Iran: Welcoming the Foreign

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Iran: Welcoming the Foreign

Posted by: Angela Corrias Tags: Culture,iran,media,middle east,tehran,Tourism,Travel Posted date: November 9, 2011 | 49 Comments

It’s mid-Autumn and I’m darting up and down trendy Via Cola di Rienzo in central Rome, excited and worried at the same time. I’m looking for a sort of long tunic, coat, jacket. Anything. Just long. And possibly able to hide any body shape, or anything at all for that matter. I struggle but eventually buy a jacket – a purchase that didn’t really manage to give me peace of mind.

The day after I was to fly to Iran, and instead of focusing exclusively on my usual pre-travel research, my thoughts were mainly about what I was supposed to wear.

My journey included a stopover in Istanbul from where I was to take a direct flight to Tehran. All I did during the two hours in Turkey was to carefully study what Iranian women were wearing. Somehow, I felt inappropriate. I knew Iran’s policy was not as strict as mainstream British media suggested, but every time I travel to a country that is new to me I pay extra attention not to go against traditions and social mores.

My hijab consisted of a pashmina that I had recently bought in India, worn clumsily to the extent that it kept falling off. To my ill-concealed disbelief, however, I noticed that Iranian girls’ hijabs, as casual as mine, were worn in a manner that naturally enabled them to enhance their femininity.

The first thing tourists will notice as soon as they venture out of Tehran’s airport is the hectic traffic, pretty much like in every other city. Feeling a little more familiar immersed in daily routine, travellers can defy their own inner feelings with greater ease before actually landing in Iran. Despite global perception, Iranians don’t really look oppressed, and the capital appears as busy as the typical modern metropolis with all sorts of cars darting back and forth, couples strolling about hand in hand and commuters waiting for their bus.

If part of the Western media landscape indulges in detailed explanations of how oppressed Iranians are, it will probably take no more than an hour, and not much attention, to understand that the natives of the Islamic Republic, like everybody else, wake up in the morning to go to work or college, or to go shopping or any other leisurely activities they like. Similarly it won’t take long, even to the lesser informed traveller, to understand that Iranian women are not confined to the kitchen, but rather, to study and work as much as their male counterparts showing great ambition. In a nutshell, it’s easy to understand that our media’s distorted reporting is simply that – distorted reporting.

My personal epiphany involved the Iranian people in general. And obviously I’m not referring to the members of the Unified Ummah, the NGO that invited me to Iran, but to the random citizens that I had the opportunity of meeting fleetingly during the week I spent there; from the girls at the ladies’ restroom in Tehran’s Milad Tower to the street vendors at Tehran’s local markets, who never shied away from showing their curiosity about my provenance and asking my opinion on what I had seen of their country.

Conceiving of Iran requires thinking outside of the box, of being fully aware of the distorted mainstream media images often given. Despite this, I travelled somehow preoccupied, with the kind of stress that fades away only when you set foot on a new land. Nobody paid attention to my clothes, nor to my ‘foreign’ hijab. No inspector suggested I dress more appropriately, except a smiling girl that I soon found out was a police officer. “Sweetheart, that’s too short”, she hinted to me, before learning I was foreign.

Going to Iran, tourists will face an unexpected welcoming, an unbearably fascinating culture – and a population that never misses flaunting it – natives who love barraging their guests with questions about their opinions on Iran, and about their own countries’ lifestyles, hungry for cross-cultural exchange.

Iranian society is one that inevitably lures you off the beaten track, one that makes you sense those ancestral elements that you long to unearth, one that makes you beg for more at every step. If you are not impressed when spotting McDonalds in the middle of the desert or Starbucks in Shanghai’s Yu Gardens, then Iran might be the place for you. Sanctions have had the effect of encouraging the local economy, pushing Iranian companies to produce their own goods, with the obvious result of rewarding tourists with comforting authenticity instead of the run-of-the-mill KFC.

I was fortunate enough not to limit my stay to the capital and ventured to ancient villages such as Kashan and Abyaneh, dating back thousands of years. And it was precisely when wandering through the tangled streets of ancient towns that I wondered how it could be possible, in 2011, for the East and the West to still remain so unknown to each other? How is it possible that the media is capable of influencing people’s perception on countries to the extent that they prevent us from planning a holiday to undoubtedly interesting destinations?

Is Iran the perfect country? I doubt it. But then again I have never found such a place. More pointedly, a hungry media and the rhetoric of desperate politicians, promotes to the extreme the false idea of a clash of civilisations, and this is not bound to achieve anything good – not for Iran, nor for the rest of the world.

About the author

Angela Corrias
Angela Corrias is a freelance journalist. She specialises in travel writing with the aim to combine her passion for travelling with a socially aware writing. She regularly updates her travel website Chasing The Unexpected.

49 Comments

S. Shaw

Great piece, thank you.

Angela

Thanks for commenting, glad you like it.

Muza-chan

Interesting article, as always

Angela

Thanks dear

Sophie

Loved this piece! Informative and thoughtful.

Angela

Thanks Sophie, a country you would like too

Cathy Sweeney

Very interesting, Angela. What a great opportunity you had to visit Iran. I guess I would have been a bit nervous before traveling there, too. Interesting to read your perspectives about the media’s influence on perceptions of Iran & get your first-hand account. Maybe it will be a place I can visit someday, too.

Angela

Absolutely Cathy, do visit Iran, I’m preparing for a second visit myself!

Setareh

Hi Angela!

Thank you so much for the awesome article you shared with us. This definitely helps those stuck in mainstream media outlet, get a chance to learn about Iran based on facts rather than lies.

You’re a talented lovely author <3

Angela

Thanks dear Setareh, hopefully see you soon, either in Europe or in Iran

Stephanie - The Travel Chica

Really interesting to read about parts of the world that most travelers do not visit.

Angela

Thanks Stephanie, I think more tourists should start applying for Iranian visa and get an idea of what is..well.. a normal country..

Leila

Great article. Really shines a positive light on the culture and lifestyle of Iran rather than just the politics. Though one should always expect gems from Angela.

Angela

Thanks Leila, such a pity many people don’t even think of Iran as a holiday destination.

Sherry

I have never been to the Iran or to the middle east for that matter. But if I were to go, I’d be very focused on what I need to wear. Its almost more important than my passport, I think, especially since I’m female. But maybe I don’t know any better because I haven’t been there yet. I’m fascinated that you got to go to Iran, and not just the city, but in the countryside as well. I imagine you had a glimpse that not many foreigners get to see.

Angela

Yes, as a matter of fact there is a dress code, the hijab (headscarf) is imposed, although not so strict, I mean, hair can come out of it, you would see yourself Iranian women.. Also, you should wear either a tunic or, winter time, the normal coat up to your legs, it can be above your knees. My shirt was shorter than what the norm imposed, but they are not really fussy with tourists.

Turtle

Angela, how easy do you think it would be for an average tourist to head to Iran without the help of an NGO like the one you went with? It sounds like the kind of thing you would need a bit of help with.

Angela

Hi Michael, I think the most difficult bit is to obtain a passport, that’s why I would always recommend to get in contact with the embassy and start applying quite early. Once you actually are in Iran then traveling around the country is pretty straightforward, and Iranians are super willing to help and interact with foreigners. Maybe I would seek the help of a local tour operator simply because I’m not familiar with the language and it’s not really an alphabeth that makes it easy to look up in the dictionary. I went through an NGO because I was invited to a conference organized by this NGO, but when I left other people who were at my same conference stayed longer to keep visiting the country, something I think I should have done too.

James Cook

I would love to visit Iran it looks like such a beautiful country.

Angela

It is a beautiful country, and for a history lover like me it’s just priceless. Besides, if you are looking at going off the beaten track, what’s better than Iran?

Salam

Beautifully written. Describes a foreigners experience in Iran perfectly. Diminishes some of the unflattering preconceived notions some may have due to western media. Thanks for the lovely article, Angela. I will frequently be sharing this to the uninformed foreigner.

Angela

Thanks Salam, hopefully will debunk some wrong myths. I’m always available to answer any questions related to it

Andrea Giacobazzi

Brava Angela!!!

Angela

Grazie Andrea, un piacere leggerti qui

L.M

Salam
A big big smile for you from Iran and thank you for your really beautiful and interesting Article .
Iran has many towns you were not able to visit them and It’s just a pity but even for me belonging to Iran I didn’t visit them yet. maybe next time you come to Iran you will have the opportunity to visit also Isfahan , my birth place or Shiraz in the south which is near ancient Persepolis .
God bless you Angela ,
may we meet you again

Angela

Thanks a lot for inviting me, it was a great experience and I hope I’ll come back soon

Alireza

Hi Angela!!
I’m really thankful of your unparalleled article about my country…this is my pleasure that you’re honestly attempt to show exact face and picture of Iran to people all around the world…this fantastic article, helps open mind people to get more information based on facts rather than lies.
God bless you all the time….

Angela

Thanks Alireza, it was a pleasure to meet you and the rest of the group, and it’s a pleasure now to write about Iran

raashid

Angela,So chuffed that you wrote this my well travelled friend!

Angela

Any time Raashid!

Raymond @ Man On The Lam

I would LOVE to get to Iran one day. Thanks for the great glimpse into it!

Angela

Raymond start applying for a visa, you’ll enjoy the trip

Darla

Wow, fascinating. I would love to visit Iran some day. Great post.

Angela

Thanks Darla, I would have no hesitation in recommending Iran as a holiday destination. Cultural, historical and artistic heritage make it for a great vacation.

Abby

I am loving your love affair with Iran.

Angela

Thanks Abby, I kind of look like I’ve truly enjoyed the trip

Zahra

Angela!
I did like the way you write and explain things
this is a good piece and i hope to read more of yours
best,

Angela

Thanks Zahra, will write more about Iran soon

Jan de Wandelaer

Angela, I have found with you a fellow ambassador of the open minded world. A world without envy, without suspect and with the looks upon socializing rather than a narrowing focus upon competition and war, is worth to strive for.
I have been convinced of the positive values of cultures are lying within each country, each culture, itself and the adaptation by its carriers.
One is privileged if one can cherish his or her curiosity despite personal set-backs. Cure and curiosity are so familiar with one and other – at least in the English language

I was moved by your story.

Would you please accept my contribution to our world in which cooperation and humanity are leading instead of disfunctioning money-systems: http://www.nederlandsmedianetwerk.nl/profiles/blogs/america-thanksgiven-1621-2011?

Angela

Thanks very much for your thoughtful comment, Jan. I absolutely agree that people should travel with an open mind and shape their opinions once they have actually visited a place and spent a good amount of time there. Traveling and interacting with locals all over the world are the best way to fight against prejudice and, in my opinion, promote world peace.

hassan

hi Angela
thanks for your neutral article about my country,
with your permission i send it to my forign frinds,
i hope you peace and success.

Angela

Hassan, thanks for your comment. Of course, forward it to anyone you think can be inspired to travel to your beautiful country

Zablon Mukuba

that is a very unique yet open view of Iran

Angela

I just wrote what I witnessed, thanks for commenting

voji91

hi Angela
i’m so happy that you liked my country Iran
and i think iran can be recommended as a holiday destination as you said
i’d be glad to meet you one day

btw, i made a video of our religious mourning for Imam Hussein (that was held by university students) and i was wondering if you could watch it and tell me your openion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRrKYbcluhs

wish you the best

Angela

Thanks a lot for your comment, I saw the video, very interesting festival, I would have loved to witness it myself. I indeed enjoyed my trip to Iran, the only regret was that it was too short