Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Abyaneh to Tehran, Iran, October 21, 2015

The village of Abyaneh is perched high on a mountaintop-


I'm glad Hossein, our driver-


 can read Persian-


Sayyed Jafar Natanzi, aka Borujerdi, was a carpet merchant.  In 1859, when he asked the father of his girlfriend for her hand, the stipulation was that she have a house as fine as the one she lived in with her dad.  18 years later, this was the result-



Inside-


Stucco decoration-



Muqarnas  (stalactite type stone carvings) decorate the entrances-


Doors have two knockers - one for women (round)  and one for men (long).   The sound is different so it can be determined beforehand if the woman must put on her headscarf to answer-


The Masjed - e Agha Borzog is a 19th century mosque-


Tile work from this era includes flowers and birds and more colors than just blue, turquoise and white-


The door at the main entrance is said to have a stud for every verse in the Quran-


The ceiling and arches are decorated with frescoes-


Iranian children-




Finn Garden was designed for Shah Abbas I and is the 'perfect' Persian garden.  The cedar trees are up to 500 years old-


Water flows abundantly and the fountains run by gravity only-


It was in the hamman (bathhouse)-


that Iranian Nationalist and Prime Minister (1848-1851)  Amir Kamir was murdered.  The scene is re-enacted in the hamman-


Qom is a very conservative and religious city.  It is home to the Hazrat -e Masumeh shrine.  Non Muslims are not allowed in-


These men were having a picnic-


and eating dizi-


I had some too!  People here are so friendly and generous!  

A mob gathered around the back of a small vehicle and eventually a corpse on a stretcher emerged.  The body was taken into the shrine where it would be paraded around, then transported elsewhere to be buried-


Along the way....


More of the same.....


The Holy Shrine of Imam Khomeini has four 91 meter high towers which symbolize his age when he died.  There are 72 tulips on the gold dome in the center, symbolizing the 72 martyrs who fought with Imam Hossein at Karbala-



It could be a casino in Vegas!  It is very large and grandiose with the finest marble flooring available in the country-


The casket is surrounded by a stainless steel cage and women and men must approach from different directions.  I walked around the thing and was quickly shooed back to the right side!  The workers have yellow feather dusters so you know who is in charge.  Kind of weird!


The sign leading towards the women's bathroom-


Now isn't this a fancy place!  Dining on the terrace anyone?


Supper was a hamburger.  Yes, this is Iranian style!  It wasn't that great, unfortunately-


Looking forward to visiting a couple of palaces tomorrow here in Tehran!










































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