When I hung up, my face was white and my hands were cold. The person on the phone said that I should go on a Tehran expedition, he made suggestions about not having any worries, but he was not very successful. Whatever he says, Iran was ruled by sharia, and I and sharia were not possible, we could not agree. But there was not much to do. This trip was to be done…
Although it is said to be “not too strict” for the dress code in Iran, I decided not to let go of the measure. First, I borrowed a headscarf from my friend to cover my shoulders, a cheesecloth and a long coat to prevent the cover from slipping. Then I clicked on a couple of XXL shirts of my wife, I thought I would wear the tunic! The postal on my feet was enough, I wasn’t there to wear heels ?!
I took a look at my make-up materials; colorful lipsticks, nail polishes, mascara … ”Are you kidding Buket? I guess you won’t be driving them? You should be invisible, if possible, let alone be attractive, in Iran ”. I put all my makeup items back in the drawer. I also cut my nails shortly, for what happens. Since my hair will never be visible, it will always be bulk, what was the need to comb? I left him at home. It is certain that there will be a trip that I will not want to look in the mirror…
Harem selamlık at the airport
The day of travel came. Fortunately I wasn’t alone. When the plane landed at Tehran airport, I even knitted the cheesecloth and the headscarf, as I learned from my friend. Fear had gone and left its excitement. Who knows what I would see in Tehran? The door of the plane was opened and a security guard appeared at the mouth of the door. He was a huge man with a harsh temperament. It was likely that he would check the hijab while we got off the plane. I was ready somehow, no problem. Confident, shouldn’t my veil fall as I proceeded towards the man? “Oh, I have such a chance… Should I hide behind that chair? Oh ya Buket, one goal a minute, are you going to be in trouble? ” As the friends next to me laughed at me, I put the headscarf on my head, sliding down my shoulders.
We got off the plane. We started walking at the airport. Just as he was going to draw a oh, another security guard started yelling at me. “Haydaa, what did I do now?” The man pointed somewhere with his arm and was yelling at me insistently. I was showing the friends in front of me, saying “we are together”, but the man is Persian, I could not agree in English. Finally our friends solved the situation. It turns out that the security exit was harem salute, our friends were boys and the girl on duty because I was following them towards the salute part. Although I don’t like to be leaving my friends, I went to where the officer showed. I did not get a smile even though I wore my loveliest to the black veiled security officers. All the procedures have been completed and I finally got out of the airport and I was stuck at the door across the view.
What I mean by the view is the flower, not the insect, but the human landscape, more precisely, the Iranian women.
Without buying a comb…
The most beautiful women of the Middle East stood without a doubt. In all of them, there is a nostalgic nose, as far as I learned later, Iran was one of the countries where the most rhinoplasty was performed in the world. Plump, crimson lipstick-worn lips, long eyelashes, brown eyes, pearly teeth, clothes that show all the curves of their bodies, shoes with heels and sandals on their feet, a shawl they put on their heads, which requires a thousand witnesses to call it a headscarf. I said ahh, I should have listened to the Iranian man calling me, he said; “It’s not what you think” but what did I do? I did not listen, I could not break my prejudices, I came here with my most paspal outfits without even combing. Obviously I would be disgraced, but I deserved to be in this situation!
Tehran is a huge, quite complex city full of contrasts. How right it was to say that you understand the civilization level of a city from its traffic.
As a result, in civilized cities, civilized people respect the rights of others and abide by the rules. There is no rule mural in Tehran traffic. Even traffic lights do not work properly, no one wears the light even if it works. Vehicles coming from four sides at four corners of the road can pass or fail quickly without giving way to each other. I have seen 8-9 accidents per day in Tehran streets. As if I went to the amusement park, I watch the bumper cars.
Most of the vehicles in traffic are already a model from the last century, the bumper, the rearview mirror, the plate is broken, or the tape is fastened with tape or rope, we hit everywhere. Tehran was one of the cities with the most traffic accidents in the world.
Be careful in the south of the city!
The level of civilization may be low at the moment in Tehran, but with its metro planned before the revolution in the 1970s, it amazes people about how developed it was so many years ago. You can get on the subway with harem, selamlık and mixed. On the way from the modern and rich North Tehran to the poor and conservative South Tehran, we got on the mixed wagon of the subway as a very crowded group. We were not disturbed in the subway, but unfortunately, there were those who were pushed and thrown among us while walking around the streets of southern Tehran. In the South, you need to take care of yourself, your wallet, your purse.
The subject of hygiene is important; The more luxurious the place you eat, the better the hygiene. When I first went to Tehran, I had a bad time when I removed the spoon put on the table in the restaurant they took us. Because the front side of the spoon, which looked clean, had white yogurt on the back. The men obviously wiped the cloth and put it back on the table instead of washing the spoon!
Although the subject of costume is much more free than I guess, shorts or capri pants are forbidden for both men and women. Revolutionary guards can take you away.
Although very vibrant colors get warnings from time to time, I went around in color and had no problems on my next trips. However, the clothes of my Iranian friends who came to work at a fair were sent back because they were not suitable, they all came back with a black topcoat and a headscarf. I had trouble getting to know them.
VPN is a panacea
Revolutionary guards, who tightened their control especially in the summer after the schools were closed, were stuck to the youth’s collar.
While my father, an Iranian friend’s lawyer, was revolutionizing, he was assaulted at his courthouse with his tie and suit, and his tie was cut. My friend told his father that his tongue was held for months after this incident. Tie is still forbidden in Iran. I don’t know if it’s because it evokes Christianity or because it evokes civilization, but it’s forbidden. By the way, let me write the internet, but platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are forbidden to exchange ideas! Young people download programs like VPN and still connect.
In Iran, where drinking, selling and hosting is prohibited, the parties in the houses are legendary. It is rarely raided by revolutionary guards, as the house is an intimate area. At the parties, headscarves come out, evening dresses are worn, there is everything about drinking, dancing. It’s not very dominant at home, but if you come and catch the drink, you find yourself in a cookie. It was printed at a house party I knew and was thrown in for three days without informing her family and using her phone right. Even under this pressure, the modern part of Iran is much more comfortable in terms of pre-marriage relations than our modern part. These pre-marital relationships are known, approved, and protected by modern families.
Saffron and ginger are indispensable!
Speaking of the house party, we were invited to dinner by an Iranian family on my first visit to Tehran without comb and make-up. The butler who opened the door in this place, which I can call a manor rather than a house, wanted the headscarf as the first job. I thought I would get into it even though I had a combed, blended soup hair, a three-size shirt on me and my postal space. Especially when I came to the landlady in a sleeveless mini dress, I was embarrassed. The dinner that evening was a feast. Once, any kind of drink (including raki) that you can think of was served. There were dozens of dishes from Persian pilaf, which tasted in my palate, to cheeseburger, roasted with vegetables and novice soup. They were like the people of Izmir, the catering never ended. They would almost call a crane to lift us off the table. I used to smoke at that time, I looked after the meal, the cigarette had burned a cigar that would not cut me, supposedly to relax.
I want to give some examples of Iranian cuisine…
First of all, the king and queen of this kitchen are saffron and zereşk! You know saffron, it is also used in us, zereşk is a kind of Iranian grape. It has a red, sour taste. It is put on rice, soup, almost all dishes. Iranian pilaf is a must for every meal. It is made of a thin, long, fragrant rice that looks like basmati rice in us. The way of cooking is prepared by boiling and draining like an interesting pasta. Plenty of butter and saffron. Iranian pilaf takes its yellow color from saffron.
Three examples from Iranian cuisine
Ghormeh Sabzi: A home cooked meal almost every week. It is made from cowpea and lamb. Dried Iranian cress, coriander, goy, dried lemon etc. Used. A dish with a strong aroma and a spice that all Iranian people love
Tabriz Meatballs: Consider a huge ball of meatballs, broken chickpeas, ground beef, onions, marshmallows and boiled eggs. It is fried and cooked.This giant ball meatball section is very colorful.
Çelo Kebap: It looks like our mince kebab as an image. But there is saffron in it. It comes with rice and egg yolk. You mix all three yourself before eating.
Dessert, dates, stews, macaroon… no in Iranian cuisine. They drink tea scarce, that is, not by mixing sugar in it, but by eating it next to it. I took dates instead of sugar, beside tea. I still love dates. While a group of doctors say that even diabetics can eat easily, a group of people see it objectionable. The moderate meal seems to be the middle solution. I will learn this measurement job one day, I hope!
One of the events I could not forget in Iran was the meal that the Turkish ambassador gave us in the magnificent garden of the embassy years ago. We were all stuck with the moon-star silver dinnerware on the table rather than the meals. While the ambassador spoke with praise of our activities in Iran, all of us were filled with pride, our eyes were watered, and our nationalist feelings were swollen.
Sharia is sharia, no joke!
There is also Coca Cola. In 1979, after the US embassy in Tehran was printed and the diplomats were taken hostage, the sale of Iranian products in the USA was banned, and in 1995, all trade of the USA to Iran was banned. While the embargo continues until 2016, I do not know how to explain Coca Colas in the same taste and packaging as ours, which I drank in Tehran?!…
Over the years, those who went to Iran, who are saying there’s much more dominant low, even for those who find there is even more conservative Turkey.
I had a good time in Iran. I loved the culture, places and people there and became friends. Iranians living in Turkey remembering wistfully the country, said they do not want to mention the poor countries. I understand this and respectfully. We can talk about Iranian civilization, history, how advanced you once was, how you can easily go around with your hair, looking at the tip of your hair, but ultimately, Iran is a country ruled by sharia and sharia is sharia, no joke! Turkey’s conservatism is increasingly turning to Iran is the only one wish for!
Note: This article was previously published in the Media Diary.
Tehran: Prejudices and facts article first appeared on Gezzio.