Shahrerey, South of Tehran

Apart from Shahid Beheshti University, since last September I also teach at the Quran and Holy Traditions University, in Shahrerey, south of Tehran. And so it happens that at the beginning of the week I go up to the snow-covered foot of the Alborz Mountains, and on the last day of the week I go down almost to the beginning of the desert, within the precinct of the tombs of three holy persons, Abd ol-Azim, Hamzah and Taher. And when I say “precinct”, I mean a large complex including prayer halls, mosques, wide forecourts, refectory, a health centre, a museum and a traditional bazaar, all centrered around the three tombs. Shahrerey is quite far from my house, but one metro line goes straight down there. However, at the beginning of the semester, I discovered another, easier way to get there: every morning, my brother-in-law drives down to his factory, which is 70 km south of Shahrerey, so he gives me a lift. The catch is, of course, that he leaves home at 6.00, so I get to the mausoleum by 6.30, at the latest 6.45, while lessons start at 8.00. At these early, magical times I sit at the southern courtyard of the mausoleum, enjoy the calm and observing the days drawing in from one week to the other, until at the very end of term I arrived there even before sunrise. Only a few worshippers are around then, leaving the mausoleum after the morning prayers. A couple of weeks ago, a woman who works there crossed the courtyard carrying two barbari breads, still steaming in the morning cold. She came up to me and said, “Come inside for breakfast; you’ll freeze here!” I thanked her, and she insisted, as Iranians always do, and then I told her that I would be going into the university building soon. But if I had accepted her invitation, she would have shared her bread, cheese and tea with a total stranger, a pilgrim of the saints. As we parted, I thought of Kassos, our traditional hospitality and the open doors everywhere, and the Greek coffee with melted butter and kouloures, homemade savoury bagels. How similar people are all over the world.