IWAN IN IRAN

An other wonderful customer of ours took a pair of spectacles to be photographed in down town Iran. Anne thinks they should be called Iwan as it is a play on Iran and all the beautiful iwans they saw I think that is a great name for them

Anne wrote a brief description of her time in Iran it is as follows:

The Highlights. So Many. Iran has a rich culture and a long civilisation. The History (Overwhelming!) and architecture was fascinating as was the art, textiles, glass and potter. The people were very welcoming . Life is not easy for them after 30 odd years of sanctions. The markets are flooded with cheap Chinese goods. Some handicrafts still flourish. Wonderful carpets of course.

The food was fresh and tasty and I believe organic due to sanctions. Great feta cheese, divine dates and nuts.

So many important historical sites, layer upon layer, for 5000 yrs plus on top of each other. Rivals Italy and Greece. Persopolis was magnificent, the Archeamenid tombs, the Zoroastrian flame that has burned for 1500 years to name a few.And the treasury of National Jewels are unbelievable, it is a collection of the most expensive jewels in the world, collected over centuries.

There were some wonderful traditional working villages protected by UNESCO.

The Landscape is varied and always interesting. Even in the deserts. From oilfields to mountains forests and deserts.

A highlight was the amazing city was Isfahan, Paris of the east and over 1000 yrs old. Pretty gardens, beautiful ancient squares, mosques and palaces.

We were challenged by having to cover our person every day so only our face and hands showed. Tough at 35 degrees! We had to remember to wear a headscarf every time we ventures out our bedroom door. It was fun to see what the rest of our group looked like when we arrived back Dubai. And most people wear black or dark colours so returning to colourful clothes was luxury.