Iranian hospitality is the best

Iranians. They are the most likely reason I had such a great time in this amazing country. Their hospitality defies description. I have travelled quite a lot and Iranians are the most hospitable, the most generous and the most helpful people I have ever met on my travels. I felt welcome. I felt safe. I felt happy. And now I feel like going back there.

On the very first days, I was amazed. People approached us on streets to help us out without us asking for help. One young guy paid for us for a taxi. Another one helped us solve a problem with a public transport card; yet another one showed us the way to Golestan Palace.

I don’t even remember how many times I heard Iranians saying: ‘Welcome to Iran.’ ‘Welcome.’ ‘Welcome to this city.’ ‘Welcome to that city.’ I didn’t count how many timed Iranians helped us find our way or call a taxi. A lot of people just asked us how we were, where we were from or what we did.

One of the best things we experienced was Ashura, a festival of mourning, when Iranian commemorate the death of Imam Hussein. On this day, people gather in the streets and take part in various ceremonies. We had a chance to see it in different towns or villages, the most memorable being the one in the village of Abyaneh. People come out of their homes and home food in the form of different pies, bread, fruit and tea to the people marching the streets.

But this is just a tip of the iceberg; we had a chance to experience Iranian hospitality first hand in their homes. When I travel I often try to escape from other tourists. Not that I don’t like meeting new and interesting people, I do. But for me part of the charm of visiting a country is to meet locals. One of great ways to do it is to use couchsurfing. I use it from time to time and when someone told me that Iran was the best country to surf a couch I went for it. And I have no regrets. Joanna and I were hosted by three different families in three different cities and we experienced Iran in a way we would never have experienced had we stayed in hostels or guesthouses.

First we stayed with Hani, an incredibly kind-hearted guy in his early thirties. Little did I know that they would have a family reunion during the few days we were going to stay with him. In addition to meeting Hani and his amazing parents we also met his siblings, aunt, sisters-in-law and nieces who were really keen to know everything about us the very evening we came to Yazd. We sort of became part of the family for a short while because we ate together with the family. We went sightseeing together. We even joined the family to burn candles as a part of the religious holiday that was just taking place. The family also invited us to a family trip and we spent the whole day with them, exploring a bit of Iran and feasting, too.

Our second hosts were Mostafa and Shiva. And they were incredible. We were their first couchsurfers and they took fantastic care of us. Mostafa was kind enough to pick us up at the bus station and he was our guide in the city of Shiraz. Shiva is an exquisite cook and we had chance to try some of her delicious dishes including the typical Iranian Mirza Ghasemi (grilled aubergines seasoned with garlic, tomato, turmeric, oil or butter, salt and pepper bound together with eggs). We took a trip together to Persepolis, the city of an ancient civilisation and we had a great time.

The last person who hosted us was Peyman and his family. He studied English literature and works as an English teacher so it was an opportunity for me to share experience. The family has a really nice and spacious flat and we were made to feel like at home there.

When I was visiting Qazvin I met another guy from couchsurfing who wasn’t my host but we spent a great day together hitchhiking in the beautiful Alamut valley. Yet again I had a chance to experience how incredibly helpful Iranians are because we managed to stop 13 vehicles in one day to get where we wanted. Besides regular cars we stopped a minibus, a big truck and I think three small trucks. And people were just amazing. At the end of the day I was invited to the guy’s friends where I had a super delicious family dinner.

I still remember the warm smiles of the people, the curious looks of beautiful Iranian women and all the nice words people said. If Iranians could speak better English, I am positive we would have been approached more. They are interested in foreigners, they are keen to speak to them, and they really want to know what the world thinks about Iran. Having met Iranians and experienced their hospitality it breaks my heart to hear what a lot of people think about Iran. The reality couldn’t be more different from the negative image the country has. I am hoping that sharing my experience will help people open their eyes and hearts. My advice to you is: go to Iran and experience it yourselves.

More about Iranian hospitality is in my third article – A memorable day in Isfahan (coming soon).

Also, watch this video. It isn’t mine, but I like it and it’s worth watching.