The Iran you don't expect

Milan - Doha - Mashhad

Having departed from Milan, we had a stopover in Doha. Unfortunately there were no very convenient connections but we wanted to land directly in Mashhad and, therefore, we had to make do.

We landed in the early afternoon. Right from the start, at the airport we did receive a good welcome but also such a strong impact that the desire to go home brushed over me. The women, so covered that you could tell whether they were facing away or toward you by catching a glimpse of the tip of their feet sticking out from the burqa. It's true that Western women are considered a little more emancipated but Mashhad, a holy city for Shiites, is the most conservative in all of Iran. Women are simply ignored. They don't speak to you and they don't look at you, you're transparent, you don't exist and if they do see you you're just a nuisance. Fortunately I was with my partner and, therefore, he was able to ask the taxi driver for information etc., about the exchange rate and all these things that I couldn't do (I tried but was ignored).

Obviously you get off the plane with a veil and appropriate clothing.

But let's get back to the city. We had an appointment with our friends, arriving from Turkmenistan and having arrived in the city a few hours earlier, they had already found the hotel and the connection (at an agency) to be able to enter the ASTAN-E QODS-E RAZAVI, that is, the sacred sanctuary of Imam Reza, the main place of interest in the city.

Mashhad, in fact, means Place of Martyrdom and is particularly dear to Shiites because here in 817 AD Imam Reza died, a direct descendant of the prophet Muhammad. Our arrival coincided with the anniversary of the birth of Imam Reza himself, a national holiday in Iran.

The sanctuary, visited at night, is simply wonderful and, on its own, is worth the trip to Iran. Taking photos is not allowed but with mobile phones it is (see photos inserted). If you are dressed appropriately you will manage, as I did, to enter even the following day without a guide.

Mashad

Mashhad means Place of Martyrdom and is particularly dear to Shiites because here in 817 AD Imam Reza died, a direct descendant of the prophet Muhammad. We arrived in the city right during the celebrations for the anniversary of Imam Reza's birth.

Mashad - Yarz

transfer by bus

It is one of the oldest historic centers in the world, entirely built with mud bricks, it is a tangle of narrow alleys, courtyards and badgir (wind towers).