Yazd, city of earth and winds

Yazd is one of the most ancient living city on earth. A city in the desert, it is made of cob (torchis) and invented the most clever and environmental friendly air conditioning ever. On the picture, you can see the bagdir, a wind tower. It is a kind of chimney to produce wind. Air is taken from the outside and blown into wind by the magics of architecture. For a better result, princes would add a fountain adorned with green marble sculptures.The water of the fountain further refreshed the air. For an interesting technical explanation of the process, read this article. y

The opium of the people

Just like almost everything, drug is forbidden in Iran. Just like almost everything, it is very easy to find some. Opium particularly. Iran is located on the biggest route of opium, coming from Afghanistan towards western markets. And the government is not particularly efficient at controlling it. One can buy stick of opium for 3 euros. Students say it became a plague in universities, where drug dealers are rarely bothered by the police (apparently too busy at controlling girl's hijab) and even crack and ecstasy have become more and more common. Many of the critics of the government say it is too lenient on drug dealers (some asserted to me that a drug dealer caught by the police now is just fined, while he would have been sentenced to death under the previous president), and that its leniency is intentional: it aims at destroying political opposition, particularly in universities. This might be only another conspiracy theory. though. To be fair, the Iranian government has to fight with one of the biggest drug problem in the world. Afghanistan floods its neighbour with cheap opium .directed towards Europe and America. The chief of Iranian anti-drug police boasts that his country alone made 95% of seizures of illegal drugs in the world, !

The thing is that in a country where police is so good at controlling illegal behavior in the public space, while using various devices to impose approbation for an unpopular regime (through the celebration of patriotic values, the religious mobilisation etc), drugs appear as yet another device to control minds... (to be continued

Isfahan

Esfahan nesf e-jahan ast. Isfahan is half of the world.
The capital of shah Abbas 1e is, with Persepolis (which I did not visit, shame on me), the epitome of Persian greatness. Isfahan owes its splendors to the riches that transited through its caravanserails and bazars, on the Silk Road, and also to the genius of its safavid architects.

The heart of the city is a magnificent square, the second largest after Tien An Men, called "Naqsh-e Jahan", image of the world, (see wikipedia)
I will not detail here the architectural wonders of the place. ).
Just mention that it is a most prized place for Iranian picnics. At 6pm, the square starts to be invaded by crowds of Iranian families, with kids, tablecloths, food, pans, gaz topped by portable samovars for the tea, and icechests of food, and kids again, and grandmas, teenagers, and food again, until late into the night. violaine and I were adopted by the family who hosted us, and shared the warm delicious picnics. While the sun slowly declines, one canadmire the variations of the shades of beige on the Cheikh Lotfollah Mosque, and the dance of the light on the finest mosaic.