Iran - Andrew Burke [308]
Iran offers many excellent one- and two-day walks. Possibilities exist in the mountains north of Tehran, around Darband and Tochal; at Kelardasht, Masuleh and Nahar Khoran in the Caspian region; around Mashhad; from Gazor Khan and around Orumiyeh and Takht-e Soleiman. Day and overnight desert treks can be easily arranged from Yazd, while longer expeditions can be organised on demand.
For the more adventurous, or those with more time, Iran also offers several longer routes across mountains and through forests.
The Alamut area is rich in trekking options, including some taking you across the Alborz Mountains and down to the Caspian (Click here). There are two main routes and many possible variations, but even for the easiest it’s advisable to take a guide.
In remote regions, especially near borders, you may stumble across military/police/security areas; an Iranian guide or a few phrases of Farsi should smooth over any misunderstandings. Drinking water is often scarce, so take your own supplies in desert regions, and purification tablets or water filters elsewhere.
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BUSINESS HOURS
Opening and closing times can be erratic, but you can rely on most businesses closing Thursday afternoons and Friday (the Iranian weekend). During summer, many businesses close during the hot afternoons, from about noon until about 4pm; along the blistering Persian Gulf coast, doors stay shut until about 5pm. The most likely time to find anything open is between 9am and noon, daily except Friday. In this book hours will accord (more or less) with the following list unless stated otherwise.
Airline offices Open 9am to 4pm, Saturday to Wednesday, and Thursday mornings.
Banks Open 7.30am to 1.30pm Saturday to Wednesday, 7.30am to 12.30pm Thursday.
Government offices Open offices 8am to 2pm Saturday to Wednesday, 8am to noon Thursday.
Museums Tend to open 8.30am to 6pm summer, 4pm or 5pm winter, with one day off, usually Monday or Tuesday.
Post offices Generally 7.30am to 3pm Saturday to Thursday, some main offices open later.
Private businesses Conduct business 8am or 9am to 5pm or 6pm Saturday to Wednesday, until noon Thursday.
Restaurants Offer lunch noon to 3pm, dinner 6pm or 7pm to 11pm, or whenever the last diner leaves.
Shops Open 9am to 8pm Saturday to Thursday, but likely to have a siesta between 1pm and 3.30pm and possibly close Thursday afternoon.
Telephone offices Operate 8am to 8pm or 9pm; earlier in small towns.
Travel agencies Generally 7.30am to 5pm or 6pm Saturday to Thursday, 7.30am to noon Friday.
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CALENDARS
Three calendars are in common use in Iran: the Persian solar calendar is the one in official and everyday use; the Muslim lunar calendar is used for Islamic religious matters; and the Western (Gregorian) calendar is used in dealing with foreigners and in some history books. As a result, Iranian newspapers carry three dates; 23 May 2007 also appeared as Khordad 2 1386 (Persian) and Jamada I 6 1428 (Muslim). The Zoroastrians also have their own calendar (see below for details).
When entering Iran if you’re planning to use the whole visa time allocated don’t forget to make a note of the Western date for your own reference: the stamp in your passport will usually be in the Persian calendar (and in Farsi numerals). When booking public transport or extending your visa try to double-check the Gregorian date with a calendar (most calendars in Iran show Persian, Gregorian and Islamic dates) or online at payvand.com/calendar.
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IRANIAN CALENDARS
Persian Calendar
The modern Persian solar calendar, a direct descendant of the ancient Zoroastrian calendar, is calculated from the first day of spring in the year of the Hejira, the flight of the Prophet Mohammed from Mecca to Medina in AD 622. It has 365 days (366 every leap year), with its New Year (No Ruz) usually falling on 21 March according to the Western calendar. The names of the Persian months are