It has been a long time since we were last in Iran. That was way back in December, directly after we visited Turkey. My feelings are all positive towards the experience, and more specifically to the people we met.

Traveling to Iran or any Muslim country is a bit of a taboo in the United States (we have received some shocking xenophobic advice). The reality is that most Iranians love Americans. Keep in mind that most of them are very well-educated and can easily separate the idea of the American government from the American people. On numerous occasions, people curiously asked us where we were from, and when they learned who we were, their faces lit up with excitement. They always welcomed us and inquired about many things.

We went only a few months before the sanctions were lifted. I believe this may still be a requirement, but at the time, all American, English, and Canadian citizens were required to take a tour to enter the country. We were extremely fortunate to have the sweetest, most amazing guide imaginable, Milad. He was so much fun to talk to and he did his job very well. Our tour was 2 weeks long, covering much of the country from the North to the South, and at every location we were surprised with how much he knew. During the long car rides from city to city we had long conversations about Iran, culture, and education. By the end of the trip, we all felt like Milad had become part of our family.

I cannot tell you all the details of our long trip, but I can say that I really enjoyed learning how to cook Iranian food. This particular tour was a culinary tour of the country. That means we often went to people’s houses to learn their recipes and techniques. Our first lesson was in Buscher, a town on the Persian Gulf. We were delighted to meet a warm family who had built their own house from scratch and showed us how to make a delicious dinner. We learned how to make traditional Iranian rice and even better, fish cooked with Turmeric, a favorite ingredient of the Iranians.

We travelled North and came to a beautiful city called Shīraz. We visited the internationally famous monument, Persepolis and toured some stunning mosques. I have to say that my all-time favorite was the Pink Mosque. It is probably one of the most unique mosques in the world because of the prevalence of the color pink. In most Persian architecture, the mosques are tiled with green and blue, perhaps a hint of yellow. In this unique mosque, depictions of European houses and countryside can be found along with pink roses. This is all painted upon small tiles that make up a bigger and greater mosaic. The most beautiful part however, is its large array of stained glass windows, which during the morning, pattern the hall with a rainbow of colors.

Yazd was an amazing city. This mostly has to do with how cool the buildings are and how amazing the food is. We had the opportunity to go to a famous sweet shops near our hotel and since we love food a lot more than the next guy, we

We then ventured East towards Afghanistan. At certain points, the air grew so frigid that I was cold even with a hijab. Snow began to dust the desert for the first time in years, and the sky grew soft. As we drove through a small village situated in a grand valley, we stopped when we saw a huge blood stain in the road. It turned out that a camel had been sacrificed for a wedding that day. We stopped a few times to have snowball fights in the desert. We hurled some at a passing truck and they pulled over to join the fun. That is a very good memory.

Esfahan is also a city that I liked, even further North. Snow had come the day before, and was hiding, unmelted in the cool shadows. You can really get a sense of traditional Persian style there because the bazar, palace, and parks are so freely displayed.

We went shopping in the grand bazar and found a beautiful nomadic rug which had been dyed with pomegranate, rhubarb, and saffron. The shops had some of the most beautiful treasures I had ever seen. Looking for a traditional painting, we purchased a few miniatures that had been done by local art students. Luckily, we got to see the work of a master as well. His shop was covered from the ceiling to the floor in his miniatures. In case you didn’t know, miniatures are a form of painting which is done on a slate of camel bone. Of course they are very small and the brush is made to fit the delicate size of the work with a few cat hairs on the tip.

I can now proudly say that I have tried a lamb desert. Yes, I am not kidding. Milad took us to a restaurant in Esfahan and we tried a desert that was made out of lamb meat and fat. None of us found it to remotely pleasing,

One more amazing thing happened in Esfahan was meeting Nadia. She is another tour guide that Milad knew. She was with her clients from Singapore who are cousins, and we all have become friends. We headed back to Tehran later where we met her family for a wonderful meal, which her sister made for us. It was very sad to leave Tehran. We had an amazing experience wit wonderful people traveling a beautiful, unexplored country.