THE END OF THE AFFAIR

Late in the evening we headed out of Tehran to the new airport way to the south. We passed a new building, full of gilding and minarets, ablaze with light. "Huh!" said our driver, "Monument to the late Ayatollah. Thought we could forget him!"

All was well until we had passed through the final security check, which required that the men remove their watches, belts, shoes, and anything else metal. There I stood, holding up my trousers and clutching my belongings when a chair hove in view - a normal, stackable plastic chair. With relief I plumped myself down, and started to put on my shoes. One shoe was on, and I was bent double, tieing the laces, when a pair of feet appeared, attached to a man standing in front of me. I paid no attention until one foot moved and kicked my loose shoe away. I reached out to bring it back, when the same foot kicked my arm. This was no accident! I looked up, and there was an Iranian policemen, signalling that I should leave ‘his’ chair. When I indicated that I would soon have my other shoe on, he made as if to loosen his revolver. Apoplectic with rage, I hobbled away to where Angela was sitting. "For two weeks, people have been saying ‘Welcome to Iran’, and we have no sooner left the place than some religious nut comes and ruins it all!"

And that really was the message from Iran. The people were charming, hospitable and friendly. Every one we met loathed the authorities. The authorities treated the people as if they were dirt, and that feeling ran through the entire system until it even reached the police and other functionaries. There was a reaction against the entire system. It showed even in the empty mosques - you only have to compare the scene inside the great mosque in Damascus with that inside the Iman mosque in Esfahan. The one is crowded, the other empty - same time of day, same day of the week, same time of the religious year. One of our Iranain acquaintances said it was due to the religious police driving people into the mosques - so they wouldn't go willingly, but gave those places where the religious police were active a wide berth.

We were also stuck by the relatively lowly place enjoyed by civil authorities. At sunset, there would be a television broadcast ending the fast for the day. One such broadcast was from a large mosque packed with white-turbaned mullahs. Suddenly, several rows back and off-centre, was a familiar face - President Ahmadi Nejad. As far as the religious were concerned, he clearly took a back seat!

And Iran was the only place in the Middle East where the Traveller was required to be "properly" clad - hair completely hidden under a scarf, arms covered to the wrists, legs to the ankle, bum in a bag. One could not help reflecting on what was wrong with these men, that they thought they could be protected from their animal senses by a bit of cloth!

Iranian food was also a bit of a shock. The Arab food of Jordan and Syria was really good. The food of Iran was decidedly monotonous and often downright bad. After a week or so of overcooked stew with rice, we spotted trout on the menu. Relief, we thought. But what was served was a travesty. Some historically excellent fish had been filleted, dipped in a thick batter, deep-fried in old oil, then frozen and half revived in a microwave just before serving.

However, there was a flip side. The cost of living in Iran was really low. An overnight, first-class train ticket from Esfahan to Tehran cost all of $2. A chauffered car for the day cost $130 including lunch and a big tip for the driver.

Then there was the sheer pride of the Iranians - in their people, in their history, and in their culture. Yes, of course we knew that Greek architecture owed everything to the Persians; and naturally the Greeks had been seen as savages when they burst into the Persian world. As for Alexander - he was nothing but a robber baron. It was a rather endearing trait, the strength of the belief in the absolute excellence of all things Persian. And when it found its expression in veneration of 17th century poets, it was all the more admirable. Yet one could not help feeling that isolation caused by sanctions had much to do with fostering these feelings, and that if sanctions were to go, and religion were to take a more normal place in everyday life, Iran could really play a significant role in world affairs.

Homecoming via the hospitable Qatar Air was a pleasure, even if Doha remained awfully hot!