps the only serious constraint to be taken by visitors to this land. In practice, it turned out to be very simple and did not cause any inconvenience to our travelers. Right at the airport, most of us became millionaires because Iran's money - the rally is not very valuable. One lats is the equivalent of 18,000 pounds. So, when you are richer, you have met the local guide Rouen, going to see the country's capital, Tehran. In fact, after the first day in Iran, we remember the old Latvian proverb - big eyes of fear. Everything we were afraid of and worried about was in no way a reality. The Iranians turned out to be a very responsive, cheerful and joyful nation, who welcomed strangers to their country with great hospitality and who is a true foreigner. It is very nice to note that in Iran we were interested as people coming from other cultures, other countries, wondering what we think of their country, how we feel here. We also asked how we are going in Europe far away. I really wanted to find out where a small, unfamiliar country like Latvia is. And while there were a few exceptions, the vast majority of these conversations did not stop with traditional questions: Don't you want to visit my store? Don't you buy this product? Couldn't you donate a rally or dollar to me? It was really pleasant and uncharacteristic of the Eastern countries.

Although here on the walls you can see the inscriptions Nost with America! and Nost with the Great Satan !, most of the Iranian people just scream at them and not close to supporting such a policy. They just don't think so! But we have also survived the times when we wrote and talked one thing, but we thought quite differently.

So getting to know Tehran - the luxurious chess castles, the vast squares, the luxurious Oriental gardens, each made as a small paradise, we go further with the local airline Iran Air on a 1000 km-long Shiraz - a city inhabited by the famous poets, Omar Haiiam and Saadi. Although they lived a thousand years ago, they are honored and honored today, and their work for the Iranians is in second place behind the Islamic scriptures - the Koran. We visit the poetry and memorial sites of these poets, which are always full of people. The pupils, the newlyweds and the simple Iranians go from there to the most distant corners of the country. But 50 km from Shiraz is another world-renowned place - Persepole, the capital of the ancient Persian state. It has once been a famous and rich city, about the same as Paris or London today. Walking through the ruins of Persepole, you will find interesting feelings. But here ever the fate of the world was determined ... But what about today's mighty after 2000 years? This idea is particularly acute when it comes to burial sites buried in the rocks of the ancient Persian rulers Ahamenides. In terms of its importance, it could equate Pharaoh's resting places in the Valley of the Rulers. But here, unlike Egypt, you don't have to stand in line to visit them. Iran is still free from tourist crowds. All of these unique places can be viewed leisurely, calmly, without the intrusive souvenir sellers and other businessmen. It really is a great asset.

Besides Shiraz and Persepole, we also went to the cities of Yazd and Isfahan. Jazda stands out with her Eastern color. Its old town was built several centuries ago and clay was used as the main building material. Narrow streets, interesting, Iran-like ventilation system - baggage, special towers that capture the smallest wind flow and drain it into the room. And, of course, mosques. They are the most luxurious buildings in any city in Iran. Majestically and proudly, they bring their slender minarets to heaven, opposite Allah. There is a special attitude towards faith in Iran. The name of the country is in vain: the Islamic Republic. But much of the Islamic variant of Iran differs from other Islamic lands. The Iranians are Shiites. Other Islamic lands have Sunni. It is about like Catholics and Lutherans in Christianity.

That, of course, could tell a lot and much more. The nature of Iran, which is not nearly monotonous, where deserts alternate with high mountains, river valleys, fertile fields. About the Iranian delicious food - the kebab, the smell of which alone raises the question: "Ask me if I have already dined today?" And so on, more and more. But you will find out, if you get, you will overcome fear, mistrust towards strange lands and cultures. And then you will be able to tell your friends and relatives for a long time that you have been to a country where rarely a Latvian was. That you have escaped from the world-wide centers of seduction, that you have gone through an interesting, friendly and open-minded land. Overcome yourself and don't regret it!

What do we know about Iran? That there are wonderful carpets and women wearing chadra? Unfortunately, our knowledge comes mainly from the press and publications, radio and television broadcasts, which often mention the disregard of Iran's nuclear program, the Islamic revolution, the human and especially women's rights, hostility to the West. It is no wonder that when you arrive in Iran, tourists find a real cultural shock. The Promised Call "Come With America!", "Come With Israel!" Instead, a foreigner encounters people who speak English well and speak out critically about their government policies. And the marvelous young Iranians are not dressed in black chadras, but they are walking in modern fashion. Often in Latvia we do not even distinguish between Iran and Iraq. Iraq is one of about 30 Arab countries, but Iran is the same ancient Persia, which it was called by the world until 1935, when the then Persian ruler Shah Mohammad Reza Pehllev "asked" Persia not to be called Persia?! Scripture - Persia has never called Persia itself. In this name it was once called by the Greeks, who originally called Iran Persia. And since 1935 Persia became known as Iran in the world. means ares. Aryan tribes 1,500 years before Christ from India entered the Iranian plateau. In turn, the word "outer" turned into hundreds of years: "Foreign" "Tana" "Ran". So Iran is land of ares, or Indo-Europeans. Miraculously, this distant, mysterious land is our "relative." This is especially evident in both the Nourusa festivities and other traditions, ornaments, and the Persian language, which belongs to the Iranian language group, which in turn is part of the Indo-Iranian language branch. grow up from the Indo-European (IDE) language tree. It seems a little unbelievable that we do not have the language of a closer and a little bit closer to our neighbors - Estonian, Finnish, Hungarian - in this tree, but Persian, as well as Tajik, Do, Post (both of the last Afghan national languages), Kurdish, Scythian and many other distant languages ​​belong to the IDE language tree! Although you are confident in our language community, I will just mention a few examples. For example, the number of words in Persian reads "do" (two), "cahar" ( four), "pendž" (five), "six" (six). Or family members: "mad" (mother), "berāder" (brother), "dohter" (daughter), "low" (earth).

Persia was the first empire in history to coexist with hundreds of different nations and tolerance between different religions. King Darius I (522 - 486 BC) was divided into satraps - administrative units - with a high degree of autonomy. Had to pay strict taxes, maintain order roads, bridges. There was a wide network of roads: 20 satraps were bound by a 2500 km long road. On the most important roads, about 25 km apart, there were post stations where horses and drivers changed and where they could rest. The Persians were the first to start logistics as a system. Darius I made an economic coup by introducing silver and gold coins. There was widespread trade between the remote places of the empire. Thus, the most commonly used terms became known in the Middle East, introduced in English as well as in other languages. For example, the word "bass" (market), "glue" (lemon), "salt" (scarf).

Iranians are very proud of their language, one of the oldest in the world. Its origins date back to the 6th century. p. Kr. The first writing was the wedge that was lined up in the rock. The Iranians themselves say it is "sweet", that is, good-natured, beautiful, and every word that foreigners say in Persian, gives Iranians joy, even excitement. that I spoke in their language instantly caught me, and everyone wants to know where we are, how we like their land, which Iran thinks and speaks in our country. Don't criticize their country and people. Feeling this desperate interest, the words that the Iranian lawyer, the Nobel Prize winner, Shirin Abad, said, that he knows little about Iran in other countries: "We are Muslims, but not Arabs!" We are not terrorists! "

Sellers, when I try to buy ice cream, a cup of tea or some sweets, just do not buy money for a purchase, but give me a gift. But in another store where I bought a computer keyboard with an Arabic font, its owner, having learned that I am a Persian teacher, and now I'm traveling with a tourist group, we are all invited to a picnic. During the trip, our group of experienced travelers, who had visited many of the many countries of the world, all admitted, as one, that land such as Iran with such impeccable sincerity, openness, helpfulness, unusual cleanliness on the streets of big cities has not been seen anywhere else.

She loves to donate and receive gifts in Iran. Going to this land will be useful for some small souvenirs, for example, to thank someone who takes you out of your car and shows you some significant places, but doesn't want to pay for it. It would be a good thing to note here that the ceremony of giving ceremonial kindness, or the Persian - the "thesaurus", is very common in Iran, which means that sometimes a salesman or taxi driver, when you ask how much to pay for a purchase or wager, answers you, "the donkey doesn't cost" that is, "it is not worth anything" or "it has no value." But it should be understood that sometimes it is just a form of courtesy, so ask again how much you end up owing to it. will sound several times and you will feel it yourself after the situation.

While the Iranians taste sweets and are able to cook in many different ways typical of the Oriental, good chocolate and chocolate candy are rarely found there, so you can grab these sweets. An average Iranian who does not want to go abroad (let's remember some Soviet times when the trip abroad was rare) will be a real pleasure in the ordinary Latvian map. Miraculously, but many Iranians have told me that our land is green and very, very beautiful. When I ask them how they know it - it turns out they've seen in the movies.

Although under the Shari'a law, which includes the rule of law for all occasions, a Muslim may have four wives, multiplicity in Iran, or two wives at the same time are not characteristic. In large cities there is practically no case of pluralism, there are such fields in the countryside, but men with more than one wife are not respected in society and "neat" people are not ignored.

Families in Iran are mostly stable. Contrary to our belief that the woman's place in the East is just for the kitchen and servicing the husbands and children, it must be said that in Iran it is assumed that men regularly help women not only in cooking, babysitting, but especially in heavier jobs such as clean carpets. big clothes - blankets, windbreakers, coats. At a time when I attended Persian language courses at the University of Tehran, on Friday (these are their "Sundays"), I watch the family rest - the women marched as queens, but the men, in the meantime, took the children: wearing them in corn, flying, playing ...

Iranian families living in cities have at least two three children, and since the apartments in the average family are not large, every meter of the area is important. The area is also helped by the fact that the Iranians are sleeping on mattresses, which are picked up in the morning with sheets and blankets and placed in the closet. Sleeping on the floor is healthier, more comfortable for the back. The Iranians do not like to eat where the food is prepared, ie in the kitchen, so the sofre in the living room - a special tablecloth on which the dishes are placed - is not needed, but there is no piece of furniture from which the Iranians can not refuse. - They are bookshelves, where you can find everything from modern political brochures to medical books in French and English textbooks - a legacy since the pre-revolutionary period (in 1979, the end of the last era of Mohammad Rez power came to Ayatollah Homein) when foreigners in Iran felt at home.

The bathroom or "hammam" is an integral part of every Iranian house, but there are even two bathrooms in the wealthiest families. The purity cult in Iran is everywhere - housewives from morning to evening clean and polish the house, the Iranians go to the shower twice a day, and even four in the summer. The bathroom and toilet go into special rubber slippers that do not tend to walk anywhere else.The toilet is, as has been accepted by Muslims, a "hole in the floor" above which you need to rest. Scientists, among other things, have proved that this kind of toilet and "arrangement" is better for health, protecting it from various illnesses, besides there is a special water hose for washing intimate places. The food should be taken with the right hand only, or by handing something to the other with the right hand, or with special dignity if something is provided with both hands.

Perhaps there is no man who would not have heard of Persian carpenters, miniatures, but above all of wonderful Persian poetry. Words such as Ferdousy, Lahti, Hafez, Omar Hawaii, Rummy are known all over the world. Omar Haayama's quadruplets are both in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Czech, Latvian and other languages. However, in his homeland, Omars Hawaii first became known as an outstanding scientist astronomer, mathematician, physicist and philosopher. For 20 years, Omar Hawaii worked in the Observatory of the capital of Isfahan, the capital of that time, which was one of the greatest in the medieval world. There, Hawaii managed to create a new calendar that was more accurate than the present-day Gregorian calendar, unfortunately it was not used and was lost. There has also been no Omara Hawaiian treatise in mathematics that contained a formula that later acquired Newton's binomial. It is believed that with his works in the field of mathematics, Omar Hawaii has overtaken European science for some 500 years ...

Although Iran has been around since the 7th century. is a Muslim country, there is a day in the year when the spirit of its ancient belief - the zoroastrian - comes to life. It takes place in the Iranian New Year or Nourouum, which begins on the 20th or 21st of March of the Equinox Spring Day. The Iranians live on the Sun Hero calendar, which is considered to be one of the most accurate types of timing in the world. The first six months are 31 days, the next five are 30 days, and the last one, our February, is either 29 (short year) or 30 days. These months do not coincide with the Gregorian calendar months, but they correspond exactly to the astrological signs. Nourouse (literally "New Day") is one of the oldest festivals in the world - celebrating at least 2,500 years, the majestic capital of Persepole, with two huge castles, celebrating the feast of Persia's great ruler on holidays. Two weeks in the palaces there are no joy and fun, but then Persepole was abandoned.

Nowadays, just like two and a half thousand years ago, there should be a "heft sine" at the Nourourus table - seven items (mostly dishes) that begin with the letter "s" or "sine": "sib" - an apple that symbolizes healthy food; "Moss", sweet pudding, symbolizing gratitude to God; "sir", garlic - a symbol of natural and folk medicine; sumaha berries - show good victory over evil; "Serke", vinegar - a symbol of age and wisdom, as well as purity, "sect", coins - a proof of wealth; Sombol, hyacinth - the symbol of spring and youth This year, on March 21, 2011, the 1390s began in Iran, the spirit of Zoroastrian brightly manifested also on the last Wednesday night, when fires burned in Iran, which should pass over, saying the following. : "Take, my fire, my palm and give me my blush!" - to burn all the fire and the next year to come happy and healthy. Not a familiar motif?

Zoroastrianism was the main religion in Iran until the end of the 7th century. conquered the Arabs. Zaratustra, Zartošts, the creator of religion, or, as he was called by the Greeks, Zoroaster was probably born around 550 BC. Kr. Mazari in Sharif (now Afghanistan). Zoroastrism was the first monotheistic religion in the world that postulated that God is one, omnipotent, and invisible. Judaism, Christianity and Islam were also influenced by Zoroastrianism. God in Zoroastrianism is symbolized forever by a burning flame in Zoroastrian temples. Such a temple with the eternal fire "Theetheek" is also in Yazd, the eternal fire burning in it since 470. Zoroastrians of the world (many settled in India) visit this eternal fire. The Zoroastrian Symbol in the Temple: The Bird - the Man with the Wings with Three Feathers: These three layers symbolize the basic idea of ​​Zoroastrian: good thoughts, good words, good deeds. The Zoroastrian land, waters and air are holy and must not be polluted, so the dead were previously left in the so-called Silent Towers (a stone tower at the top of a hill) for beasts and birds. we also did) because we have been dead since the 1960s ur no longer leaves, but buried in concreted graves to avoid contact with the ground.

If you happen to encounter a Zoroastrian woman in Iran, you will definitely recognize her, because the representatives of this faith never wear a chad, but rather the scarves, the embroidered clothes, mostly white, cream or red.

The city of Shiraz, the wonderful city of roses, poetry, gardens and youth, has been especially remembered by the fact that many young people, possibly students (many universities in the city) on the street, greeted us in English, wishing pleasant impressions. The second unforgettable experience - the visit of the Hafez Mausoleum in the evening shade, when the mausoleum and cypresses (these were Hafez's favorite trees), the hills of the distant mountains, are illuminated, but above all - the undetectable smell of flowers blooming in the air.

Every Iranian, without exaggeration, knows the verses of his great poet, Rummy, Ferdous, Saad, regardless of education, but the Hafez poetry for the Iranians is, if not in the first place on the scale of life, then the Quran in the first place, deeply believing. After Hafeza's poetry collection, Iranians tend to love. They come to the mausoleum as pilgrimages: old and young, fallen in love, grandparents with grandchildren. We also saw the father bring his little son by night, and the boy picks up the rose petals and scatters them on the poet's monument.

Only 54 km from Shiraz is Persepole, the capital of Ancient Persia. It was called the Greeks, but the Iranians themselves - the "Taht-e Jamšid", the Jamshid Throne, Persepoli created many different nations that were part of the Persian Empire at that time. masterpiece that survived to this day, Persepole's architecture is brighter, more human, more intelligent, say, than Assyrian structures or Egyptian pyramids, the people depicted in the bas-reliefs have placed their hands on each other's shoulders. As seen today, there is only a distant glimpse of the former glory of Persepole, and the fact that this ancient city can still be seen is due to the fact that Persepole has been covered with a four-meter thick layer of dust and sand for centuries. In the early years, excavations began in the ancient capital partially gave up its former glory.

Coming to Persepolis in a wonderful, sunny morning, and seeing this mighty panorama in front of your eyes, it takes on a strange, indescribable, mystical feeling. It is time to come in contact with eternity.