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  • Qazvin Guide-1
    Iran Travel Guide

    Travel Guide to Qazvin: City of Ornaments

    November 27, 2016 /

    Qazvin is a city of ornaments and gorgeous tiles, “a city in the middle of a garden” (that`s how Nasseredin Shah depicted it to his European counterparts). Finally, Qazvin is the gate to amazing Alamut valley with its impressive castle. Although, it shouldn`t be missed by those who`re heading there.  I`ve prepared a travel guide for you where I`ll tell you about the atmosphere in the city, its people, main tourist attractions, share some useful tips and my own experience of traveling to Qazvin. Hope you enjoy! Qazvin was once a capital of Iran (only for 57 years though!) and, maybe, it owes its beauty to that time. Every sight you visit…

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    Katya 2 Comments

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  • Vardij mountains
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    One Day Trip From Tehran: Vardij & Varish Villages

    March 28, 2016 /

    Seeing spring coming, it`s almost impossible to stay home. That`s why at the end of March, on the first day off, my husband and I picked up a backpack, hopped in the car and drove out of the city. This time, we were going to a place recommended to us by our friends years ago. And finally, its time came! We set off to two small villages lost in the mountains right outside Tehran: Vardij and Varish which are famous for human-shaped mountains formed by the wind and beautiful gardens (look for the map in the end of the post).

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  • It`s a pleasure to have a picnic by the river.
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    One Day Trip From Tehran: Shahrestanak

    November 25, 2014 /

      Iranians love travelling! Every time they get a couple of days off, they head for the North of Iran to enjoy beautiful landscapes and find peace away from hectic Tehran. However, even if there are no public holidays in the sight, some grab their backpacks at the weekend, fetch their friends and get off to one of the nice spots around Tehran for a day trip. One of these places is Shahrestanak in Alborz province which can be an amazing getaway destination during spring, summer and autumn. Shahrestanak is a village with lots of fruit-tree gardens and a Qajar palace which can hardly be called a palace now – unfortunately,…

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    Katya 0 Comments

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About Me

I`m Katya, living in Tehran with my Iranian husband for almost 10 years. I am here to share my insights on life in Iran as well as tips and tricks for travelling Iran!

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I don't know about you, but I'm already making a l I don't know about you, but I'm already making a list of places (and cafes in the first place) I want to go when the 3rd wave is over. (Does anyone know how many of them we should expect?) So I decided to continue sharing #myfavoriteplaces_tehran and support those cafes that are still there. I discovered @clunagroup just a couple years ago but it instanly became my first choice for a quick and healthy snack. Quick snacks on the go in Tehran include falafel at a not-so-tidy food stall, greasy samosas or pirashki, or sandwiches with layers of kalbas. So I think Tehran really needed a healthier option. Cluna chain cafes offer a variety of sandwiches, salads, coffee and smoothies and even some desserts, everything freshly made, warmed-up upon request and nicely packed. Abundance of vegetarian option is another reason to love it. You can find sandwiches or rolls with hummus, kuku-sabzi, omelette, dates etc. But what I like the most is that it's located at key places along Valiast Street - just do a quick search on maps to find the closest one to you. I'm really happy that Iranians are moving to healthier options, and hopefully there will be more places like this. #noad
Have you ever wondered what Heaven looks like? Ira Have you ever wondered what Heaven looks like? Iranians have the answer! Surprisingly, no houris* involved. Swipe to see the first pictures from Heaven! The first one depicts Ghasem Soleimani in the embrace of Imam Hossein. There is Imam Khomeini on the right and a few shahids on the background. The second one shows famous Iranian traditional singer Mohammad-Reza Shajarian who passed away recently with poets Ferdowsi and Akhavan-Sales who come from the same area. *Houris - beautiful women who accompany faithful Muslims in Heaven. #heaven #islam #uncoveriran #discoveriran #everydaytehran #parksoftehran #باغ_کتاب #دریاچه_هنر
I have a confession to make. I've been thinking a I have a confession to make. I've been thinking about how I learned Persian a lot recently (you can read about it on my blog - tap the link in bio). And I remembered a funny thing. When my Persian reached a point when I could read novels in Persian, I started to read them while commuting to university (we, Russians, read a lot in the metro). But to be honest, I was always uncomfortable about taking out a Persian book out of my bag. Because as soon as I did, people would start staring at me. And believe me, you wouldn't like this kind of looks! The thing is Russia has a long history of terrorist attacks commited by Muslims, and I remember, after one of those attacks, the hatred to Muslims became so wide-spread that some people would even attack Muslims in the metro! So when I was reading a romantic novel in Persian, I felt that people around me were thinking I was reading a tutorial on how make a bomb or something. Later I came up with a trick - I would read only magazines with lots of pictures. It's Persian, meow 😁 Have you ever been uncomfortable about telling people that you are learning Persian or reading something in Persian in a public place? PS This story dates back to 10-15 years ago. I hope the situation isn't that bad right now. Although I don't pay attention anymore. #learningpersian #persianlanguage #persian #farsi #персидский #фарси #persianlearning #persian_language #персидскийязык #learninglanguages #autumnmood #autumncolors #autumnleaves #hikeinthemountains #hikemore #hikevibes #fallseason🍁 #neverstopexploring #welivetoexplore #exploretehran #lifeiniran #lifeintehran #everydaytehran #everydayiran #iranogram #iranogramers #letsfeeliran #seeyouiniran #middleeast #tehrangram
#myths_about_iran Before moving to Iran, the more #myths_about_iran Before moving to Iran, the more Iranians I met, the more persuaded I became that Iranian women are educated, progressive and keep up with men. Because every Iranian I met would tell me that more than a half of students in Iranian universities are women. BUT! Don't expect to see many women at work. Because according to the statistics, only 15% of Iranian women work. Is it their own choice or is it the consequence of a patriarchal society. Let look into it together. You might think that the reason is obvious - discrimination against women. And you are probably right. At some positions men are definitely more welcome than women, and some men prefer their wives stay at home. But that's a bit more complicated. What I have figured out about working as a woman is that the society on the whole is overprotective towards women. They are supposed to be taken care of everywhere. Some parents don't let their grown-up unmarried daughters come home late, some need to approve of the place their daughter is going to work at. For married women, it's husband who has to protect his wife, and the easiest way to do that is to make her stay home. At workplace, the employer is supposed to take care of female employees - they can't stay late at work, can't participate in any physical work (if it's not initially required by the job), of course under these circumstances employers prefer to hire men. On the other hand, many girls, following the long-established tradition, simply prefer to dedicate their life to family rather than a career which is completely understandable. I have to admit though that while in Iran you will see not only young women who don't work but also many young man which to me is more important and alarming. But that's another story. What do you think with all this situation? Why do you think there are so few working women?
A couple of years ago around this time we set off A couple of years ago around this time we set off on the most spontaneous trip ever! We went to the bus terminal in Tehran and bought tickets for the first bus available. Luckily for us, it was Isfahan. We had travelled to Isfahan before but I always wanted to go back there again. We ate a lot of food (the best part of any trip if you ask me!), walked a lot around the bazaar area and the Armenian quartier and watched the everyday life of Isfahan. It was a totally new experience to go somewhere for the weekend without any planning at all, without booking a hotel or doing research about places to visit. Fortunately, you, my dear followers, shared a lot of recommendations which made this trip one of the most memorable trips we ever had! What was your most spontaneous trip? >>> Swipe left for the highlights of our trip to Isfahan. #spontaneoustrips
Having reached 13,000 daily Covid-19 cases, Iran i Having reached 13,000 daily Covid-19 cases, Iran is finally applying more restrictions this Saturday (it will cover only cities with high Covid-19 rates though). In Tehran, shops (except supermarkets), shopping malls, restaurants, all cultural & entertainment businesses and religious sites are going to be closed for 2 weeks; companies and offices can operate only with 1/3 of employees. Using the car from 9 pm to 4 am is prohibited (unless it's a taxi). Driving between cities is also restricted (although you can hop on the bus or train). The universities and schools have been working online for a while already. So no new restrictions here. However, no restrictions can make people more responsible. Just a few days ago, I saw a family saying goodbye to their guests in front of their house in the street. They would take their masks off, kiss each other goodbye and put the mask back on. Are there any restrictions in your country? Are people readily following them? #stayhomestaysafe
#myths_about_iran You might have heard on the news #myths_about_iran You might have heard on the news about girls of 9 being married to grown-up men in Iran. And no wonder - only shocking news like that make the headlines. But is it a tendency in Iran or rather an exception? That's true that in Iran marriage age is quite low compared to other countries - for girls it's only 13 while for boys it's 15. However, you shouldn't think that young people get married as soon as they reach that age. The latest statistics (first 3 months of the current year) show that the average marriage age throughout the country is 22.8 for women and 27.4 for men. What's more, the situation is the same even in more traditional provinces. For example, in South Khorasan and in Sistan & Baluchestan the average is 20.5. What age do you consider the most appropriate? Some of you chose 21 on the quiz in Stories, and I'd love to hear out your opinion! #marriage #marriageisforever
I decided to embrace autumn, so we went for a hike I decided to embrace autumn, so we went for a hike to the mountains in search for the #autumnvibes🍁 And here is what we found✨
Silence is what distinguishes a public holiday fro Silence is what distinguishes a public holiday from any other day in Iran. You wake up in the morning and you don't hear any cars, construction or 'kharidaram' van roaming the streets. Normally, people wake up later and don't go out until afternoon. However, in the evening streets become busier, people heading out for dinner, a walk in a park or visiting family. Today was a public holiday in Iran, this time a real holiday (not a death anniversary which are probably even more than half of all public holidays) - the birthday of Prophet Mohammad. Location: Tehran Book Garden, Honar Lake. More photos & videos ---> Stories. #iranianscelebrate
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