The Wheel and Axle

As I’d mentioned before, I love meeting new people when traveling abroad. Ultimately, what makes a place warm and exciting are the people you encounter as well.

Iran, of course, is no exception.

In fact, contrary to what some people might perceive about Persians, they are actually some of the friendliest and most hospitable people I have met. They will show you a lot of interest when they realize you’re a foreigner, and by that I mean a sincere interest in getting to know you. They would even ask to take pictures with you, and if they find out you speak English, a number of them would even practice speaking it with you.

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And it was all so glorious!

Tehran

We stayed in Seven Hostels, a cheap yet very clean hostel. There were a lot of foreigners staying here, and the service and helpfulness of the staff were top-notch.

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Nasir-ol-Molk: The Pink Mosque
Shiraz, Iran
25 September 2017

Nasir-ol-Molk (also known as Nasiralmulk) Mosque is a mosque in Shiraz near the Shāh Chérāgh. Built during the Qajar dynasty in the late 1800s, it is known as the Pink Mosque because of the pink tiles that are used around the structure. It also utilizes a lot of five-concaved design elements known as Panj Kāse.

The mosque is also perhaps even more famous for its stained glass windows that provide a glowing mosaic of colors across one of the rooms when the early morning sunlight hits them. It gives you an almost spiritual feeling of both awe and serenity when you experience it. The best time to visit is early morning, around 7:30AM when it opens to the public, when the rays of light pass through the windows. Come in as early as possible to avoid the crowds of tourists that come in so you can, at least temporarily, enjoy some personal meditative or reflective moments.

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Exploring Shiraz
Shiraz, Iran
23 September 2017

The ancient City of Shiraz is a center of poetry and literature. It was once the capital of Persia, during the Zand Dynasty, and currently it is the capital of the province of Fars. It is a wonderful city that combines the ancient and the modern, where the brick-walled homes and fortresses blend with and around majestic and beautiful mosques and gardens.

On our first day in Shiraz, we went to Shāh Chérāgh (“King of the Light”), the most important pilgrimage site within this city. We learned more about this funerary shrine and mosque from our tour guide. It houses the graves of the brothers of Ahmad and Muhammad, brothers to Ali al-Ridha, the eighth Shi’ite Imam. The brothers had taken refuge in the city to escape the persecution of Shia Muslims sometime around 900 AD. Their graves had been lost to time until Ayatullah Dastghā’ib saw, from a distance, a light coming from the area; upon investigation of the source of light, the graves were found, inscriptions indicating who were buried there.

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