Tag Archives: Tehran
Taarof, the most confusing thing about Iran
Zur deutschen Fassung dieses Berichts. The taxi ride through Tehran was short, but there was enough time to yield three surprises. First, the driver who had stopped for me was female. I had just arrived in Iran, with an image … Continue reading
Book Markets in the Middle East
In Iraq, booksellers leave the books at the side of the road overnight, thinking: “Readers don’t steal, and thieves don’t read.” That reminds me of an episode during my first visit to Iran. In a used-book shop, I found so … Continue reading
Going into the Mountains in Iran
The Iranian capital Tehran was much bigger than I had thought. Chaotic traffic, honking mopeds, cars driving straight at you on the wrong side of the road, danger to life when crossing one of the large avenues with eight lanes. Estimates for the … Continue reading
“For Neda” wins Foreign Press Association Media Award 2010
The documentary “For Neda” about the life and death of Iranian protester Neda Agha-Soltan, which I had the honour to play a small role in, won the Foreign Press Association Media Award 2010 in the category of TV feature/documentary. The … Continue reading
Update: UNESCO World Philosophy Day in Iran cancelled
I had already commented about UNESCO’s decision to hold this year’s World Philosophy Congress in Iran and about how Iran thanked UNESCO for this. Apparently, the worldwide protest against UNESCO that ensued has had quite some effect: UNESCO has now … Continue reading
UNESCO World Philosophy Day – why in Iran?
Since 2002, UNESCO is holding a World Philosophy Day each year in November. – That’s a nice idea because philosophy is much underrated in public debate. This World Philosophy Day is hosted by a different country each year. – That’s … Continue reading
What Sarah Shourd can’t say (yet)
Sarah Shourd, the American woman who was hiking in the Iraq-Iran border region last year and was arrested on that occasion and who subsequently spent 13 months in a prison in Iran, was finally released on 14 September 2010 without ever … Continue reading
Reports about my trip to Iran in June/July 2009
You might have heard about my trip to Iran in June and July 2009 to join the protests against the rigged elections, a trip that ended up in the infamous Evin prison in Tehran, in the captivity of Iran’s Intelligence … Continue reading
The Happy Hermit 