Treasures of Ancient Persia

Notes

Essentials

Visas
Visas are required by all nationalities. Two passport photos are required and women must be wearing a headscarf in these photos.You will also need the official visa authorisation, in the form of a Reference Number, issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran, before you can apply for the Iranian visa. Undiscovered Destinations will supply this approximately 1 month prior to the date of entry into Iran. These guidelines are based on information supplied by the Iranian Embassy in London. If you are applying for your visa elsewhere please check details with your selected embassy.

Please note: We cannot request the visa authorisation until we have full passport and client details from you. These include:

• Name, surname and title
• Father's name
• Date and place of birth
• Nationality
• Passport number
• Occupation
• Have you ever visited Iran before? If so, when and for how long?
• Where would you like to apply for your Iranian Visa (i.e. Which Iranian Embassy/Consulate)
• Total no. of days to be spent in Iran
  

Please note: Entry to Iran will be refused if your passport contains evidence of travel to Israel, even if you have been granted an Iranian visa. Note this is not confined to an Israeli visa stamp and also includes Egyptian & Jordanian entry or departure stamps obtained at the land border with Israel.

Some nationalities also need to provide a copy of the passport. We will also need to know the embassy at which you are to apply for the visa. The visa authorisation is embassy-specific, so you cannot subsequently change your mind about where you will get the visa

Due to recent changes in the Iranian visa process, we are now only able to request the visa authorisation 1 month before the tour departure date. If you are leaving your home country more than two weeks before your tour starts, please contact us for advice.

Please check that the embassy issues you with a tourist visa – the stamp in your passport MUST state specifically that the visa is a tourist one. If this is not the case, the hotels are obliged to charge business travel rates, which are substantially higher.

Please note: It is illegal to bring alcohol into Iran.

Airport Tax
No departure tax currently applies when leaving Iran by air.

Health and Immunisations
We strongly recommend that you contact your doctor’s surgery or a specialist travel clinic for up-to-date information, advice and the necessary vaccinations. For a visit of less than one month, almost certainly you will be advised to have immunisations against the following: Diphtheria and Tetanus, Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Meningitis.

Insurance

• What should my travel insurance policy cover?
• medical and health cover for an injury or sudden illness abroad
• 24 hour emergency service and assistance
• personal liability cover in case you’re sued for causing injury or damaging property
• lost and stolen possessions cover
• cancellation and curtailment (cutting short your trip) cover
• Extra cover for activities that are commonly excluded from standard policies, such as certain sports

The policy should cover the whole time that you are away.

Your policy may also have:

• personal accident cover
• legal expenses cover

Common travel insurance policy exclusions
Always check the conditions and exclusions of your policy:

• most policies will not cover drink or drug-related incidents

You must take reasonable care of your possessions or your policy will not cover you.

Practical information

Local Currency
The currency in Iran is the Iranian rial (IRR). For current exchange rates visit www.xe.com.Currency DeclarationIt is compulsory to declare all foreign currency brought into Iran, and this must be done on arrival. This should be done by completing a currency declaration form at the Bank Melli branch at Tehran Airport which is located immediately after Immigration.

Where currency can be exchanged
It’s relatively easy to exchange money in Iran, either at banks or moneychangers. There is a bank at the airport, and we recommend that you change a small amount here – you will also be able to change money at the hotel, usually with a better rate. ATM machines are not widely available in Iran. The best way currency to bring into Iran is US dollars – other currencies can be extremely difficult to exchange.

Credit cards and travellers cheques
Changing travellers’ cheques is very difficult and we do not recommend that you bring these. In addition to this, credit cards are not widely accepted. We recommend that you bring sufficient cash in US dollars to last your visit.

Best time to go
Iran can be bitterly cold in its winter months, and fiercely hot during the summer. The best time to visit is generally accepted to be the spring and autumn months.

Main Language
The official language of Iran is Farsi. Iran has a wealth of other languages spoken by its ethnic minorities, including Turkish, Azeri, Kurdish and Arabic. You will find that many people have a good grasp of English, although the further away from larger towns you go, the less likely this is to be the case.

Main Religion
As a nation, Iran follows the Shi’ite strain of Islam. There are very small population of other religious communities including Christians, Zoroastrians and Jews.

Food and drink
Iranian cuisine is delicious and generally very healthy. There is a strong emphasis on rice, bread, fresh vegetables and fruit. Meat is used to a lesser degree and often only as a flavouring. Iranians also make great use of spices and combine sweet and savoury ingredients to create wonderfully exotic flavours.

Thick soups and stews and kebabs are popular and a common dish is abgusht (or dizi) – a tasty soup made from stock, meat, vegetables and lentils. Another favourite is chelo kabab, which consists of grilled lamb (marinated in yoghurt and spices) served on a bed of rice. Juje kabab (chicken kebab) is equally delicious.

Tasty vegetable and salad dishes are also readily available. Sabzi polo is a simple dish of vegetables flavoured with spices and served with rice. Kuku is a thick omelette cut in wedges often containing vegetables such as spinach, green beans, aubergine, or potato. Dolme are vegetables or vine leaves stuffed with spiced rice and/or meat, which can be served hot or cold, sometimes in a tomato based sauce.

If you have any special dietary requirements you must notify us at the time of booking. While we will make every effort to cater for you, we cannot guarantee that this will be possible.

As a rough guide, a simple meal will cost around $6-8, while something more elaborate will cost $15-20 or more depending on where you eat. Street snacks are cheaper, at around $1-3.

Transport
Our tours in Iran use private cars or air-conditioned minibuses which although not luxurious are perfectly comfortable.

Local conditions
Travelling in the destinations that we visit requires a good deal of understanding that often standards simply won’t be as they are at home. While we aim to make your trip as comfortable as possible, please be aware that we are often visiting remote or less developed regions that may have little infrastructure. While we aim to make your trip run as smoothly as possible there may be times when we need to ask for your patience while we rectify any problems.

What to take with you

First Aid Kit
The first thing on your list should be a first aid kit. Whilst there is no undue cause for alarm, travellers are best advised to travel well-prepared: adequately immunized, with sufficient supplies of prescription drugs, along with a medical kit.

Clothing
When it comes to clothing it is usually recommended that lighter clothes are worn through the day, and warmer ones at night. A hat is also advised to be worn through the day to protect from the sun. You should make sure that you bring a waterproof jacket for any rainy days.

Iran is a very conservative country in terms of clothing. Men should wear long trousers and preferably long sleeved shirts – although short sleeved shirts are often acceptable you will be required to wear long sleeves when entering religious buildings.

Under Iranian law, all women must observe the hejab, which means modest dress (a long coat) and a headscarf. The headscarf can be any colour apart from red. Many Iranian women wear western clothing underneath an inexpensive full-length lightweight coverall called a mantor (as well as a headscarf) when in public. To make following the dress code easier many travellers choose to buy their own mantor at the start of the tour. Your guide will be able to help with this. Regardless of whether you plan to buy a mantor it is a good idea to pack a long (at least knee length) dark lightweight coat in your hand luggage to wear on arrival. Underneath the mantor you will need to wear long trousers or a long skirt.

Footwear
Footwear is a main priority on this tour. Comfortable walking shoes/boots are recommended.

Luggage
Your luggage should not exceed 20kgs (44lbs). One large suitcase/rucksack, and one small hand luggage rucksack is acceptable.

Other
Suncream/sunblock is a must. Insect repellent, including a bite spray will also be useful to have.

You will need to bring a sleeping bag for the nights spent in the Zagros Mountains.

Fitness
This tour does not require any special degree of fitness but you will find it more enjoyable if you are reasonably fit.

Cultural and environmental guidelines
Women should not enter mosques unless specifically told they can do so and you should always refer to your guide regarding dress code and behaviour in and near religious sites.

As mentioned above, Iran is particularly conservative when it comes to matters of dress and you will cause great offence, and trouble with local police, if you do not dress in accordance with the dress code mentioned. Women must wear a headscarf and this must be tied under the chin. It is generally permissible to allow hair to show, although in more rural and conservative areas this may not be the case.

You must not bring any alcohol into Iran with you – this can lead to severe penalties. The same applies to controversial literature, and in particular any books written by Salman Rushdie.

You may come across beggars while on tour in Iran. Every traveller has different perspectives on this and ultimately the choice is up to you. Many sources recommend that you watch to see if local people give, and then follow their lead with genuine beggars. We do not recommend giving money, sweets, pens etc to children as this can encourage a begging mentality and can lead to children choosing to beg rather than go to school.

Haggling is a way of life in Iran when making many purchases, especially with tourist souvenirs. Usually, but not always, the vendor will start with a price that is higher than they are prepared to accept, and the buyer is expected to haggle. There are no hard and fast rules with this – some vendors may initially quote a vastly overinflated price, others may start with a price close to the true value, while others may just present you with one price and not be prepared to discuss it. Although many tourists may feel uncomfortable with this, it’s important to remember that this is best entered into in a relaxed manner. Once you have agreed upon a price, it is extremely bad form to then not pay this. Please also bear in mind that a small amount of money to you can be a relatively large amount for the vendor, and that it is not necessarily best practice to ‘beat the vendor down’ to the lowest possible price. Remember that they also have a living to make.

Please make sure that you take any rubbish back to the hotels or camps with you where it can be properly disposed of – this includes cigarette butts as well.

Please do not buy any products made from endangered species – this is not sustainable and hastens the species’ decline.

Photography
You should always ask permission before taking anyone's photograph and respect their decision if they say no. In more remote areas women and older people often do not want to be photographed. Some people may also ask for some money – sometimes a little, sometimes a lot - in return for a photo. Taking photos of military installations, state buildings, and airports can lead to problems with local authorities. If you are unsure about whether it is acceptable to take a photo, please ask your tour leader or guide.

Tipping
Tipping is common practise in Iran. If your local guide has been helpful then you could think about tipping. This amount can obviously be left to you. When tipping a driver, a guide or hotel staff a few dollars will always be gratefully received.

Foreign Office Advice
We constantly monitor the advice posted by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). In particular we will always advise clients of any travel warnings. At the time of writing there are no warnings against travel to the parts of Iran that we visit. Please feel free to contact us should you have any specific concerns or if would like to know in detail what measures are being taken to ensure visits remain trouble free and without incident.

It should be noted that this information applies to British citizens. Other nationals are asked to check the current position of their respective government.

Further Information

Public Holidays in Iran:

1 Jan Victory of Islamic Revolution.
20 Mar Oil Nationalisation Day.
21-24 Mar No Ruz (New Year)
1 Apr Islamic Republic Day
4 Jun Death of Imam Khomeini
5 Jun Arrest of Imam Khomeini
8 Sep Martyr’s Day

In addition to this Iran celebrates a number of Islamic holidays which follow the lunar calendar and so vary annually.

Dates are for guidance only and may vary year to year

Electrical Supply
Electrical supply is 220V and plugs usually have two round pins like most European countries.

Recommended Reading

Iran – The Bradt Guide
Patricia Baker and Hilary Smith

Guests of the Ayatollah
Mark Bowden

Mirrors of the Unseen: Journeys in Iran
Jason Elliott

On Secret Service East of Constantinople
Peter Hopkirk

IMPORTANT NOTES – PLEASE READ

Please note that the information provided is correct at the time of writing but may change. It is intended as a guide only. Further information regarding vaccinations and travel health visit www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk or contact your local healthcare provider.

In addition we strongly advise you to check the information and any travel advice provided by your government. For British citizens you should visit the Foreign Office website www.fco.gov.uk.

Furthermore, you should be aware that any travel warnings or advisories may affect the validity of your travel insurance. Therefore, at the time of booking your tour it is essential you check any restrictions on cover with your insurance provider.

Issue Date – 17/11/09. For possible changes to this dossier please visit www.undiscovered-destinations.com or call +44 (0)191 296 2674

Historical Background

Iran is an ancient land. It has been home to sophisticated civilisations the likes of which Europe was not able to equal for many centuries, and its empires have stretched far and wide. Its strategic location on the Silk Road has meant that it has been at the crossroads of cultures, a land conquered, fought over and settled by many. The legacy left by this has resulted in Iran’s unrivalled cultural heritage, and this magical land is dotted with numerous tombs, monuments and shrines, each representing a piece of the country’s diverse history. Ancient ruins at Persepolis remind one of the glories of the Achaemenids, once a formidable power in the region, and close by remnants of the Sassanid dynasty bear witness to the fact that they were once able to challenge mighty Rome for dominance. It is the Islamic heritage of Iran which is the most prevalent, shrines to Shi’a saints looming over you as a dedication to the overwhelming faith of Iran’s people. More than anything, they give the country an almost mystical quality, elevating it to the ranks of the spiritual, something holy and divine whose essence is rarely felt elsewhere. Iran has never watched from the sidelines – it is a maker of world history, not an observer, and to travel here is to understand better some of the forces that have shaped our world.

One of the earliest civilisations to emerge in Iran was that of the Elamites, who date back to around 3000 BC. Little detail is known about them, most of it coming from rival Mesopotamia, but they did leave behind one enduring remnant in the ziggurat at Choga Zanbil, one of the best preserved in the world. The Elamites never managed to control all of Iran, and in the 9th and 10th centuries BC their dominance was challenged by Aryan tribes arriving from the north, in Ukraine and Russia. Gradually they were forced to relinquish territories, retreating to an ever smaller empire. Their death knell was sounded with the arrival of the Assyrian king Assurbanipal who in the 7th century BC sacked their principal city at Susa, effectively putting an end to them as a regional force.

By this time, other tribes had migrated into Iran, among them the Medes and the Persians. Following the conquest of the region by the Assyrians, Median tribes began to win back their independence and gained enough strength to attack the Assyrian capital Nineveh in collaboration with Mesopotamia. The Medes are generally considered to be the founders of Iran, and in the latter half of the 7th century BC established the first Iranian empire. They were not without challengers though – the Persian commander Cyrus the Great defeated the Medes at Pasargada and extended his territory, establishing what was to be known as the Achaemenid dynasty in the 6th century BC. The Achaemenids grew to become a great power in control of lands far and wide, stretching from eastern Europe to the frontiers of China. Under successive rulers they managed to gain control of Egypt, Afghanistan and parts of India and were responsible for some of the greatest works of architecture the world had then seen – Persepolis being one of the most notable still remaining today. The Achaemenids were also responsible for a remarkable engineering project in the construction of a canal linking the Red Sea to the Nile. Their empire was at the time the largest the world had ever seen, and while it conquered many peoples, by the standards of the time it behaved somewhat benignly, not forcing its subject people to adopt its religion of Zoroastrianism.

Expansion brought the Achaemenids into conflict with Greece in the 5th century BC, and after some significant gains the Achaemenids were forced to withdraw. A weakened empire lost control first of Egypt, and then fell prey to one of the greatest military commanders of the age. Alexander the Great burst out of Macedonia and invaded Persia, sacking Persepolis in 330 BC and conquering Achaemenid lands. Alexander’s military prowess was legendary and took him to the gates of India, but his premature death saw his young empire fragment, with the eastern portions falling to his general Seleucus. The Seleucids, as they came to be known, began to introduce Greek influences into Persia, with Greek becoming the official language of government and administration. Trade brought in several other influences – Iran’s position on the Silk Road meant that ideas and ideologies were able to spread fairly freely within its borders, and Buddhism began to make inroads, brought from India. Increasingly though the Seleucids were forced to focus their attentions to the west, leaving a power vacuum which was filled by the up and coming Parthians in around 240 BC.

The Parthians began to challenge what was left of Seleucid authority, defeating them in the 2nd century BC and gradually establishing their control over Persian lands. The Parthians were great rivals of that other regional power, Rome and managed to win several victories over them, resulting in an uneasy truce and a border that was formed by the Euphrates. Under the Parthians several great works of architecture were built, although surprisingly little of these remain today. Their dynasty lasted almost five hundred years, one of the longest of the eastern dynasties, but was defeated in 224 AD by one of their vassal states, the Sassanids. The Sassanids managed to do what Parthia had not, and under Shapur I captured parts of the Roman Empire, although this by now was past its peak. At its greatest extent it controlled land from north west India to Yemen to Egypt, and the Sassanid dynasty in many ways represented the high point of ancient Persian civilisation, with a cultural influence that spread all the way to Europe. As is the pattern with many dynasties however, it was weakened by internal rivalries and power struggles and eventually became little match for the next force to sweep through the region.

Following the prophet Mohammed’s revelations and the birth of Islam, Iran as with many other lands experienced the whirlwind armies of the new religion, bent on spreading the word and converting local populations to their new faith. In 637 Arab forces defeated the Sassanids, and with little further ado most of Iran adopted Islam, notable exceptions being Kerman and Yazd which continued to follow Zoroastrianism for several more centuries. Iran was ruled as part of the Islamic caliphate, which passed from the Damascus based Umayyads to the Baghdad based Abbasid dynasty. The early years of Islamic rule did not always represent firm and centralised rule, with various local rulers asserting their independence and vying for power. The Seljuks, a Turkic people from Central Asia who had arrived in Iran in around the 9th century, were able to gain control of Iran and presided over a period of prosperity – during their rule the arts and sciences flourished and they were recognised by the caliph in Baghdad as the rulers of the east. It was during the time of the Seljuks that one of Iran’s most enduring legends emerged, that of the Shi’a Ismaili Assassin movement. Based in remote mountain strongholds they posed a serious internal threat to the Sunni Seljuks, managing to recruit followers to carry out high profile assassinations of political figures who they felt threatened the Ismaili community.

More of a threat however were the Mongols. From their homelands on the Mongolian steppe they rampaged through Asia, reaching Iran in 1218 and subjugating it almost immediately. Under Genghis Khan many of the great Seljuk cities were razed to the ground, their people put to the sword. Libraries were burnt and mosques were replaced with Buddhist temples, destroying much of Iran’s precious Islamic heritage. Under Genghis’ grandson Hulagu, Iran was ruled by the Ilkhanid dynasty which invaded Baghdad and put a final end to the Abbasid caliphate in 1258. However, by the end of the century Hulagu’s descendant Ghazan had converted to Islam and it was revived as the state religion. The Mongol empire effectively collapsed in 1335 with the death of its last effective ruler, leaving its various parts to be fought and squabbled over by various regional warlords. Iran fell under the sway of Timur, better known in the west as Tamerlane, a Mongol descended from Genghis Khan but outside of the ruling dynasty. After his death it fell prey to Ottoman Turks to the west and the warlike Turkmen tribes to the north, who invaded Iran in the 15th century.

It was to fall to the Safavids to oust these new invaders – under Shah Abbas I both were pushed from Iran’s lands as well as a few other armies. The Safavids are known as the third great empire of Iran, after the Achaemenids and the Sassanids. Under them, Shi’ism became the state religion and Persian culture was given a significant boost with the restoration of magnificent cities such as Isfahan. Persia gained a reputation among European traders as a place of great wealth and beauty, and by the 16th century they had begun to establish small trading concessions in Iran, while commercial links were established with both the British and Dutch East India Trading Companies. The Safavids fought against the Uzbeks and the Ottomans, reclaiming some lost provinces, but increasingly became vulnerable to outside threats until in the 18th century Afghan forces defeated a Safavid army at Kandahar and then sacked Isfahan, discontent with Shi’a authority. During this time Iran’s regional rivals, the Ottoman and Russian empires, managed to seize chunks of the country for themselves. Iran became divided amongst various warlords until the Qajars, a Turkmen family which had been allied with the Safavids, gained power and re-established Shi’a Islam as the dominant faith, in the late 18th century.

It was during this time that imperial rivals Britain and Russia were increasingly eyeing the lands between their empires as fit for conquest – Russia keen to extend its boundaries to the frontiers of India and Britain desperate to prevent them from doing so. Also to contend with was an aggressive Ottoman empire, which launched campaigns in the west. Iran lost its lands in the Caucasus to Russia before Britain and Russia agreed secretly to divide the country up into respective spheres of influence, the Russians being granted the north, the British the south and the central portion remaining neutral. Although this did not result in any territorial conquest by either power, the carving up of their lands much angered Iranians, furious that they were to have no say in this, although by this point the Qajar dynasty had become far too weak to make any effective protest. This dissatisfaction was to play no small part in the infiltration of Iran by German agents in the First World War, intent on stirring up a holy war in Central Asia to wreak havoc upon the British and Russian Empires.

Iran’s last dynasty, the Pahlavis, gained control of the country by a coup d’état in 1921. Under Reza Khan, the Qajar dynasty was formally ended and efforts were made to develop the country, suffering from widespread illiteracy, a non-existent health system, and poor infrastructure. Under Reza attempts were made to improve the condition of women, and it was no longer compulsory to wear the veil. Reza was however forced into exile in the Second World War by the British and Russians, who felt that he was potentially a German ally. Under his son, Mohammed Reza, Iran aligned itself strongly with the west. However his rule became increasingly autocratic and despotic – ever more repressive laws were enforced by the much feared SAVAK, the secret police that were to become synonymous with brutality in Iran in the 1970s. Although Iran as a nation was becoming wealthier, due to the development of its enormous oil reserves, the ordinary man was not enjoying the same fate. This was of little concern to the west however who were generally pleased that they had a staunch ally against communism who was able to guarantee them a continuous supply of oil, and there was little external pressure on the Shah to introduce any reforms into Iranian society.

Dissatisfaction swelled until it reached breaking point. In 1979 the Shah was ousted in an Islamic Revolution that has proved to be one of the modern world’s most controversial developments. Returning from exile, Ayatollah Khomeini was installed as Iran’s Supreme Leader, and the country began to undergo some drastic changes. Gone were the liberal ways propounded by the Shah, instead a rigorous Islamic theocracy was established which was hostile towards the western powers that had previously supported Iran. Following the Shah’s admittance to the US for cancer treatment, the US embassy was seized and its employees held hostage for 444 days, a move that sparked widespread condemnation and served to isolate Iran’s new regime. In 1980 Iran found itself at war with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, a conflict that was to last almost a decade and cost countless lives before a truce was finally called.

Khomeini passed away in 1989, ten years after returning to Iran. He was succeeded by Ali Khamenei as the next Supreme Leader, and Iran continued to be dominated by the all powerful religious clergy, who still play an overarching role in the country today. Iran in the 21st century is one of the most talked about nations on earth, its government often condemned by much of the west for policies ranging from nuclear technology to democratic reforms. Regardless of personal politics, it remains for visitors much as it always has – one of the most enigmatic and least understood countries in the world, the focus of so much of our attention and speculation. Iran has, especially for the last few decades, been seen as the ‘other’; a land intriguingly different from our own where much of what we take for granted does not apply. It may not stay like this for ever – as can be seen, the only constant throughout Iranian history is change. Now more than ever, there are compelling reasons to visit this stunning country. Go and see its wonders for yourself.