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Ignorance in social media was the most overt fact of the period before my trip to Iran. The one on my return was that it is wonderful.
Highlighting two extremes in the country: great cultural wealth and religious dictatorship.
Going to Iran
It was a beautiful experience, and having done it solo in August 2019 allowed me to appreciate it even more. I wish these unfortunate people better times and thus that they will become the tourist destination they deserve, although in doing so they will inevitably lose the incredible friendliness and authenticity that I had the pleasure of finding.
The trip lasted two weeks and I used the excellent public transportation. At that time the international situation was calm and the internal clashes of the following years had not yet begun, originating in protests over the compulsory wearing of headscarves for women, or in general over the population’s demand for more democracy. Nor were there ever any problems with Western travelers as happened later. In this link taken from a site I work with, there is a very interesting article.
Iranians are very kind and curious, especially about the Western world. Many of them know little, having been isolated for decades. But even we know very little about a country that, I remind you, would be the heir to the ancient Persian Empire that we studied in school and that has nothing to do with the Arab world. My destinations were:
- Tehran
- Kashan
- Isfahan
- Yazd
- Shiraz
- Persepolis
This is the link to the itinerary on my Google maps.
A bit of history
Iran is probably one of the countries least known to the West and for which there is the most ignorance on social media, but not only that. Being politically an enemy of Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S., it is a dangerous and hostile place in our common imagination.
A religious regime has been in place since 1979 for which I fully agree that there can be tremendous criticism, but the first ones to do so are the Iranians who are the real victims of the regime, and doubly so, because in addition to the restrictions on their freedom, they are also suffering from the embargo of the West. The real reasons for this embargo are actually mainly economic because Saudi Arabia in the first place (a major ally of the U.S.) is comfortable with Iran being weak.
About relations with Israel there would be too much to say and this is not the topic, but regarding terrorism one must always remember that the 9/11 attackers were almost all Arabs, not Iranians. Moreover, Iran has not been at war with anyone since 1981 when among other things it defeated Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, an aggressor and financed by the U.S. itself. As for hosting terrorists, I recall that it is well established that terrorists in our country were in cahoots with politicians and intelligence services.
What Iran is like
Iran is a politically unstable country for the above reasons to which we should add that it has an extremely young population and Western freedoms with new technologies can no longer be hidden and that in particular the restrictions imposed on women are no longer tolerated, but the regime does not want to cede power. When I went the situation was quiet, but of course it is not always so; in the most turbulent times, as in any place, it is wise not to go.
As for certain restrictions/usances you face in going to Iran, I don’t think there is even a need to say that right or wrong, when you visit a foreign country they should be respected, this also applies if you go to visit your friend back home.
Ignorance in social media
In the weeks leading up to departure, when I told someone, I happened to register hallucinating reactions. There were those who literally put their hands in their hair while baring their eyes. Some told me there was war and some asked how I would do with bombs. Most told me that I was crazy, or that if I was going to have problems later the Farnesina, people like me should leave them around.
But worst of all was the ignorance on social media, where it often even results in aggression. At the time I was frequenting Facebook groups of hypothetical travelers and posed an issue ironically, which of course many did not understand. The issue was that in public transportation one could not sit next to a person of the opposite sex unless he or she was a relative or obviously a spouse.
If I meet the woman of my life, Western, won’t I be able to sit beside her?
It was simply to see if there was tolerance for Westerners for this norm. But I got the worst insults, including even that I was the usual guy going to poor countries for sex tourism.
Next stop Journey to Iran, meaning a real Italian in Tehran
Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent
Countries visited in my travel stories
Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives
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