September 02, 2004

Walking tour in Esfahan

Esfahan, Iran

Esfahan, with its blue-tiled mosques and palaces, stone bridges and river, is for many a highlight of Iran. There was a lot to see but I knew with a solid day's exploration I'd have the city under wraps.

First up was the Jameh Mosque, commenced in the 11th century and the biggest mosque in Iran. I spent some time exploring it's vast rooms before heading out to continue the tour. Just as I was leaving I heard a voice behind me. "Magnificent isn't it?", he asked. I agreed and we got to talking a little. He turned out to be from Tehran, down here for the weekend with his family. "Would you like to join us?", he asked. Sure I said and soon found myself squeezed in to one of their cars and racing around the city. A few sights later we're drinking tea at the Chehel Sotun Palace before we went our separate ways. Okay, back on track for the walking tour.

I head for the Hasht Behesht Palace where I meet Achmed. Car importer and photographer he made his money by photographing the Ayatola Khomeini before the revolution. As political tensions rose he found he could sell copies of the photos to the Ayatola's supporters for quite a handsome price. We ended up talking for hours in the palace gardens.

And so it continued. A one day tour ended up taking three. I went for tea and hubble-bubble with four young guys taking time out from military service. Helped an English language tutor brush up on some of the finer points of past participles. Shared tea and cake with several different groups down by the river. And was taken on an extended English-language Koran search by a nice guy who just dropped what he was doing when he met me in the bazar.

Esfahan. There's a lot to see, just don't be in a rush.

Posted by David at September 2, 2004 10:44 PM