86. Big cultural shock in Iran

My Iranian excursion was mostly a huge cultural shock. - From April 27th to May 13th, 2018
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- I have visited almost fifty countries in my life. I thought I would easily figure out how to travel in Iran. I was completely wrong.
Politics
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- The Iranian people are currently living in an Islamic dictatorship. Religion is inseparable from political life. During prayers in a mosque, the speeches of the officers combine faith practices and political rules.
- Iranians, especially the young people I have met, are very critical of the decisions of their rulers. The Iranians want to be free to have different opinions, to demonstrate, to organize parties at home, in bars or nightclubs, to dance, to sing, to drink alcohol, to choose their religion, to vote for a candidate that follows their political ideas, to dress as they like, and to walk freely with anyone...
- They don’t want to be continuously controlled. In the country, video surveillance is everywhere. The local Uber cars are used to follow the journeys of each inhabitant. Phone messages are intercepted, and sites like Couchsurfing, Facebook, or YouTube are blocked. That is why you need a VPN.
- The repression is very strong. The prison is intended to dissuade non-conformist behaviors and the sentences are barbaric (74 whiplashes for "illegal meetings"). Nevertheless, I feel the wind of change blowing in the country. I imagine two possibilities: the beginning of peace, like the example of the end of the Soviet Union; or a civil war. However, I suspect some countries support the opposition of the Iranian government in order to keep their influence in the region.
Veils and chadors
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- Once you arrive at Tehran Airport, you see the difference. A western woman must wear a veil called "Hijab." Women are dressed in the black chador. Consider the chador as the equivalent of the burqa with an uncovered face. Some special policemen devote all their time to patrolling women to make sure they wear the hijab. By the way, don’t bring shorts to Iran.
- Some women wear the veil at the very back of their head, showing their disagreement with this rule.
- There are more and more protests against the veil obligation. During "White Wednesday," women wear a white veil to show their support for anti-veil movements, and even some men support them by wearing a white veil as well.
The position of woman in society
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- Sex parity does not exist in Iran. The decision for divorce can only be made by the husband. With the same experience and for equivalent work, a woman will be paid three times less than a man.
- On the streets, contact between people of different sexes are avoided. In education, boys and girls go to different schools. In the metro, there are compartments exclusively for women. But women can also stay with their families in shared compartments. I was surprised when I met two women wearing the traditional habit, the chador, in the shared compartments...
Money
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- Iran has an independent banking system. There is no way to withdraw money from the ATM in the country. Therefore, it is necessary to bring euros in cash and to exchange them at the airport (or later in the street).
- Currency exchanges benefit a lot the tourists. The rial is highly inflated. The official conversion rate was one euro for 50,000 rials. In the street, the rate was 60,000 and went up to 72,000 after Trump's embargo announcement. And this will continue (the rate was 150,000 in March 2019).
- Also, all the prices are displayed in toman. A toman is worth ten rials. Don’t be surprised if you are asked ten times less than expected. It's clearly disrupting!
Taarof
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- Here is an example of Taarof. Let’s imagine you take a taxi for twenty minutes. Everything is doing well. You are having a conversation with the driver and, when it comes time to pay, the driver makes a sign with his head: "No, no, the course is for me."
- This is the Taarof: a rule of Iranian courtesy. You must then insist to pay. You insist on giving the money in his direction two or three times, until he accepts.
- When entering a place, the Taarof tells others to go before you.
- It's a politeness rule that happens frequently in Iran. Don’t be surprised. Let’s teach the Taarof to our Parisian taxis!
The reverse of tourism
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- Tourism brings a lot of opportunities for Iranians. I lived through enough awkward situations to deplore this aspect of tourism. Tourists are regularly victims of some calculation errors (always in the same way). Some trips are shortened by their taxis. Last, but not least, several people use our feelings of discomfort and pity to claim more money.
- The scam is executed as with a strong sense of courtesy and insistence. In a way, it’s the art of Taarof reversed.
Iranian hospitality
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- Iranian people are very famous as extraordinarily hospitable, and I should confirm it is true.
- I would definitely recommend you use Couchsurfing to facilitate meetings and accommodation opportunities. Couchsurfing is a website and an application that connects travelers looking to stay at an inhabitant’s house, with local people willing to share a couch or a mattress with travelers.
- But remember to check the Couchsurfing host references before accepting any proposition.
- I got the chance:
- - to enter the generous family of Mona in Tehran;
- - to meet Reza, the best French speaker in Kashan;
- - to stay in Tohid’s relaxation room and also to visit Ispahan with his brother Efran;
- - to meet and visit the curiosities of the city of Ispahan with Aram and Sara;
- - to taste the traditional Iranian breakfast of the grandmother of Shoki in Yazd;
- - to meet a nice man named Mohammad, who helped me to prepare my travel; and
- - to go with Ali in an organized tour in the North West of Iran; it was an unbelievable experience with Iranians and they took good care of me.
- Iranian hospitality is really amazing. I recommend you bring a nice gift rather than money, to make this moment really authentic.
Gastronomy
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- It was a great surprise of the trip. Iranian cuisine is very delicious. I will try in a future article to write down some recipes of Iranian traditional dishes. In the meantime, here is a taste!
Iranian music and dances
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- Iranians love listening to music. I had the opportunity to listen to some international pop music, religious songs, and also Edith Piaf, Céline Dion, and Zaz. But Iranians prefer their own Iranian pop music. So, they put music in the background - very loud - and start to dance. The applause beats to rate imposed by the drummer. Shoulders seem to float forward like waves. Hands move and follow in waves at the intonation of the music. And if they are not in a compressed space, as in a car or a van, they let their whole body be guided by the tempo. From head to feet, passing shoulders and hips, everything is synchronized with the pace. On the other hand, there is no contact between the dancers because of social constraints. However, the Iranians are proud of the festivities during weddings when they don’t have to follow the strict conventions of society.
- Here is a video where Iranians are singing in Ispahan under the bridge Si-o-Se Pol, even if no meetings of population are allowed in the public area inside the dictatorship:
- https://shorturl.at/kyIK8
- Or inside Subatan hills:
- https://shorturl.at/dnuQR
The bazaars
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- The bazaars in Iran are composed of thousands of small shops, which sell jewelry, confectionery, clothes, souvenirs, bags, antiques, perfumes, carpets, dishes, etc. It is very pleasant to get lost in these labyrinths of aisles; they have kept the soul of the past.
- The most complicated part is to get out! But do not worry. The Iranians will not leave you alone, and even before you ask, they will offer you help.
Traffic
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- There is no Taarof in transport; pedestrians need to dodge vehicles that can travel on pedestrian walkways.
- Drivers drive furiously in Iran. Vehicles accelerate abruptly and weave to find spaces between other vehicles. I still wonder, what are the white lines for?
- Moreover, Iranian drivers need to call while driving. That is obvious! The pollution in the country is very intense due to the high traffic.
- An interesting fact concerns the color of cars: all the vehicles are white, and the taxis are yellow. The clear colors are preferred to absorb less sunlight.
Farsi
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- The language of the country is Persian. As the "p" does not exist in the Arabic language, we designate the language as "Farsi." The Persian alphabet has four characters in addition to the Arabic alphabet. The words are read from the right to left. Yet numbers read in the other direction. They use their own numbers. And because of that, assimilation into Persian culture is a little bit more difficult.
Be curious and discover Iran!
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- This is the end of my analysis of the significant cultural differences between Western cultures and Iranian culture.
- I can also mention that their weekend falls two days earlier than ours, as in most Islamic countries. Or consider the fact that Iranians are the first people I’ve met who love the rain. But I think the important thing is to enter their country and discover their culture with humility and curiosity.
- Feel free to jump inside this country. This will give you an informed opinion, not one perverted by the media. The Iranians really have a big heart! You will have a great adventure in their country.

86. Big cultural shock in Iran

My Iranian excursion was mostly a huge cultural shock. - From April 27th to May 13th, 2018

Politics

Veils and chadors

The position of woman in society

Money

Taarof

The reverse of tourism

Iranian hospitality

Gastronomy

Iranian music and dances

The bazaars

Traffic

Farsi

Be curious and discover Iran!

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