Where is this journey taking me?
Where will the footprint curtail?
Where will the soft fingers of leisure
Loosen the shoelace?
Where is the destination to arrive at?
And to spread a rug and sit idle
And to listen to the sound of dishes being washed
Under the nearby water tap?
Thousands of websites, books, articles and photos can be found about Iran. It is easy and –at the same time- difficult to talk about Iran. It is easy, because like any other land, Iran has a history retold in books. There are some known facts regarding the religion, population, ethnicities, wildlife, climate, geography, area, mountains, seas, deserts, cities and villages in Iran which have been frequently published. Photographers have taken expressive photos and have illustrated various facts and figures about Iran. Like any other Islamic country, mosques can be found in plenty in Iran but there is a huge difference between the mosques in Iran and those in –say- India. Each has their distinct characteristics and is unique in their type. Those facts are all about Iran but they are not “Iran”. Iran cannot be described or appreciated in words. In order to know Iran, one should bargain over the price of a rug in a carpet shop in Isfahan, or should taste Iranian “Abgoosht” in an Iranian traditional restaurant. One should listen to the call of Azan cried on top of minarets under the turquoise domes to perceive the sense of Iran. With an enthusiastic heart, one should read a random poem by Hafiz in the Hafiz’s tomb and try to predict his future by interpreting the lines. You should spend a night in the black tents of nomadic tribes and should walk in the sacred fields of Dasht-e-Moqan, where the green land embraces the blue sky. You should break hot bread and drink fresh milk beside the women of Shahsavan tribes to feel the difference between Iran and any other place (admittedly, any place on earth and any person or tree or rock is unique in its own). That’s when you can feel Iran with your heart and soul.
In this corner of world, we see it our duty to welcome you and to show you this wonderful world. You- who have travelled thousands of miles to see yourself in the mirror of others and to behold your own truth alongside other truths, will see us awaiting you with open arms. You will see that we are anxiously waiting the moment to greet you with a warm smile and to welcome you on our table which is proud for its generosity and hospitality.
Here you will find a hand stretched toward you in friendship and warmest welcomes addressed to you, in love and friendship; a hand which invites you to the party of poetry and music, blue tiles and black tents, burning deserts and snowy mountain peaks.
Whatever door I knock you are the landlord/
Whatever house I enter, you are the light
In tavern and in monastery, you are the beloved/
You are my beloved in Ka’ba and in pagan temple
You are the goal, Ka’ba and pagan temple are just a pretext
Looking forward to meeting you