Iran - Andrew Burke [320]
One way to avoid viruses is bring your own computer and connect to dial-up from your hotel. In most cases you’ll need an adaptor to plug into the phone line. Most are unusual two-pin types that your RJ-11 plugs into the back of; they’re available in electronics stores.
Even with the adaptor, you’ll still have work to do to get online. First, you need to find out if your hotel has a switchboard sophisticated enough to allow long local calls (many switchboards look like they’ve been around since Alexander Graham Bell’s day). If they do, you’ll then need to buy a pre-paid access card, which costs about IR10,000 for five hours. Unfortunately, most of these have access numbers for local areas only, so you’ll need to buy a new one in each city – it won’t break the bank. The cards are available at coffeenets and newsstands.
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LEGAL MATTERS
Like most things in Iran, the legal system is based on Islamic principles. The system, however, is not the strictest interpretation of Sharia law. Most of the same activities that are illegal in your country are illegal in Iran. The main difference is that the penalties can be much harsher. For most minor crimes, foreigners will probably be deported, though this is not an absolute. A few years ago a German businessman was sentenced to death for having sex with an unmarried Muslim woman, though he was eventually released after serving about two years in jail. The penalties for drug or alcohol use and smuggling are harsh. Carrying the smallest amount of hashish can result in a minimum six-month jail sentence; don’t expect assistance from your embassy or a comfortable cell. Trafficking heroin or opium carries the death penalty.
There are two ‘crimes’ that foreigners may not be aware of. Homosexual activity is illegal and has resulted in the death penalty for some Iranians. Deliberate refusal to wear correct hejab (the Islamic dress code for women) can also result in a public flogging (although a foreigner will probably be deported).
In the unlikely event you are arrested, it’s best not to reply to, or appear to understand, any questions in Farsi. If you do choose to answer questions, do so politely, openly and diplomatically. In our experience – yes, we have been arrested a couple of times (see the boxed text) – the primary motives for arresting a foreigner are usually curiosity, mild suspicion and the desire to appear powerful. Answer your interrogators so that their curiosity is satisfied, their suspicion allayed and their sense of their own self-importance flattered. Take special care not to incriminate yourself or anyone else, especially anyone Iranian, with a careless statement, and get in contact with your embassy in Tehran as soon as possible if things get heavy.
In Iran, people are legally allowed to vote at age 15, can legally drive when they are 17, and can legally have sex when they’re married – girls can be married when they turn 13 and boys when they are 15. Premarital and gay sex are both illegal.
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MAPS
The undisputed king of Iranian map-making is Gita Shenasi (Map; 021-6670 9335; www.gitashenasi.com; 15 Ostad Shahrivar St, Razi St, Valiasr Crossroads, Enqelab-e Eslami Ave; 8am-6pm Sat-Wed & 8am-1pm Thu) in Tehran, which publishes an impressive array of maps covering all the major towns and cities and some of the mountain ranges. A growing number of its maps are in English, while many others list the names of major streets, suburbs and squares in English, although everything else, including the text and indexes, is in Farsi. Maps are harder to find outside Tehran.
Gita Shenasi’s Iran Road Map (1:2,250,000) is updated annually and is highly detailed, but annoyingly it doesn’t have any route numbers on the major intercity roads. Finding maps outside Iran isn’t easy; look for the excellent Reise Know-How Iran (1:1,500,000).
Gita Shenasi publishes climbing maps, such as Central Alborz, The Peaks of the Sabalan and Damavand