Author: Deniz Seyrek

From the midparts of the main line between Tehran and Yazd, I traveled northeast for 280km towards to the desert. My destination was Mesr Desert which is a part of Kavir desert that is the second biggest desert of Iran. (800km long) The biggest is Lut desert that is in the southern parts of great Central Iran plateau.

This was my second visit to a desert. My first visit was 1,5 years ago when I was in Jaisalmer, India. I was glad that I was going to be in the desert for more extended period of time now. As I proceeded into the heart of the plateau, the topography started to change. Transition became more and more visible as I passed the mountains that pop up partly from the earth. The vast plains and the dun groundcovers were welcoming me into the desert.

Then I arrived at the tiny little village Farahzad which is the furthest settlement located just at the starting point of Mesr desert, by the dunes. In the upcoming days I was going to stay in this remote village which consists not more than 12 residences and a couple of guesthouses.

My host here was Ali. His room was a part of a guesthouse (above) which was a typical example of desert architecture. In order to be protected from the harsh sand storms, all structures have closed facades on the outside. You enter through a porch into the inner court where all the spaces are linked to. We were also sharing the room with a visitor, a small desert mouse! He was extremely cute with his whitish grey feathers and enormous black eyes. His kangaroo like bounces were odd and so sweet at the same time.

Wandering around in Farahzad and the neighbour village Mesr I saw many structures the locals built. I really loved some details. (above) There is another traditional component in Iranian culture I want to mention about. You see it here in the desert and also in many places throughout the country. It is ‘Korsi’, a traditional item of furniture which is a type of low table you place at the center of your living area. Ember is put underneath this table. (They put heater in the cities) Blankets are thrown over the table. Then you put your feet and your lower body under the blanket. What a nice idea to warm your body at long winter nights.

On some parts of the walls, the sand was running off from the surface giving an aged look to the structures. That reminded me of impermenance, that nothing can stand the same against time. Great law of nature. I am living, feeling, listening, loving and dying at the same time.

My host Ali (above) is a biologist living and working here. He is an extraordinary person who left his former life behind and came to live in the desert. In each day we had fulfilling conversations about environment, fauna, the culture and traditions. It gave me so much idea about desert life when I heard about the challenges he faced during his adaptation times to the desert.

It was interesting to see these green lands for agriculture.(above) Although there is extreme heat and sand storms, the desert people found ways to cultivate some of their essential food. They planted some specific plants around the lands to protect them from the storms. For irrigation, they developed a sophisticated system of water-wells known as qanats. There are pomegranate trees around and the dates are so so sweet.

Like we see above on the right, there are some structures here and there that protect you from the strong sun in high temperatures.
There is a traditional way of cooking food in the desert. (above, left) In the morning time they dig a hole in the sand in which they put ember. Then they put the clay pot inside and close the top all with sand. All they long the food gets cooked slowly. After they come back from the desert the food is ready.

It was amazing to wake up to the desert, to walk and get lost in the dunes everyday. This vast views above are from the top of a dune that I went nearly each day. I was watching the immensity of the dunes on one side and on the other side there were rocky mountains lining up one after another. Absolute silence of the desert was my only company. All I could hear was the soft subtle breeze and the flies coming close to my ears.
Coming to the climate, flora and the fauna.. As temperature can reach up to 50 degress in summer, best time to come to this relatively harsh climate is from September to December. I was lucky to be here in November, the days were so good but the nights were already so cold. Vegetation in this hot and arid climate is quite poor. Only a few percent of the desert is covered with plants, little trees and bushes. The area consists of animals such as wolf, jackal, hyena, sand fox, sand cat, lizard, chameleon, lizards, snakes, scorpions, eagles and hawks.

One day we got on the jeep of Ali and went much deeper into the desert. Marching on in a high speed in the vastness of the desert was not only impressive but also so fun. The topography was partly changing, angular little hills were popping up from the earth. It was magnificent to give some breaks at some high points seeing countless dunes and some little canyons in front of us.

It was so surprising to see a water resource and a seasonal riverbed in the heart of the desert. Since the hot temperatures cause extreme evaporation, the surface of the ground was hyper salty. There are also some salt lakes in this region.

Most of the nights a big group of wild camels were coming by the village to drink from the water supply. Ahh what a scene! Having the moonlight as the only source that lightens the whole view, it was so fascinating to observe them in the darkness of the night. A group of 40-50 wild camels were approaching slowly slowly, then entering one by one into the area of the water that is surrounded by some primitive fences. The reason for the fences is to block and observe them for a while. There are Sarebans here, the cameleers who take care of the health and number of the wild camels. By this way they can check if there is any illegal hunting. They know the camels, all the family members, their characters and behaviours. Respect!

Some heavy storms cause sand hills reach up to 40m in height. Strong wind shapes the surfaces, forming trippy figures. Coming to this part of the planet, witnessing the deep silence of the desert, in wonderment, an inner voice was arising, asking; ‘Where am I?’ These days I was reading on the concept of Love in Sufism. It is reinforcing my insights. ‘The experiencer’ and ‘the one that is experienced’ was disappearing. Then there was only ‘the experience’. I am Love.

The spectacular sunrise, the dreamy sunset, the moonrise and the stars. . . I am totally with the cycles of nature. The night sky is magical, stars shine like diamonds. My hearts speaks out, saying for the first time; ‘I wanna write a blog!’

One night, at the fullmoon, we came across with a group of almost 40 wild camels that came to drink water. As if we were in a magnetic pull, we approached a little closer and a little closer and a little closer until we were just beside them. We bent down our heads, eyes down, presenting our respectful and friendly energy. Some of them were calm but the active and curious ones approached us. One of them smelled Ali for a while. Then they relaxed, you could see this through their body language.

After that I had the courage to rise my head up and look in the eye of the camel that was right in front of me. We were so close that I could hear his breath coming out from his nose. Then a mutual loving energy arised through our nonverbal communication. Time had stopped. The meaning I put upon the space and time, upon my body and identity dissolved. Looking each other in the eye, we both rest in the ground of Love. At that very moment I saw the reflection of the fullmoon in the eye of the camel. That exact moment was a break through into the divine light. It was a precious a-ha moment that would be staying with me thereafter.

My next destination was Hamedan. So I left Mesr desert and from the main transport hub of Isfahan I headed to the west. When I got off from the bus at Hamedan in the early morning, I realized I had come to a totally different region and climate. The weather was freezing cold as Hamedan lies in an elevated region with Alvand mountains which are the part of giant Zagros mountain range in West Iran.

When it feels a little overwhelming to go forward from one place to another, I take my time to rest properly. I was so tired but so lucky at the same time that I was welcomed to the house of my new hosts, the golden girls, the older sisters and mother of my dear friend Behram that I met in Tehran. What a treat it was to be in their peaceful home. I took a long bath and slept almost all day.
Hamadan is an ancient city that was first mentioned in 1100 BC. It was the capital of Medes, first Persian Kingdom. Some examples of the places to visit here are; as archaelogical attractions there is Hegmataneh Hill and the rock carvings in Ganjnameh. As natural attractions there is Ali Sadr Cave. As religious attractions there is ‘The Tomb of Esther and Mordechai’ which has a high importance to Jewish people. And as historical attractions there is the masoleum of Avicenna (İbn-i Sina) who is regarded as one of the most significant physicians, astronomers, thinkers and writers of the Islamic Golden Age and the father of modern medicine.

All these attractions on one side, Hamedan got my attention because of Baba Taher’s tomb (above). Baba Taher -lived in the late 10th century- was one of the great poets and mystics of his time. He is famous for his couplet poems where his love for God, nature and humanity is so evident. His poems still drunkens the readers and lovers of poems. These are some examples from his couplet poems:

I am the ocean poured into a jug,
I am the point essential to the letter.
In every thousand, one greater man stands out,
I am the greater man of this Age!

Everyone thinks of a garden and orchard,
And liberates the heart from the jail of sorrow.
Find a different place and a different land,
Instead of making this ruined house your homeland.

The Age’s grief is our Soul’s portion here,
To free our souls needs magic art.
To all, at last, comes remedy for grief,
Annihilation cures all hearts at last.

I was listening to the translations of the couplets from my host Pervaneh and at the same time getting amazed by the spectacular turquoise dome inside the masoleum. (above) Then three man entered the masoleum and started to play tanbour. The sounds of the tanbour coloured the air when I was highly connected to the mystic feeling of the depths of the poems.

Journeys bring magical encounters. In couple of hours I found myself in the car of this men, on the road to Sahneh where I was actually heading next. Then they helped me to find a home to stay in Sahneh. I just let myself into it and witnessed all the things happening gracefully. They call this synchronicity, when an improbable and a meaningful thing happen in accordance with your conscious or unconscious intention. When you go beyond your ego, there comes the manifestation in which you and your expanded awareness both participate in the same creative process. It enhances your intuitive abilities. It is magical, it is like a gift of the Divine. The more you notice them, they get repeated. This happens to me countless times in my journeys.

So I entered Kermanshah province for the first time and arrived at Sahneh. It is a little town that is at the foothills of beautiful Zagros mountains. The alleys of the town were calm and quite showing me the slow and simple life around. The reason I came here for was the annual ceremony in tribute to Seyed Khalil Alinejad.

Seyed Khalil Alinejad (1958-2001) was one of the greatest spiritual musicians in modern times and he is recognized as one of the best tanbour master ever known. (tanbour: long-necked, string instrument originated in Mesopotamia) He dedicated his life to music, composition, singing and instrument making, as well as to astronomy, poetry and research.
The most important reason for his popularity was his attributes combined with his personality. He was deeply loved for the way he treated others and for his humble life style. He was always pleased to serve with compassion and thought nothing of the rewards of the ordinary world.
He was a disciple and one of the highly influential leaders of Yarsan (Ahl-e Haqq or People of Truth). The Ahl-e Haqq belong to a spectrum of Sufis from the Balkans to Central Asia that have included hymns and the use of stringed instruments as essential regard of their faith. By this way music transcends performance and is the foundation of sacred devotion.
Seyed Khalil Alinejad was murdered at the age of 44 in Gothenburg, Sweeden where he migrated. The cause and the perpetrators of his death have never been identified. Since then big crowds of his devoted fans participate in the anniversary of his death every year at Sahneh, at his hometown where he lived most of his life.

Those days there was a political tension in Iran. Because of the sudden rise of petrol prices (up to three times), there were many protests around the country. Unfortunately many people died. The internet was cut off totally for days and I was having troubles of not being able to reach my family to inform them that I was fine. So there was fear and anxiety in the air because the ceremony would be a communal meeting. Nevertheless in couple of hours hundreds of people gathered in front of his grave for the ceremony (above). It touched my heart to see the love, deep respect, devotion and longing in people’s eyes and attitudes. For hours and hours his lovers, his devotees played his music, sang his songs.

I also paid a visit to Teymoor, one of the great Pirs (sage) of the Ahl-e Haqq people. This is the cave where he lived in deep meditation. They call it ‘murakaba’, the introspection. Caves are exceptional to me especially when I learn that they have been the space for the people who go into deep spiritual practice in solitude. Somehow I know through my direct experience that these spaces accumulate a wise energy that enhances your discoveries in the ultimate. So being in this cave, I let myself into this gift and received the blessings.

My visit to Sahneh gifted me other memorable experiences. By the invitation of my dear hosts I attended the ceremonies of Ahl-e Haqq for two nights. These spiritual ceremonies feature music, singing and dancing in which both women and men participate. Each person is seen as an aspect of God so deserve to be treated in the best way. As people understood that I was a foreigner, they welcomed me so warmly, even making me feel priviledged. Everyone was interrelating with eachother in a highly respectful and loving way which has a deep meaning into it. It is quite hard to put this sincerity into words.
Especially with some people, a glance was just enough for the wisdom and light to pour in between the eyes. I had this connection with the old man who opened his house for these ceremonies with his generous and big heart. When I visit them in the second night I said to him that it was our destiny to meet again. His words were deeply meaningful and wise. He said; “Your name is already written in our heart. You will be always here with us.”
The ceremonies were holding an intensive energy. The music was so powerful with many tanbours, dafs (persian frame drum with many metal ringlets). High Kurdish vocals were strongly vibrating the atmosphere and the hearts. People were going into silent or voiced Zikr (literally means remembrance) which is a form of devotion in which the person is absorbed in the rhythmic repetition of the name of God or his attributes. Soon some people went into trance, crying out loud in the longing and immense love they feel for the Divine.
These kind of ceremonies are opportunities for me to dive deep in my meditations. I generally choose to be physically calm and just sit in a relaxed way with closed eyes as this is my way to connect with the silence within. Not only the energies in the field but also strong and intensive music acts like a soft support. Then the distinction between the real Self and the so-called ‘I’ dies away. I arrive home. Auspicious explorations!

I met this adorable little girl in these ceremonies. I call her ‘The little Buddha’. I won’t forget her unbelievably intimate smile, all inclusive and fully trustful approach and deep and genuine glance. At the same time how talented she was. We played drums and danced together. When I was waving goodbye, I hugged her with my prayers for her well being, always.

Despite that I came right up to the edge of Iranian Kurdistan, the route of my heart was showing another direction. Wishing to come back again to explore this region, I left Sahneh. The musics of my highly talented tanbour player host Farnood Elhami accompanied me on the road to my next destination. Below you can find one of his tanbour partitions I recorded.

Now my direction was showing northeast Iran, Khorasan.

When I was coming to Northeast Iran, I didn’t know that I was at the threshold of the days that would bring me the deepest insights in my whole Iran journey. One of the main reasons that I came to Iran was to meet with the wisdom that these lands have been storing for many centuries. I wanted to see Sufism in Iran at its cradle and learn from it.
Iran is an incredible land that raised many mystics, saints, sages and poets in the history. Especially the period between 10th and 13th century was a great time. Below is a list of some important figures:
-In West Iran: Baba Taher (in Hamedan), many pirs in Kurdistan
-In Khorasan: Attar, Omar Khayyam, Ibrahim Atem (in Neyshabur), Abu Said Abul Khayr (in Meymand), Imam Muhammedi Gazali and Abulgasim Ferdowsi (in Toos), Sufi mystics in Torbat-e Jam
-In North Iran: Abulhassan Kharaqani and Bayazit Bastami (in Shahrud)
-In Mid Iran: Saadi and Hafez (in Shiraz), Shah Nametullah (in Kerman)

Sometimes it may not be easy to find good translations of the teachings or the poems of these names. Some of these names even didn’t write anything in their lives. I gave time to read whatever I could find to know more about them. But now I was more interested in their energies as I was so close to these enlightened beings. I was carrying the intention to meet and invite them to join in the caravan of my guides. So that they could share the wisdom with me, with a drop in the ocean who dedicated her heart to the Divine Reality.

I started off from Tehran to northeast to Shahrud. As I entered the snowy areas the weather started to be really cold. I was here to visit the great mystics, Abulhassan Kharaqani ve Bayazit Bastami.
My first stop was at Qaleh No Kharaqan village that is half hour drive from Shahrud. This village located at the foothills of Elburz mountains hosts the tomb of Abulhassan Kharaqani. It is a small complex that includes some places to stay for visitors and a library that consists of many books about his teachings and mysticism. Unfortunately they are all in Farsi.

Abulhassan Kharaqani is one of the greatest mystics of Iran lived in 10th century. He made it quite clear that he had no master but God. Most characteristically, he described himself in the following words: “I am neither worshipper, nor scholar, nor Sufi: My God, you are One, so by that Oneness of yours, I am One!” Attar of Neyshabur had him as ‘King of Kings of Sufi Masters’, ‘Ocean of the spiritual knowledge’, ‘Sun of the Lord’. Rumi, Attar and so many others have narrated many poems about him.

Above is the grave of him. The words he wrote at the door of his place indicates the immensity of his heart:
“Whoever comes to this house, feed him and do not question him about his faith. For whoever is given life by Allah, deserves to eat from the table of Abulhassan.”

Then I visited Bayazit Bastam at his grave (above) at the little town of Shahrud called Bastam. It is claimed that there was a deep spiritual relation between him and Abulhassan Kharaqani although Bastam died almost a century before Kharaqani.
Bayazit Bastam, one of the greatest master Sufis of Iran lived in 9th century. He is the founder of the ecstatic (drunken) school of Sufism. He is famous for the boldness of his expression of the mystic’s complete absorption into Emptiness. Such sayings of him like “I am He” are seen as the expressions of the experience of consciousness merging with the divine.

“What is best for a man on this path?” he was asked. “Congenital felicity”, he replied.
“And if that is missing?” “A strong body.”
“And if that is lacking?” “An attentive ear.”
“And without that?” “A knowing heart.”
“And without that?” “A seeing eye.”
“And without that?” “Sudden death.”

From Shahrud I head to east to Neyshabur by train. In the north side of the whole road the snowy Binalud mountains were lining up incessantly. The north part of this mountain range is the region close to Turkmenistan that includes ethnic groups in their particular culture. This time it was not in my route, next time inshallah. I was now in Razavi Khorasan province and I arrived at Neyshabur.
Neyshabur was the center of wisdom before the massive Mongolian invasion in 12th century. Those times two of the most important wisdom schools were in Baghdad and 28 of them were in Neyshabur! This gives me the information that I was looking for, as I was wondering how come incredible amount of wise and enlightened names lived around the same regions in the same periods of time.

My first stop here was at Omar Khayyam’s Masoleum (above). Omar Khayyam was a Persian mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and poet, lived in 11th century. He wrote in the form of quatrains (rubaiyat). Cup, bowl, grape, wine, death are some of the symbols he used frequently.

“Dreaming when dawn’s left hand was in the sky
I heard a Voice within the Tavern cry,
“Awake my little ones and fill the Cup
Before Life’s liquor in its Cup be dry.
Beyond the earth, beyond the farthest skies
I try to find heaven and hell
Then I hear a solemn voice that says;
Heaven and Hell are inside.” – Omar Khayyam

Then from here I moved to the Masoleum of Attar (above), to the place that I was primarily in Neyshabur for. When I came closer to his tomb, a kind of an energy started to embrace me. Not long after I went into the tomb, my eyes filled with tears. Ahh what an energy, what a purity, what a blessing!
Fariduddin Attar (born in 12th century) was one of the greatest Sufi writers and a theoretician of mysticism. He had an immense and lasting influence on Persian poetry and Sufism. He was influenced by Ferdowsi, Mansur al-Hallaj and Abu Said Abul Khayr and influenced great names like Rumi and Hafez. Mantiq-ut-Tayr (The Conference of the Birds), Ilahi-Nama (The Book of Divine) and Tadhkirat al Awliya (The Anthology of Saints) are among his most famous works.
Below on the left is the sketch of Attar that my artist friend Hasan gifted me. We met at the day I visited Attar. He said my ecstacy had poured into his hands and enabled him to draw it in few minutes. Below, right is the painting that is on the wall at the tomb of Attar. It is a depiction of the birds which are the subject to his great work ‘Conference of the Birds’.

Attar’s most well-known work is for sure ‘The Conference of the Birds’. In this epic poem, the birds gather together to find the legendary Simorgh who can correct all the impurities of man kind. They must pass over The Seven Valleys to reach their destination. They are all faced with many challenges where human flaws are being expressed which prevent human kind to grow and attain enlightenment. Seven valleys, which the birds have to cross, are associated with the seven virtues that a person must exceed to understand the true nature of God. These valleys are; search, love, knowledge, independence, unity, amazement and annihilation.
1. Valley of the Search, where the traveller begins by casting aside all dogma, belief, and unbelief.
2. Valley of Love, where reason is abandoned for the sake of love.
3. Valley of Knowledge, where worldly knowledge becomes utterly useless.
4. Valley of Detachment, where all desires and attachments to the world are given up. Here, what is assumed to be the ‘reality’ vanishes.
5. Valley of Unity, where the traveller realizes that everything is connected and that the Beloved is beyond everything, including harmony, multiplicity and eternity.
6. Valley of Wonderment, where, entranced by the beauty of the Beloved, the traveller becomes confused and finds that he or she has never known or understood anything.
7. Valley of Annihilation/Nothingness, where the self disappears into the universe and the traveller becomes timeless, existing in both the past and the future.
Eventually when all the birds arrive at the abode of Simorgh, they learn that they themselves are the Simorgh. Because God doesn’t exist separately from the universe. He is reflected in the summation of all that exists.

In Attar’s tomb (above) I sat beside him in meditation. I opened myself to the immensity of the energy through to the extend of my consciousness. It was like sitting at the feet of Ramana Maharshi, my great Guru. Many insights followed one after another that is impossible to define with words. It was like a transmission, like a download of wisdom. I took some steps towards him, he ran and flooded over me with his love, compassion, healing, wisdom and light. We joined each other. I cried and cried and cried in love and ecstacy.
When the caretaker of the tomb saw and sensed my state, he brought me some tea and cookies and closed the doors of the tomb to comfort me. I was now all alone with him. When I was laying beside him, I became deeply aware of the illusory self and the emptiness that is beyond life and death. This body will die one day but there is this immense reality which is always and already there in the background.

Apart from having these profound experiences, it was such a pleasure to be hosted in Neyshabur by these wonderful people below. A creative group of artists and teachers of literature who set their heart on wisdom. I wish everyone could experience the great hospitality of people in Iran. I was so touched by their highly excited and respectful manners to have me as their guest. They prepared many delicious food and presented many offerings and gifts to a total stranger they didn’t know before. I got so much inspired by their generosity and by all the musics, Hafez poems, wisdom, history and culture talks we shared. May them always be happy and in peace.

During the times we spent with each other, we also had some walks in the old downtown of Neyshabur. Neyshabur, also known as Firuze city is an important source of turqoise (Iranians name it firuze) so there are a lot of shops selling turqoise in the bazaar. In Iranian architecture, the blue turquoise was used to cover the domes of palaces and mosques because its intense blue colour was also a symbol of heaven on earth.

This region is also known for its saffron production. 90% of saffron in the world is produced in Iran Khorasan provinces. One day Ali Reza brought me some freshly harvested saffron from his land (above, right). We together plucked the stigmas, the part that is used. It is a labor intensive work and then I understood why saffron is expensive. Then we dried them in order for me to bring my mom.
Neyshabur is just 130km away from Mashhad which is the biggest city in northeast and the second biggest city in the country. If you are a wisdom seeker, there are places close to here that is worth to visit. For example in the town Toos there is the tomb of Abul Qasem Ferdowsi who was a persian poet and writer of the great work Shahnameh (Book of Kings). And the other example is Torbat-e Jam which is one of the ancient cities of Greater Khorasan. There are many places there, like the tomb of Sheikh Ahmad Jami who was a 11th century Sufi Mystic.

But I wasn’t in the mood of being in the big cities. In fact I chose to skip the big cities due to the political tension in the country because of the sudden increase in petrol prices. Through Mashhad I went 300km south, to my next destination Bidokht in Gonabad town. I left behind the mountainous areas in this region of Razavi Khorasan province. Then the landscapes started to turn into plaines and I passed huge uninhabited lands. All the way long I was totally with the pure energy of Attar and with poems of Hafiz. How couldn’t I be?

The reason why I came here was to visit and stay at Shrine Mazar Sultani Complex which is the ‘khanaqah’ of the biggest Sufi order in İran. A khanqah or khanaqah is a building designed specifically for gatherings of Sufi communities and is a place for spiritual retreat. In the past, and to a lesser extent nowadays, they were providing food and shelter for travelers passing through the city. The place wasn’t open for visitors to stay who are out of the order. I was really privileged as I was welcomed to stay here through some connections.

The building above contains the tombs of four great masters of the order: Soltan Ali Shah (died in 1909), Saleh Ali Shah (died in 1966), Riza Ali Shah (died in 1992), Mahbub Ali Shah (died in 1996). This picture also shows Nur Ali Shah (died in 1918) which is buried in Tehran.
I do not belong to any religion, I am not a member of any sect as well as I don’t call myself a Sufi. My deep interest is in the energies. Just like I visited many shrines in India, many monasteries in Nepal and Thailand, many corners of mother nature in Himalayas or other mountains, many rivers and canyons, I was here for the energies the complex had. Worship places are always powerful that gifts tremendous support in the deep dives into our true nature. In the end everything is just and all energy, functioning in all forms. Thoughts, feelings, sensations, they are all energy, coming and going. In these type of places I am letting the blissful energies do the job. All I need to do is pay attention and offer myself fully.

The complex is surrounded by many rooms for devotees to stay. It reminded me of the ashrams I stayed in India. I was feeling like a pilgrim on the road to explore wisdom, now somewhere in the midst of the remote parts of northeast Iran. There were very few people around and the whole complex was looking so desolate. I didn’t want to do anything disrespectful which would be contradictory to the tradition but there was no one speaking English that could give me an orientation. The caretaker accompanied me to my room, lit the stove and gave me a chador. (a big piece of cloth women have to wear which envelops the body from head to foot) In the beginning this necessity was hard for me who didn’t grow up in a tradition like this. But I chose to let go of this.
Then I went near the graves in the central building. When I sat beside them I felt the intensive energy right away. In my first day and night here it was not really easy to get in harmony, be in balance and let myself fully into the intensity of the energies.

Connections through travelling -by its nature- gift you many different feelings. Sometimes pleasant, sometimes unpleasant. Some factors evoke the fear in you. Here I was aware of the fear in me. That first night fear became visible in the upper dantien (energy center at the forehead between the eyebrows or third eye, associated with the pineal gland. This center is where spirit is refined into emptiness). It shook me, I became dizzy. Many things came together to create this fear; the energies of the masters, this incredibly new desolate environment I was in, the political tension in the streets, helplessness of not being able to contact my family and many other loads of subconscious. I felt gratitude for the support of my friends in Tehran. Whenever I needed, they were on the other side of the phone, thinking of me.
That night despite my intensive heart beats, sitting in my room alone, I remembered again and again to Trust. I remembered the words of Rumi; “Whoever brought me here will take me home.” Also Attar was with me, I recited his name when I kept on offering my little self to the higher Self. I heard Ramana saying; “Let come what comes, let go what goes, stay with what remains.” It was not easy but I let myself to be pregnant by the seeds of wisdom. The guidance of Hafiz was with me. “If you want to know the Truth, I can so clearly see that God has made love with you. And the whole universe is germinating inside your belly.”

Then slowly slowly came the relief. That night I had the deepest sleep ever. When I got up in the morning I realized that I was totally in harmony with the energies. I see these types of shattering experiences, points of break through as precious opportunities for inner release.
In three days that I stayed here, I was mostly beside the graves or in my room meditating. The wise and all inclusive energies of the field aligned me, taking me out from the traps of my mind. Purifying the fear opened the doors of insights into emptiness. I was deeply in gratitude for the channel reaching me through from the masters. They showed me the way. They showed me that Love is the greatest guide to come over any impurities.
In the last day, I totally merged into Love. I saw the prayers coming out from the lips of the people. I saw their deep longing and devotion to the Divine. These all filled my eyes with tears. I circumambulate the graves presenting my blessings. May them keep on enlightening many generations.

I left the place with my deepest gratitude and love. I then learned that the community was so pleased of my presence that their door was always open for me. Eyvallah dear people. May you be always embraced by the light of the Divine.

Iran is a quite big country therefore you need to cover long distances even more than 1000km at times. When you are in the middle of nowhere and not close to main transport hubs, travelling can be little tough. It is sometimes impossible to find people who speaks English or to search for bus or train tickets because of the websites that are just in Farsi. Nevertheless somehow I found some people who helped me out. By this way I could be able to catch a night bus passing through a remote highway in Gonabad. Since the area is close to the border of Afghanistan, the diversity in the crowded bus was rich by the groups of Afghanistanis. People sleeping on the corridor floor of the bus reminded me of the crowdedness of India. After 650km I arrived at Yazd at an early morning.
I always stayed at homes of lovely people in Iran but this time I gave myself a gift and chose a cosy hostel in the old city. Because of my magical but intensive experiences in Khorasan in the last two weeks, I was feeling so tired. I took a day off and stayed at the hostel all day long, having a long bath, washing my clothes, cooking some food I missed to eat, sleeping, resting in tranquility. Next day I was ready to start my explorations.

Yazd is an almost 5000 year old city of desert and is one of the most ancient settlements on earth according to Unesco. It is located in the central plateau of Iran between Kavir and Lut desert.

It is a city that is famous for its unique architecture. It has one of the most traditional architectural styles of Iran which is formed in accordance with its climate. The designs take shape due to the harsh living situation of the desert. It is said that Yazd is the first adobe city of the world. The adobes are good isolators for heat and cold.
There are many characteristics of old desert architecture of Yazd. Like sabats (sunshades), badgirs (wind towers) and qanats (underground aqueducts)

Sabats meaning the sunshades (above) are built over alleys to shelter passangers from the hot sun light, keep them warmer in winters and save them against seasonal winds. And also they make the adjacent walls stronger. The regular intervals produce a beautiful scene of shade and light.

Badgirs meaning windtowers or ventilation shafts (above) are ancient systems of natural air conditioning and are designed to catch the breeze and direct it to the rooms below.

Since central plateau has hot and arid deserts and limited precipitation, the inhabitants have found methods (dating back to 500 BC) to compensate this shortage. By some genius techniques and incredible labour they carried the water from the water resources or the mountains into the heart of the desert. (sometimes 70km!) Some old and historical underground aqueducts (qanats) are still present.

The other significant feature of Yazd is its alleys. Wandering around and getting lost in the labyrinth like alleys is a part of the unique experience of this beautiful old city.

Narrow alleys cross each other in many junctions. It was such a delight to walk in these soft earth coloured alleys in the day time. I so much enjoyed to get lost in the desolate lanes at nights as well.

Jameh Mosque (above) is located in the center of the old city. It is notable for its tall minarets and exquisite mosaics and tiles that are masterpieces of calligraphy and complex patterns. Its dome is visible from almost everywhere which helps you to find your way to the center of the old city (below). I really liked the contrast of turqoise coloured tiles on the earth coloured plain facades.

Amir Chakhmaq Mosque (below); is another architectural highlight of Yazd. It opens to the main and biggest square in the old city.

Dowlat Abad Garden (below) is a historical large green area (consisting many different types of trees especially pomegranates) that is surprisingly located in the middle of the desert. 270 years old complex includes the residence of Khan and his government and officials. You can see Iran’s tallest 33m badgir (wind catcher) here. As common in many historical buildings the ceiling in the center of the interior is magnificent with its geometric shapes (below).

Inside the residence, there are many frames of colourful stained glasses with different floral patterns (below). The sunlight that filter in through the windows produce a changing interplay of many colours. I enjoyed sitting there peacefully in between the colourful reflections.

In Pre-islamic times we see first Mithraism then Zoroastrianism as the ancient religions. 10% of Yazd’s population follow Zoroastrianism. That’s why in the area we see some temples and places of this belief. Fire Temple (Ateshkadeh) seen below is one of them that shelters a flame which never extinguished for the last 1600 years. Fire is holy to Zoroastrians and it is the supreme symbol of purity. Faravahar is the ancient symbol of the Zoroastrian faith (below).

Tower of Silence (below) is one of the most important Zoroastrian burial place in the region. Ancient Zoroastrians were putting the dead body on a mount to be defleshed by raptors. Then they were gathering the remaining bones in a well in the middle of the tower. Zoroastrians have followed the tradition until a couple of decades ago.

There are two towers on top of two hills facing each other. The buildings down the hills are places for family and relatives to perform their religious rituals and to rest and stay. I learned that Zoroastrians believe that death is not the end of life, rather it is the beginning of an ongoing happiness. With my prayers I showed my respect to all the people who are resting at peace here.

Sitting at the top of the hill at Tower of Silence, I watched the impressive view of the mountains lining up in the south of the city. The feeling of the wind here, on top of the hill was breathtaking. Inevitably I contemplated on the impermenance nature of all phenomena. I realized how differently I relate to death now, how the fear and suffering on this matter was vanishing gradually. I was now more conscious of the eternity of the real Self.

Coming back to the old city. . As in every old city in Iran, Yazd has a remarkable bazaar. In the afternoon for couple of hours all the shops are closed for a break. After they are opened again, they don’t close their shutters till the night. The street life in Iran especially in the bazaars lasts long. This time I chose to explore the bazaar in the calm periods of the afternoon.

Yazd was a center of commerce on old Silk Road and it was famous for silk, carpet and textile production. Therefore you see many different products of traditional craftsmanship all around the old city. The tileworks, the potteries, carpets are so colourful indeed.

In Yazd you see quite attractive examples of wooden doors. They are decorated with many doornails and have two knockers in different shapes. One in form of a ring is for women and the other hammer like one is for men. The first has a higher and the latter has a lower pitch.

There are many nice and cosy cafes in Yazd, mostly at the rooftops. I enjoyed hearing the traditional Iranian music in these places. Even the youngsters enjoy listening to them, they commonly know the lyrics of old songs. They sing them, they contemplate and talk about the meanings of the lyrics. I really liked this.

You catch the best views of old Yazd always over the rooftops. While many pigeons are flying above, the colours in the sky look amazing at the sunset.
Exploring Yazd was a delightful experience that it got its place in my list of points that I would love to visit again. I enjoyed each and every day I spent here. It was a visual feast indeed.

After Yazd my next destination was Shiraz. Therefore I started off to south through a snowy mountainous area. Before Shiraz there were two points on the road that was worth to visit; Abarkuh and Persepolis.

The reason I visited Abarkuh was an old cypress tree. It is quite extraordinary to stop by somewhere because of a tree, right? But this particular tree is so exceptional because it is one of the most ancient living creatures on earth. Its age is estimated as around 4500 years and said that it is the 3rd oldest tree in the world.

It’s forbidden to stay near the tree more than couple of minutes. This was quite disappointing at first as I was dreaming to spend quality time and meditate around the tree. But then I understood why this jewel has to be protected so deliberately. Nevertheless I was lucky, the caretaker let me stay more, after he saw my state and prayers.
Its twisted body and the marks on its swirling branches were showing its elderliness. This reminded me of the wrinkled faces of old people. Imagine you have been living on earth for 4500 years! Imagine how wise it would be. I hugged the tree, closed my eyes and opened myself fully to its healing powers, to whatever it resonated out to the life. Taking its elder energy in, I prayed for its well being.
There is a term called “interbeing”; the underlying interrelatedness of all life, that everything is connected. Go find a tree and hug it. Follow your breath consciously like you would in meditation. Right there in the moment, feel how the tree is inhaling your exhale, how you are inhaling its exhale. By this way feel your physical presence in contact with its physical presence. Focuse with the knowledge of the reality of this inter-relationship. Hugging a tree is embracing mother nature with a big ‘thank you’, with deep gratitude and respect.
I am glad that I remembered to take one of its cones to carry its wisdom with me. The worthy things I carry has become the seeds, stones or little gifts from dear fellows. All the rest are just temporary materials that come and go as possessions.

Abarkuh is a desert town. We see some typical traditional elements in the architecture such as sun dried mud bricks and dome shaped roofs. Abarkuh has these adobe ice houses, yakhcals (below, right) that are old but very smart designs in the desert climate. They were used to store ice and food throughout the year. The mid picture below shows the memorial structure called Dome of Ali and it is the oldest strcuture of the town that dates back to 11th century. And on the left below, we see a view from the wild life here. That donkey looking animals are Persian zebras.

Departing from Abarkuh, my next destination was Persepolis. The desert look was dominant all the way long. Having the blessings of the old tree with me, carrying the energies I accumulated through the recent Khorasan days, when I was sitting at the front seat of the bus I shed tears with deep gratitude. It must have effected the bus driver that in order to comfort me he kept on offering me some tea and snacks.

I love to visit big archeological sites therefore I couldn’t miss to visit the great old capital Persepolis which is situated just 60 km northeast of Shiraz.
Persepolis (Takht-e Jamshid) was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire that dates back to 500 BC. It was built as a capital to show world the empire’s wealth, power and greatness. It was also used as a complex for celebrating Nowruz, the Persian New Year, held at the spring equinox.

Above is the spectacular view of Persepolis during the sunset.

The whole city includes residential and official palaces, audience halls, treasury and graves of the kings. These spaces are partly artificially constructed and partly cut out of the mountain.

Monumental sculptures carved from huge stones are so impressive. When you approach closer you see the great details of epictions of almost hundres of different people, soldiers, farmers, shepherds, horses, camels, sheeps (below). They carry many different kinds of gifts to offer to the great king. Cypress trees were used to divide up the different tableaux that show people each distinguished by their ethnicity. One of the outstanding sculpture is the depiction of lion and bull (below).

Walking on the 2500 year old site in between gigantic columns, arches, gates presented me the life at the times of this great empire and the kings. It was like a travel in time.
Nevertheless I know the timelessness of the reality.

“You are welcome to Shiraz” said the taxi driver in the most hospitable manner when I got off from the bus at the terminal. Before coming to here, I heard many people praising the sincerity and friendliness of warm hearted people of Shiraz. The kind words of the taxi driver proved this at my very first step into the city. I was now in Shiraz, in the city of lovers, in the city of poets, gardens, wine and flowers.

Once famous for its vineyards, Shiraz is a very green city that is set in a fertile valley. Eram and Afifabad gardens are the outstanding examples of the marvellous gardens it has. All around the city there are many tall cypress and maple trees. What a beautiful image it was to see leaves everywhere that fell down from the trees in this time of the year.
In the city almost every boulevard is decorated with evergreen Naranj, sour orange trees (below) that produce white blossoms every April. They smell adorable and amaze everyone. Their delicious sour flavoured fruit is used for cooking and the flowers are dried to make tea. I love it!

Two young men below were my dear hosts in Shiraz. They are Afshin and Arman, two young brothers who are highly intellectual, talented and extremely kind and helpful people. We also see their lazy and always hungry cat, adorable Vicki below.

Afshin is a musician and a composer. I so much enjoyed to hear piano every day. What a gift it was to be welcomed here, to let myself into the beautiful melodies, colourful notes and frequencies in a poetic city like this. What a lucky person I was.

Now let’s have a look at some of the attractions of this beautiful city. Shiraz hosts one of the unique mosques of Iran; Nasir al-Mulk Mosque also known as Pink Mosque. Below you see the inner courtyard of the mosque.

This 19th century place of worship is a gorgeous rainbow of colours. We see spectacular examples of mosaics on the indoor and outdoor facades of the mosque. Crazy details of thousands of bright coloured painted tiles on the ceiling amaze everyone.

Windows have a unique character with geometric shapes on their design. Once the sunlight hits the stained glasses, the entire building is flooded by a vibrant rainbow of colours. Therefore in the day time it becomes like a photograhy studio that is invaded by many tourists.

Shiraz hosts one of the old schools of miniature painting which is a significant genre in Persian art that dates back to 13th century. The most important function of miniature was illustration, making the literature more enjoyable and easier to understand. Miniature obtained a deep and sincere accordance with poetry as well. There had been many important miniature schools in the history (Tabriz, Shiraz, Isfahan, Herat etc.) each with its own unique style. It is best to use a magnifying glass to get lost in the gorgeous details of war scenes, love scenes, portraits, flowers and birds. (below)

Calligraphy (below) is another fascinating forms of Iranian culture. To Iranians, it means the manifestation of human spirituality where pure writing is regarded as originated from a pure heart. Most of the handwritten books of Iran specially the Holy Quran and collections of poems of Ferdowsi, Hafez, Saadi and Khayyam have been recognized as precious artistic works because of their graceful and delicate calligraphy.

If we are talking about Iran we should definitely mention about poetry. My Iran journey brought the depth of poetry into my life. Now it became one of the great refinements in my realizations as it voices my experiences, senses, insights, intuitions in the most profound way.
Poetry as an art form is in high regard in Iran and so ingrained in Iranian society. It is praised for its complexity and elegance. The popularity of poetry -both classical and contemporary- endures to this day. During family gatherings poems are recited and discussed. The teachings in the poems form a moral compass for everyday life. They also enhance the explorations and the experiences of people on ultimate reality.
Mystics of Iran realized many centuries ago that they could “describe the indescribable” in poetry far easier than in prose. To escape the limitations of the vocabulary, they filled every word with mystical significance. They developed an elaborate symbolism of the lover (mankind-ashiq) and the beloved (God-mashuq) relationship.
Coming to my primary reason for visiting Shiraz was two famous poets of Iran, Hafiz and Saadi who are both from this beautiful city. Through the quality of their poems, I understand why Shiraz is called “The city of Love”.

Saadi (we see his tomb above) was a major Persian poet lived in 13th century. He is recognized for the quality of his writings and for the depth of his social and moral thoughts. What is so interesting to me about him is that he left home for foreign lands to search for truth and wandered for thirty years abroad through Anatolia, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Arabian peninsula, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, India and Central Asia.
Saadi’s best known works are Bustan (The Orchard) and Gulistan (The Rose Garden). Bustan consists of stories on recommended virtues (like modesty, contentment) and reflections on the behavior of dervishes and their ecstatic practices. Gulistan contains stories and personal anecdotes of his travels. In Gulistan, he calls for breaking down all barriers between human beings in a delicate way:
Human beings are limbs of one body indeed;
For, they’re created of the same soul and seed.
He who has no sympathy for human suffering,
Is not worthy of being called a human being.

Coming to Hafiz, my friend, my companion, my lover. . . We met long ago and he became one of the great souls who told me how to love in the broadest way. And now it was time to come right beside him, to his grave (above). It is one of the purest lands I’ve ever come across on this planet. What a naive and innocent energy. Near his masoleum I felt like I was in a fairytale. Magical!
Hafiz is the great Persian poet lived in 14th century. His collected works are regarded as a pinnacle of Persian literature. He brought to perfection the literary genre of Lyric poetry or ghazals that is the ideal style for expressing the ecstasy of divine inspiration. One of the guiding principles of his life was Sufism’s orientation to the complete devotion to the pursuit of union with the ultimate reality. He frequently invites his admirers to engage in the art of loving and caring for others.
The works of Hafiz can be found in almost every Iranian home, people read and learn his poems by heart. The ‘Fal-e Hafiz’ is a very old tradition in which a reader asks Hafiz for advice when facing a difficulty or at an important juncture in their life. They treat his books as an oracle and open randomly one of the pages with a deep wish for guidance.
The term ‘eshq’ is used extensively in Sufi poetry and literature to describe the selfless and burning love for God. The great importance that the mystics place on love is because love is the only way of understanding the Truth and the Divine. Many spiritual tradition in the world believe that reason or mind is limited in its ability to comprehend the truth and is therefore an obstacle. In contrast, love (eshq) is a divine gift to human beings, deposited in the heart. Love is the key to familiarity with the Divine and is capable of guiding the person to enlightenment.

The masoleum complex consists of gardens with many orange trees and flower beds. The simplicity of the whole complex and the beauty of the tomb create a heaven-like environment. There are also some spaces for Hafiz studies classes, Society of friends of Hafiz, a library and a tea house around the masoleum. Music is always playing softly in the background. With the poems of Hafiz in the lyrics, Mohammad Reza Shajarian’s beautiful vocal colours the air and the heart.
For 2 days from early morning till night I was with him, at the feet of him, singing, whirling, dancing, reading his ghazals, circumambulating his grave, having walks in the gardens. The notion of time disappeared.

More I read him, more I bow down to his love, to his beauty. What a profound language! What a simple though musical language. Despite the limitation of the vocabulary, what a talent to combine the words in such an ingenious way and give voice to the Reality. His language is so powerful that even one line can be your ‘zikr’ in all your life. I noticed the evoking intention in me to learn Farsi in order to read him from the original texts.
He is teaching me how to love in an unconditional and the most profound way. Like an initiation, like a transmission he is putting lasting ingredients in my consciousness, I am cooking his words through contemplation. As I truely open myself, I lift the veil of mystery and my true nature is flowing into me. The obstacles, the resentments dissolve and I throw them into the ocean of love. This great statement of him; ‘forgiving the dream’ is becoming a guide for me to love truely and unconditionally.

“Your wounds of love can only heal
When you forgive the dream.”

Being here at night under the moon is yet another beautiful experience. The magnificent tilework on the ceiling of the tomb is like the whole universe. I can’t take my eyes from it.
There is no other way but to run to my truth like a moth moving towards the light. It is a journey right into the heart of reality. I am drinking from the wine of love, I am becoming love drunk. He is leading me to a great Self awareness. Knowing the reality by being it, an immeasurable joy is arising.

“You will find yourself
Knee deep in ecstacy
When all your talents of love
Have reached their heights.”

A sacred hand reaches out from Hafiz’s profound compassion and wisdom. A gentle embrace is there in his omnipresent spirit that says Love is the most profound teacher. It is the ultimate answer to all questions, doubts and impurities. We don’t create love but it is there, always and already. We just need to learn to open ourselves fully to it. I am saying to myself; ‘You have seen the path, do not fear anymore.’

I once asked a bird,
“How is it that you fly in this gravity of darkness?”
She responded,
“Love lifts me.”

Words need to breath. We need to breath them. Like this, our understanding of the teachings change, deepen in time. The words we used to read or speak out many times before and our realizations, they all go deeper and deeper when we are in the path.
40 is taken as a holy number in Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and many other traditions. It symbolizes two distinct chapters in between the death of oneself and the spiritual rebirth. It also expresses the perfection. We also see the marks of this symbol in Hafiz’s life. At 60, he is said to have begun a 40-day-and-night solitary retreat by sitting in a circle that he had drawn for himself. On the 40th day, he once again met with his Sufi master Zayn al-Attar on what is known to be their 40th anniversary and was offered a cup of wine. It was there where he is said to have attained enlightenment.
I am now at the age of 40. And I am totally aware that this year I’ve entered through a threshold after being tested by life in a very harsh way. Now I feel like I am in the age of maturity with many pure insights. Oh life, all your toughness and compassion, how magical you are. I am deeply in gratitude. I am Love!

“The jewels you get when you meet the Beloved
Go on multiplying themselves,
They take root everywhere.” – Hafiz

Sometimes long journeys surprise you as they take you to a totally different place at the end. Starting off from Shiraz, after 9 hour bus journey to south I exactly felt this surprise when I arrived at Bandar Abbas. Bandar Abbas is a port city in South Iran, on the Persian Gulf. It was as if I was in a different country. More like Africa or India rather than Iran. The environment, the weather, cultural texture, traditional clothes, the appearance of the people, skin colours, body types… The only similarity was that I was hearing Farsi around me. This region has a hot desert climate. It has very hot days during spring, autumn and summer (up to 50 degrees) that’s why it is best to visit during winter. So it was so good to be here at the best time.

Bandaris are the local ethnic group who inhabit in the southern coast of Iran. Due to its location at the gulf, the area has welcomed through the centuries a mix of people like Africans, Arabs, Persians and Indians. The traditional clothes of Bandari women are more similar to Indian sarees than hijab of Iran. They also wear burqa, a traditional mask in order to protect their skin from extremely hot sun (we see above). They also wear burqas of different colour and shapes to show their ethnicity. I find the women here more courageous and free compared to other parts of Iran.
From Bandar Abbas I took the ferry to Hormoz island. After arriving at the island I was wondering where to stay but in couple of hours I met Hoda and Soheyl and they generously invited me to stay at their house. What a luck!

After resting for a bit, we went out for an island tour with their motorbike. Hormoz is such a little island that a round tour around the island is only 25km. There are no cars but motorbikes and tuk-tuks. There are also no resorts but just simple homestays that gather only in the town. The rest of the island is untouched. Surprisingly a beautiful gazelle passed rapidly in front of us and made me think that the island was welcoming me.

The island of Hormoz is a scenic geological wonderland of different coloured volcanic rocks and soils. According to researches, geological age of the island is about 600 million years and it has been coming out of water gradually for the last 50 thousand years.

Due to lack of precipitation, the soil and the water are salty. From the geological perspective, the island is one of the most important salt domes of the world. There are some parts in the mid parts of the island that has big salty groundcover looking like salt lakes. (above)

The colour tones in the island are amazing. The wide ranging colours of the soil and rocks include many colours like white, yellow, red, green, orange, beige, brown, light turquoise, and even shiny gold. For instance Rainbow Valley is a highly photogenic natural site to witness this diversity.

This island is living! I can feel it is breathing. everywhere there are countless imprints of this. Every element is performing an organic property, the rocks, stones, the fossil records, the sand, shells on the shores… The stones shine like diamonds. The glitters are astonishingly beautiful. This is a magical island! Feeling the deep energy and interconnectedness between me and all the stones and rocks, I am remembering the teachings of Zen Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Now I realize what he is saying when he refers to minerals in his speeches;
“Life is precious. It is everywhere, inside us and all around us; it has so many forms. I undertake to cultivate compassion and learn ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants and minerals.”

Turtle beach (above) has a spectacular view from the top of the cliff. Just yesterday I was near Hafiz in Shiraz and now I am looking to this beauty and seeing this vast ocean in front of me. I am as if like a bird flying from one place to another. It makes me feel so alive. I love it!

Paradise beach (above) had been the place which I came frequently. The hollows that the ocean and the waves had formed inside the rocks look magnificent.

How beautiful it was to be by the water, put my feet into it, to breath the ocean’s smell, to feel its breeze on my skin, to listen to its voice. My perceptions of my senses were highly refined. My body’s reaction was to dance and dance to this beauty. I swam for the first time in Persian Gulf. Swimming naked I felt the smoothness of the water on my whole body. It was nothing but a sweet blessing.

Red Beach (above) has its name due to the dominant red coloured rocks and sands it has. It is a perfect place to have long walks along the shore from one beach to another. It can also be reached through White Canyon which has its name due to the purely white coloured rocks.

All the coastline is a stunning mix of beaches and awesome cliffs. A walk through the Statues Valley takes you to a point that has a fantastic vista of the coastline. (above)

There are also some stunning caves in the island. Rainbow cave (above) had been the most impressive cave I have ever seen in my entire life. The forms, colours, flowing layers, semi transparent stalactites, crystalline surfaces, all create a breathtaking view.

Each corner of this magical island has a unique feeling. The areas around the Mofanegh Beach is like another planet. You can reach this beach from the sea by boat or you can trek in between the breathtaking canyons. (above)

Huge rocks are standing upright outfacing the strong winds. It is so quite. I am just hearing the breeze and letting myself fully into the silence within. I am feeling gratitude for the instinct that brought me here by the ocean in my last two weeks of my whole Iran journey. After taking in all that Iran has been offering to me for the last three months and breathing them all in, now it is time to breath out.

Coming to the life in the town and the lovely people of the island… The life here is a slow one. Men are fishing on the beach, women are sitting in groups in front of their houses, children are playing joyfully on the alleys.

I enjoyed cycling around the town, resting just randomly somewhere and watch the people passing by. It reminded me of the summer days in the early 1980s when I with my dearest grandmother were going out for walks by the sea in the little town we were living. The smell in the air was just the same.

Local people of the island are so warm hearted. They always give a big smile to you. They like enjoying their times and it looks like the hardship of life is not a hindrance for them to be happy. The women are adorable, I find them extremely beautiful. They like smoking hookah. There is almost no local that can speak English but this never becomes an obstacle for us to communicate. With great hospitality they approach and invite you to their house for a dinner. Furthermore many people brought me gifts and I will never forget their loving heart.

In Hormoz the majority of the population is children. Children everywhere. I am taking each and every chance to play with them. I admire the light pouring out from their innocence.

During my stay in the town every night I was at Cafe Gelak. This is the meeting point of the locals where every night is like an open stage to play Bandari musics. Children and the young people are so enthusiastic to play instruments like kajon, guitars, jalle (udu). Ali the owner of the cafe (playing the guitar) is supporting the young ones to learn to play instruments and sing. I find them so talented, rhythm is in their blood. Despite his young age, my little friend Human (playing the kajon) is not only a talented drum player and a vocal but also a very talented dancer. You can’t stay put but start to dance right away to the lively rhythmic traditional melodies. I love this place.

Here dance is an important part of life. Everyone with no hesitation start to dance when they hear a rhythm. I love their unique way of dancing. They move their upper body in an Arabic way and the lower body in an African way. I had chance to attend couple of weddings. Ah the dances were so crazy and fully alive. My dear young fisher friend Masood (above) who is maybe the best dancer in the island says, ‘Dance is my food’. I love his innocent beautiful smile and laughters. He knows each and every corner of the island. He took me with his motorbike to some points. It was such a fun to have his company when exploring the island.
I was so pleased to stay in the town in my first week with the locals and occasionally experience the island with them. I waited for the rainy days to finish and now it was time for camping in the more remote areas.

This island is a heaven for camping. When I was searching for the best place between Tahtarakht ve Chandarakht beaches I saw an amazing point where a group of people were already camping. After our first warm talk, I already decided to stay here.

I was again so lucky to come across with these lovely people above. Next one week gave way to sincere friendships in between us. It was such a pleasure to cook food together, sit by the fire, sit in silence or have long conversations, make music or sing. The melodies of santur, setar, cura, daf, hangdrum were colouring the wind with their peaceful sounds.
On the front side of our camp there was the ocean and on the back side there was a rocky area with the appeareance of some other planet. I took my times to explore the surrounding. I walked up and down in the beaches and lost myself in the diversity of the gorgeous stones and shells on the shore. You need to be careful to decide on the times of your walk along the sea as there is a strong tide that reaches up to maybe a hundred meter every day. That’s why you can get stuck in between the rocks if you can not make it at the right time.

The island is home to many different animals. I’ve seen many interesting sea birds and herons for the first time in my life. If you are lucky you can see the gazelles. Crabs are either sunbathing on the rocks or running fastly on the beach. One day I saw dolphins dancing far out in the sea. It was magnificent to watch them. Those days in most of my moments I was filled with one line of Hafiz; ‘Dividing God all day’. Everything I see, everywhere I look I was seeing God.
This brings a great expanse to the heart. More you give yourself, more you give love and more you look through the eyes of the reality, the more you receive gifts, blessings. Things start to happen just by one click, right away, through the intentions or the quests of the heart. It is all done! All complete!

One of the examples of these magical moments happened once when I was swimming in the sea. That moment I was contemplating on happiness and suffering. At that moment out of the blue sky a purely white bird had approached me flying. As I was so fascinated by the beauty of it, then I saw another one flying towards me. As he approached I saw that he was totally black. Then two of them in an amazingly beautiful curve approached each other, flied together for a while then detached and went onto different directions. White and Black were kind of a message telling me about the union and cycle of opposites. Beyond the illusory ideas driven from conditionings or conclusions, beyond happiness and suffering everything is one and the same, flowing as One in the infinite reality. There is nothing to hold on to. Not just suffering but also the ecstatic joy as well. The profound Equanimity teaching of Buddha became visible. It is a great orientation that points out the stability which is undisturbed by experience.

Being in close contact with the cycles of nature, greeting the sunrise, watching the sunset and the moon, all were nurturing my soul. At nights stars, galaxies were decorating the sky in high definition. The days were so silent in this remote part of the gulf. This silence and the soft wind were evoking the impulse in me to dance to it. I was going into explorations through whirling. I was attentive on being grounded and at the same time letting myself fully to the center that is the eyes of the consciousness. I rather call my meditations here as deep dives. At various points, by the sea, on the rocks, at any given moment I was going into some deep dives into my true nature. All were so precious experiences.
Living the last days of my Iran journey here wwas like a celebration. All my cells and my consciousness was filled with immense love and joy. I guess I haven’t loved unconditionally in the most conscious way like this before. The most meaningful thing I could do in return was to Be! To be That. And it was as if the universe was saying to me; ‘Well done! Keep on going this way. I will be the soft embrace for you.’

From here I will be going to Turkey to visit my family for some time. The concept of home changed dramatically in my life. Usually a type of a melancholy rises up from me when I am leaving a place. Interestingly it is not happening this time although I had so deep connection with Iran. By the deep feeling of trust and love, the illusory seperation idea is dissolving. It is not like one chapter is closing and the other one is opening in a lineer way. Now there is a new perspective. Everything is coming to life in countless cyclic ways in the great flow of unknown potentiality. In each experience I am learning more and more to be a real voyager.
It is time to honour myself who didn’t let go of surrendering to the dissolution of the ego even it is unbelievably painful and scary at times. It is time to present my deep gratitude for all the forces and beings, all my guides that joined my caravan and showed me the Reality in the path of wisdom and love.

But who is thanking whom?! I am not seeing anything apart from what is within.