Friday,
23 December 2016
We
had to ride a bus from the terminal to board our flight to Shiraz and our assigned
seats were reallocated by Christine to allow spouses and families to sit next
to each other. I got acquainted with Ping and Helen, a 74-year old widower. I
noticed an Asian man among the crew and was surprised when he turned out to be
a Malay. The flight took about an hour and we landed at 04:00. Women must already
be donning a scarf when they emerge from the plane. The immigration was a bit
slow and we had to wait a bit for our bags too. Some bags came out wet and I
was glad to find my bag was spared whatever it was.
We
had to wait a bit as a gentleman in our group had his bag wheels damaged and
had to lodge a report. We met up with Amin, our local tour guide. While waiting,
I went to change money. The exchange rate was IRR38,000 for every USD1. I was
planning to shop much and so I changed only USD100. To make matters more
confusing, don’t assume all shops use Rial; some shops quote prices in Toman. 1
Toman is 10 Rial so don’t get too excited when you’re quoted a price but ask if
it’s in Rial or Toman.
We
had wondered if our trip would be extended by another day to make up for the
delay but Amin and Christine explained that we would cover all sights meant to
cover for two days in one day. As such, it was imperative for everyone to be
punctual that morning. Christine then explained to some of us privately that it
would be difficult if not impossible to change our itinerary as our payment had
to reach the Iranian side one month prior to arrival and through a third
country due to the trade embargo or restrictions faced by Iran.
We
finally left the airport at 05:15 for Zandiyeh Hotel and as we had already paid
for two nights, we could go immediately to our rooms. The first I had was a
shower followed by morning prayers. Then it was a bit of a rest before having
breakfast. We were supposed to depart at 09:00 today for our two-days-in-one
tour.
Now,
we have three Datuks and by extension three Datins in our group. A gentleman
whom I later found was one of the Datuks was late and he kept us waiting for 20
minutes. A bit annoying but I suppose he must have gotten confused over the
time change. Iran is 4.5 hours behind Malaysia.
Our
first stop was the Khan madrasah or school, founded in 1615 by Imam Gholi Khan,
governor of Fars. We had to stop beneath a flyover, near some bus station and
went up the escalator to the bazaar level. The college which is still in use
has a fine stone-walled inner courtyard and garden. However, as it was a
Friday, we didn’t see any students when we were there.
Our
next stop was Nasir al-Mulk Mosque, aka Pink Mosque due to the usage of
considerable pink colour tiles for its interior design. We were told that roses
and nightingales play a big role in Shiraz. There is also a winter and summer
gallery with its stained glasses and twelve columns (after 12 Imams of Shia).
You can wear shoes in the mosque compound but must open them to enter the
winter and summer gallery.
After
that, we drove to the Qavam Garden or Narenjestan due to the abundance of
tangerines. The Qavam House is a traditional and historical house in Shiraz and
preserves the elegance and refinement enjoyed by upper-class families. The
focal point of the house was the mirrored porch which overlooked a small garden
designed with fountain and plants.
Our
next stop before lunch was the Quran Gate which is the entrance to (and exit
from) Shiraz. It is located near the gorge of Allah-o-Akbar and is flanked by
the Baba Kuhi and Chehel Maqam mountains. The gateway is where two copies of
the Qurans are located.
After
lunch, we continued to Bagh e-Eram or Eram Garden, a complex containing
networks of gardens, a colourful palace and a system of canals flowing
throughout. Eram Garden is one of the nine gardens in Iran that are grouped
under The Persian Garden, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Next
on our stop was Vakil Mosque, situated to the west of Vakil Bazaar (as it was a
Friday, most shops were closed; some were however open while we were there). it
was built in the second half of the 18th century and restored in the
19th century.
Our
next pit stop in this day of pit stops was the Arg of Karim Khan or Karim Khan
Castle, a citadel which is somewhere between Vakil Mosque and our hotel. It
served as living quarters of Karim Khan, the founder of the Zand Dynasty and he
ruled almost all of Iran. Shiraz was once the capital of Persia during the Zand
Dynasty so that explains why the citadel is in Shiraz.
The
day ain’t over yet, oh no. We next drove to Ali ibn al-Hamzah shrine. We had to
park by a busy roadside, cross the road (Iranian drivers are crazy!) and walk
over a bridge through some unfinished construction to get to the shrine. I didn’t
see any signage directing one to the site so if you’re an independent
traveller, you really need to know how to get there or you have to hire a
guide. We had to walk across a courtyard which actually was a cemetery (I asked
if it was OK to walk all over and Amin said yes and was then horrified to find
that we’d been walking over graves) to get to the building which housed the
tomb. Shia followers have no problem walking over graves, no problem with
animal or human pictures in mosques, don’t perform congregational Friday
prayers, and only perform prayers three times a day (Suboh, Zuhur and Asar
combined together (4 rakaat + 4 rakaat), and Maghrib and Isya’ prayers together
(3 + 4 rakaats). They also have no problems with building shrines for the dead.
The inside of the shrine is indeed beautiful but I found it disturbing. I left
as soon as I could and gingerly walked back to the entrance. Some of the
Chinese and the Indian couple in my group then told me they are not allowed to
walk on graves either. We had to retrace our steps back to the bus.
Last
but not least was the Tomb of Hafiz. Hafiz was a beloved poet and son of Shiraz
who lived in the 14th century. There’s a garden, a pool and pavilion
over his tomb. We spent about 20 minutes there before leaving to the call of
Maghrib prayers. It was then I realised the Shia followers have a different
azan too...incorporating Ali in it.
Our
last stop before we returned to the hotel was dinner in a restaurant near Vakil
Mosque. I didn’t know how I could keep my eyes open after the long day but we
did it! We covered two days’ worth of sites in one day!
To
be continued
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