Sistan and Baluchestan is the largest of Iran's thirty provinces by area. Sistan is the area to the north and Baluchestan lies to the south bordering Pakistan.
The province as a whole has a population of over 4 million people and is one of the driest and poorest areas of the country. Zahedan, with over half a million inhabitants, is the provincial capital and it is possible to pick up visas here for both neighboring Pakistan and India.
Zabol (pop. 132,000) is an exotic and dangerous border town with Afghanistan to the north of Zahedan.
There are flights to both Zahedan (daily) and Zabol (weekly) from Tehran. There are shared taxis (savaris) from Zahedan to Zabol.
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Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Sistan and Baluchestan Province
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Baluchestan and Iran
IranVisitor recently took a trip to Baluchestan is a pretty traditional place compared to Tehran. Wherever we were received as guests women and men were strictly separated. I attended a wedding without even seeing the bride.
When I saw women and girls in the streets they were often wearing black chadors loosely draped over outfits like these. But the black covering never fully hid the bright colours beneath. It was just one of so many ways that Baluchestan reminded me of India and showed me more clearly than ever that Iran is a diverse country and is essentially nothing without this diversity.
Baluchis are not separatists by any means. The Baluchi people are a relatively new ethnic group and accept their position sandwiched between the two great civilisations of Iran and India. Baluchis from Pakistan seem to have no problem crossing the border into Iran where they find plenty of work and higher wages. Unfortunately, some of the lawlessness of Pakistan also makes it over to Iran and there have been some high profile kidnappings of foreign tourists in the area and a bomb attack on Iranian soldiers in Zahedan.
More on Baluchestan soon...
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Wednesday, March 26, 2008
National Museum of Iran Tehran
The National Museum of Iran in central Tehran is not to be missed on any visit to the capital.
The original building of the museum, which houses the pre-Islamic exhibits dates from the 1930s and was designed by French architect, Andre Godard.
Building 1 of the museum houses artifacts ranging from Iran's prehistoric past to the Elamite, Achaemenid and Parthian periods.
Image © Camille-Helene Lemouchoux & IranVisitor.com
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Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Baseej Parades for 22 Bahman (11 February)
Rally to mark the 29th anniversary of the 1979 revolution.
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Taking Pictures in Tehran
The rallies to mark the anniversary of the 1979 revolution are an uncomfortable mix of festive gaiety and political posturing. Walking down "Revolution Street" towards "Freedom Square" there were people begging to have their photos taken. Every time I stopped to point my camera, passing groups would shout for me to look. Kids in camouflage gear and pro-Palestinian check scarves puffed out their chests and waved their flags more vigorously. At one point a group of about twenty-five men all lined up neatly and patiently for me. Best of all, one middle-aged lady sitting by the side of the road looked up at me as I passed – her eyes just begging me to take her picture. She smiled a sweet smile, beaming innocently and incongruously over a poster showing the frankly lascivious grin of Ayatollah Khamenei and a black and white "death to America" placard.
Iran's biggest show of nationalist pride is actually one of the easiest times for a photographer (foreign or otherwise) to take people's photographs. With the whole day almost entirely devoted to showing defiance against foreign meddling, the theory is, the further this message travels the better. And since "the enemy" speaks English, it makes sense to translate the printed material.
The national psyche has been so long moulded by opposition and Iran's pariah status in the western world that I even sensed a degree of knowing self-parody. Chanting slogans against America, Israel and, to a lesser extent, Britain has taken on the air of a national pastime. The role of 22 Bahman (11 February) as a political as a national day of rememberance has at least been equalled by its new role as a street festival – a kind of super-politicized Carnaval. There was even a tent by the side of the road giving kids the opportunity to throw darts at a crude mockup of Uncle Sam. A geopolitical fairground game. The host was wearing a comically-tall stars and stripes top hat.
At any other time, taking pictures in Iran can be sensitive to say the least. And it’s hard to put your finger on why. Once I was taking a picture of bus. A normal city commuter bus. A plain clothed man, no uniform, no ID approached me and asked me if I had permission to take pictures. I said that we were in a public place and there was no need for permission. He assured me that I was wrong. After some time talking I think I got to the bottom of it. He told me that many foreigners come to Iran and take pictures of things to present Iran in an unfavourable light. I asked him what about the good things in Iran? What if foreigners want to show Iran in a good light? I had taken my picture and he was getting bored so we parted without reaching a conclusion. 
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Monday, January 21, 2008
God mourns for the Imams?
“Faith in the imams cures cancer and makes the lame walk… I’ve seen it with my own eyes, you’ve all seen it too”
The little man with the microphone. Unshaven, wearing a faded mismatched suit. Reminded me of snake oil sellers in Western movies. Do Iranians really hold beliefs so out of step with the given scientific mindset of the times? This was a speaker to the masses. He appeared to know his audience, and the 1000 toman notes were flowing.
From what I can gather, the folk legends surrounding the Imams arise from more sources than one. There is the history. Events of the time are well documented and acknowledged also by Sunnis but this only provides the barest framework. Woven into the history are parables of the strength of Abol Fazl, the moral uprightness of Hossein, the justice of Ali – superhuman qualities all, but imams are not messengers of God and nor are they miracle workers. This is one essential aspect of Shiism which suggests roots in something other than Islam.
Maybe the key can be found in the stories of pre-Islamic heroes, Rostam and Siavash. Stories which are, at heart, legends from Zoroastrian times handed down through Ferdosi’s Shahnameh. Perhaps the habit of eulogizing heroes simply got transferred. Another sign of non-Islamic influence is the imagery – fantasy portraits of the Imams, full-bearded but with glowing almond eyes, almost feminine – an unquestionably Persian beauty.
“the earth, the heavenly sphere, time itself are mourning for the Imam. Even He, yes HE is mourning for the Imam with all his angels”
The little man continued his amplified lament, bent forward, with knees bent and free hand appealing to the sky, the ground, his heart, the crowd. God mourns for the Imams? In Christianity God allowed his son to die on the cross but in Shiite Islam he weeps for Hossein. The Imams are not prophets, not messengers of God but heroes, and their powers are still felt in everyday life. Ronaldinho may belong to Jesus but Iranian weightlifter Rezazadeh pledges allegiance to Abol Fazl on his chest. The exclamation “Ya Ali!” is heard whenever an Iranian faces an out of the ordinary situation and needs help – our equivalent would be “God help me!” but critically, the Shiite version doesn’t appeal to a God but a long dead mortal.
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Sunday, January 06, 2008
Parsi Cola
The name “Pars” is an expression of Iranian national pride which goes a long way back in history. The province of “Pars” (now “Fars”, capital Shiraz) was the centre of Iranian civilization during the time of Cyrus the Great. The name “Persepolis” comes from the Greek rendering, “Persis”. The name of Iran’s language, “Farsi”, also derives from the same – the change to “F” came after the Arab invasion and reflects the lack of a “P” sound in Arabic.
Now, “Pars Online” is Iran’s number one internet provider – one arm of the business empire of former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani no less. The “Peugot Pars” is an automobile based on the old Peugot 405 which is assembled in Iran. Parsa is a popular boys’ name, Parisa for girls, and Parsi Cola is a home grown soft drinks brand which still does the rounds in reusable bottles all over the country.
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Saturday, December 22, 2007
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