Tabriz with Morteeza, Sarah, and Reza – late September 2004

With Morteeza:
The first thing I noticed in Tabriz was the preponderance of black chadors – or “black bags,” as Stephane says. We met up with Morteeza, Shamsey’s brother, who was a 22-year old British Literature student at the University. He showed us around the bazaar, the new commercial street, the famed Blue Mosque, Elgoli Park at the top of the city, and then we went back to his house for dinner.

The labyrinthine bazaar, the largest and oldest in Iran, with 7350 shops and 24 caravanserais, winds its way along 3.5 km. of streets, and was the highlight of our visit in Tabriz. It was divided into five principal sections: spices, carpets, gold, shoes, and general household goods. We contented ourselves with buying food: spices, honey, butter, dates, figs, fruit, saffron.

A journalist from the local paper showed up at our hotel, supposedly to interview us about our bike trip, but they seemed to ask an inordinate amount of questions about our views on Iran (its politics, its religion, what I thought about the women, etc.). We thought it a bit strange, considering that the government owns all of the media, including the newspapers.

With Sarah and Reza:
We checked out of the hotel on Saturday and went to the bus ticket office to buy tickets for the overnight bus to Teheran. We didn’t have enough money on us – lucky for us, because, coming out of the office, we met Sarah and Reza, with whom we clicked immediately and who convinced us to stay an extra day. We checked back into our hotel at the end of the day.

We met Sarah and Reza the day before classes started at the University, and they didn’t mind skipping the first day to show us all around town. One of the more amusing things was the evening spent at the local amusement park, where we watched the “black bags” ride the roller coasters and other attractions with their chadors held in place between clenched teeth. We were more of an attraction to them – and vice versa – than the animals in the attached zoo.

As for Sarah and Reza themselves, they were fabulous. They made our trip to Iran worthwhile. We clicked immediately and they adopted us for the time that we were there. Sarah said she was going to kidnap me; I said okay, but only if I didn’t kidnap her first. She said, no problem – she was small enough to fit inside my suitcase! And I probably would have taken her with me if it had been possible.

They are both in their early 20’s and will be married next summer. They had a formal ceremony for their engagement and have a paper to prove it. This means that they can walk together and even hold hands in public. If the police stop them, they have a signed contract. If they call off the engagement, Reza must pay her, and it is expensive.

Reza is crazy about animals; Sarah hates all animals. A good pair! Stephane told her that his dog was named “Sarah,” and she was devastated. In Iran, pets are not given the same name as people. We got a good laugh out of it!

The Islamic Revolution:
Reza and Sarah, like many other young people, were not thrilled about what the Islamic Revolution had done to their country. They think it has destroyed the Persian culture. Men and women used to be able to go out together – not anymore. Sarah pointed out that the Koran specifically counsels against wearing black. It doesn’t prohibit it outright, but says that if at all possible, women should wear another color. Reza says he wants to see Sarah in another color – he is tired of black! Sarah doesn’t like the “hood,” like the one that she has to wear to the University; it is very hot. She doesn’t like what she sees as all the “hot” religious women who wear the chador. In her view, the Koran asks that women cover their hair, not cover themselves in a hot, black tent.

We finally did leave Tabriz, and a taxi hit Stephane as we biked to the bus station. The 10-hour ride to Teheran was very long, and difficult because I had to keep my hejab on while I slept. An Iranian movie illuminated a small screen, with music from the “Titanic” and instrumental Christmas music! What a great laugh! Christmas music in the Islamic Republic! I’m sure no one else even knew!