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IRAN
By Mirko and Xiomara Tomassoni
We know than the Middle East isn't the first objective to go using a wheelchair, and above all if the final destination is Iran the Ancient Persia, the First Islamic Republic.
Anyway, as you want call this country with its 1,648,000 km2, is important to start saying: Is a safe place to enjoy driving a wheelchair! And speaking English is better if you only can say "bebakshid" (I'm sorry) in Farsi, the official language.
Our honeymoon trip started at Rome, the last June 13th, at the Fiumicino International Airport. We began to feel the adventure when we checked to board because Xiomara has to start to use a "foulard" to cover her hair, and dress a long sleeves blouse to cover the arms.
After 4:30 hours we arrived at the Mehrabad International Airport in Teheran. We must to say than we had a friend (met through internet), and she and her family was waiting for us.
I don't want to forget than the Mehrabad airport had the people, the thin wheelchair and the lift necessaries to make my unboarding more comfortable.
The first impact after the view of all the women dressing a "chador" (long dress with long sleeves), a "foulard"but many of them with a nice make up, was the traffic: is incredible the level of risk for one person who need to cross the street or need to driving without experience, but... all the taxi drivers and our friends are accustomed and secure, then going by car was safe for us too.
The politeness of the Persian people is famous, and we lived it, specially when we find in front of us some stairs...
You can remain shocked about all the announcement about the army and the politics, than they have on the walls, the cars are not exactly the last models, most of them are "Paykan", produced in Iran. The pollution in Teheran Center and South, their clean streets, their safe water (one of the most pure in the world), the less level of life but also the less salaries for the people who was finish the university...
Anyway, we were lucky, because our friend live in the North of Teheran, when the air is less contaminated (the Elburz mountains are nearest), and we can enjoyed the must traditional persian dishes: Fesenjan (chicken with -granada-, nuts, cardamomo and egg plant); chicken with eggplants, pepper; rice with fried potatoes slices, rice with nuts, almonds, zaferan, pistachios and berries; ball meat with vegetables called "Kuft?"; the persian ice cream made with flower "Falud?"; the kabab (meat or chicken), but also the fast food Nader (Kentucky fried chicken).
Teheran is a modern city: Big Commercial centers, a lot of parks and squares, all kind of houses, parking lots for disabled people at the airport, comfortable places to eat kabab ant smoke the ghalyan with exotic tobaccos of banana or berries, perfect for friday night...
We can saw an interesting and nice tradition: during the holidays (weekend) picnic at noon or afternoon until the midnight, with the family or friends, but all the people so relaxed, so secure... Here the violence or the robbery are so strange.
After these images we decided back to the past, then we took a plain to go 900km2 far, in the center of Iran to the city knew like the cradle of the persian culture: Shiraz, famous for the tourist and for the Iranians by its mosque, tea rooms, Vakil Bazar (a lot of stores with all that you need), the Eram Botanical Garden, and by their famous poets tombs: Hafez and Sa'D?.
Eram Botanical Garden
From Shiraz is easy and cheaper to take a taxi for all the trip to visit: Persepolis, one of the most interesting and exciting visit, selected like summer capital of the Empire, with the impressionant Xerxes door ornamented with the famous lions with wings, the Apadana Court with all the kings visiting Darious the Great, the palaces of Xerxes, Artaxerxes and Darious, the hundred columns' palace, the museum with this minosculous stamps, figures in apislazulis, pieces of original floor, the original bronze trompet... Is really a great experience to feel the value, the power of these ancient constructions. To find the principal entrance you must to lift more than hundred steps, but with the wheelchair you can go inside using the exit pending street, then you will start the visit with the museum and the Hundred Columns' Palace.
You can continue visiting Pasergade a symbolic place for the iranians because there's the tomb of Cyro's The Great, really that place isn't exciting because the palaces aren't good conservated like Persepolis, but if you can the opportunity... is good to go there. At this place works a very kind guard who likes to tell the history of the city, and is so gentle to help you with the wheelchair.
We had the choose to stay in a comfortable hotel: the Aryo (****), located at 20 minutes from the airport just in the center of Shiraz. The suites are clean, nice, with tv and satellite antenna and a spacious bathroom. The unique difficulty was the entry with 6 steps but with a bell-boy always ready to help us with the wheel chair.
After three days we turned back to Teheran, and spend our time visiting parks, museums (you must visit the Archeological National and the Islamic Museums), shopping souvenirs made in "khatan" (the typical persian technique to make a mosaic to cover keyrings, pens, boxes, jewelcases, cornes, etc), original paints with miniatures and a famous and unique persian carpet. Is possible to admire another kind of carpet: "kilim" who looks like a photo. You can go around a lot of places with the same taxi for about $15.
After our shopping days we went by car to the west, 340 km from Teheran is the city of Hamedan. This place was the capital of the Medos Empire ans after during the Cyro's the Great government was a summer capital of the kingdom.
At 5km from the city is possible to visit Ganjnameh a fresh place famous
by its small waterfall and 2 petrographs written in cuneiform characters,
belonging to Darius the Great and Xerxes.
(See picture at top of page - Ed)
Near to hamedan is possible to visit the Alisadr Caves, the greatest in Iran. It contains a vast lake steghting into a labyrinth of numerous passages with stalactites and stalagmites along which one can sail for many kilometers. There are recreational and disabled facilities, including pendings close to the stairs, pedal boats, lifesavers and kindness people to help you to arrive near the boats and during the transfers from/to wheelchair-boat.
Propylaea
At Hamedan we stay at the Buali Hotel (****) with an easy access from the parking lot to the rooms. These are comfortable above all by the spacious bathroom.
To finish this exciting trip we went to Isfahan called "the jewel of the Islam" by its mosque. At 390km form Teheran, in this nice city you can visit the "Chejel Sotoon" an ancient palace, called "40 columns", famous by his original poems books from Hafez and Sa'Di'. Outside around the streets you can enjoy with the Islamic art at buildings, squares, parks throughout the Si o Se Pol Bridge, the most famous by its tea and smoking rooms, when the life during the holidays, doesn't finish at midnight...
Emam Khomeini Square
During the day is a gift for the senses, visit the Emam Khomeini Square with the Masjed-e Sheihk Lotfollah and its incredible lights and colors play. The buff dome of this mosque is magnificently impressive and according to some historians it is unique all over the world. To visit these incredible places with the wheelchair, you need two kindness iranians to lift you.
Here we stay ant the Azady Hotel (***) near to the center, comfortable to the access, but the bathroom was little, but enough to take a shower with some help...
And it was our honeymoon at Iran, an incredible place with extraordinary
people, with many natural resources, waiting for tourists, waiting for
friends...
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