More advice: Tehran & places to visist.

Chi didi?

khosh gozasht? chi didi? benevis plz...

Good trip!

Dear Sahar

Please ignore some of the comments some have made here. They don't seem to realize that you're going to Iran after many years and very negative opinions about unrelated issues to your trip, is not the best thing to do. I went to Iran after 18 years and enjoyed every single minute of it. I loved Tehran, it's a wonderful town with beautiful contrastes everywhere. In my earlier comment I recommended three spots that I liked, but there're many other places to visit. Please note that by international standards Iran is a very safe country and so is Tehran. My advise would be that you never carry all your documentation on you, carry photocopies. Keep the originals in a safe place, just in case. Tehran also offers you a lot culturally, much more than Vancouver, where I currently live. There're wonderful restaurants, traditional and very modern international couisine as well. Parke Melat (former parke pahlavi) is a wonderful peaceful place in middle to the greater tehran. Darband, Tochal are beautiful spots anytime of the day. Many tourists visit Iran every year and love it. Unlike what some have stated here, Iranians are very polite and caring.

Enjoy you trip and try to see the many beautiful things our dear country has.

All the best

Kamangir

Hi Sahar

Try to visit old royal palaces like the one belonging to previous Shahs (Kakhe Golestan, Kakhe Niavaran, Kakhe Saad Abad).

If you like mountains, visit Tou Chal and Kolak Chal and take Tele-Ski up the mountain. It's fun.

Tehran zoo is also worth a visit.

If you have time, make sure to visit Esfehan and Shiraz too.

Luciferous

Where you on drugs or simply drunk when you wrote this? What the hell are you trying to say????? What does "Beings can only IRANIANs" and "jusz undisconnectable" mean? How is one "borned"?

Persian or an Iranian?

Again, as someone mentioned, we are not helpful here and have brought up many issues into discussions.

Most people here have some education, so I expect them to do some research before writing bunch of non-sense.

I am not an expert in linguistic but I have read work of Yarshatar and few others. Do Google check of Farsi vs. Parsi or Persian vs. Iranian; you will come up with some articles.

Okay to say I am an Iranian. Some might be Persian, especially those who are pure such as Zoroastrians or Kurds. I am a Kurd whose parents or ancestors never married anybody but Kurd. We are pure Areyaee.

Although many in Iran use Farsi for language it is supposed to be called Parsi. After Islam, many in Iran called it Farsi because Arabs do not have P in their language. The correct translation of our language in English is Persian or Pasri but never Farsi. As someone mentioned, that is why one never says Farsi Cats or Farsi Arts, or even Farsi Carpets.

Luciferous = Farfibors Maleknaseri, MD

Your "Greeting" at the end, and "hier" instead of "here" gives you away, Mardikeye Dayyouss (MD).

Ey-ranians are mooftkhoor

I have lived in London, New York, and Tehran. I prefer Tehran because I feel at home.

I agree about the problems of traffic and trash in the streets. Many people are worse than hayvoon (men, women, and children). The government, municipality, has placed big trash cans in certain locations; our hayvoon hamvatans do not use them. Perhaps in Iran also the police should penalize jaywalking, or speeding to correct the driving problems. How about 400,000 tomans (about $400) passing a red light?

Those of us who live in Iran try on daily basis to deal with these problems and somehow correct them.

People are rich here and that has something to do with their attitudes towards many things.

Should I compare places in the U.S. or Canada or London to places in Iran in regards to crime? Prostitution or drugs?

Iran with all of its problems is a preferred place for those of us who lived in London or New York.

make sure you do not go to these places!!!

courtesy of IRI!!!

//iranian.com/main/singlepage/2008/life-t...

Advice

I recently returned from a trip to Iran. I hadn't been to Iran since left as a child in 1979, and let me tell you a lot has changed (for the worse) in Tehran. Tehran has become a crowded, dirty, polluted city. It's citizens are rude and lack civility and basic human decency, and litter the street as though it’s their inalienable God given right.

You'll be constantly harassed by the "Gashteh Ershad" . Stay away from Parke Mellat, Bazare Safaviyeh, Meydoon Tajrish, Meydoon Vanak, Mirdamad, Meydoon Vali Ahd (now Vali Asr), Kargar Shomali (near Tehran University's student housing where the 1999 student uprising was brutally snuffed out ). If you can pass yourself off as a foreigner, the Gasht will leave you alone, and will kiss your ass trying to befriend you.

If you get on the Metro or the bus, or if you go to the Bazar (downtown) be careful because there are a lot of pick-pocket "teams", where two or more women will distract you while the other goes through your purse and robs your blind.

Oh, and most importantly, if you try to cross the street, make sure you team up with locals because no one, not even the traffic police observe pedestrians' right of way, and will aim to mow you down and barely miss you by a few centimeters.

I am Iranian, not Persian

Me too. I am also Iranian.The Beings can be only IRANIANs. The ancient Iranians were called Parses. Some historical Rreports named them also the Partes. Since, it may be 1933 or earlier, the Country name is IRAN, the poeple there have the IRANIAN Nationality. the word Persia is the english Translation of PARS the earlier name of Iran. It stand for the nationality of Poeple as well as for the Culture. In several weuropian languages is the word Persian jusz undisconnectable with the culture of the country. it expresses the culture and arts but not the nationality. The europians themselves should have had problem getting used to the word Iranian for the iranian nationality. When they want to point out the culture and the PERSIAN Art they stil use to say e.g.persian Carpet, persian Miniature and so on. there is nothing bad on this way of expression. Particularly the PERSIAN ART has a very old tradition. It was in allready as the country was named - in translation - Persia.
I would recommend GO TO the CITY where you were born ( if you are borned in Iran! ) to your Place of BIRTH. SAFAR BEKHAIR, COME HEALTHY BACK, GOOD LUCK. BUT be aware of missing Iran too much when you come back! Such is Life: are poelple hier in this place in the diaspora they miss that place, are they there, so they miss this place. and they "know" allways what is or was better there than hier and vice versa. Greeting

going to iran

hi dear,first of all good for u that u are going to iran,even though i just came from iran 4 months ago but i would love to go again, there are so many places u can go to visit and hang out i live in us for 17 years but 2 years ago i went to iran to stay for a month and then i decided to stay for a while so i was there for 2 years and there were so many new places and things to do that they are so interesting for us that we live here but u got to tell me what interests you, i have been all over iran and i can give u info from historical place to visti till places to hang out for fun or to eat or whatever anyhow let me know what u have in mind dear,take care for now

Ey-ranians are mooftkhoor

Bunch of idiots . . .

Answer the poster's question.

I remember during Shah also bunch of idiots like those here used to shout the same shit. When are you going to get life and contribute positively?

Regardless of the regime, Iran produced bunch of buffoons who are mooftkhoors.

Holly Crimes of the

Holly Crimes of the IRI:

//islamicrepublicholycrimes.blogspot.com/2007...

Iran has Stoning, Legal

Iran has Stoning, Legal pedophilia, eye-gouging, amputating limbs. I would much rather be water boarded than to be stoned.

America has many ills, which American freely discuss and criticize all over the blogsphere and even in the Congress and the Senate. They even gather signatures and campaign for impeaching their Persident. Can they do that in Iran? Can they impeach mullah geda Khameni? I didn't think so.

At least, Iran does not have waterbording . . .

At least, Iran does not have “waterbording.”

Yeh right, the U.S. does not have prisons. The U.S. is the first country to have “secret,” prisons in 27 countries for political people.

The U.S. publicly acknowledged using the waterbording technique among other techniques which the UN has banned.

Yes, IRI is corrupt, but

Yes, IRI is corrupt, but this is no way of offering help. It is good that many of you left Iran. Bunch of cowards.

Cowards are those who have no principles or ethics. They are selfish and only think of their own immediate gratification. Cowards don't have any compassion for those who are suffering and can go to Iran and have fun while hundreds of prisoners are languishing in Iran, tortured, maimed, and murdered. This is epitome of cowardis and self-absorption.

Thanks for those who offered help . . .

Thanks for those who offered help. I could use some of these suggestions when I visit Tehran in summer.

What a bunch of fucked up people we have outside of Iran.

Yes, IRI is corrupt, but this is no way of offering help. It is good that many of you left Iran. Bunch of cowards.

Please visit the ghettos of

Please visit the ghettos of South Tehran; Niavaron; communities afflicted with abject poverty, drug addiction and prostitution. And then go to North Tehran and witness the obscene wealth and debauchry of those who are connected to the Islamic Regime...

In the end, by travelling to Iran, you're indirectly approving and legitimizing the daily social/economical/political brutalization of Iranians at the hands of the immoral and corrupt regime.

getting depressed

i assure you will get depressed by the 3rd day. why? well everyone in tehran looks afflicated, sad, tired, and sick. tehran is a beautiful and massive city filled 14million dead souls

Welcome (Khoosh aamadee) to Iran

Welcome to Iran (Khoosh aa-madee).

Check the places where Kamangir recommended.

Depends on your interests;

I like many things.  For example, I enjoy walking in the grand bazaar checking Persian carpets, spices, etc.  I also enjoy nature and wildlife.  Dar-aabad museum is a good place to spend several hours.

There are plenty of Iranian movies to see.  Also depends what sort of food you like, there are many good eateries from traditional (soonati) to very modern (European).  I like shomali food (mahee doode, etc.).  For shomali food check out Lakaan (phone 66427848)

Don’t forget famous bakeries (enjoy roolat and other goodies.)

I do not want to give names or phone numbers because it might come across as advertisement for these places.  Welcome to vaatan. 

where to go , what to see

when you are in Tehran , check out all the mayadeen ( meydoonaye shahr) and have a chat with the Gashte Ershaad . Tell them what you think of them. Have fun

Three spots I liked

I recommend the following spots:

Dar-abad Nature & Wildlife Museum: Ajoudanieh, Dar-abad, 21 229 0002, Fax: 21 228 8254
For more info about it please check the following site //www.caroun.com/Museums/IranMuseum/TehranMuseum/Darabad.htm

 -------------

Golestan Palace: 15 Khordad Sq., 21 311 8335/8
Haft-Chenar Wildlife Museum: Beryanak, Haft-Chenar, 21 573 8745/6, Fax: 21 573 8747
History Museum: Afrouz St., Pirouzi Ave., Shohada Square
---------

Tochal Ski Resort  

//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tochal

For other museums in Tehran please check:

//www.caroun.com/Museums/2MuseumsIranContents.htm

Kamangir

I am Iranian, not Persian

I am an Iranian from Tehran, but not "Persian." Why are you excluding me? My first advice to you is to stop being so racist towards your country men and women by assuming that they are all Persians. (Do you go around in Tehran and call everyone Fars?)

Tehrani