Tehran

#1Pic1Day: Kota Para Syahid | City of Martyrs (Tehran, IRAN, 2009)

City of Martyrs (Tehran, IRAN, 2009) The concept of martyrdom is very important in Shia Iran. Their spiritual hero, Hussain ibn Ali, was martyred in the Battle of Karbala. Like the struggle of Hussain, Iran also regards itself as a minority defending the truth against the vice of majority. The history of Iran is full of similar stories: how the people power toppled the tyranny of Shah regime, how they were fighting against British and CIA plot, and how they are persistent defending their culture against Arab influence. Iran was involved in decade wars with the Arabs of Iraq, and now engulfed by the hegemony of America in the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, and Afghanistan. With the strong concept of martyrdom, the cities of Iran are full of monuments and murals to remember the spirit of the martyrs. Kota Para Syahid (Tehran, IRAN, 2009) Konsep syahid sangat penting di negeri Syiah Iran. Pahlawan spiritual mereka, Hussain bin Ali, menjadi syahid dalam Perang Karbala melawan kebatilan Yazid. Seperti perjuangan Hussain, Iran juga memandang dirinya sebagai minoritas yang membela kebenaran melawan mayoritas yang zalim. Sejarah Iran juga penuh cerita serupa: bagaimana kekuatan rakyat berhasil menggulingkan rezim Shah, bagaimana mereka melawan plot jahat kolonialis [...]

September 19, 2013 // 0 Comments

#1Pic1Day: Nasionalisme di Lapangan Sepakbola | Nationalism on Football Field (Tehran, IRAN, 2009)

Nationalism on Football Field (Tehran, IRAN, 2009) Iran has among the most powerful national football team in Asia. As anywhere in the world, football match is not merely a sport event, but also a “war zone” of nationalism and superiority. Famous for their fanaticism, Iranian supporters have the power to shake the whole stadium, especially if their national team is fighting against any of the Arab countries. According to the law of the Islamic Republic, only men are admitted entry to the stadium. Nasionalisme di Lapangan Sepakbola (Teheran, IRAN, 2009) Tim nasional sepak bola Iran termasuk yang terkuat di Asia. Seperti di negara lainnya di dunia, pertandingan sepak bola bukanlah even olahraga semata, tetapi juga sebuah “medan perang”, pertarungan dari nasionalisme dan superioritas. Suporter sepak bola Iran terkenal dengan fanatisme mereka, punya kemampuan penuh mengguncang seluruh stadium, apalagi jika tim nasional mereka berhadapan dengan tim dari negara Arab mana pun. Menurut aturan dari pemerintah Republik Islam, hanya lelaki yang diizinkan masuk ke [...]

September 16, 2013 // 3 Comments

Mashhad – Afghan Visa

From Mashhad … “You have to go to Tehran” – Visa Officer Mashhad might be not the best place to apply for Afghan visa. I had to go back to Afghanistan soon as my Tajik visa was ready already and I had to rush my way to Central Asia, through the difficult Afghan’s central route. The Afghan consulate is located near the Sevvom Isfand Square off the Imam Khomeini Boulevard in Mashhad. At 9 a.m. I arrived in the consulate, which is located in small alley in a neighbourhood. The consulate was very busy, there were many Iranians and Afghans. No other foreigners. Thus the security guards directed me to talk directly to the visa offcier through the window. The visa officer asked where I was from. “Indonesia,” I answered. “You have to go to Tehran!” said him. Full stop. I was surprised. Go to Tehran? Just for an Afghan visa? Tehran is located 1000 km away from Mashhad and I didnt really want the detour. I wonder whether Indonesia was blacklisted by the Afghans as dangerous country, that its citizens had to refer to the embassy instead of applying visa in the consulate. Afghan visa is usually very easy [...]

September 4, 2006 // 0 Comments

Tehran – Indonesian National Day

The border to Iran The Afghan-Iran border is a busy but very strict border, both on Afghan and Iranian side. The border is about 120 km away from Herat, can be reached by bus, Falancoach, or Volvo. I was in rush to go to Iran right after getting the Iranian visa, and I took the luxurious Volvo to go to Islam Qala, the border. The Afghans had to queue very long outside the immigration office. There were hundreds of people crossing the border, but they still had to pass many checks before being able to go to the ‘outside world’. I also queued. The people grumbled about how hot the weather was. Suddenly a soldier grabbed me from the queue, and put me directly to the gate. “Khareji! (foreigner!)” he said to his colleagues. In fact foreigners didnt need to queue together with the Afghan nationals outside the immigration hall. They were queuing for a slip for luggage search. I was not given the slip and was asked to go directly to the passport stamp window. “Get to line! Get to line!” screamed the Afghan border crossers when I went directly to the gate to get my passport stamped. They [...]

August 17, 2006 // 2 Comments