Iran I visited going home for summer holidays from India. The country was in the hands of Shah-in-Shah Reza Pahlavi, one of the most cruel dictators of the 20th century. He was beloved child of the USA. I repeat: a cruel dictator, who was backed by the USA. He was not the worse in the history of mankind, killed only a few thousand people and jailed only a few hundred thousands, tortured only by thousands and introduced some welfare programs, nonetheless he was a cruel dictator. The USA did not support him because of his development programs. The reasons must have been economic, political, geopolitical.
We could spend a week or so. Started with Tehran, stayed in a good hotel in the centre of the city, could reach most of the important places by walk. It was not difficult to detect the members of the security police. Though they wore civil dresses, Colts protruded from under their jackets. You could find one on almost every corner. I asked one of them, how to find the treasures of the Shah-in-Shah, he replied in fluent English, giving correct instructions.
Most remarkable in Tehran was - besides the view of the snow-cap of Mt. Demavend - the treasury (Crown Jewels Museum) of the Shah-in-Shah, hidden in a treasure-room of a bank (Central Bank of Iran), behind steel doors of half a meter wide. The amount of gold, silver, gems, crowns and thrones was more than one is capable of sizing up. The whole treasury looked like a fairy tail. Just to mention a few pieces of unmatched value: Crown of tha Pahlavi, made in 1924 (!), by the ex-jewellerof the Emir of Bukhara (3380 diamonds + hundreds of other stones, pearls), the 182 carats Daria-i-Noor diamond, the fellow of Koh-i-Noor, now in England, the Throne of Nader Shah, decorated by 26 733 gems and used by the Shah-in-Shah.
Isfahan was our next step. The city looked more orderly, probably also more quiet, the ancient monuments even more exciting and the carpets those of the 1001 nights, irreproducible, matchless. We were wondering for hours - in spite of the fact that I hate shopping - in the carpet-market. One of the colours cannot be forgotten, a very light grey, like feverish haze on horizon, like the first, hesitating smoke of a pyre. Beautiful, wonderful! Rightly the most famous historical monument in Isfahan is the Friday Mosque or Masjid-i- Jomeh Isfahan. It is a treasury of mementoes of all the dinasties and rulers of the Timurian and Turkoman era of Persia and also a wonderful architectural monument. The first building was erected in the 10th century and the construction of the whole complex continued till the second half of the 14th century. The mosic works of gates, the tilework of domes is fantastic, the colours are still so vivid as if the tiles were made yesterday. A stucco prayer-niche is considered one of the most marvellous pieces of stucco work in Iran.
