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From Yemen we flew on to Iran, stopping overnight in Kuwait to view its gold jewelry stores (we would have liked to stay longer, but immigration limited us to 24 hours - and we had to argue even for that).
No problem staying as long as we liked in Iran. At the tme, the country was ruled by Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the so-called Shah of Iran, and relations with the U.S. were very friendly. (later the Shah was overthrown by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in the Islamic Revolution of 1979, but we were long gone by then). The country was prosperous, the people well educated, everything ran smoothly - and there was lots to see. Teherran was was a big, busy city, with a huge souk full of carpets, metalwork,pottery, and of course food: nuts, dates, kebabs, yoghurt, naan, biryani, and coffee - we ate very well in Teheran.
We traveled south in modern buses to Isfahan and Shiraz: Isfahan to see The Great Mosque (and to purchase some carpets - I brought home several, one of which now graces the floor of my good friend Irv Brenner):
Next to Persepolis were the tents and other structures erected some years earlier to celebrtate the 2,500-year anniversary of the Persian Empire (I didn't photograph it).
The tombs of the Achaemenid dynasty kings of Persia including Darius and Xerxes, are carved in a rocky cliff near Persepolis.
We ventured east of Shiraz, deep into the desert, to visit the abandoned city of Bam:
I learned later that the modern city of Bam nearby suffered a 6.6 magnitude earthquake in December 2003, killing around 25,000 people. The many deaths were attributed to the fact that the city chiefly consisted of mud brick buildings, much like its predecessor that we had visited.
Wool for carpets being dyed.
Shiraz is also known for the Shah Cheragh, the Mirror Mosque, covered with millions of small mirrors that reflect light from every direction (my photo certainly doesn't do is justice):
Two weeks in Iran, and it was time to move on: it was early December, and getting cold. Next stop: Afghanistan.
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