Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Persian Trip: Second Leg – Shiraz

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