Northwestern Iran landscape, somewhere between Tabriz and Zanjan.

Tehran wins the Chris and Laura Craziest Traffic in a City Award. We have a video of what crossing the street in Tehran is like. We’ll post it later. It’s possible we’ll have to re-award this prize once we get to Asia.

We have this thing for showing up at bazaars on Friday. Everything closes down on Friday, as it is the holiest day in Islam, and most people take part in Friday prayers and family get-togethers. This is what the Tehran bazaar looks like empty of people.

This is what the bazaar looks like full of people. The Tehran bazaar might be my favourite of all the markets we’ve visited (including the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, a number of souks in Morocco, and the street markets of Italy). There is something cyberpunk about the way it’s been built up over the centuries. The buildings are haphazard and tottering, like something from a gritty science fiction story.

Met these fabric sellers in the bazaar.

Laura in the empty bazaar.

Laura’s favourite things in Iran: a banana milkshake and baked goods sweetened with rose and honey.

Laura ordered a “capuccino” in a cafe in Tehran. This thing was some sort of ungoldy mix of Nescafe and Smurf-blood that tasted somewhat close, but not exactly, entirely unlike a capuccino.

Cuneifrom script in the National Museum.

A mosque near our hotel in the automotive district. We had to walk for 500-800m each day to escape the small shops stocked with hubcaps, windshields and all manner of car parts, just to find food or other amenities. The Firouzeh Hotel was worth it though.

Minarets from the mosque. The number of minarets on a mosque are a major sign of distinction.

Night market in the same neighbourhood. Things are open and bustling much later than we’re used to in Canada.

The Imam Khomeini’s mosque and mausoleum. This thing has been under construction since Khomeini’s death, and is one of the largest public building projects in the country. Iranians use the building in a somewhat relaxed and casual way, for picnics and get-togethers. Apparently this is inline with the final wishes of Khomeini, the father of the 1979 revolution.

The Behesht-E Zahra cemetery, the main resting place for men who died during the Iran-Iraq War (1980−88).

We visited the Behesht-E Zahra cemetery, the main resting place for men who died during the Iran-Iraq War (1980–88). There are also regular citizens buried here. The graves stretch on for kilometers. Many have corrugated metal roofs constructed over them to protect them from the blistering heat. It was stifling when we were walking around.

A glass case containing some flowers and a photo of the soldier who lays to rest just below. One of the many men who lost his life during the Iran-Iraq War.

The holy shrine of His Holiness Imam Khomeini. The building is massive and even contains stores and restaurants. The four towers are 91 meters high. They symbolize the age of Khomeini when he died. We entered and saw Imam Khomeini’s tomb.

We met this old man in a park. He asked if we would sit and speak English with him so he could practice. He is entirely self-taught. He showed us his “News Week” from 2003, which he is reading to improve his English. He had various words and sentenced underlined that he doesn’t understand, simply waiting for the opportunity to ask a native English speaker the meaning. He was truly amazing and inspirational for his skill with language.

One of the door ways of the enormous Tehran Bazaar.

The Imam Khomeini Mosque is located within the Tehran Bazaar. As we stood in front of the mosque an attendant approached us and offered us a complimentary pastry. The baking here is simply phenomenal. I was more than happy to take one.

An interesting doorway within the Tehran Bazaar.

Chris walking down the main corridor of the Tehran Bazaar. Unfortunately it was closed, so we made sure to come back the next day when it was packed solid and impossible for me to get a shot like this.

One shocking thing on display is this man’s preserved skull. He died in a salt mine 1700’s years ago. Scientists have concluded he was around 37-years old when he died. There is extensive damage to his skull and eye socket, estimated to have occurred before death.

A little bronze figure about 4–5 inches in height. I really liked this guy.

One of the bull heads at the top of a very classic Persian Persepolis capital. (Sorry the photo is out of focus.)

Persian lancers and archers on the outer side of a staircase that use to be located in a Persepolis palace.

A human-headed capital from Persepolis.

A relief that used to be located in the Treasury Palace of Persepolis. It’s from the 5th Century B. C.

An animal figure made out of clay. So cute.

Giant clay pots, fantastically coloured and designed from the 5th millennium!

A fantastic example of Persian artistry.