Covenate Persia: Tehran – 14

In Tehran, an ultra-modern metro. The first and last womens cars, the rest adjacent. Inside the trains, a reasonable number of traders offer anything: from family pants to shadows and carcasses. Sometimes two or three people come at one door at once and start gallery at the same time. In general, some sales still succeed.

Nowhere we have not looked at us so much, no one has not searched us as ambiguously, did not shoot the eyes so much as young guys in the Tehran subway. Capital – She and Iran in the capital. Collector of all worst what is in the country like a hole in the sink. It seems that such a comparison led Tanya.

This time we stopped not at the family couple, as was already heard, but at a lonely young man with gray-haired hair and on crutches. Ahad – disabled. He has a fracture spine. So he was not always. Recently, he was married, but his wife gotten him with his unreasonable jealousy, first of all, to friends. Ahad tried to divorce, but the family of his wife began to threaten violence. Chute and wounded, he endured for about five years, and then decided that the only way to get out of hell of his own life is suicide. Chose the building higher and signed down. However, life has not ended, but only translated it to an even tougher conditions: a wheelchair. Wife left a few weeks, not wishing to take care of the incapable husband. Ahad remained alone. She never gave him a divorce, but no longer appeared. Also did not appear and members of her family. So Akhad was before his misfortune:

After the suicide attempt, Ahad looked off at his wife with all his savings. This turned out to be quite enough. Today, he divides his house on the eastern tip of Tehran with a young and dashing artist Darbar:

This is an unreal name – pseudonym. Exemplary translation: "Ready for anything", "Caught". She is bright, unusual, beautiful. A couple of years ago, sleeves rushed – a bold and desperate step for the Iranian girl:

Her paintings does not exhibit any gallery, so today the dib is a realtor. Dreams digging money and go to Europe or states, learn painting and further. She does not see her future in Iran. Here are some examples of her paintings:

The place where Akhad and Diba live is a junk for foreigners. The whole crowds of travelers leave and come. Everyone can take a shower in this apartment, eat and sleep. We get acquainted with a couple from Iceland, the guys drove the entire Iran hitchhiking:

Icelanders are leaving – for a while in the apartment becomes quiet:

But just an hour. New tourists arrive. This time two Iranians and one Spaniard. With the last name, by name, we go to walk through Tehran:

Even the presence of a man in our company does not diminish Sveti Iranian guys. At the local market happens at all out of the series outgoing. A man of the age of fifty slaps me on his ass with his handful and goes on. I run behind him with a camera, click, I speak about the religious police – sends me a gesture. None of his photograph did not, sorry. One pleases: I’m fine with attractiveness. Double standards in the country make some men think that Western woman is easily accessible. I hope for this man today’s case has become the most pleasant event for the last month.

In the world’s warmer to the museum of carpets. Handmade relics are hanging here from the eighteenth century. Incredible beauty! Huge, thin, gentle, beautiful – every such carpet costs a whole condition. Touch your hands. It seems that some carpets break down if they have trouble. Ukrainian and Russian students walk in the museum – came to Tehran to teach Farsi. Iranian carpets like everyone:

From the museum leave already together. We go to the Tower of Azadi, Edu there was already. The tower of our boys stick to us, screaming after: "Sexy! Sex!»Definitely, in the capital, the male population behaves differently. We are so born that they swear and evaporate, especially me. Passing by a motorcyclist whistles and smacks. Maybe today some special day? The body allocates some increasing number of pheromones? Take pictures of the Tower of Azardy and come back to Akhada. Tonight, he promised to gather his friends, so that those specifically for us express their attitude to the hijab and what happens in Iran in general:

In the evening the people pull up. Artists, guides, musicians, journalists – all these friends Ahad. Everyone brings something from food:

At this party do not drink and smoke only cigarettes. Rarely. Basically, girls. First conversations for general topics – we know ordinary human stories. Ahad friend, Arash. He is a lover of mountain trips, translator. Recently translated from English several useful books for children about what sexuality is and how conception occurs. Now his prohibitions are prohibited – many publishers on the recommendation are refused to cooperate on top. Too scrupulous he chose the topic. His next project – translation of a book about healthy food. The essence is to explain to people: various corporations have long been feeding us poor-quality food, it’s time to do the right choice. Arash hopes that this work he will be able to publish. After all, the main complaint is to the Western manufacturer:

This evening a lot of interesting people gathered in the apartment. Someone plays on classic musical instruments and tells how difficult it is in Iran to engage in any other musical style, except traditionally folk. It is also impossible to be a free journalist and write about what is really happening in the country (and where it is possible?). It’s hard to teach students at the university and tell them the truth about the existing position of things without fear that the next day will not be fired.

We ask girls, you are comfortable every day to wear this handkerchief? Reply: accustomed. They grew up in this tradition. Their secular mother told them that this is almost the only way to secure and protect yourself. Not from men no. From the regime. To live quietly, learn or work in this country, you need to be able to lead a double life. Their behavior is one for those with whom they only come into contact on affairs or in public places, but with the most close ones they are different.

Here at such parties, in essence, revolutionary, the youth of both sexes can express their true views. But in everyday life – a scarf and acceptance. "We were grown by a generation that lived in fear. Our parents taught us to lie to salvation. We are so accustomed, "Arash summarizes. "For some reason a woman always suffers," the attractive teacher notes, whose behalf I did not remember. "Why most always gets to us? Since the destruction of the cult of the goddess mother, the woman is still trying to curb, limit, enslave ". You, thank God, did not burn on fires. Although, stories about how after the Islamic revolution of women humiliated, they could hit, bold, if she did not agree with the new rules of morality, everyone has.

To authorize the parties, the guys advise to see the animation film, visually telling about the history of modern Iran. It has everything that I wrote about in my previous posts. From the face of a young girl who left to Europe is a story about everything that happened in the country in the last forty years. The fall of the Shah regime, the coming to the power of Homeney, the war with Iraq, the current situation of young people, idealism and communist glances – Iran as it is, see for yourself.

Party ends deep at midnight. As usual, we need to leave in the morning. Tehran, perhaps, the first city in Iran, how do you want to leave faster. In the subjective experience of our journey, the capital turned out to be the toughest place where revolutionary views were mixed with grafted humility, the solidity – with forced tolerance, creativity and talent – with the unsuitability and absence of the ability to realize themselves.

Plus our fatigue from hijab. All this cocktail persistently adjusts the border. But ahead of a few more days in Iran and the greatest part of it – the coast of the Caspian Sea.

Covenate Persia: Me and My Iranian Chadra

Covenate Persia: village in the mountains and a border city in the Caspian Sea