Footnote to Iran

And here right at the end, if you've managed to stick with all the postings for my visit to Iran, do feel compelled to add this foot-note.

It was with a good degree of sadness that I left the country, as it had turned out completely different to anything that I had in mind before coming here. Though if truth be known, am not sure exactly what my expectations were. There were rather mixed feelings for me, when it came to leaving this enigmatic land. Yes, I was disappointed that I did not get to visit Esfahan, a city that's arguably the jewel of Iran's cities. A city that perhaps has a few clues locked into its great buildings that surround, and along with the Imam square might've given me some hints, for how earlier generations of that country lived and wielded power.

A further sting was to miss out on Persepolis. While being told there's actually not very much there, with the site consisting of little more than a few dusty ruins North of Shiraz. But there are some places I regard as something of a pilgrimage. Some places that I feel drawn towards. Some places I believe have meaning way beyond what can be seen with the eye, and seem to have special power that can be tapped into with the right mind-set. Here was a place that was the centre of the civilised world of the time. One of learning, and one of the great cultures that marked the march of human progress. And I had missed out on standing there, to plug into it's secret power. All because we'd decided to go through China as part of our chosen route, and had therefore squandered most of our time in Iran pursuing a bloody visa. I left feeling I'd missed so much ...

But to finish on a brighter note, rather than on the sadness of missed opportunity. Iran was really about the people. And their welcome and hospitality on quite a different level. The Iranian idea of hospitality was far and away better than could be hoped for in most other parts of the world. There is indeed a certain duality between peoples public and private worlds, as discussed in Jason Elliot's excellent book 'Mirrors of the Unseen'. But there was also friendliness and openness on a scale way beyond that which I had encountered during my life so far. And it has changed my mind, about people and the way that they can be. Perhaps forever altering my sometimes cynical mind-set on human behaviour. For this reason when leaving, did not feel I had missed out on the best of Iran. The greatest discovery for me while in this country, was that it wasn't the land, the cities or the sites, but the people who lived there. These are the true stars and jewels in the crown of Iran ...