Iran - Andrew Burke [238]
Arabs are different enough that they are considered exotic by many Iranians. They speak a dialect of Arabic, usually have darker skin, include a significant number of black-skinned people with forebears from Africa, and dress differently. Women’s clothes are refreshingly colourful (see Bandari Burqas, Click here), while men wear the abba, a long sleeveless tunic, usually in white, with sandals and perhaps an Arabic turban. Elsewhere you will see men in dishdasha, the traditional floor-length shirt-dress, with the long headscarf known as gutra.
Iranian Arabs have their own music, characterised by the ney ammbooni (a sort of bagpipe) and a strong, faster beat often accompanied by a shimmying dance similar to belly dancing.
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Getting There & Away
AIR
Iran Air ( 252 3925; Valiasr St) has flights between Bushehr and Tehran (one way IR433,000, 90 minutes, twice daily), Shiraz (IR245,000, one hour, weekly) and Esfahan (IR283,000, 70 minutes, weekly). Iran Aseman (www.iaa.ir) flies to/from Dubai (one way IR1,265,000, one hour, three days weekly). Setar-e Bandar Travel Agency sells tickets.
BOAT
Apart from enterprising fishermen, there are no domestic boat services from Bushehr. However, the Valfajre-8 shipping company operates (in theory, though not always in practice) to Qatar (one way US$50, Mondays), Bahrain (US$45, seven to eight hours, Mondays) and Kuwait (US$70, seven to eight hours, Wednesdays).
For information on impending departures go to the Valfajre-8 office ( 253 0246/7; Solhabad St; 7am-5pm).
BUS
Bushehr’s big new bus terminal is about 6km southeast of town near Meydan-e Borj. It’s a private taxi (about IR20,000) or shuttle taxi (IR3000) ride away, but most bus companies maintain offices at or nearby the old bus terminal in town, including Iran Peyma ( 252 4575). For Kazerun (IR10,000) take any bus heading to Shiraz; for Kangan, Bushehr Javan ( 253 0930; Novvab-e Safavi St) has a dedicated bus daily at 10.30am. Prices in the table here are for Volvo buses except Esfahan and Shiraz (where fares indicate mahmooly/Volvo).
Getting Around
A private taxi between Bushehr airport and town costs about IR10,000 (you’ll undoubtedly be asked for more). Alternatively, take a shuttle taxi from Komite-ye Enqelab-e Eslami Sq for about IR2000.
Shuttle taxis around town cost IR500 to IR2000; trips dar baste (closed door) cost about IR5000, except to the airport or new bus terminal (IR20,000).
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FROM BUSHEHR TO BANDAR-E LENGEH
There are some charming towns dotted along the long, quiet road that skirts the Persian Gulf coastline. About 250km southeast of Bushehr, Kangan is a pretty fishing village that’s well worth exploring. Bandar-e Taheri, a little further southeast, boasts the ruins of an 18th-century sheikh’s fortress; the views from the badgir over the Gulf are superb and the town itself is quite picturesque. Nearby on the rocky coastline are the ruins of the ancient town of Siraf and some well-preserved stone graves. Bandar-e Bostanu, 18km west of Bandar-e Lengeh, has some great badgirs.
Without a vehicle this area is difficult to fully explore. Most traffic just races by and there are no hotels. However, unless you arrive during the long summer siesta you’ll probably get a warm welcome from the locals, who are unlikely to have seen another tourist for quite some time. If you are not found by someone who insists on putting you up for the night (probable if your bus passes at 3am), then your best bet is the local town mosque (which will usually have a room with a roll-out bed on the floor).
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KISH ISLAND
0764 / pop 20,000
‘Oh, but have you been to Kish? You absolutely must go.’ Travelling in Iran you’ll likely hear this more than once. And when you ask what is so special about Kish, you’re told: ‘But Kish is wonderful; everything works there. It is clean, shopping is cheap, you can swim…and there are no Paykans!’
Yes, all of this is true. Kish, the desert island that the last