HI, I'M RICK STEVES,
IN WHAT JUST MIGHT BE
THE MOST FASCINATING
AND SURPRISING LAND
I'VE EVER VISITED.
WE'RE IN IRAN,
HERE TO LEARN, TO UNDERSTAND,
AND TO MAKE SOME FRIENDS.
THANKS FOR JOINING US.
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.
IN THIS EPISODE, WE'LL EXPLORE
THE HISTORIC CAPITALS
OF THIS HISTORIC COUNTRY.
IN ESFAHAN, WE'LL VISIT
ITS EXTRAORDINARY MOSQUES
AND GO TO FRIDAY PRAYERS.
THEN WE'LL ROAD-TRIP
TO A CARAVANSERAI
ON THE OLD SILK ROAD.
IN SHIRAZ, WE'LL VISIT
THE TOMBS OF IRAN'S
MOST BELOVED POETS.
THEN WE'LL ENJOY
THE HOSPITALITY
OF A FAMILY DINNER,
BEFORE VISITING
THE SPLENDID MONUMENTS
OF IRAN'S RICH AND GLORIOUS PAST
AT PERSEPOLIS.
MOST IMPORTANT, WE'LL MEET
AND TALK WITH
THE PEOPLE WHOSE GOVERNMENT
SO EXASPERATES AMERICA.
THE SITUATION
IS OPEN.
IRAN, TWICE THE SIZE
OF FRANCE,
SITS EAST OF EUROPE
IN AN INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT
CORNER OF ASIA,
SURROUNDED BY TURKEY, IRAQ,
PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN.
WE START IN ESFAHAN,
HEAD SOUTH TO SHIRAZ,
AND FINISH IN PERSEPOLIS.
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.
OUR FIRST STOP IS
A RELIGIOUS CAPITAL, ESFAHAN.
THE CITY, WITH A MILLION
AND A HALF PEOPLE,
IS A SHOWCASE
OF PERSIAN SPLENDOR.
ONE OF FINEST CITIES IN ISLAM,
AND THE CULTURAL HEART OF IRAN,
IT'S FAMOUS FOR ITS DAZZLING
BLUE-TILED DOMES
AND ROMANTIC BRIDGES.
IRANIANS COME HERE TO BOTH
CONNECT WITH THEIR HERITAGE
AND TO CELEBRATE IT.
I'M NOT SURPRISED THAT THIS CITY
IS IN IRAN'S NUMBER-ONE
HONEYMOON DESTINATION.
ALONG WITH BEING ROMANTIC,
ESFAHAN IS JUST PLAIN ENJOYABLE.
ITS MAIN BOULEVARD IS A DELIGHT,
GIVING THE VISITOR
A SLICE-OF-LIFE LOOK
AT TODAY'S COMMERCE.
IT'S A BUSTLING SCENE,
AS ENTERTAINING
FOR ITS PEOPLE-WATCHING
AS IT IS FOR
ITS WINDOW-SHOPPING.
WE FOUND THE PEOPLE IN ESFAHAN
WERE AS FRIENDLY
AND WILLING TO TALK TO US AS
THEY WERE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE.
WHAT IS YOUR NAME?
NOUSHIN.
THANK YOU,
YOUR HEART IS KIND, TOO.
YEAH?
CAN I TAKE YOUR PHOTOGRAPH?
AH.
OKAY -- HELLO!
THANK YOU.
AMERICAN AND IRAN,
WE CAN BE FRIENDS.
ME, TOO.
THE CHEHEL SOTOUN PALACE
IS A VIVID REMINDER
THAT ESFAHAN WAS
THE CAPITAL OF PERSIA
400 YEARS AGO.
WITH ITS REFLECTING POOL
AND FINE GARDENS,
THE PALACE GIVES YOU A SENSE
OF PERSIA'S 16th-
AND 17th-CENTURY GOLDEN AGE.
THE PORTICO FEATURES 20 SLENDER
AND STATELY WOODEN COLUMNS.
THE ENTRANCE SHOWS
THE GEOMETRIC MOTIF
THE PERSIANS WERE FAMOUS FOR.
TWINKLING MIRRORS LURE YOU
INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE PALACE.
I WAS STRUCK BY THE ELEGANCE
AND GRACE
OF ISLAMIC PERSIA AT ITS ZENITH.
WITH TENDER DANCERS,
FLOWING HAIR,
AND DASHING MOUSTACHES,
THE SUMPTUOUS RICHNESS
OF THIS CULTURE
COMES ACROSS IN THESE
FINE PAINTINGS.
IN ESFAHAN,
EVERYTHING SEEMS TO RADIATE
FROM THE GRAND IMAM SQUARE --
IT'S ONE OF THE LARGEST
IN THE WORLD.
LIKE SO MUCH IN IRAN THAT PRIOR
TO 1979 WAS NAMED FOR THE SHAH,
NOW IT'S NAMED AFTER KHOMEINI,
THE GREAT IMAM, AS LEADING
MUSLIM TEACHERS ARE CALLED.
TWO STRIKING MOSQUES
FACE IMAM SQUARE.
THE SMALLER MOSQUE WAS BUILT
FOR THE WOMEN
OF THE SHAH'S HAREM.
UNDER ITS COLORFUL DOME,
LATTICE WINDOWS ILLUMINATE
INTRICATE MOSAIC WORK.
THE IMAM MOSQUE,
ONE OF THE HOLIEST IN IRAN,
IS BOTH HUGE AND BEAUTIFUL,
WITH THE ELABORATE DECORATION
TYPICAL OF PERSIAN MOSQUES.
IT HAS EXQUISITE TILE WORK,
AND WAS CONSTRUCTED
IN THE EARLY 1600s.
THAT'S ABOUT WHEN BERNINI WAS
REDOING ST. PETER'S BASILICA
AND EUROPE WAS IN
ITS BAROQUE AGE.
ITS TOWERING FACADE
IS AS STRIKING
AS THE GRANDEST CATHEDRALS
OF EUROPE.
BUT ISLAM FORBIDS IMAGES.
THEREFORE, RATHER THAN
THE CARVED STATUES YOU'D FIND
DECORATING A CHRISTIAN CHURCH,
A MOSQUE HAS DECORATIVE DESIGNS
AND SCRIPT.
THIS CREATES A VISUAL CHANT
OF QUR'ANIC VERSES
PRAISING ALLAH, OR GOD.
LOCALS BELIEVE THAT THE COLOR
PATTERN OF THE TILES --
LIGHT TURKISH BLUE
AND DARK PERSIAN BLUE --
IS CALMING, AND CONTRIBUTES
TO SPIRITUAL HEALING.
[ MAN SINGING PRAYER ]
THIS MOSQUE'S CANTOR
IS HAPPY TO DEMONSTRATE
THE SPLENDID ACOUSTICS OF ITS
17th-CENTURY DOME.
[ SINGING PRAYER ]
WE'RE HERE, IT SEEMS,
WITH MUCH OF ESFAHAN
FOR FRIDAY PRAYERS.
FILLED WITH
THOUSANDS OF WORSHIPPERS,
THE MOSQUE COMES TO LIFE.
THIS SCENE
STRUCK ME AS SIMILAR
TO A CHURCH SERVICE
BACK HOME --
SERMON...
RESPONSIVE READING...
LOTS OF PRAYER...
LOTS OF GETTING UP,
AND GETTING DOWN.
BUT THERE ARE
PERPLEXING DIFFERENCES.
WOMEN WORSHIP IN
A SEPARATE SECTION.
SOLDIERS STAND GUARD
AMONG THE WORSHIPPERS,
A REMINDER OF THE TENSIONS
WITHIN TODAY'S ISLAMIC WORLD.
AND THE SEEMINGLY INNOCUOUS
YELLOW BANNER IN THE BACKGROUND
PROCLAIMS, "DEATH TO ISRAEL."
THIS DISTURBING MIX
OF POLITICS AND RELIGION
APPARENTLY RESULTS FROM
A DEEP-SEATED RESENTMENT
OF WESTERN CULTURE
IMPOSED ON THEIR WORLD.
ESFAHAN, AS A RELIGIOUS CENTER,
IS AN IDEAL PLACE
TO TRY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND
COMPLEXITIES LIKE THESE.
OFFICIALLY, THIS IS
THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN.
IT'S A SHIITE MUSLIM THEOCRACY,
THERE'S NO SEPARATION
OF MOSQUE AND STATE.
THE CONSTITUTION DOES ALLOW
FOR OTHER RELIGIONS,
AS LONG AS THEY
DON'T OFFEND ISLAM.
A MAJOR CONCERN -- MUHAMMAD,
WHO CAME IN THE 7th CENTURY,
IS CONSIDERED THE LAST PROPHET.
THAT'S WHY SUNNI MUSLIMS,
CHRISTIANS, AND JEWS
ARE TOLERATED,
BUT BAHAIS, WHOSE PROPHET,
BAHA'U'LLAH,
CAME IN THE 19th CENTURY,
ARE NOT.
TOLERANCE?
TO A DEGREE.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM?
WELL, LET'S PUT IT THIS WAY --
IF YOU WANT TO GET ANYWHERE IN
IRAN'S MILITARY OR GOVERNMENT,
YOU BETTER BE A PRACTICING
SHIITE MUSLIM.
IRANIANS ARE PREDOMINATELY
SHIITE MUSLIM,
NOT SUNNI MUSLIM.
STRUGGLING TO UNDERSTAND
THE DIFFERENCE,
I ASKED OUR LOCAL GUIDE,
MR. SEYED REHIM BATHAEI,
TO EXPLAIN.
SO, THERE ARE MORE THAN
A BILLION MUSLIMS
ON THIS PLANET,
SOME ARE SUNNI,
SOME ARE SHIITE.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
DIFFERENCE IS VERY SIMPLE.
THEY WERE SPLIT AFTER THE DEATH
OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD,
AND IT WAS THE BEGINNING
OF 7th CENTURY.
AND IT WAS OVER THE SUCCESSION
OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD --
THOSE PEOPLE
WHO BELIEVED IN ALI
AS A SUCCESSOR OF
PROPHET MUHAMMAD,
AND ALSO HIS DESCENDANTS,
WERE SHIITE --
BECAME SHIITE.
AND THOSE PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T
BELIEVE IN THIS SYSTEM,
WE CALL THEM SUNNIS.
GOOD SUNNI, GOOD SHIITE DIE,
DO THEY BOTH GO TO HEAVEN?
THEY BOTH GO TO HEAVEN --
THAT'S THE SAME FOR SUNNI
AND SHIITES -- THERE ARE ONLY
MINOR DIFFERENCES.
BUT THESE DIFFERENCES
SEEM SMALL,
BUT STILL
MANY PEOPLE ARE DYING,
AND I READ IN THE NEWS,
SUNNI FIGHTING SHIITE.
OF COURSE, PROTESTANTS HAVE
FOUGHT CATHOLICS,
AND MANY PEOPLE
WERE DYING --
TODAY, IN ISLAM,
SUNNI AND SHIITE ARE FIGHTING --
WHY IS THAT?
JUST CONSIDER THAT
MANY NATIONS HAVE
FOUGHT EACH OTHER
DURING THE COURSE
OF HISTORY.
NOT ALL OF IT HAS BEEN
BECAUSE OF RELIGION.
BUT THERE'S SO MUCH BLOODSHED
BETWEEN SUNNIS AND SHIITES.
IN THE 1980s,
ONE MILLION CASUALTIES
BETWEEN SUNNI IRAQ
AND SHIITE IRAN.
WHY DO THEY FIGHT
AND SHED BLOOD
WHEN THE DIFFERENCES
SEEM SO SMALL?
BECAUSE IT WASN'T
A RELIGIOUS WAR.
IT HAS GOT NOTHING TO DO
FOR BEING A SHIITE OR SUNNI.
THAT WAS A TERRITORIAL THING.
AND ALSO AMBITIONS
OF A DICTATOR, SADDAM HUSSEIN.
ECONOMIC EXPANSION,
NATIONALISM.
NATIONALISM,
ECONOMIC EXPANSION,
SOME HELP FROM SUPERPOWERS.
I THINK THE BEST EXAMPLE
FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE WEST
TO UNDERSTAND THESE MATTERS
BETWEEN SHIITES AND SUNNIS
IS THIS EXAMPLE OF
ENGLAND AND IRELAND.
HMM.
WHATEVER THE ROOT CAUSES --
RELIGIOUS OR NATIONALISM,
THE SUNNI AND SHIITE MUSLIMS
SHARE A BLOODY PAST.
AND THE CONFLICT CONTINUES.
LIKE CITIES THROUGHOUT IRAN,
ESFAHAN HAS A CEMETERY DEDICATED
TO THE ESTIMATED 200,000
IRANIAN "MARTYRS" --
AS ANYONE WHO DIES IN
A RELIGIOUS OR NATIONAL WAR
IS CALLED --
OF THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR.
ALL THE PORTRAITS
AND ALL THE DATES
ARE FROM THE 1980s.
TODAY, OVER TWO DECADES LATER,
THE CEMETERY IS STILL
VERY MUCH ALIVE
WITH MOURNING LOVED ONES.
WHILE THE UNITED STATES LIVES
WITH THE SCARS OF VIETNAM,
A GENERATION OF IRANIANS
LIVE WITH THE SCARS OF THEIR WAR
WITH IRAQ --
A WAR IN WHICH IRAN, WITH
ONE QUARTER OF OUR POPULATION,
SUFFERED MANY TIMES THE DEATHS.
IT'S TRADITIONAL IN IRAN
TO PICNIC AT THE GRAVE SITES
OF LOST LOVED ONES.
WE MET TWO FAMILIES,
WHO EACH LOST A SON IN THE WAR,
SHARING A MEAL.
THEY FIRST MET HERE 20 YEARS AGO
AND BECAME FRIENDS.
THEIR SURVIVING CHILDREN
MARRIED.
AND THEY'VE SHARED
MEMORIAL MEALS TOGETHER
HERE AT THE TOMBS OF THEIR
LOST SONS
EVER SINCE.
STRADDLING ITS RIVER,
ESFAHAN IS FAMOUS
FOR ITS MARVELOUS BRIDGES,
WHICH DATE TO THE 17th CENTURY.
AND BETWEEN THOSE BRIDGES,
STRETCHING FOR SIX MILES
ON EITHER BANK,
IS A MUCH-LOVED CITY PARK.
THIS IS WHERE FAMILIES
AND FRIENDS GATHER
OVER A POT OF TEA
OR A BOX OF SWEETS.
HERE ON THE RIVERBANK,
I WAS STRUCK BY
THE TRANQUILITY OF THE SCENE,
FILLED WITH PEOPLE
WHO SEEMED TO BE
THOROUGHLY ENJOYING
LIFE'S SIMPLE BLESSINGS.
I LOVE IT
IN THE LAST HOUR OF DAY
WHEN EVERYBODY'S OUT,
AND HERE IN ESFAHAN,
IT'S DOWN TO THE RIVERBANK.
YOU KNOW, ALL OVER EUROPE,
YOU'VE GOT THIS
 PASSEGGIATA, PASEO, PEOPLE ARE
 OUT DURING THE MAGIC HOUR.
DIDN'T EXPECT TO FIND IT
HERE IN IRAN,
BUT, BOY, THEY'VE GOT IT.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE WORD IS
IN FARSI...
BUT THEY'VE GOT THE PASEO.
LIKE THE PASEO,
IT'S A SOCIAL SCENE FILLED
WITH YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN
AND FAMILIES
ENJOYING THE MOMENT.
ANY INTERACTION BETWEEN MEN
AND WOMEN SEEMED VERY DISCREET.
STILL, EVEN WITH THE CONSTRAINTS
OF DRESS AND BEHAVIOR,
I SENSED A CONFIDENCE
AND YOUTHFUL VITALITY.
TO ME, THESE YOUNG PEOPLE
FELT LIKE THE FUTURE OF IRAN.
THEY HAD A MODERN SENSIBILITY
AND SEEMED WELL EDUCATED.
I HAVE MANY FRIENDS
IN AMERICA
THAT ARE CURIOUS
ABOUT IRAN.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL THEM?
WHAT MESSAGE WOULD YOU GIVE
TO MY FRIENDS?
YOUR FRIENDS?
YEAH? THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR.
BECAUSE WE LOVE --
WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND
THE PEOPLE OF IRAN,
AND IF WE CAN MAKE FRIENDS,
IT'S A GOOD THING, I THINK.
YEAH, IS GREAT.
DO YOU HAVE FRIENDS THAT YOU
COME TO SEE ON THE RIVER?
ON THE RIVER? NO.
WE JUST COME HERE
WITH OUR FAMILIES.
MIGHT YOU MEET A BOY
DOWN HERE?
NO, WE DON'T MEET
A BOY, USUALLY.
WHERE DO YOU MEET
A BOY?
WHERE?
SOMEDAY YOU MUST MEET A BOY.
I CAN BE --
WE'LL MEET A BOY, BUT...
WE ARE NOT
SUPPOSED TO FIND A BOY.
YOU'RE NOT --
OH, THEY FIND YOU?
YEAH, THEY FIND US.
REALLY?
HOW DOES THAT WORK?
OKAY, IT REALLY WORKS.
DOES IT WORK OKAY?
SO YOU HAVE NO WORRIES
ABOUT THIS?
NO, NO WORRIES.
THAT YOU'LL BE HAPPY.
THAT'S GOOD,
I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY.
VERY NICE TO MEET YOU.
YOU, TOO -- SAME HERE.
AS THE SUN GOES DOWN,
THE PEOPLE OF ESFAHAN
ALSO GATHER IN IMAM SQUARE,
AS IF TO SAVOR THE BEAUTY
OF THEIR CITY AT TWILIGHT.
HEADING FURTHER SOUTH,
I WAS IMPRESSED
BY BOTH THE VASTNESS
AND THE STARK BEAUTY
OF THE ARID COUNTRYSIDE.
THE FERTILE RIVER VALLEYS
STILL GROW GRAIN
AS THEY HAVE FOR AGES.
AND, USING TECHNOLOGY FROM
THE DAYS OF DAVID AND GOLIATH,
A FARMER SLINGS A ROCK
TO FRIGHTEN THE BIRDS
OFF HIS BARLEY.
AND JUST ACROSS THE STREAM
STANDS A CARAVANSERAI --
A ROADSIDE INN GOING BACK
TO THE MIDDLE AGES
AND THE DAYS OF MARCO POLO.
IRAN SERVED AS A THOROUGHFARE
FOR THE LEGENDARY SILK ROAD.
IT WAS A 5,000-MILE-LONG
TRADE ROUTE
CONNECTING CHINA AND ISTANBUL --
THE GATEWAY TO EUROPE.
ALONG THE ENTIRE ROUTE,
EVERY 30 MILES OR SO --
THAT WOULD BE A DAY'S JOURNEY
BY CAMEL --
THERE WAS A REST STOP
PROVIDING A SAFE AND SECURE
OVERNIGHT FOR THE CARAVANS.
SEEING THE SHAFTS OF LIGHT
SWIRLING WITH ANCIENT DUST,
IT'S EASY TO IMAGINE THE SMELL
OF COOK FIRES
SO MANY CENTURIES AGO,
AND THE CACOPHONY OF SOUNDS
AS TRAVELERS TOOK SHELTER
WITHIN THESE WALLS.
I FIND THESE
CARAVANSERAI EVOCATIVE.
IMAGINE THIS FORTIFIED COMPLEX
PROVIDING A SAFE REFUGE
FOR THE NIGHT,
COMPLETE WITH RESTAURANT,
GOOD PLACE TO PARK THE CAMEL,
MARKET, ENTERTAINMENT,
AND A GREAT PLACE TO CATCH UP
ON THE LATEST NEWS.
A COUPLE MORE HOURS
TO THE SOUTHWEST
IS SHIRAZ, A BOOMING CITY
OF OVER A MILLION PEOPLE.
ANOTHER CENTER
OF PERSIAN CULTURE,
SHIRAZ IS
A SOPHISTICATED CITY.
ITS IMPRESSIVE CITADEL,
WITH FINE BRICKWORK,
SURVIVES FROM WHEN THIS WAS
THE CAPITAL OF PERSIA,
200 YEARS AGO.
SHIRAZ IS FAMOUS AS THE HOME
OF BELOVED PERSIAN POETS.
PERHAPS THE TWO GREATEST WERE
HAFEZ AND SAADI,
WHO LIVED HERE CENTURIES AGO.
GARDENS SPRAWL OUT
FROM THE POETS' TOMBS,
WITH TRANQUIL CORNERS PROVIDED
TO PONDER
THE MYSTICAL BRILLIANCE
OF THESE PROPHETS OF LOVE.
EVEN IN OUR RUSHED MODERN WORLD,
IRANIANS TAKE TIME
TO SLOW DOWN AND BE MEDITATIVE.
FRIENDS AND FAMILIES GATHER HERE
TO SHARE THEIR POETRY.
HAFEZ, WHO LIVED IN
THE EARLY 14th CENTURY,
IS ENTOMBED BENEATH
THIS ORNATE CANOPY
IN THIS PEACEFUL GARDEN.
HIS LYRICAL POEMS
ARE NOTED FOR THEIR BEAUTY.
THEY DRAW UPON THEMES
OF LOVE, MYSTICISM,
AND EARLY SUFI TEACHINGS.
HE IS REVERED,
AND HIS POETRY IS STILL
ENORMOUSLY INFLUENTIAL
ON THE IRANIAN PEOPLE.
THE TOMB OF SHEIKH SAADI
HAS A SIMILAR IMPACT ON PEOPLE
FROM ALL LEVELS
OF IRANIAN SOCIETY.
WRITING IN THE 13th CENTURY,
HIS WORDS STILL STIR
THE SOULS
OF IRANIANS.
THIS IS RICK.
NICE TO MEET YOU.
VISITORS ARE WELCOMED
INTO IRANIAN HOMES
AS HONORED GUESTS.
WE'VE BEEN INVITED INTO A FAIRLY
WEALTHY FAMILY'S HOME FOR DINNER
AND A LOOK AT THE MODERN
DOMESTIC SCENE.
THEIR HOME IS AS CONTEMPORARY
AND UP TO DATE
AS YOU'D FIND ANYWHERE.
BECAUSE WE'RE HERE
WITH OUR CAMERA,
THE WOMEN ARE DRESSED
MORE CONSERVATIVELY
THAN THEY WOULD BE
IF THEY WERE JUST HERE
WITH THEIR FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
TIME AND TIME AGAIN WE
EXPERIENCED HOW, IN ISLAM,
VISITORS ARE CONSIDERED
A GIFT OF GOD,
AND TREATED AS SUCH
WITH GENEROUS HOSPITALITY.
AND TONIGHT,
THAT INCLUDES A WONDERFUL MEAL.
Man: THIS IS CALLED
IRANIAN KEBAB.
THIS IS CHICKEN.
SO THIS WOULD BE LAMB, MOSTLY?
YEAH, MOSTLY LAMB.
DO YOU SAY "BON APPETIT" --
IS THERE ANY WORD LIKE THAT?
 NOOSHE JAN.
YEAH -- NOOSHE JAN.
 NOOSHE JAN.
THE SAME AS BON APPETIT.
BEFORE I KNOW IT, MY PLATE'S
FILLED WITH FISH, KEBABS,
TWO KINDS OF RICE, EGGPLANT,
AND TOMATOES.
YOU UNDERSTAND,
YOU'RE LISTENING.
THE CONVERSATION IS AS LIVELY
AS AT ANY HOME
I'VE VISITED IN EUROPE.
IF YOU REALLY WANT TO EAT WELL
IN IRAN, MAKE SOME FRIENDS.
AND DESSERT CAME WITH
A SURPRISE...
HEY, LOOK AT THIS!
♪ HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU ♪
♪ HAPPY BIRTHDAY
TO YOU ♪
OH, YOU GUYS!
PUFF THE CANDLES.
PUFF 'EM OUT?
[ APPLAUDING ]
 OH! MAMNUN!
 MAMNUN VERY MUCH.
AN HOUR'S DRIVE FROM SHIRAZ
TAKES US TO PERSEPOLIS,
THE DAZZLING CAPITAL
OF THE PERSIAN EMPIRE
BACK WHEN IT REACHED FROM GREECE
ALL THE WAY TO INDIA.
BUILT BY DARIUS AND HIS SON
XERXES THE GREAT, AROUND 500 BC,
THIS WAS THE AWE-INSPIRING HOME
OF THE KING OF KINGS
FOR NEARLY 200 YEARS.
I'D ALWAYS DREAMED
OF VISITING PERSEPOLIS,
AND IT DIDN'T DISAPPOINT.
FOR ME, THIS IS THE MOST
MAGNIFICENT ANCIENT SITE
BETWEEN THE HOLY LAND AND INDIA.
THE VAST COMPLEX
IS A SERIES OF ROYAL PALACES
BUILT ON
A MASSIVE ELEVATED TERRACE.
AT THE TIME,
PERSIA WAS SO MIGHTY,
NO FORTIFICATIONS WERE NEEDED.
STILL, 10,000 GUARDS SERVED
AT THE PLEASURE OF THE EMPEROR.
AT THE NATIONS GATE,
DIGNITARIES FROM THE 28 NATIONS
SUBJUGATED BY PERSIA
ENTERED "WE'RE NOT WORTHY"
STYLE,
TO PAY THEIR TAXES AND HUMBLE
RESPECT TO THE EMPEROR.
CUNEIFORM INSCRIPTIONS
FROM 500 BC
SAY THE SAME THING
IN THREE LANGUAGES --
ESSENTIALLY,
"THE KING IS EMPOWERED BY GOD.
"SUBMIT TOTALLY TO HIM
FOR THE GOOD OF PERSIA.
ALL NATIONS CAN LIVE IN PEACE
IF YOU ARE COMPLIANT."
THE PALACE OF XERXES
IS CALLED THE COLUMNED PALACE
BECAUSE IT ONCE HAD 72 COLUMNS.
THE UNIQUELY DECORATIVE
PERSIAN CAPITALS
RECALL THE DISTINCT POWER
AND PRIDE OF THIS CIVILIZATION.
IMAGINE ITS IMMENSE ROOF
SPANNED BY PRECIOUS
LEBANESE CEDAR
CARRIED ALL THE WAY
FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN.
IT WAS UNDER XERXES
THAT THE PERSIANS
DEFEATED THE GREEKS
AND BURNED AND PILLAGED ATHENS
IN 480 BC.
NEXT TO THE COLUMNED PALACE
IS THE THRONE HALL,
MARKED BY ITS DISTINCTIVE
COLLECTION OF MIGHTY DOORWAYS.
THE THRONE HALL
WAS USED MAINLY FOR RECEPTIONS
FOR MILITARY COMMANDERS
AND REPRESENTATIVES OF ALL
THE SUBJUGATED NATIONS
OF THE EMPIRE.
THE FRAMES ARE
ELABORATELY DECORATED.
EVOCATIVE RELIEFS SURVIVE
THROUGHOUT THE RUINS
OF PERSEPOLIS.
SUPPLICANTS GRACEFULLY CLIMBED
THE SAME STEPS WE DO,
BRINGING OFFERINGS TO THE KING.
LIONS, A SYMBOL OF MIGHT,
REPRESENTED BOTH THE KING
AND THE POWER OF THE SEASONS.
IN THIS REOCCURRING SCENE,
A LION KILLS A BULL --
SYMBOLIZING SPRING KILLING
WINTER AND BRINGING NEW LIFE.
THEN, AS TODAY, IRANIANS
CELEBRATED THEIR NEW YEAR
ON THE 21st OF MARCH,
THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING.
THE FIGURE ON THE EAGLE'S WING,
THAT SYMBOL OF
THE ZOROASTRIAN FAITH,
IS A REMINDER
THAT THE KING'S POWER
CAME FROM AHURA MAZDA,
THE ZOROASTRIAN GOD.
IMAGINE THIS PLACE
AT ITS ZENITH --
THE CEREMONIAL HEADQUARTERS
OF THE PERSIAN EMPIRE.
COMING HERE,
YOU HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS.
BEING HERE, THEY ARE EXCEEDED.
IRANIANS VISIT
WITH A GREAT SENSE OF PRIDE.
FOR AN AMERICAN,
IT'D BE LIKE HAVING MONTICELLO,
CAPE CANAVERAL,
AND MOUNT RUSHMORE
ALL ROLLED INTO
ONE MAGNIFICENT SITE.
GIGANTIC ROYAL TOMBS,
REMINISCENT OF THOSE BUILT
FOR EGYPTIAN PHARAOHS,
ARE CUT INTO
THE ADJACENT MOUNTAINSIDE.
THE SCALE OF
DARIUS' AND XERXES' TOMBS
IS INTENDED TO DWARF
THE MERE MORTALS VIEWING THEM.
EACH COMES WITH
HUGE CARVED RELIEFS
DISPLAYING THEIR BATTLE PROWESS.
EVEN TODAY,
2,500 YEARS AFTER THEIR DEATHS,
THEY'RE REMINDING US
OF THEIR GREAT POWER.
AS HISTORY HAS TAUGHT US,
NO EMPIRE LASTS FOREVER.
IN 333 BC,
PERSEPOLIS WAS SACKED AND BURNED
BY ALEXANDER THE GREAT --
THE MACEDONIAN GREEK
WHO TURNED THE TIDE
AGAINST THE PERSIAN EMPIRE.
ENDING PERSIAN DOMINANCE,
ALEXANDER
SPREAD HIS GREEK CULTURE
ALL THE WAY TO INDIA,
AND PERSEPOLIS HAS BEEN IN RUINS
EVER SINCE.
IRAN IS AN ANCIENT AND PROUD
LAND WITH A RICH CULTURE.
TRAVELING HERE,
IT FELT LIKE A PARADOX,
ITS CONTRADICTIONS
DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND.
WHILE OUR GOVERNMENTS
MAY BE AT ODDS,
THE PEOPLE WE MET WERE
CONSISTENTLY CURIOUS,
GENEROUS, AND FRIENDLY.
I FOUND THAT,
LIKE IN MY COUNTRY,
THERE'S A TENSION BETWEEN MODERN
AND TRADITIONAL,
LIBERAL AND CONSERVATIVE,
SECULAR AND RELIGIOUS.
MAYBE WE'RE ALL
JUST STRUGGLING TO DEFEND
THE MORAL FABRIC OF OUR
RESPECTIVE SOCIETIES.
I'VE BEEN WONDERING TO WHAT
EXTENT THE USA-IRAN TENSIONS
MIGHT BE EXPLAINED BY
CARING PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES
MOTIVATED BY LOVE AND FEAR.
AND THE FLIP SIDE OF FEAR
IS UNDERSTANDING.
I CAME TO IRAN A LITTLE NERVOUS.
I LEAVE IMPRESSED MORE BY
WHAT WE HAVE IN COMMON
THAN BY OUR DIFFERENCES.
I'VE OVERCOME MY FEAR BY GETTING
TO KNOW THE IRANIAN PEOPLE.
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."
