Iran: Adventures to the Homeland

     Our other stop in the Middle East for Spring Break was Iran! I was especially excited to go there because I am Persian and both my parents were born in Iran before they moved to the US. My brother and I had never been to Iran before, my mom hadn't been back for over 20 years and my dad was going back for the first time after he left 39 years ago. The trip was bound to be a really amazing experience for our whole family. Going into the trip, I had no clue what to expect because all I had heard of is how Iran "used to be" and the only things that illustrate Iran now are the news and talk of war and nuclear capabilities. Regardless, I can say with complete confidence that what I saw during my four-day journey exceeded any expectations that I had about my family's original home nation and I am so glad we finally visited!

   Our first stop was Shiraz. From the second we exited the terminal, the smell of orange blossom took over took over our senses. It was the sweetest and most welcoming aroma I have ever smelled! The first thing I noticed was how good it felt to understand what people were saying even if I couldn't respond! Since my whole family speaks Persian, I grew up around people speaking it, so I can basically fully understand it, but I still can't speak it very well. We arrived at 2am so the bulk of our Shiraz exploration happened the next morning. We started by visiting one of Shiraz's many gardens and baths and saw the historic ways in which cities and citadels were planned out. Next, we went to the great poet Hofez's monument, garden, and grave. At the gate, people were handing out Hofez poems and fortunes for pedestrians by having really cute birds choose one at random. Hofez is one of the most important and influential parts of Iranian history and is most remembered for these three things: he could recite the whole Quran, he thought big, and he always was positive and fostered hope through his written and spoken work. People always came to him when they need advice and still consult his book for help hundreds of years after his death. After visiting his grave, we went to lunch at a traditional Iranian restaurant where we feasted on top of a bed, rather than sit in chairs. It was so cool! The next and coolest stop was Persepolis! Persepolis was plotted by Cyrus the Great and was executed in 1518 by Darius the First, two of the most powerful leaders of the Achaemenid Empire. It was used as the central palace of the Achaemenid Empire and was said to be the center of town. We were able to see what remains of this ancient palace that was eventually burnt by Alexander the Great in 330 BC. The depictions on the walls showed crowds of diverse people from all over the empire offering gifts to the emperor. 

    During out journey through Iran, we drove from city to city. Our next stop was my personal favorite: Esfahan. The main place we visited was the Royal Square, which was the home of the Safavid Dynasty. The Safavid Dynasty was very religious and appreciated art as made evident by the beautiful square. The square was built with the golden proportion with four monuments, one on each side. The first, and my all time favorite, was the Masjid e Shah (now called Masjid e Emam). This was the holy mosque of the city and is honestly one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen. The entirely of the mosque was decorated with different shades of blue and yellow tiles in a floral and herbal pattern. The images really speak for themselves...

    The next monument was the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque. This was the women's mosque where especially the wives of the Shah (there were up to 100) would come from an underground tunnel from the palace because they were not allowed to be seen. This mosque too was decorated with beautiful blue and golden tiles and was fitted with a massive dome. Third was the Royal Bazzar; it was a total of 3 kilometers long and sold everything from spices to handicrafts to clothes. Lastly was Ali Qupu Palace, which was one of the palaces of the empire. The Shah would sit up on the top balcony and watch the polo games that used to be in the middle of the square. There was also a music level at the top floor where the top musicians at the time would come play for the king and the melodies would flow through the palace. 

Our last stop in Iran was the capital city, Tehran. What I remember most about Tehran were the two breakfasts I had: the two were very different, but both were memorable and delicious. The first morning, we went to J’ai Café. This is where all the young, hip, and rich Persians come for brunch, all dressed in similar attire. Women were wearing their head-carves more relaxed, often having their long straightened hair hanging out the back of a designer scarf, and sporting sunglasses in hand. Since they can’t show much else, the women went all out in terms of accessories; from bags to glasses, to watches, to jewelry, to shoes, they wore nothing but designer. This look and atmosphere reminded me of the Iranian community at home. Besides the super interesting people watching, it was really nice to get a taste of the western food I missed. I had the best smoothie and French toast as pictured below. The next breakfast was at a little hole in the wall kitchen that my mom’s friend suggested. It was probably the highlight of my trip besides the mosque in Esfahan. The breakfast I had there was so authentic; we had warm bread with cherry jam, eggs with sausages, and strong Persian tea. The even through the crowd and food were the polar opposite of what I had enjoyed the day before, it was just as good, or even better.

    Honestly my favorite part of the trip was the fact that we traveled like locals and drove from city to city, enjoying the little things like warm bread on the side of the street and reliving memories from my parents’ pasts like seeing my mom’s elementary school. Surprisingly, the long car rides from city to city were a highlight because of the laughs from insomnia and the sunset views. Ultimately, I was so pleasantly surprised by how modernizing and improving Iran was. I will forever remember these beautiful experiences. 

Saudi Arabia: Bin There, Done Haij

      This spring break, my family and I traveled to the Middle East. Our first destination was Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.  In order to get to Saudi Arabia, we had to connect through Dubai. To my mother’s and my delight, we had a 7-hour layover so we left the airport and explored for a couple hours...

     When my brother and I were younger, my family used to come to Dubai more often so it was really nice to at least get a glimpse of my favorite childhood sites like the Borj Al Arab hotel and the Dubai Mall, as well as see new favorites like the (current) tallest building I'm the world, Burj Kalifa. The new tallest building will be Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, our final destination, and it will break 1,000 feet. It was really interesting to travel between these two competing Arab nations and compare their industrialization since they are both referred to as their respective country's "big, modern city." To my surprise, Jeddah was nothing like the bustling, industrial, and skyscraper clad Dubai but rather resembled cities in Africa, like Senegal or Ethiopia. Yet, it was still obvious that Jeddah was quickly working towards complete industrialization because of all the construction everywhere. Nevertheless both cities, Dubai and Jeddah, and counties, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, have impressively and quickly transformed from nomadic, Bedouin cultures to immensely rich and thriving welfare states in the past 100 years, all thanks to the discovery of abundant oil in the region. Today, oil accounts for 95% percent of Saudi Arabia's exports and 70% of the country’s total government revenue. 

      During our stay in Jeddah, we got the chance to go to Mecca and preform the holy pilgrimage that Muslims from all over the world come to participate in, Haji. My family is not very religious, or Muslim at all, but both my parents were born into Islamic homes. Regardless of the fact that we are not Muslim, we decided to do the whole deal. My mom and I wore the white full body outfit which consisted of three layers: white pants, a white long sleeve tunic, and a tight white hijab that only showed our faces. My father and brother wore the traditional outfit of two towels: one around the waist and the other around the shoulders. We first started by praying outside the mosque when the Azan, the prayer over a load speaker, went off. Even though I had no clue how to pray correctly, I thought it was such a meaningful experience because I was surrounded by thousands of other women from all over the world. Then, we walked into the massive mosque, which is the largest in the world, and headed towards the Kaaba. Once we got to the central part of the mosque, we saw the large black box that people all over the world save up to see, pray in its direction five times a day, and which people even before Islam came to pay respect to their gods.  It was surreal. We circled it 7 times; we prayed the whole time and even got a chance to touch the Kaaba! After that we prayed twice more, we then made our way to the area of the mosque where we walk for approximately two miles between two rocks. The last step was to cut off a little bit of our hair and then we were officially Hajis! 

     

     When we got to the city of Mecca, I was really shocked. I thought that since it was such a holy city, there would be little to no commercialization and tall buildings, but I was wrong. Firstly, the third tallest building, The Clock Tower, is neighboring the mosque. Next to it are numerous hotels and other tall buildings. Around the Caba itself is a three-story structure, which allows more people to circle the Caba while praying. As if all this isn't enough, the whole mosque is lined with cranes, that are all working 24/7.  In my opinion, these new industrialization, modernization, and commercialization projects are ruining the holiness and true experience of Mecca.  Nevertheless, it was still an experience of a lifetime and I am really glad I that I got an opportunity to try it out!

     The entire time I was traveling, through both Mecca and Jeddah, I couldn't help but think constantly about the role that women play in Saudi Arabia Before even getting to the Middle East region, I was not looking forward to the fact, and I was rather angry, that I had to wear a hijab and other Shira law attire during my trip such as covering all of my skin besides my hands and face. I thought that as an American tourist and woman, I had the right to wear whatever I wanted. Yet, the fact of the matter is that the second I leave the US, I leave my rights at the boarding gate and I have to respect the laws of the country I am traveling to. I understand that the only rules that we had to follow were to cover our hair, arms, legs and to dress modestly. My mom and I did this, not realizing that we were probably the only women in the entire county not wearing an abaya. When I say this, I am not exaggerating; from private areas like our hotel to public areas like the mall we did not see one female wearing anything other than an abaya. This, embarrassingly, awkwardly, and frighteningly, was noticed not only by us, but also by officials in the mall. My brother and I went to go get ice cream while my dad and mom were browsing through the mall. Not paying that much attention to how much of my hair was covered, a little bit began showing in the back. A woman came up to me and tried to talk to me in Arabic but I didn't understand her and I thought she just wanted to have me try a perfume or something, so I kept walking. She and a couple other women stopped my brother and tried to talk to him too, asking where we were from. Then they got a man to translate for us and he basically said that I needed to follow the country’s rules and completely cover my hair. He suggested that I wear an abaya and leave the mall immediately. It was such a scary experience especially since my parents weren't there! Overall, I completely respect a woman's choice to wear an abaya, burka, or hijab, but I don't think that this attire should be enforced. In my opinion, these restrictions narrow women’s ability to express themselves freely. Beyond clothing, women are oppressed in other ways in Saudia Arabia as well. For instance, women are not allowed to drive and must be accompanied by men wherever they go. This not only is just blatantly wrong, but it also destroys any sense of freedom and independence for the women, and forms a patriarchal structure within the home. In addition, women will not be allowed to vote until next year’s municipal elections. Evidently, women are second class citizens in Saudi Arabia; this really disturbed me when I visited and it still does. 

    Overall, I think visiting Saudi Arabia was a really eye opening experience and I was glad that I could see it with my own eyes!