Ancient Persia

“Pakistan and Iran, are you crazy?  Why?!  Go somewhere fun, like Europe!”

“Iran?!  Well, I’m glad I’m not your father!  Your parents must be going crazy!”

“Pakistan?!  Wow.  You’re certainly a lot braver than me!”

Lots of questions, lots of surprised and worried faces, and lots of doubts as to my sanity.  Of course, I completely understood the concerns, and the ‘risks’ involved.  But I’ve traveled enough to know that most of what people hear about some countries comes from the media, which is often motivated by politics.

While I didn’t exactly know what to expect in Pakistan and Iran, I knew that they’d be nothing like the stereotypes that the media portrays.  And I was 100% right.  If you’re curious about what it’s really like, check out my blog posts on Karachi and Esfahan!  But right now, let me try to answer the ‘why’.

So, why go?  My number one motivation for visiting these countries now — aside fromthe stunning sights, friendly people, culture, food, etc. — was because of one thing I will always regret:  not having visited Iraq when I had the chance.  I was literally just a few hours’ drive from Baghdad and Iraq’s wealth of sights – several times – while in the Middle East visiting family.  I guess I just thought that I’d do it later.  Well, a significant amount of Iraq’s cultural heritage is now destroyed.  I’ll never get to see these places, at least not in their original state (I hold out hope that all that has been looted and destroyed will be recovered and rebuilt in time).

My point is that, while Pakistan and Iran have their share of ‘travel warnings’ and acts of violence or terror, they are both relatively stable right now.  I hope they remain that way, and become even more accessible for all to experience the incredible treasures that these two countries offer.  But in case things turn out differently, I don’t want to regret having had the chance to visit when it was actually, reasonably safe to do so – well, my definition of ‘safe’, I guess.

One day I will go to Iraq, I know it.  But for now, I’ll be exploring the chaos of big-city Karachi, the refreshingly tourist-free metropolis of Hyderabad, and dozens of fascinating historical sights in Iran, traveling by land from Shiraz all the way to the Azerbaijani border at Jolfa.  I’ll be stopping in some cities I’ve dreamed of seeing for a long time such as Esfahan, Yazd, Ardabil and Tabriz, and of course, Persia’s ancient capital at Persepolis and Iran’s current modern capital, Tehran.

I apologize to the fascinating countries of the south Caucasus – Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia – I certainly didn’t mean to overshadow your importance in this trip!  After finally making it out of Pakistan and Iran safely, I crossed into Azerbaijan’s curious exclave of Nakhchivan, where I breathed a big sigh of relief after being detained at the Iranian border — and then began the second exciting part of my trip!

Baku was beyond all expectations.  I knew it had an historical UNESCO-listed old city, and that recent oil boom money turned it into an architect’s dreamland – but wow, the juxtaposition of the two was so blatant and somehow harmonious, it all just worked.  Baku had a great effect on me, and it jumped quickly onto my list of favorite world cities.  The daring architecture alone was enough to keep me wanting to come back for more.

Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, was also very enjoyable. While smaller and more manageable than Baku, Tbilisi was lively, colorful, and also not afraid of striking modern architecture!  Along with visiting several beautiful Orthodox churches, and exploring the old capital of Mtskheta, I sampled some delicious khinkali (huge soup-filled dumplings!) with a glass of Georgian ‘Tvishi’ wine.  I have to say that Georgia’s official ‘welcome’ was the most memorable I’ve ever experienced — after receiving my stamp, the passport control officer smiled genuinely, said “Welcome to Georgia”, and handed me a bottle of red Georgian wine!  Really!  At passport control!

Finally, Armenia.  Best for last?  Perhaps.  Armenia was full of great experiences, enhanced by my decision to rent a car!  There was so much to see within a few hours’ drive of Yerevan, that I barely had enough time leftover for Yerevan itself!  So many amazing centuries-old monasteries sited in the most stunning locales – mountain-tops, valleys, deep gorges, and precarious cliff-sides – it was phenomenal.  I clearly didn’t have enough time to see it all… but I tried!

Thankfully, I still managed to see plenty of Yerevan, and even had one of my favorite dishes of the whole trip there:  a traditional meat-filled manti (a type of Armenian pasta) served in a light broth topped with a sauce of tomatoes and strained yogurt.  So delicious, in fact, that I came back to have it again two days later, for what would be my final dinner of the trip before heading back to Yerevan’s airport and eventually, back home.

But first… a stopover in Frankfurt, where I rented a car for a few hours and visited Darmstadt and Mannheim.

Then, home.  🙂