HISTORY
CULTURE
Environment
March 22, 2012 - from Jerry Dekker
Yes, Iran has been in the news a lot lately. And we have been getting email and phone calls from people who wonder whether or not it is safe to travel to Iran. It is true that there has been the beat of war drums that has caused a good amount of anxiety among prospective travelers to the Middle East. Many people are afraid to travel specifically to Iran. So what can we say? We are in regular contact with people in Iran because of our work and when I ask my friends and colleagues in Iran if they are affected by the war cries I hear things like Iranians are busy getting ready for their New Year that starts on March 21. People are worried that because of the economic sanctions against Iran will they have enough money to survive and also to prepare to celebrate their ancient New Year’s holiday, Now Ruz. At least on the surface it appears to us that people in Iran are just trying to live their lives as usual, hoping that the war frenzy will calm down, and that soon diplomacy will win the day. So that people can just get on with their lives. Iran is an ancient civilization with a strong and sophisticated culture that has survived countless invasions from abroad, foreign occupations and international intrigue.
We have a constant flow of American travelers going back and forth between the USA and Iran, but you will not hear about these Americans in the media. They just don’t make the news. We have a small group of Americans traveling to Iran in May of this year with two groups going later in the year. In September we have organized a very special travel experience starting in Iran and then traveling along the Silk Road to Turkmenistan and then on along the Golden Road to Samarkand. The November tour was created to introduce travelers to Islam as it is lived in the Islamic Republic. The tour will run during the holy month of Moharram that will give the traveler a unique experience to observe Shi’ah rituals and practice so that they will have an opportunity to become familiar with Shi’ah Islam. There will be visits to sacred pilgrimage sites as well as talks with members of the clergy. Please call Jerry at (415) 740-4476 to discuss in depth any of these unique travel opportunities. You can also talk with him about the current situation in Iran and how this might affect your travel to the country. Contact me at Jerry@irantraveler.net
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Learn to Speak Persian!Learning to speak Persian is a wonderful way to prepare for and enhance your trip to Iran. |
EXPERIENCE THE WONDERS OF IRAN & The Silk Road!
Now Offering Tours To Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan!
Our Lead Irantraveler, Jerry Dekker, went on a fact finding trip to Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to explore the possibilities of linking Iran to those parts of Central Asia further along the Silk Road that shared a common history and culture with Iran. The result of Jerry's explorations is the "Ultimate Silk Road Experience". In the spirit of our building bridges of citizen diplomacy we have decided to venture along the Silk Road from Iran to Central Asia. Our Iranian travel agent in Tehran has established partnerships in both Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan with local travel agencies who are experts in organizing travel along the Silk Road and on the Golden Road to Samarkand. Our travel agent in Tehran handles the land portion of our trips while our travel agent here in San Francisco Cyrus Travel at (415) 398-6111 handles our ticketing and can also provide the traveler with information on flight connections throughout the Middle East and Central Asia. This trip will include visits to Persepolis, one of the capitals of the Achaemenian Empire (ca 550 to 330 B.C.), then on to Isfahan, which is the center of the Safavid Dynasty’s (1501 to 1722) Persian Renaissance, then following the Silk Road to the Iranian Province of Khorasan, which was part of a greater empire including today’s Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan and also the home of the great epic Persian poet Ferdowsi as well as Omar Khayyam, and on to Nisa in Turkmenistan, which was an important Silk Road city under the Iranian Parthians (247B.C. to A.D. 224) and finally Merv, one of the most important centers of Persian culture and civilization on the Silk Road and, since 1999, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The tour continues on to Bukhara in Uzbekistan which, under the Iranian Samanid Dynasty (819 to 999), created a beautiful synthesis of Islam and Persian culture and then finally Samarkand which lies along the Golden Road of Transoxiana. Samarkand is known as the Mirror of the World, the Garden of the Soul, the Jewel of Islam, the Pearl of the East and the Center of the Universe. Samarkand was visited by Alexander the Great, the Mongol Genghis Khan and Tamerlane who later claimed it as his capital.
Discover Iran for Yourself And
Experience the Real Iran
We at Iran Traveler are Americans and Iranians who support and help arrange travel between Iran and the USA for US citizens and residents. Our aim is to build bridges of citizen diplomacy between our two countries by promoting American travel to Iran and by inviting Iranians to the USA for travel, cultural and study purposes.
Learn About Iran
by Being in Iran
Study Tour to Iran
from May 27 to June 11, 2012
For us a study tour is a tour that is organized in such a way that the traveler will learn from their travel experience in such a way that their lives are enriched from a multidisciplinary perspective. Our travelers are exposed to a kind of tour that incorporates anthropology, history, art, architecture, geography and religious studies.
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Introduction to Islamic Iran
November 20 to December 6 2012
During the holy month of Moharram (November) of 2012 Irantraveler is offering a unique travel experience in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Our travelers will meet with Islamic clergy as well as lay specialists in Islam to explore and understand Islamic Iran. It is hoped that after having participated in this unique travel experience the traveler will look at Iran and Islam with different eyes.
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Pilgrimage Tours to
Iran and Iraq
June 15 to June 27, 20122
Travel Independently
or with a Group
We can arrange individual or group trips to Iran. We work directly with a licensed travel agency in Tehran, Iran who handles our land arrangements in the country. We assist travelers in obtaining travel arrangements to Iran through an American licensed IATA travel agency based in San Francisco, California. For more information about individual travel, student travel and group travel planning to Iran, click here.
NEW SERVICE!! Adventure Travel in Iran!
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Our Goal
Our goal is to increase the number of Americans going to Iran so that they will learn about Iran from their own experience in Iran by meeting the Iranian people and exploring the wonders of this ancient land. As citizen diplomats we hope to contribute to creating an atmosphere of trust and friendship based on mutual respect.