When you see a bunch of Muslim tourists exploring every nook and cranny in the massive Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur, they are probably Iranians. This family are. I asked.
They are liberal and curious about another culture. After that, I met a family of Iranians inside a lift in Sungai Wang mall. In a small talk, the head of the family kept asking me if I know the difference between Iran and Iraq. He was surprised when I told him I know Iran is Persian while Iraq is Arab. They all speak good English. I am surprised and happy I can find the original camera file/ image of Thean Hou from 2010.
In the early 1980s, I was about to enter Iran and the Iranian Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini and the toppling of the Pahlavi dynasty under Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi was fresh news. There after came the Iran hostage crisis which lasted 444 days. The diplomatic standoff between Iran and the United States resulted in a very complicated relationship between the two countries lasting till today. Friends told me then. getting an Iranian stamp on my passport will jeopardize future US visa applications.
The playboy Shah was supported by the United States.The last monarch and emperor of Iran spent his final days in exile in the United States. He died in Egypt in 1980.
Fast forward to today and a friend and hotel booking client asked if I know of any hotel in Tehran. I checked and found many roadblocks. I suspect it is because of economic sanctions by US and UN. The booking middle men companies and credit card companies are American. I persevered and found the hotels, After all, people of other nationality do travel to Iran because of legit involvement in the oil and gas industry. You can try here.
http://www.mycen.my/tehran-hotel-deals-finder/
#tehran #teheran #iran #persia #mycenhotels