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Volkswagen Touareg
road trip from Wolfsburg to Teheran. At first it was
just an idea, but soon my decision ripened. When
planning such a trip, you have to pay special attention in choosing your car. After all, the car will be your
companion for days and weeks. You’ve got to be able rely
on it blindly. You’ve got to get along. And the car you take
is big part of what makes the journey fun. So not just any
car will do. And because this particular journey promises
encounters with nomads, travelling in the high mountains
across summer pastures and poorly kept roads, often mere
donkey paths, the car I choose must also have convincing
skills for driving in rough terrain.
Now I’m not new to offroad driving. I’ve been driving
a full-blown all-terrain vehicle for nearly 15 years. I am
now on my fourth, actually, a model that insiders deem a
top quality vehicle, a car with as much reliability as snob
appeal. But this particular model was not my first choice
for the trip to Teheran. Another, the VW Touareg, met the
decisive criteria: a V 10 diesel motor with overwhelming
engine power and (this an absolute must) exceptional reliability. And as the trip would show, its high-performance
motor also goes easy on fuel consumption (11.7 litres/100km), and this with a tent riding piggyback. Of course, the Touareg also offered the comfort you would want for
a drive that was very demanding at times, covering extremely long distances in between stops.
The first leg of the tour led from Wolfsburg to Ancona,
where the ferry to Turkey was waiting. Doesn’t sound like
much but it’s a trip of about 1,500 kilometres, most of
which on the motorway, so it’s an easy drive.
I make one last overnight stay on the Po River delta,
the mouth of that great Italian river along which time seems
A
Teheran
From Wolfsburg to
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to stand still. A blanket of melancholy covers the vast, flat
landscape. Here, decay and fertility seem to coexist
peacefully. Here, Italianità is omnipresent: fishing villages that open up for tourism only hesitantly. This area is
still an insider tip.
Seawards into the Orient
She is an old girl, this Turkish Marmara Lines ferry from
Ancona to Cesme, getting on in years. She served many
years with DFDS Seaways in Denmark. But the Danes
know a thing or two about navigation and the ferry makes
a very solid impression. And it is much more comfortable
to spend a few days cruising across the sea to Turkey than
to cross through the Balkans on land.
Turkey has surprisingly good roads and motorways,
which can just as surprisingly transform into gravel roads
or construction sites. The further you go towards the east,
the more mosques per village. Quite often they are brand
new ones, wearing shiny silver domes. An indication of
increasing Islamisation?
Mount Ararat, the holiest of mountains for Armenians, lies out of their reach behind the Turkish border. But
for me it is a sign that the Turkish-Iranian border is not too
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far off. And finally there it is: the border crossing. On the
Turkish side, customs clearance is clouded with complications that a self-appointed “customs agent” comes up
with in order to cash in on their equally contrived resolutions. And the Turkish customs officials play along happily. They probably get their share of the profits in this
shady business. I pick up the pace a notch and suddenly
it’s all resolved. Instead of the “required” euros, the flyby-night agent gets a tip and I’m off to the Iranian side,
where the proceedings are much more friendly and professional, although a bit more bureaucratic. The necessary
documents are issued, a friendly “Have a good trip,” and
again I’m on my way. In the next large town the Touareg
gets a temporary Iranian licence plate. Now I have
finally arrived.
In Iran
A first visit with nomads - Kurds. Their tents are spanned
with dark-brown tarpaulins, woven from goat hair. Yogurt
and flatbread are offered and, of course, tea. The clan
chief complains about ongoing troubles with the town
residents, the local officials, and state administration. Our
visit, particularly the exotic car from Germany, is cause for
marvel and furore. Everywhere I go I am met with warm
welcomes and hospitality. And that means a lot of invita-
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tions: for tea, for lunch, for picnics on green meadows.
I am made to feel at home. “If you come back at noon
tomorrow, I’ll slaughter a sheep.” “You are more than a
friend, you are my brother!” I get an invitation from a
family that owns a fruit plantation, breeds cattle and keeps
horses and herds of sheep. Beautiful brown sheep, typical
for the region because “they give the best meat.” I spend
the evening and the night in this family’s house, a building
at the end of a cul-de-sac, from the outside an inconspicuous brick façade; inside, cosy and hospitable.
Natural born climber
The Sagroz Mountains thrust themselves between Iran
and Turkey like a protective stone barrier. Vast high
valleys at 2,000 metres are lined with mountains on
whose summits shine white snow caps even in the high
summer. In these mountain highlands lie broad plains
that are watered by the plentiful snowmelt from the
mountains. Here grow grains, rice, fruit and vegetables.
This area of the Sagroz Mountains is the fruit orchard of
Iran; the nomads living here on the summer pastures
serve an important role as meat deliverymen for the
entire country.
I spend the next night in a nomad camp at nearly
2,500 metres at the foot of the mountain Kuh-e Sahand,
which rises 3,710 meters into the sky. The night is cold,
bitter cold. But thanks to down sleeping bags - not just
one but two - things are “almost like home” up in my
rooftop tent. Only the brays of donkeys disturb my night’s
rest. In the morning I drive on up the bumpy slope to an
altitude of nearly 3,000 metres until boulders block the
way. There’s no getting through here, not even for a Touareg, a vehicle that has the dexterity of a mountain goat,
undauntedly crawling its way up the steep mountain
slopes, hopping sure-footed over branches and stones. A
natural born climber, a real mountain buff! And I am glad
I’ve chosen it as my travel companion.
News from the past
North of Takab lies an age-old Sassanian holy shrine and
fire temple, the Takht-e Suleiman (throne of the Salomon).
The fortress wall encircles a mineral-rich crater lake
whose water is potable for neither man nor beast. The
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mind staggers at the sight of these enormous ruins, imagining the great importance they had in times long since past.
Near Kermanshah you find Taq-e Bostan, the Arch
of the Garden. Cut into the massive stone are two grottos,
or Iwans. They date back to the Sassanian period (224-642
A.D.) and were probably part of a larger Paradeisos, a park
with artificial waterways and basins. Here were also kept
game animals, which were hunted during celebrations.
The bas-relief in the large Iwan shows Sassanid ruler
Khosrau II (591-628 A.D.) hunting wild boars.
30 kilometres from Kermanshah lies Bisotun, a town that
you would otherwise bypass if not for its mountains bearing unique witness to history. Achaemenid King Darius I
(522-486 A.D.) left inscriptions in Old Persian, Elamite
and Babylonian with a bas-relief depicting his ascension
to the throne. A bit farther on is a statue of Herakles (Hercules) reclining on a lion, carved in 148 B.C.
In Borujerd I became an “Iranian” among Iranians
for an evening. On a mild summer night, the town inhabitants were picnicking in parks and on the green medians
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between the roads. And I was invited to experience how
an Iranian lives, eats and drinks - until the topic of
discussion turned to the Touareg. Then, after repeated
and unanimous requests, I had to go fetch my vehicle from
the garage of the Zagros Hotel and show how I set up the
tent. Right there in the middle of the road, to the resounding applause of everyone.
Black churches and massive citadels
South of Maku stands the Thaddaeus Church, known as
Qareh Kelisa, or Black Church. The Armenian church
conceals the bones of the Apostle Thaddaeus and the
Armenian king’s daughter Sandokh, both of whom died
martyrs’ deaths in the first century A.D. The church was
built 400 years later when their bones were discovered. In
1319 it was partially destroyed by an earthquake. From
then on it would be repeatedly reconstructed and modified. The dark stones from which the church gets its name
are part of the original construction.
The skyline of Khorramabad is dominated by the
Falak al-Aflak citadel, for ages regarded as impregnable.
Not until the beginning of the 17th century would it be
stormed, by Shah Abbas. Its walls surround two courts. In
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its interior, tools and everyday items from days long gone
can be viewed. Little models show scenes of nomad life.
And, of course, there is a secret passageway from the
citadel into the city.
Shots in the dark
We come across a tribe of Bachtiari nomads, all of them
wearing black clothes of mourning. One of their tribe
members was killed in an accident nearly one year ago. A
young lad shows us the way to their main camp lying
higher up at just below 3,000 metres. The tents are scattered throughout the area; spaces flat enough to pitch a
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tent are few and far between. It takes a while but I finally
find a place to park in the middle of a boulder field. My
tent is up in a flash.
Suddenly, a Bachtiari woman comes running up from
the valley screaming and wailing at the top of her lungs.
Calamity is brewing. Cries bounce from tent to tent, from
the mountainside to the valley below. Commotion, rumours.
There is talk of young boys, of jealousy, manslaughter,
murder - all of the ingredients that good dramas are
made of.
Dinner tonight will be chicken. My good guide
Hossein roasts it over dried donkey dung. The dark fingers
of night crawl eerily up the mountain from the darkening
valley below. Just as we’re about to eat our chicken, a car
comes bouncing up the hill, stops, and then shots are
fired. The whole affair is just a bit too dicey for us. Hossein informs the police, who in turn inform us laconically
that this kind of thing just happens, that it is not that
unusual and that it is generally not so dangerous. Neither
comforted nor in the mood to press our luck, we take to our
heels and hightail it down the mountain and on to the next
city, where we spend the night in a hotel courtyard.
Kurds, Lurs, Baluchi, Turk nomads, Turkmen, Sistani,
Bachtiari and Gashgai - nomad life is simply part of Iran:
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in summer up in the high mountain pastures, the Sardsir,
and in winter in the low-lying milder valleys, the Garmsir.
But there are also nomads that spend only the summer
in tents and spend winter and the rest of the year in
houses, then weaving carpets for a living. Oftentimes,
their meadowlands high up in the mountains have been
handed down from generation to generation. As soon as
the mountainsides in the high valleys have been grazed,
they move their sheep and goat herds to the harvested
fields.
Schools on the move
In the middle of a meadow, the Gashgai have set up tents
for pupils and their teachers, themselves also nomads
and living the nomadic life. There are also boarding
schools for the nomads’ children. A good education is
provided for; some even go on to university. So it comes as
no surprise that nomads quite often hold rather outstanding positions, whether as members of parliament or
chief physicians. Sitting in on a teaching staff meeting
convinced me of the Gashgai’s well-functioning educational system. Even lunch was delicious!
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Imam Square in Isfahan, with its surrounding magnificent
mosques and the bazaar, is well worth a visit. And whether
you buy a carpet here or in Teheran, the selection is
overwhelming.
Isfahan, Teheran, Astara, Tabriz
Iran has a rich cultural heritage. Many places are so well
preserved that even the ruins impart a good impression of
their former glory. In Isfahan and elsewhere, a civil engineer sets to work on these old buildings with great
love and expertise. He restores the old buildings, bringing
in a portion of modern comfort. And in his gallery,
Mr. Bekhradi also offers a broad selection of local art,
contemporary as well as ancient.
M. Bekhradi Interior Design
Classic Art Gallery Isfahan
Tel./Fax +98-311-2217957
mbkhradi@yahoo.com
Teheran is truly a metropolis and as such bustles with
traffic. If you can drive here without a scratch, you can do
it anywhere in the world!
The Caspian Sea is not only the home of caviar.
Its scenic beauty is overwhelming. Floating gardens with
blossoming lotus plants line its shores. From Astara,
on the border to what once was part of Iran and is now
Azerbaijan, we head back into the mountains. Tabriz is
not only a worthy destination for carpet lovers. And now
my farewell is rapidly approaching. A short side trip to
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Lake Urmia - like the Black Sea, a saltwater lake - which
is ten times the size of Lake Constance. And now it’s time
to head home. One last farewell at the border.
A few words on the equipment
Successful in Iran…
Drive speaks with Shahrzad Esfarjani, chairperson of the executive board of
Teheran-based Daarvag International, one of the most successful advertising agencies in Iran.
The Volkswagen Touareg is a vehicle that unites high performance and offroad dexterity with extraordinary comfort.
Although the vehicle weighs around 2.5 tonnes, its V 10
diesel engine grants it enormous acceleration on command. This comes in especially handy on mountain roads,
making it at all impossible to pass the slowly creeping
trucks.
The rooftop tent caused quite a sensation and could
be quickly set up and taken down; covering the cargo
transporter was at first a bit troublesome.
As my portable refrigerator I chose a Japanese
model, Engel, which had always come through for me in
the past. And once again, it was good to have an “angel”
at my side.
e came to Germany with literally
nothing more than the determination
to write his own personal success
story. Founded in 1998, the Tecon Group is
now a star among the IT companies, a company that is now getting ready for its flotation on the stock market. “We have an
orderly market share in the specialty IT and
telecommunications software space. Here,
we're among the top class. This can be seen
by our growth. And some of our products the
only of their kind in all the world.”
Business operations are not limited
to Europe. Tecon operates worldwide and
new markets and opportunities are opening up in the Middle East.
H
Outdoor equipment supplier
Bernd Woick GmbH
D-70774 Filderstadt
www.woick.de
Kisag AG
CH-4512 Bellach
www.kisag.ch
A computer for more than the dirty work
On this trip I was accompanied by a computer whose
special qualities you can sense just by looking at it. The
Panasonic Toughbook does its duty even under the most
adverse conditions. Heat (sometimes over 50 degrees
Celsius), cold (nights were often only a few degrees above
freezing), dust (fine as powder and everywhere), shakes
and jolts, the Toughbook was always ready for action. And
it will surely be the reliable digital companion on my next
trip.
www.panasonic.com
Further helpful addresses
Persepolis Tour and Travel Agency
Teheran/Iran
www.persepolistour.com
Europcar Iran
www.irantour.org
E-mail: headquarter@europcariran.com
rowing up in a family of artists, the
father a miniature painter, she
seemed to have her occupational
path laid out for her. After graduating at the
top of her class in graphic design, Shahrzad
Esfarjani took her first job designing packaging as well as the roadside billboards that
were so prominent in those days.
In 1991 the ambitious Iranian decided to take that giant leap and start her
own company. “The customers followed
me,” she says. “Our work drew attention
and we kept adding on new customers.”
The design studio would become a fullservice agency. But it was not easy start.
Bank loans were, and still remain today,
very difficult to come by.
Today, her customers include companies such as Coca Cola, Castrol and Apple
Macintosh. And international agency networks are knocking on her door.
The team takes to all projects with
great enthusiasm. Success is their daily
bread: the livelihoods of 40 to 50 employee
families depend on the agency. For the company’s boss, this is the greatest success.
Teaching and learning define Shahrzad
Esfarjani’s work life. So one thing is certain:
Daarvag will remain a top address for anyone looking to succeed in the Iranian market.
G
www.daarvag.com
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… and in Germany
One of the IT industry's winners is Iranian-born
Masod Karimi His company, Tecon Group is aiming for
strong growth with its initial public offering (IPO).
Photos: Manfred Schwellies
The gas camping stove from Swiss company Kisag proved
as good for making tea as it did for heating up the tent in
the evening. And with its shapely design, its can even be
used at home for fondue.
A lot is expected of the company’s workforce. “We created an internal model that
motivates highly qualified employees for
the long term,” says the company manager. The employees are given enticing
perspectives, regular training and there is
even a company share option plan. And, of
course, with its exorbitant growth, Tecon
offers plenty of opportunities for advancement. “We recruit our management internally! Within a matter of a few years,
graduates can work their way into excellent positions of responsibility.”
The planned IPO will give the Tecon
Group yet another boost. And the products
that are already in the pipeline will surely soon be drawing a lot of attention and
ever more success.
www.tecon.de
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