Tehran: the gentle eastern city

Tehran

The last place on Earth you would think art and culture is in a fusing stage is Tehran, Iran. NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION took its plane ticket, its cameras and its audio recorders this summer to check the state of the iranian capital art scene. It's only the first time you hear about Tehran here, therefore see that as an introduction before further developments.

11/10/2016
by Bastien Perroy

Tehran – Iran in general – is everything you wouldn’t expect. The common media point of view on Iran is to consider it a dangerous islamic place where you shouldn’t go. Indeed, when you’re over there, you can only admit that there aren’t that many tourists. You thought Iranian would be an ethnocentric people? They’re – by far – the most mindful people I’ve met travelling the world. Couchsurfing there is really easy as people are coming to engage you in the streets, you don’t even have to always make the first steps to meet new people despite the fact that you’re a stranger.

You thought Tehran would be an under-developed city within the middle-east? The infrastructures are crazy, with a modern and fast subway, and hyper fast GSM internet in most places.

Iranians reading this introduction would laugh at how crazy it is to have to introduce Iran by saying this. But coming from a country merely seen as a medieval piece of land producing cheese, fine wine, and baguettes from an US perspective, I can only feel what it’s like to be secluded from the world and not being understood. But those time might be coming to an end, and we’re going to explain you why Tehran could become one of the world’s most important crossroad when it comes to culture, creativity, and entrepreneurship.

A progressive city within a complex and vast country

First, let’s understand the state of Tehran in a much wider Iran. Iran is a diversified country, with very different biomes (from the rainy coasts of the Caspian sea to the burning deserts, through several enormous mountains). And so are Iranians, therefore we’re going here to talk about Iranians from Tehran, who can be very different from other iranians. Ispahan, the second most important city in Iran is also the ancient capital of Persia. People from Tehran are generally more progressive and more open-minded than Iranians from elsewhere. Renting places in Tehran is relatively expensive, something close to what you would be paying in Berlin for the same size, but consider that the average wage is 4 times less important than in European standards.

The economic sanctions also make certain products being way more expensive than in our western countries. One of the most important thing to take into account is that Iran is disconnected from the western world mainly because western banks are forbidden to go there. Your credit card won’t work there, and so are any possibilities to export and import many activities.

Because there are no monetary links, it’s just not possible to sell your music abroad for musicians.

On the other hand, the next iphone is available in Iran the same day as everyone else in the world: companies aren’t allowed to go there, but fake stores in malls sell authentic products and have some sorts of agreements with western companies. The price of the same car model in Iran is in average three times more expensive than in western countries. And you know what? It might be the country on earth outside France where you can see the most Peugeot and Renaud.

That’s something important for me.

Then there is the regime. When you’re an outsider and you’re looking for cultural elements of Iran, there’s a crucial switching year. In 1979 the regime of the Shia fell down in favour of the islamic revolution. If you look for musical movements within Iran on the internet, you can easily find tons of psychedelic rock compilation from the sixties and seventies, but close to nothing after 1979. Without going in too much details, many elements that make a cultural life burgeoning also disappeared with the new regime. Dance is for example forbidden regarding Iran’s laws, as well as having strong regulations on clothing (for both male and women) and female artistry life. So many of the cultural movements of the last 35 years in Iran were underground, and we have to admit that with our few weeks in Tehran we’re still underqualified to develop that subject. But despite this enormous time gap when you dig Iranian music on the internet, you can also find many recent productions.

A treasure place for electronic music

I met ATA EBTEKAR, one of Iran’s most brilliant electronic composer. He has been growing up between Germany and Iran, and have been a college art teacher in the US for another period of his life. He is a former Warp Records artist, and his most recent projects include collaborating with The Iranian Orchestra for New Music to create experimental music inspired by the quarter-tone spirit of the Persian music.

About the state of Tehran, he told me:

I actually came back 9 years ago, and tried to do this same thing: be active and release music. But there were no platforms, there was a different government. There wasn’t any experimental music scene – whereas nowadays you can hear about an experimental scene here. Playing my music here went really smooth actually. My music isn’t really easy to approach and I was expecting the crowds to throw tomatoes at me. But the reception was amazing. It was not only people coming from an electronic music background, and I had standing ovations and stuff like that. I was astonished.

Indeed, since Rohani came into power in 2013, the progressive movement within Iran’s political forces had the chance to reform Iran. It has the goal of opening the country to the world. Rohani has been emphasizing a startup environment and is way more tolerant on what’s happening within the art scene. Repression still exist, especially if you’re rapping or doing any kind of subversive art. But nowadays it’s very possible for an Iranian to launch his own music label and release electronic music for example. You still have to make your works examined by the ministry, but many art fields do not suffer much from the regime.

A brilliant youth

ATA EBTEKAR isn’t alone in what we could clumsily called the renewal of Tehran art scene from a foreign perspective. To be more precise, it’s the contemporary art scene that is really burgeoning. You might find more experimental electronic musician in Tehran than in many western capitals, and curators from within the scene try hard to make it surface the outside world. Shout outs to our friends of The Lake Radio as well for their fine curation. Fine arts are also a big thing in Tehran, with hundreds of art places, especially in the north of Tehran – the richest part of the city, close to the mountains (you can even ski on these at winter).

Another important element to understand why Tehran is going to become such a shining world cultural place is to analyse his demographic data. Iran is a really young country, nearly two third of the population is less than 30 years old. Tehran has a crazy good rate of students getting advanced and superior diplomas in many different fields. This youth is a very curious one, open-minded and clearly tech-savy. They know how to use VPNs and access forbidden websites, from Facebook to Tinder.

Persian arts are something quite unique. We’re very unqualified to talk much about it, but you could still sum it as something very maximalist and intellectualised. As a french, I felt quite a natural connection as how french culture was trying to express itself. What is really striking about the Persian culture, especially in the music scene, is how much they’re influenced by cries. Traditional music I was able to witness within auditoriums were lots about crying and mourning, in an astonishingly beautiful way. We can’t really say more about Persian culture, if not that it’s millenaries old and super complex. As a modern example of that appetite for melancholy, PINK FLOYD is really popular amongst the population. Going into a district music and poetry reunion and being the only westerner there, I was greeted by a beautiful cover of Numb.

Here is one of my recording of these events.

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Tehran is definetely on your to-go list, and you wouldn’t want to see the beautiful hatching that is going to take play. We concluded that discussion with Ata like that:

For me it has everything to become one of the world’s leading creative city in the coming years. And I say that while having visited cities such as Buenos Aires, Lima, Berlin or London this year.

Yeah I agree. We have the rich history of Persia and people often neglect that. We have a strong literature, poetry, architecture and music. Why not taking it to the next level?

Iranian music playlist :

We had no choice if not to curate some of what we were listening during our time there. Some are local artists we might meet in our next travels to Tehran. It’s only the first time that you hear about Tehran in NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION.

 

1/ Ata Ebtekar (A.K.A Sote)

We highly recomend you to listen to one of ATA EBTEKAR‘s last project under his nickname Sote (one he used in the two thousands to release music through Warp Records), titled architectonic. Call it braindance, IDM, or whatever you like, it’s highly probable you won’t like. But we do, and we’re amazed by that level of sound-design craftmanship.

2/ Dariush Dolat-Shahi

Dariush Dolat-Shahi is another iranian classical/electronic maestro. His album Electronic Music, Tar and Sehtar is one of iranian electronic music foundation stone, released in 1985. The interest from iranian composers from electronic music is really ancient, as it is known that the last Shah who crumbled during the 1979 islamist revolution was really keen on avant-garde. The whole album is quite easily accessible for an avant-garde piece, and definetely worth listenning.

3/ Tegh

Tegh is a young ambient prodige from Tehran suburbs. We nearly met but our schedule was too tight. One of my best souvenirs in Tehran is walking in the streets at night during hours, listening to his music.

4/ Ramin Rahimi:

Ramin Rahimi is a famous iranian percussionist. Iranian percussions are a vast field as it’s really a huge thing within their traditional music. Ramin Rahimi has recorded several very good percussions only album that will make you discover a whole side you wouldn’t know about iranian music – an important side, as iranian percussions influence many different iranian music genres.

5/ Gougoosh:

Let’s finish with something more accessible, with Gougoosh, the most famous persian diva (see her as the iranian Nina Simone, in some ways). Her trajectory is quite fascinating as she is a singer from before the revolution but stayed in Iran for 20 years despite being forbidden to perform (women singers are forbidden in Iran).

Esfahan: The Florence of Iran

Esfahan : The Florence of Iran

Florence of Orient, Persia's masterpiece, the Intrigue of Iran and the half rhymed famous adage "Esfahan Nesf-e Jahan" (Esfahan is half the world) all are to describe the splendor of a city shining along its life-giving river at the heart of Iran.

When you tread into the city it seems as if it has been preparing itself for an impromptu royal visit. It is a city of inspiring architecture, elegant mosques, churches, graceful palaces, beautiful gardens and gorgeous bridges, a city made for the refreshment of humanity as Robert Byron says.

In Esfahan you can hardly find a street without a wide central pedestrian reservation of trees, fountains and flowers. Behind every corner, you stumble upon spectacular remainders of rich past. In its heyday under Safavid dynasty when the city flourished and gave birth to its outstanding Islamic and Iranian architecture, Esfahan was a large city with a population of one million and owned many parks, libraries, public baths, shops and mosques that amazed western visitors, who had not seen anything like that at home.

One of the great works of Shah Abass in that period was "The Pattern of the world" or Naqsh-e Jahan Square which is a real jewel in Isfahan's crown. This majestic collection of buildings fits money, worship and aristocratic pleasures together in deliberate visual harmony.

Somewhere in the west of Imam Square, a beautiful tree-lined boulevard, offers delightful hours of walking under its cool green shades. Chahar Bagh is the main street of Esfahan and traverses Zayandeh Rud through Si-o-se Pol. Zayandeh Rud is crossed by some of the world's most picturesque covered bridges.

Another sight worth spending hours of strolling is the city's four-mile labyrinthine bazaar, with its majestic Qeysarieh Portal in imam square. As Iran's artistic and craft centre and Esfahan's world famous fine carpets, handicrafts and textile, Grand Bazaar of Isfahan would be a charming adventure for shopaholics.

Andre Malraux, the famous French author and adventurer says: "Who can claim to have seen the most beautiful city of the world without having seen Esfahan?" therefore, do not hesitate to visit the Florence of Iran whose well-proportioned mosques whose turquoise blue dome and minarets rival the color of the sky.

Landmarks

The name Ali Qapu, meaning "Magnificent Gate", was given to this place as it was right at the entrance to the Safavid palaces which stretched from the Maidan Naqsh-e-Jahan to the Chahar Bagh Boulevard. Built at the very end of 16th century, the royal palace was used to entertain noble visitors, and foreign ambassadors.

Ali Qapu is 48 meters high and has got five floors, fronted with a wide terrace whose ceiling is inlaid and supported by wooden columns. It offers a wonderful perspective over the square and the best view of Imam Mosque. The interior of the building is decorated with naturalistic scenes by Reza Abbassi, the renowned Persian miniaturist and painter. On the upper floor the music room is also decorated with plasterwork, representing pots and vessels.

This building, now a veritable museum of Persian painting and ceramics, was a pleasure pavilion used for the king's entertainments and receptions. It stands inside a vast royal park, but relatively near the enclosure, and was built by Shah Abbas II around an earlier building erected by Shah Abbas I.

An inscription states that the decoration and frescoes were finished in 1647. Only two large historical frescoes date from the later period of the Zand dynasty. Unfortunately, the Chehel Sotun has been badly damaged since then, especially when the Afghans occupied the town and covered the paintings with a thick coat of whitewash. It is now being extensively restored under the aegis of the Institute Italiano Per il Medio Orient.

The pavilion opens onto the gardens by means of an elegant terrace, only a few steps high and supported by slender, delicate wooden pillars. In reality, there were never more than twenty columns, but they were reflected in the pool in the park, and so the Persian liked to call the building the "pavilion with forty columns" (besides, the number 40 had a symbolic meaning in Persia and expressed respect and admiration).

Hasht Behest, a two story palace, locating in the middle of Bagh-e Bolbol, was built about 1669 by Shah Sulieman's commission. It was once surrounded by a vast garden and similar buildings, of which nothing remains except this interesting and beautiful palace. It consists of an almost octagonal base on which four Eivans and four smaller sets of chambers are raised, while the centre is surmounted by a spectacular ceiling.

The domed ceiling of the main reception room is painted in purple on a glittering gold base. Painted tile designs of birds, animals, and hunting scenes, found on the spandrels of the outer blind arches, enliven the facades of Hasht Behesht. the palace owes its fame, apart from its architectural and decorative merits, to the lavish use of marble slabs, stalactite vault decorations, excellent tile works dotted with scenes of animals (birds, beasts of prey, and reptiles) covering the building on the outside.

The Bridge of Allahverdi Khan crossing the Zayandeh Rud is a continuation of Chahar Bagh, the principal street in Isfahan. Built at the beginning of the 17th century on the order of Shah Abbas, it is named after a famous general who was put in charge of the work. It is also called the Bridge of 33 Arches, or Si-O-Se Pol. It is said that the bridge originally comprised 40 arches however this number gradually reduced to 33. It is the longest bridge in the city and is 45 feet wide and 175 yards long. Although it looks impressive, it does not have the same archaeological or aesthetic interest as the two other bridges farther downstream.

The bath of Sheikh Bahai is located in a small street named after him in the southern section of the old bazaar close to the Masjed-e-Jomeh.the bathroom derives its principal fame from the story that it was warmed by a single candle, which was placed in a closed space and never needed renewing.

The candle was rather larger than the ones we use on tables, and the clay pipes which circulated the water became unusable many years ago. According to his own instructions, the candle's fire would be put out once disclosed. This happened during the restoration and repair of the building and no one could make the system work again.

The Bazaar of Isfahan, the heritage of the Saljuqid and Safavid era is one of the oldest and largest bazaars of the Middle East. It stretches between Imam Sq and the Jameh Mosque several kilometers away.

The bazaar can be entered at dozens of points along its winding route, but the main entrance is via the Qeysarieh Portal at the northern end of Imam Sq. the high gateway is decorated with tiles and, higher up, frescoes by great Reza Abbasi, depicting Shah Abass' war with the Uzbeks.

Like most Iranian bazaars, Bazaar-e Bozorg is loosely divided into several interconnected corridors, each specializing in a particular trade or product, with carpet dealers, goldsmiths, samovar-makers, shoe makers, dyers, all having their own quarters.

You can also find several mosques, tea shops, bathhouses, and even gardens. Small apertures in the vaulted roof let in sufficient light yet kept out the intense heat of summer and retained warmth in winter.

Scarlet story

Let me tell you a story about Scarlet. She’s 22. Her name is “Arghavan” but her friends call her Scarlet because Arghavan means Scarlet. I’m just going to tell the story from her own words:

I’m scarlet and I work in a café in Shiraz. My best friend killed herself and till about six months ago I was in a very bad mental state. Recently I went on a hitchhiking trip and it turned me upside down.

My parents would never let me travel but I wasn’t going to let anything get in my way. My mom knew I was travelling, my dad didn’t. When I got back home we started talking which turned into an argument. I told my mom I have found my path in life, that my way lies in travelling. My mom said that then I should leave and find myself a place to live in because I have no place in the house anymore. The only thing I said after that was that I’m fine with it. After ten minutes my mom came to me and held me in her arms. “You’ve really changed.” She said. And I really had changed. If this argument had happened before my trip, I would’ve definitely gone berserk and I’d shatter some stuff at home and made a lot of noise, but I’d reached a certain sense of peace in my life. I traveled and returned a changed man.

Baluchistan is Awesome

Poor but Generous: Baluchistan is Awesome

Baluchistan, south eastern Iran, is not a popular destination for travelers, mainly because it’s hyped as a dangerous area with smugglers and outlaws which might behead strangers and visitors! But we hitchhiked there just to prove it’s not a dangerous place.

While wandering around the old alleys of Bandar-e-Jask, a young guy invited us over to take some rest in their home. It was a shabby yard with a lot of fodder in the floor for the goats and many kids coming and going from here to there. Three families are living in this house, each in one of those small rooms in every side of the yard. One of the sides were just a wall, made by worn-out fabrics and iron leafs to separate the yard from the neighbor’s. They were poor, but generous. They gave us a place to take a nap for a while and brought us food – rice and fish – without even asking if we are hungry or not. I think historical heritage or touristic spots are not Iran’s flagship for travelers to check out! Deep dive into Iranian life so you can catch a glimpse of their true hospitality. That’s the unique experience you are looking for in this country!