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In April 2006, Dr Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones,
who lectures in ancient Persian history, led a
10-day tour to Iran. With 20 Edinburgh University
students and a few other guests, he took them
to visit the remarkable ancient sites of Persepolis,
Naqsh-i Rustam and Parsagadae, as well as the
beautiful Iranian cities of Shiraz, Yadz, Esphahan
and Tehran.
The tour was organized through Magic
Carpet Travel and the Edinburgh group was
delighted to have the services of Miss Leily Lankarani
as our guide throughout our visit.
Scroll down to read about our students'
perceptions of Iran and enjoy just a few images
from a very memorable and highly enjoyable study
tour.
CLICK
HERE for details of the 2009 Tour
STUDENTS SPEAK
OUT
I am not sure I can summarise
in a couple of hundred words how fantastic this
trip was. I have tried in far more words and with
pictures, and still not managed it.
We saw so many interesting
sites: Persepolis was awesome for its sense of
history and the miracle of its survival. The mosques
were more colourful, ornate and spiritual than
the guidebooks could convey (and how often is
it that you can accuse your guidebooks of understatement?)
I particularly valued the opportunities to sample
Iranian culture, from the food to our visit to
Abyaneh.
I did feel on leaving that,
while I could have spent far longer there, I had
nonetheless got a very good overview of Iran .
Credit for this needs to be given to our excellent
tour guide.
I don't think I will ever come up with a neat
"conclusion" to this trip. What I have
is a wealth of experiences that will continue
to affect me for years. I cannot express how much
this trip meant to me.
Deborah Barnard
Making friends
As a student of Ancient
History and Classical Archaeology I was fairly
familiar with the Ancient Persian Empire, but
of modern day Iran I'm afraid to say I knew relatively
little. This combined with its increasing presence
in the news meant that I wasn't quite sure what
to expect.
One of the aspects of the
trip that stands out most in my mind is the level
of hospitality we received. Before travelling
to Iran I had been told by a number of people
that the Iranians were a very welcoming and friendly
community. I didn't fully appreciate this until
I was actually there. The Iran I experienced was
so far removed from the terrorist state the media
portrays it to be. It really brought into perspective
the extent to which we are subject to the media.
Having actually experienced it and having spoken
to the people it has vastly changed my view. The
stereotypical view you perceive is one of a hostile
and suppressive country. I've always been sceptical,
especially as an Ancient Historian, of the Western
concept of the East. But as a Westerner it is
inherent in our upbringing to view things in this
way. In particular people tend to judge what they
believe to be the suppression of women. Again
this is a viewpoint of which I disagree. And even
more so now that I have been to Iran do I feel
we have no right to make such a judgement. The
Iranian culture is so different from ours that
it seems foolish and almost naïve to make
such rash statements. Have you ever thought about
how they must view us in return? Obviously you
can't stop yourself from forming such conceptions;
it's a part of our nature, but you should be open
to the fact that our cultures are so very different.
We have different views and value different things
so what may seem suppressive to us, doesn't necessarily
seem that way to them.
Due to these pre-conceptions
inherent within us, the most common response I
receive when I tell people I went to Iran is 'were
you not scared?' Now I admit I was apprehensive;
I didn't know what to expect. But I was filled
with excitement more than anxiety. Any concerns
I did have were soon put to rest once I had arrived.
People often find this hard to believe given the
current state of affairs, but the atmosphere of
the country was one of welcome not hostility.
Again I feel this was partially due to the level
of hospitality we received. Many of the Iranians
had probably not seen so many young westerners
at once. As such it was as much of a spectacle
for them as it was for us. Everywhere you went
people would come up to you and speak to you.
You almost felt they were fascinated with you.
In fact the only thing that actually frightened
me whilst I was there was the driving. That was
far more risky. It seems the Iranians have a somewhat
different concept of the Highway Code!
The county itself is one
of great beauty. At times we could spend hours
travelling and whilst that doesn't exactly sound
exciting, some of these journeys were a particularly
memorable part of the trip. There were moments
when all you could see on either side of the road
was mountains and desert. It was absolutely stunning.
Of course it was not just the landscape that was
beautiful. During our time there we visited a
number of mosques; the intricate details of which
were remarkable. I think the place that stands
out most in my mind though is Persepolis . This
ancient Persian capital was perhaps my favourite
part of the trip. I think what amazes me is the
fact that I was so taken aback by what remains
there today. To imagine what it would have been
like at the height of the Persian Empire ; it
would have been spectacular to behold. The many
reliefs that survive perfectly capture the beautiful
art and architecture of these people. The fine
detail depicted; from the texture of clothing
to the style of hair, is truly remarkable. Whilst
many structures have been lost in time, much still
remains, such as parts of Darius' palace and Xerxes
hundred columned hall (famously burnt down by
Alexander the Great), the treasury, the harem,
and the tombs of kings. In addition to Persepolis
we were able to visit the nearby tombs of powerful
Archaemenian kings, which were carved into huge
rocks. That was absolutely amazing to see. We
were able to visit the Narenjestan Palace, the
mausoleums of the Persian Mystics and of the poets
Hafez and Saa'di in Shiraz. We visited Zoroastrian
fire temples and wind towers, the tomb of the
Persian King Cyrus the Great, the magnificent
buildings of Isfahan including beautiful mosques,
and Kashan; an oasis town famous for its beautiful
Fin garden. These are just a few of the places
we visited and the sites we saw. This trip was
an incredible opportunity. It enabled me to see
things I never imagined I would.
Clare Chapman
The tomb of the poet Hafiz, Shiraz
Xerxes lookie-likie: a security guard at the
Persepolis Museum
Iran has for a long time
been maligned by a myopic Western-media as a pariah
state that is at odds with the culture and values
of the rest of the world. For most people that
haven't travelled to the country, Iran is synonymous
with terrorism, radical Islam, a suppressed population
and a poor human rights record. However anyone
who went on Lloyd's Iran trip will be quick to
tell you of the friendly reception and warm hospitality
extended to all western visitors, irrespective
of their country of origin. From the moment we
set foot in the arrival lounge at Mirabad Airport
we were met with a friendly smile and numerous
invitations to join the locals in either of their
favourite pastimes, namely drinking tea or smoking
shisa. It was also at the airport that we first
learnt of an Iranian football team called Perspolis
FC and for any ancient historian interested in
football getting hold of one of their shirts became
a must. Within mere hours of arriving in Iran
we quickly began to forget the stereotypes of
a depressed people who cling to terrorism as a
way of expressing their views on the international
stage and instead began to see the Iranian people
as being fiercely independent and proud of their
long history, but also willing to embrace those
who make the slightest effort to understand their
culture. The country itself is spectacular, one
moment you can be driving through a barren desert
whilst the next you are travelling through lush
verdant agricultural land; and with two vast mountain
ranges the country encompasses a wide range of
geographic features and topographies meaning that
even on long journeys you are never bored. Iran
also has more than its fair share of spectacular
archaeological sites, many of which awed even
the most travelled among us. For example there
is the spectacular site of Persepolis that reveals
the splendours and sophistication of the ancient
Persian Empire whilst at Naqsh-e Rostam there
are a number of huge sculptures carved into the
rock face which record the victories of King Shapur
I. Similarly the Architecture of the country is
also breathtaking and there are innumerable mosques
and mausoleums which, rather than being the dull
and muted colours of Western style buildings,
are instead vibrant and alive due to their brightly
painted tiles. On the days when we weren't seeing
any of Iran's archaeological wonders there was
the experience of shopping in a Middle Eastern
bazaar. These bazaars are largely untouched by
western influence and thus we found we could loose
ourselves in the many twisting allies and side
streets whilst being immersed in local culture.
In short if you are willing to try something that
is unfamiliar, respect local traditions and customs
then Iran has a lot to offer. So if you ever have
the opportunity to travel to Iran and are worried
by events being reported in the media then let
me leave you with an observation made by an Iranian
businessman who chatted to us at the airport.
" If the only aspects of Britain and British
culture which the media choose portray were the
political demonstrations and rallies undertaken
by the B.N.P. then what a warped view foreigners
would have of the United Kingdom. Sadly this how
your western media has chosen to portray Iran
and so Iranians get represented by the minority
of fanatics who want to cause trouble ".
This is a point well worth remembering, Iran like
all countries has its undesirable elements but
we should be careful to judge the people as a
whole not on the images spooned fed to us by a
highly politicised western media.
Mark Woolmer
Xerxes' Gate of all Nations, Persepolis
At Persepolis
"Esphahan-e nesef-e jahan": "Esphahan
is half the world"
Overlooking Yadz from the Zoroastrian Towers
of Silence
Inside the National Museum, Tehran
Relaxing the Persian way - Yadz
More relaxation
At Persagadae
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