Iran - Andrew Burke [316]
Turkey Tehran (Map; 021-3311 5299; www.e-konsolosluk.net; 314 Ferdosi St, Tehran); Orumiyeh ( 0441-222 8970, Beheshti St, Orumiyeh); Tabriz ( 0411-300 1070, Firoudi St, Tabriz)
Turkmenistan Tehran (Map; 021-2220 6731; 5 Bavati St, off Vatanpour St, off Lavasani St, Farmanieh, Tehran; 9.30am-noon Sun-Thu); Mashhad ( 0511-854 7066; Do Shahid St off Dah-e Dey Sq, Mashhad; 8.30-noon Mon-Thu & Sat) You need an invitation letter (eg from www.stantours.com) to apply for a tourist visa. Transit visas are sometimes possible without such documentation if you show a valid onward visa for Uzbekistan. Either way your application will normally be referred to Ashgabat which usually takes at least a week. Once approval has been given, speed of stamping depends on the price paid.
United Arab Emirates Tehran (Map; 021-8678 1333; 355 Vahid Dastjerdi Ave, Tehran); Bandar Abbas ( 0761-222 4229; Nasr Blvd, Bandar Abbas)
UK (Map; 021-6670 5011; www.britishembassy.gov.uk/iran; 198 Ferdosi St, Tehran)
US Interests Section ( 021-8878 2964; 59 Farzan-e-Gharbi, Africa Ave, Jordan, Tehran) Part of the Swiss Embassy, it cannot offer full consular services.
Uzbekistan (Map; 021-2229 1519; 15, 4th Dead End, Aqdasieh St, off Pasdaran St, Aqdasieh, Tehran) Most countries need a letter of invitation (LOI) from Uzbekistan. If you have one, a normal 15-day tourist visa takes about two weeks to arrange (US$65), or US$93 for urgent service. Alternatively, use a travel agency in Tehran. The embassy is near the Sadaf Shopping Centre.
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FESTIVALS & EVENTS
The majority of Iran’s festivals are religious (see Holidays, opposite). Iran’s few major festivals are concentrated in Dahe-ye Fajr, or the 10 Days of Dawn (1 to 11 February), which commemorates the lead-up to Ayatollah Khomeini’s coming to power.
Keep an eye on www.tehranavenue.com for new festivals. Festivals worth noting:
Fajr Film Festival (www.fajrfestival.ir) Held 1 to 11 February. Iran’s premier arts festival, it features Iranian and international films in several cinemas across Tehran.
International Fajr Theatre Festival (en.theater.ir) Held 1 to 11 February, primarily at Tehran’s Tezatre Shahr (City Theatre; ).
International Festival of Ritual and Traditional Plays (en.theater.ir) August or September.
Tehran Short Film Festival (www.shortfilmfest-ir.com) Usually held in October or November. Organised by the Iran Young Cinema Society.
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FOOD
Restaurants often add 10% or 15% to the bill in the name of service, though the waiter will rarely receive anything unless you add a further amount. In this book the ‘service charge’ has usually been included in the overall meal price (see also Tipping, Click here). For lots more on Persian cuisine Click here.
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GAY & LESBIAN TRAVELLERS
Despite what President Ahmadinejad might like to say, Iranian gays and lesbians do exist. Unlike most other places, however, in Iran homosexuality is not only illegal but punishable by hundreds of lashes and even death. In 2005 two men were hanged in Gorgan for the ‘crime’ of having consensual sex. Barbaric laws aside, there is no reason why gay and lesbian travellers shouldn’t visit Iran. There are no questions of sexuality on visa application forms, and we have not heard of any homosexual travellers being treated badly as long as they refrained from overt signs of affection.
Arranging meetings with Iranian gays and lesbians will, however, be tough. With so many cultural and legal constraints, it’s no surprise that the nearest thing to a gay ‘scene’ are a few nervous-looking men sitting alone in Daneshgu and Laleh parks in Tehran. For lesbians it’s even more difficult; most Iranians would probably deny the existence of women who prefer women.
The best way to contact the gay and lesbian communities, such as they are, is through the internet, which can open up all sorts of doors more safely than chancing it in the park. The website of the Iran Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Organisation (www.homanla.org) has interesting