HI, I'M RICK STEVES,
IN THE MOST FASCINATING
AND SURPRISING LAND
I'VE EVER VISITED.
WE'RE IN IRAN,
HERE TO LEARN, TO UNDERSTAND,
AND TO MAKE SOME NEW FRIENDS.
THANKS FOR JOINING US.
Women: HELLO!
LIKE MOST AMERICANS,
I KNOW ALMOST NOTHING
ABOUT IRAN.
FOR ME, THIS IS
A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY.
WHAT ARE MY HOPES?
TO ENJOY A RICH
AND FASCINATING CULTURE,
TO GET TO KNOW A NATION
THAT'S A LEADER
IN ITS CORNER OF THE WORLD
AND HAS BEEN FOR 2,500 YEARS,
AND TO BETTER UNDERSTAND
THE 70 MILLION PEOPLE
WHO CALL THIS PLACE HOME.
WE'LL EXPLORE
THE LEADING CITY OF TEHRAN,
AND AFTER SURVIVING
ITS CRAZY TRAFFIC,
WE'LL EXPERIENCE
IRANIAN LIFE TODAY
IN THIS GIANT METROPOLIS.
AFTER A SAMPLING OF IRAN'S
RICH AND GLORIOUS PAST,
WE'LL DISCUSS
THE 20th-CENTURY STORY
OF THIS PERPLEXING NATION.
MOST IMPORTANT, WE'LL MEET
AND TALK WITH
THE PEOPLE WHOSE GOVERNMENT
SO EXASPERATES AMERICA.
THE RELIGIOUS
AND THE POLITICS IS MIXED.
AND AFTER A VISIT
AT KHOMEINI'S TOMB,
WE'LL SIDE-TRIP
TO THE COUNTRYSIDE
AND GET A TASTE
OF THE TRANQUILITY
OF RURAL LIFE.
IRAN, TWICE THE SIZE
OF FRANCE,
SITS EAST OF EUROPE
IN AN INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT
CORNER OF ASIA,
SURROUNDED BY TURKEY, IRAQ,
PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN.
FROM THE CAPITAL OF TEHRAN,
WE'LL FOLLOW
AN ANCIENT TRADE ROUTE
SOUTH TO THE VILLAGE OF ABYANEH.
EVERY COUNTRY,
INCLUDING OUR OWN,
LIMITS ACCESS
TO FOREIGN FILM CREWS.
WE'RE HERE IN IRAN
WITH THE PERMISSION OF
THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT,
AND WE'RE WORKING WITHIN
THE LIMITS IT SETS
AS WE EXPLORE
THIS COMPLEX SOCIETY.
KNOWING WE'RE HERE TO EXPLORE
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DIMENSIONS
RATHER THAN CONTENTIOUS
POLITICAL ISSUES,
THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT
IS ALLOWING OUR WORK.
IT BELIEVES THE WESTERN MEDIA
HAS GIVEN IRAN AN UNFAIR IMAGE.
THEY GAVE US OUR VISAS
PROVIDED WE RESPECT ITS LIMITS,
AS ENFORCED BY OUR GUIDE.
HIS JOB -- KEEP US SAFE,
MANAGE THE COMPLICATED
PERMISSIONS,
AND KEEP AN EYE
ON WHAT WE'RE SHOOTING.
TEHRAN, A YOUTHFUL,
NOISY CAPITAL CITY,
IS THE MODERN HEART
OF THIS COUNTRY.
IT'S A SMOGGY,
MILE-HIGH METROPOLIS.
WITH A TEEMING POPULATION
OF ABOUT 10 MILLION,
ITS APARTMENT BLOCKS STRETCH FAR
INTO THE SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS.
TRAFFIC IS NOTORIOUS HERE.
MY FIRST IMPRESSION --
WILD DRIVERS.
BUT AFTER SURVIVING
MY FIRST DAY,
I REALIZED THEY WERE EXPERTS
AT KEEPING THINGS MOVING.
MANY MAJOR STREETS
ACTUALLY INTERSECT
WITHOUT THE HELP OF
TRAFFIC LIGHTS.
IT'S DIFFERENT,
BUT IT SEEMS TO WORK.
TWO WHEELS ARE FASTER THAN FOUR.
HELMET LAWS ARE
GENERALLY IGNORED.
AS A MATTER OF FACT,
SOMETIMES THE DIRECTION
OF TRAFFIC IS IGNORED AS WELL.
TO CROSS TOWN QUICKLY,
MOTORCYCLE TAXIS ARE A BLESSING.
BUT WEAR THAT HELMET --
I'D RATHER
LEAVE A LITTLE PAINT
ON PASSING BUSES
THAN A PIECE OF SCALP.
PEDESTRIANS FEND FOR THEMSELVES.
NEGOTIATING TRAFFIC
AS YOU CROSS THE STREET
IS A LIFE SKILL HERE.
LOCALS SAY IT'S LIKE
GOING TO CHECHNYA.
IMMERSED IN THE COMMOTION
OF A BUSY WORK DAY --
APART FROM
THE CHADOR-COVERED WOMEN
AND LACK OF WESTERN
FAST FOOD CHAINS --
TEHRAN SEEMED MUCH LIKE ANY CITY
IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD.
IF YOU NEED TO GET SOMEWHERE
IN A HURRY --
OR IF YOUR MOTORCYCLE TAXI
IS UNDER SOME BIG BUS --
THANK GOODNESS FOR THE SUBWAY.
TEHRAN'S THRIVING SUBWAY MOVES
OVER A MILLION PEOPLE A DAY.
THIS SUBWAY SYSTEM
IS REALLY AS GOOD AS
ANYTHING I'VE SEEN IN EUROPE.
OF IRAN'S 70 MILLION PEOPLE,
WELL OVER HALF ARE UNDER
THE AGE OF 30.
WHILE THERE ARE
PLENTY OF MINORITIES,
THE PERSIAN POPULATION
DOMINATES.
THE LOCAL ETHNICITY REFLECTS
THE TURMOIL OF THIS COUNTRY'S
LONG HISTORY.
YOU'LL FIND PEOPLE
WITH GREEK, ARAB,
TURK, MONGOL, KURDISH,
AND AZERBAIJANI HERITAGE.
IRANIANS ARE NOT ARABS,
AND THEY DON'T SPEAK ARABIC.
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE
WITH THE PEOPLE OF IRAN.
THEY ARE PERSIANS
AND THEY SPEAK FARSI.
FACES SEEM TO TELL A STORY,
AND ARE QUICK TO SMILE...
ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY SEE
A FILM CREW FROM THE USA.
ACTUALLY, WE FOUND THAT
THE EASIEST WAY TO GET A SMILE
WAS TO TELL PEOPLE
WHERE WE'RE FROM.
I'M FROM
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
OH, YOU'RE FROM
THE UNITED STATES, OKAY.
AMERICA! NO!
YEAH, IT'S TRUE!
IT'S ACTUALLY TRUE.
THANK YOU --
THAT'S NICE TO HEAR.
[ CHILDREN CALLING ]
I WAS IMPRESSED
BY HOW THE PEOPLE WE MET
WERE CURIOUS
AND EAGER TO TALK.
YOUNG, EDUCATED PEOPLE
ARE INTERNET SAVVY AND
WELL INFORMED ABOUT THE WEST.
THEY GENERALLY SPOKE
SOME ENGLISH.
ANYWHERE FOREIGNERS WENT,
SIGNS WERE BILINGUAL --
FARSI FOR LOCALS
AND ENGLISH FOR EVERYONE ELSE.
THE SCRIPT LOOKS ARABIC TO ME,
BUT I LEARNED,
LIKE THE LANGUAGE,
IT'S FARSI.
THE NUMBERS, HOWEVER,
ARE THE SAME
AS THOSE USED IN THE ARAB WORLD.
ANOTHER COMMUNICATION CHALLENGE,
PEOPLE HERE HAVE TO DEAL
WITH DIFFERENT CALENDARS --
PERSIAN AND MUSLIM
FOR LOCAL AFFAIRS,
WESTERN FOR DEALING
WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD.
WHAT YEAR IS IT?
WELL, IT DEPENDS...
AFTER MUHAMMAD,
ABOUT 1390 YEARS AGO --
AFTER CHRIST,
TWO THOUSAND AND SOME YEARS AGO.
AND ALL THIS COMPLEXITY
IS THE RESULT OF
A LONG AND TUMULTUOUS HISTORY.
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF IRAN
HELPS TO GIVE AN APPRECIATION
OF THIS COUNTRY'S RICH HERITAGE.
AT FIRST I WAS DISAPPOINTED
BY WHAT SEEMED LIKE
A HUMBLE COLLECTION
FOR SUCH A GREAT CULTURE.
THEN I LEARNED
THAT MOST OF ITS TREASURES
WERE DESTROYED
OR LOOTED BY INVADERS.
MUCH OF WHAT SURVIVED
WAS TAKEN AWAY TO THE GREAT
MUSEUMS IN THE WEST.
THE COLLECTION STARTS
IN PREHISTORIC TIMES,
BACK WHEN NOMADIC HUNTERS
WERE BECOMING FARMERS.
THIS BRONZE PLAQUE
FEATURING GILGAMESH
DATES FROM ABOUT 1000 BC,
A TIME WHEN THIS REGION WAS
IN THE REALM OF MESOPOTAMIA.
THEN, IN ABOUT 500 BC,
WITH THE GREAT KINGS
DARIUS AND XERXES,
THE MIGHTY PERSIAN EMPIRE
WAS ESTABLISHED.
THEIR ART GLORIFIED THEIR KINGS
AND THE NOTION OF
PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.
CULTURE FLOURISHED,
AND IT WAS ABOUT THIS TIME THAT,
WITH CUNEIFORM,
THE PERSIAN LANGUAGE WAS FIRST
PUT INTO WRITING.
THAT FIRST PERSIAN EMPIRE
WAS CONQUERED
BY ALEXANDER THE GREAT
FROM GREECE.
LATER, A SECOND PERSIAN EMPIRE
WAS CONQUERED BY ARABS.
THEN CAME INVASIONS
BY TURKS AND MONGOLS.
FINALLY, WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT
OF A THIRD PERSIAN EMPIRE
IN THE 16th CENTURY, THIS
CULTURE ENJOYED A RENAISSANCE.
WHILE IT'S WEATHERED
WAVE AFTER WAVE OF CONQUERORS,
THE ESSENCE OF TODAY'S
IRANIAN CULTURE
IS STILL ROOTED IN
THAT FIRST PERSIAN EMPIRE
FROM 2,500 YEARS AGO.
 Narrator: PERSIA,
 AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY,
 A POOR AGRICULTURAL COUNTRY,
 RICH ONLY IN LEGEND
 AND UNDEVELOPED
 NATURAL RESOURCES...
Steves: IN THE 20th CENTURY,
WITH THE DISCOVERY
OF ITS VAST OIL RESERVES,
IRAN BECAME ENTWINED
WITH THE WEST.
 Narrator: OIL WAS STRUCK AT
LAST, AND DRILLING COMMENCED...
Steves: DURING WORLD WAR II,
IRAN WAS A VITAL OIL RESOURCE
FOR THE ALLIES.
AFTER THE WAR,
IRAN'S YOUNG SHAH, OR KING,
MOHAMMAD REZA SHAH PAHLAVI,
BECAME MORE CLOSELY INVOLVED
WITH THE WEST.
OIL FLOWED EASY,
AND HE WAS A FRIEND OF
WESTERN OIL COMPANIES.
THEN THINGS CHANGED.
 Narrator: OIL AGAIN
 POSES A THREAT TO PEACE,
 AND THE MIDDLE EAST AGAIN
 BECOMES A TROUBLE SPOT
 AS IRAN'S VAST
 PETROLEUM RESERVES
 AROUSE NATIONALISTS...
Steves: IN 1951, THE POPULAR
PRIME MINISTER MOSSADEGH
NATIONALIZED IRAN'S
FOREIGN-OWNED OIL INDUSTRY.
WITH THE RESULTING TURMOIL,
THE SHAH WAS FORCED INTO EXILE.
THIS IS WHEN
THE TROUBLED RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN IRAN
AND THE UNITED STATES BEGAN.
EVERY IRANIAN SCHOOL KID
KNOWS THE DATE "1953."
THAT'S WHEN THE CIA
ENGINEERED A COUP
THAT OVERTHREW
THE DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED
PRIME MINISTER MOSSADEGH.
HE HAD ANGERED THE WEST
BY NATIONALIZING IRANIAN OIL,
SO THEY INSTALLED
THE PRO-WESTERN SHAH, INSTEAD.
 Narrator:
 FORMER PREMIER MOSSADEGH'S
 RUINED HOUSE
 IS A MUTE TESTIMONY
TO THREE DAYS OF BLOODY RIOTING
 CULMINATING IN A MILITARY COUP
 FROM WHICH
 THE ONE-TIME DICTATOR OF IRAN
 FLED FOR HIS LIFE.
THE SHAH, WHO HAD FLED TO ROME,
 COMES HOME.
 BACKED BY GENERAL ZAHEDI,
 MILITARY STRONGMAN,
 WHO ENGINEERED
 HIS RETURN TO POWER.
 IRANIAN OIL MAY AGAIN
 FLOW WESTWARD.
Steves: BACK ON THE THRONE,
THE SHAH ALLOWED
WESTERN OIL COMPANIES
TO RUN IRAN'S
OIL INDUSTRY AGAIN.
WITH THE PROFITS,
HE MODERNIZED THE COUNTRY.
THROUGH THE '60s,
THERE WAS A RETURN TO STABILITY
AND THE SHAH WAS A KEY AMERICAN
ALLY IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
THE SHAH RULED IN ROYAL OPULENCE
FROM GRAND PALACES.
HE ENJOYED SUMMERS IN THIS ONE
UNTIL THE LATE 1970s.
STROLLING THROUGH
ITS FINE ROOMS,
VISITORS ARE REMINDED
HOW THE SHAH LIVED
IN EXTREME LUXURY.
BUT HIS MATERIALISTIC DECADENCE
AND PRO-WESTERN POLICIES
OFFENDED IRAN'S CONSERVATIVES
AND ALIENATED RELIGIOUS
AND POLITICAL GROUPS.
ANGRY PEOPLE HIT THE STREETS.
THE UNREST LED TO CRACKDOWNS
BY THE SHAH'S FORCES
THAT TORTURED
AND KILLED THOUSANDS.
ALL OF THIS EMBOLDENED
A REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT,
AND BURNED INTO
THE NATIONAL PSYCHE
A FEAR OF AMERICAN MEDDLING
IN INTERNAL IRANIAN AFFAIRS.
AFTER 25 YEARS
OF THE SHAH'S RULE,
THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION
THREW HIM OUT
AND BROUGHT AYATOLLAH KHOMEINI
BACK FROM EXILE.
THAT REVOLUTION,
AND THE AYATOLLAH,
ESTABLISHED
THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC,
WHICH RULES TO THIS DAY.
WALKING THE STREETS HERE,
I FELT A DISTURBING PRESENCE
OF GOVERNMENT.
THIS IS NOT A DEMOCRACY.
IN 1979, THE NEW GOVERNMENT
BROUGHT IRAN
NOT FREEDOM, BUT WHAT THEY CALL
A "REVOLUTION OF VALUES" --
IT LEGISLATED MORALITY,
SUCH AS NO ALCOHOL
AND NO CASUAL SEX.
AS FAR AS MANY PARENTS
ARE CONCERNED HERE,
IT'S FAMILY VALUES.
IRAN IS RULED BY A THEOCRACY.
THEY MAY HAVE A PRESIDENT,
BUT THE TOP RELIGIOUS OFFICIAL,
A MAN CALLED
"THE SUPREME LEADER,"
HAS THE ULTIMATE AUTHORITY.
 HIS PICTURE,
 NOT THE PRESIDENT'S,
IS EVERYWHERE.
RELIGIOUS OFFERING BOXES
ARE ON EVERY STREET CORNER.
THE DAYS WHEN
THE SHAH'S MEN BOASTED
THAT MINI-SKIRTS IN TEHRAN
WERE SHORTER THAN THOSE IN PARIS
ARE CLEARLY LONG GONE.
WOMEN MUST DRESS MODESTLY,
AND ARE SEGREGATED IN PLACES
LIKE CLASSROOMS AND BUSES.
AND YET HERE IN
THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN,
TO ME THE ATMOSPHERE
FELT SURPRISINGLY SECULAR,
COMPARED TO OTHER
MUSLIM COUNTRIES.
SKYLINES ARE NOT PUNCTUATED
WITH MINARETS.
I BARELY HEARD A CALL TO PRAYER.
EXCEPT FOR WOMEN'S DRESS CODES
AND THE LACK OF AMERICAN
PRODUCTS AND ADVERTISING,
LIFE ON THE STREETS HERE
SEEMED MUCH THE SAME
AS IN SECULAR CITIES
ELSEWHERE
IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD.
WHILE RELATIVELY UNCLUTTERED
WITH COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING,
THERE ARE PLENTY OF BILLBOARDS
AND MURALS,
AND THEY PACK A POWERFUL
PROPAGANDA MESSAGE.
SOME RELIGIOUS MURALS
ARE UPLIFTING --
THIS ONE IS A SHIITE
SCRIPTURE CLAIMING,
"THE MOST CARING HELP
IS TO GIVE GOOD ADVICE."
YET OTHERS ARE TROUBLING
AND HATEFUL --
THIS ONE CONDEMNS WHAT'S
CONSIDERED AMERICAN IMPERIALISM
WITH SKULLS AND DROPPING BOMBS,
RATHER THAN STARS AND STRIPES.
AND THIS ONE GLORIFIES
HEZBOLLAH FIGHTERS
AND THEIR STRUGGLE WITH ISRAEL,
WHICH MANY HERE CONSIDER
AMERICA'S 51st STATE.
THIS MURAL HONORS A MARTYR,
ONE OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS
WHO DIED FIGHTING SADDAM HUSSEIN
BACK IN THE 1980s.
THESE MURALS MIX
RELIGION, PATRIOTISM,
AND A HERITAGE OF DEALING
WITH FOREIGN INTERVENTION.
WHILE I FIND
SOME OF THEM OFFENSIVE,
I SEE IN THESE MURALS
THE FEAR AND THE SPINE
OF A PEOPLE WHOSE VALUES
ARE THREATENED.
THE GREATEST CONCENTRATION
OF ANTI-AMERICAN MURALS
SURROUNDS THE FORMER
U.S. EMBASSY.
IN 1979,
IRANIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
SUCCESSFULLY STORMED
THE EMBASSY.
THEY TOOK 52 HOSTAGES,
AND HELD THEM
WITH THE WORLD LOOKING ON
FOR 444 DAYS.
SOME IRANIANS CLAIM
THE HOSTAGE CRISIS WAS A WAY
TO RADICALIZE
THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION
AND PUT THE HARD-LINERS
IN POWER.
OTHERS SAY IT WAS
A PREEMPTIVE STRIKE
TO STOP THE UNITED STATES FROM
ORCHESTRATING A MILITARY COUP
DESIGNED TO OVERTHROW
THEIR THEOCRACY
AND PUT THE SHAH BACK IN POWER.
THEY ALSO WANTED TO FORCE
THE EXTRADITION OF THE SHAH,
WHO WAS IN EXILE
IN THE UNITED STATES.
TODAY, IT FEELS LIKE
THE HOSTAGE CRISIS IS OLD NEWS,
AND YOUNGER IRANIANS
HAVE MOVED ON.
THE MURALS SEEM TO DRONE ON LIKE
AN UNWANTED CALL TO BATTLE --
A CALL WHICH PEOPLE
I ENCOUNTERED, IT SEEMS,
HAD SIMPLY STOPPED HEARING.
TEHRAN IS
A VIBRANT METROPOLIS --
IRAN'S SOCIAL, ARTISTIC,
AND EDUCATIONAL CENTER.
ITS UNIVERSITY IS
THE OLDEST, BIGGEST,
AND MOST PRESTIGIOUS
IN THE LAND.
IT'S QUITE SELECTIVE --
ONLY ABOUT ONE IN TEN APPLICANTS
GET IN.
HERE, AS IN OTHER
IRANIAN UNIVERSITIES,
STUDENTS ENJOY
A HIGHER EDUCATION
PAID FOR BY THE GOVERNMENT.
BUT WANDERING THROUGH CAMPUS,
WE LEARNED THAT FREE TUITION
COMES WITH STRICT GUIDELINES,
AS DICTATED BY THE THEOCRACY.
WHILE I HOPED TO FIND
SOME NON-CONFORMITY,
THE VIBE HERE MADE B.Y.U.
SEEM LIKE BERKELEY.
COMPLIANCE RAGED.
WOMEN ARE PERFECTLY WELCOME.
IN FACT, WOMEN OUTNUMBER
IRANIAN MEN IN BOTH UNIVERSITIES
AND IN MANY
RESPECTED PROFESSIONS.
BUT SEGREGATION IS THE RULE.
IN CLASSROOMS,
IT'S MEN ON ONE SIDE
AND WOMEN ON THE OTHER.
THERE WAS NO REAL
STUDENT UNION CENTER,
JUST A SMALL COMMONS
IN EACH DEPARTMENT,
WITH A SNACK BAR FOR MEN,
AND AN ADJACENT ONE FOR WOMEN.
DESPITE THE CONSERVATIVE
ATMOSPHERE,
WE FOUND STUDENTS FRIENDLY,
CURIOUS, AND WILLING TO CHAT.
WHAT DO YOU STUDY?
CHEMISTRY.
CHEMISTRY?
VERY DIFFICULT.
FOR ME, VERY DIFFICULT.
WHAT DO YOU STUDY?
CHEMISTRY.
ALL OF YOU ARE CHEMISTRY?
SO WE ARE LEARNING VERY MUCH
WHEN WE COME TO IRAN.
FOR EXAMPLE?
FOR EXAMPLE...
THE PEOPLE ARE NOT ANGRY
WITH AMERICA.
YES --
THAT'S A VERY
INTERESTING POINT.
SO THE GOVERNMENTS HAVE
A DIFFICULT TIME,
BUT THE PEOPLE,
IF WE MEET THE PEOPLE,
IT'S LIKE THIS...
SO FOR AMERICANS,
WE ARE A VERY RELIGIOUS PEOPLE,
BUT WE MAKE THE GOVERNMENT
AND THE CHURCH APART, YOU KNOW?
YOU THINK THAT'S...
YES, IT'S THE MAIN PROBLEM.
SO YOU'RE
A MODERN YOUNG WOMAN?
YEAH, OF COURSE.
WELL EDUCATED.
I LIKE TO BE.
AND YOU MUST WEAR A --
COVER YOUR HAIR?
IT'S A LAW.
NOW, I CANNOT
SHAKE YOUR HAND?
NO, BECAUSE HERE
IT'S A RELIGIOUS SOCIETY.
 SO I CAN GO LIKE...
 SALAAM?
ME TOO.
I CAN GO "SALAAM"?
NO, "XODA HAFEZ."
 "XODA HAFEZ."
 "XODA HAFEZ."
"GOD"...
OKAY, AND I CAN SHAKE HIS HAND?
YES, YES.
I'LL SHAKE YOUR HAND FOR HER...
OKAY?
[ LAUGHTER ]
THANK YOU.
Man: DO YOU LIKE
TO TAKE A PICTURE?
I WOULD LIKE
TO TAKE A PICTURE,
THAT'S
A GOOD-LOOKING HAT.
I HAVE A GAME I LIKE TO PLAY
WITH ALL MY NEW FRIENDS.
I WILL GO LIKE THIS...
CAN I TAKE A PICTURE
WITH YOU AND ME?
AND ALL OF YOU GUYS TOGETHER,
SO YOU CAN GO HERE.
OKAY --
ARE WE READY?
SO WE'LL LOOK INTO THE CAMERA
AND WE'LL SAY "SALAAM."
WE'LL SAY
"PEOPLE TO PEOPLE."
PEOPLE TO PEOPLE.
IRANIAN WOMEN LIVE UNDER STRICT
MUSLIM LAWS IN PUBLIC.
TO A WESTERN VIEWPOINT,
THE DRESS CODE IMPOSED ON WOMEN
SEEMS DISRESPECTFUL.
BUT ACCORDING TO
AN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE,
MODESTY IS
CONSIDERED RESPECTFUL.
IN IRAN, WOMEN'S BODIES ARE NOT
VEHICLES FOR ADVERTISING.
YOU DON'T SEE SEXY MAGAZINES.
THERE IS ALMOST NO
PUBLIC DISPLAY OF AFFECTION.
WHILE WOMEN CAN DRESS
AS THEY LIKE AT HOME,
IN PUBLIC THEY WEAR THE CHADOR
AND ARE EXPECTED
NOT TO SHOW THEIR HAIR
OR SHOW OFF THE SHAPE
OF THEIR BODY.
I FOUND THEIR AWARENESS OF OUR
CAMERA FASCINATING --
WOMEN SEEMED TO SENSE
WHEN IT WAS NEAR
AND WOULD ADJUST THEIR SCARVES
TO MAKE SURE THEIR HAIR
WAS PROPERLY COVERED.
LOCAL SURVEYS INDICATE THAT
ABOUT 70% OF THESE WOMEN
WOULD DRESS MORE FREELY
IN PUBLIC IF ALLOWED.
WHILE MODESTY IS ENFORCED,
VANITY IS NOT OUT OF BOUNDS.
IN FACT, COSMETIC SURGERY --
ESPECIALLY NOSE JOBS--
IS BIG BUSINESS HERE
AMONG THE MIDDLE CLASS.
EVEN THOUGH COVERED UP,
WOMEN EXPERTLY UTILIZE
THEIR FEMININE CHARMS.
FACES ARE BEAUTIFULLY MADE UP,
AND WHEN SO MUCH ELSE
IS COVERED,
PARTICULARLY EXPRESSIVE
AND MYSTERIOUS.
AND, AS FAR AS
HIGH STYLE IS CONCERNED,
THERE'S NO BETTER PLACE
TO SEE IT
THAN THE HILLY DISTRICT
OF NORTH TEHRAN.
BROWSING IN ITS MALLS
AND CLASSY SHOPS,
YOU COULD BE IN LONDON OR PARIS.
SHOPPERS WHO HAVE THE MONEY CAN
FIND NEARLY ANYTHING THEY LIKE.
THIS HIGH-END CONFECTIONERY SHOP
GIVES A GLIMPSE OF THE TASTE
AND LIFESTYLES
OF NORTH TEHRAN CITIZENS.
CAFES IN LUSH GARDENS LIKE THIS
ARE THE PLAYGROUND
OF IRAN'S WEALTHY...
WHERE THEY LET THEIR HAIR DOWN,
JUST A LITTLE.
THE YOUNG, PRIVILEGED,
AND COSMOPOLITAN
MANAGE TO BE QUITE FASHIONABLE.
THIS SCENE MAY BE CHIC,
BUT I HEARD THAT THE REAL
PARTYING GOES ON
IN THE PRIVACY
OF PEOPLE'S HOMES.
MANY OF THESE PEOPLE
COULD AFFORD TO LIVE ABROAD,
BUT PREFER TO LIVE
AS ECONOMIC ELITES HERE
IN THE RITZIEST CORNER
OF TEHRAN.
ON OUR WAY OUT OF TOWN,
WE VISIT A SYMBOL
OF THIS VIBRANT CITY --
ITS FREEDOM MONUMENT.
DATING FROM THE 1970s,
IT'S ONE OF THE FORMER
SHAH OF IRAN'S
MANY EXTRAVAGANZAS.
HE BUILT IT TO CELEBRATE
THE 2,500th ANNIVERSARY
OF THE PERSIAN EMPIRE,
AND ALL THE MIGHTY PERSIAN KINGS
WHO CAME BEFORE HIM.
UNDERLINING THE ANCIENT ROOTS
OF THIS SOCIETY,
ITS DESIGN SYMBOLIZES
A ZOROASTRIAN FIRE ALTAR,
AND IT'S DECORATED WITH
CLASSIC PERSIAN MOTIFS.
LEAVING TEHRAN
WAS QUICK AND EASY
WITH ITS IMPRESSIVE SYSTEM
OF HIGHWAYS.
JUST OUTSIDE OF TOWN,
WE DROPPED BY THE GREAT MOSQUE
CONTAINING THE TOMB
OF AYATOLLAH KHOMEINI.
HE WAS THE SPIRITUAL LEADER
OF THE REBELLION
THAT OVERTHREW THE SHAH IN 1979,
AND KHOMEINI RULED THE COUNTRY
FOR THE NEXT DECADE.
EVEN THOUGH THE MOSQUE
CAN ACCOMMODATE
UP TO A MILLION WORSHIPPERS
ON SPECIAL DAYS,
IT'S UNDERGOING
A MAJOR EXPANSION.
THE WORK IS FUNDED BY SMALL
DONATIONS MOSTLY FROM THE POOR,
AS THEY WERE THE PEOPLE
KHOMEINI INSPIRED THE MOST.
THIS FELT LIKE A PARTICULARLY
EASY-GOING MOSQUE,
IN KEEPING WITH KHOMEINI'S IMAGE
AMONG HIS PEOPLE.
RATHER THAN THE IMPRESSION
I'VE LONG HELD
OF A MENACING IDEOLOGUE,
HERE HE'S CONSIDERED A SAGE
AND A CHAMPION
OF TRADITIONAL VALUES.
AFTER THE SHAH'S EXCESSES
AND CORRUPTION,
KHOMEINI'S SIMPLICITY
AND HOLINESS HAD A STRONG APPEAL
TO THE IRANIAN MASSES.
HE DID USE OPPRESSIVE TACTICS,
BUT TO THE POOR
AND THE LESS EDUCATED,
THE CHARISMATIC KHOMEINI
WAS LIKE A MESSIAH.
AS THE PERSONIFICATION
OF THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION,
HE SYMBOLIZED DELIVERANCE
FROM THE ECONOMIC OPPRESSION
AND WESTERN DECADENCE
OF THE SHAH.
KHOMEINI GAVE MILLIONS
OF IRANIANS HOPE.
CONTINUING SOUTH
ON THE MAIN HIGHWAY,
THE ARID VASTNESS
OF THIS ALASKA-SIZED COUNTRY
IS CLEAR.
VENTURING UP A RIVER VALLEY,
WHERE WATER BRINGS LIFE
TO THE LANDSCAPE,
WE FIND A TIMELESS MOMENT --
A SHEPHERD WATCHING OVER
HIS FLOCK.
THE SCENE COULD BE
FROM 5,000 YEARS AGO,
WHEN THIS CORNER OF IRAN WAS
PART OF THE FERTILE CRESCENT --
A PLACE AND TIME WHEN FARMING
AND THE DOMESTICATION OF ANIMALS
HELPED GIVE RISE TO THE FIRST
GREAT CIVILIZATIONS.
YOU GET THE FEELING
THIS COULD BE BACK
IN ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA.
THEN WE CAME ACROSS
THE VILLAGE OF ABYANEH,
NESTLED IN ITS VALLEY.
THE REMAINS OF A RUINED CASTLE
ARE A REMINDER OF
ITS FORMER IMPORTANCE.
NOW A SLEEPY BACKWATER,
ABYANEH IS A PICTURESQUE EXAMPLE
OF IRANIAN VILLAGE LIFE.
THE REFLECTIVE ROOFS
HELP RESIDENTS WEATHER
BLISTERING SUMMERS --
I'M GLAD WE'RE HERE IN MAY.
AS IN SMALL TOWNS
ALMOST EVERYWHERE,
THE YOUNGER GENERATION
IS PULLED TO THE BIG CITY
IN SEARCH OF EMPLOYMENT
AND A MORE EXCITING LIFE.
THOSE WHO REMAIN ARE OLD
AND SEEM TO HAVE AN ABUNDANCE
OF TIME ON THEIR HANDS.
THE FEW TOURISTS --
MOSTLY IRANIAN --
WANDER THROUGH, ADMIRING
THE SIMPLE ARCHITECTURE
AND FINE OLD WOODEN BALCONIES.
FOR ME, THE VILLAGE HIGHLIGHT
WAS MEETING ITS PEOPLE.
WITH A LITTLE TRANSLATION HELP,
I GET A DEMONSTRATION
IN THE LOCAL FASHIONS FOR MEN.
[ SPEAKING FARSI ]
ALONG WITH BAGGY PANTS,
THE TOWN IS PROUD OF ITS UNIQUE
GENDER-SPECIFIC DOOR KNOCKERS.
I NEVER CONSIDERED THE VALUE
OF KNOWING
IF IT'S A BOY OR A GIRL
AT THE DOOR.
BUT THAT'S HANDY FOR
A CONSERVATIVE MUSLIM WOMAN.
Woman: ZAN...
GIRL.
Woman: MARD.
 MARD -- MAN.
MAN.
 XODA HAFEZ.
 XODA HAFEZ.
 XODA HAFEZ -- BYE-BYE.
BYE-BYE!
OKAY.
AND THE MAIN INDUSTRY SEEMS TO
BE SELLING DRIED FRUITS.
 SALAAM.
OOH, IT'S GOOD?
WHAT IS THIS,
IS THIS GOOD?
HOW MANY?
KHOMEINI.
"KHOMEINI"?
KHOMEINI.
KHOMEINI.
I DON'T THINK SO, NO.
I'LL GIVE YOU SOME --
LET'S SEE, LET ME GET --
HOW MUCH -- OH, KHOMEINI?
HIM? OKAY -- THAT ONE?
OKAY.
 MERCI.
SO, IT SURPRISED ME --
THEY SAID ONE KHOMEINI,
AND I BOUGHT THESE DRIED APPLES
WITH THIS BILL, AND IT'S GOT
A KHOMEINI ON IT.
THAT'S WHAT THEY
CALL THE BILL FOR THE TOURIST,
"A KHOMEINI."
OKAY, SO --
[ SPEAKING FARSI ]
NICE.
I CAME HERE KNOWING NO ONE
AND UNCERTAIN
OF WHAT TO EXPECT.
AFTER VISITING
ITS LARGEST CITY
AND A SMALL VILLAGE,
THE THING
THAT HAS IMPRESSED ME
THE MOST
IS THE WARMTH AND OPENNESS
OF THE IRANIAN PEOPLE.
[ CHILDREN CALLING ]
GRANTED, THERE ARE
NO EASY SOLUTIONS
TO THE PROBLEMS
CONFRONTING OUR TWO NATIONS.
BUT, SURELY,
GETTING TO KNOW THIS CULTURE
IS A STEP
IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
I'M RICK STEVES --
HAPPY TRAVELS.
AND AS THEY SAY HERE,
"PEACE BE UPON US."
