To Ghom or Not to Ghom?

Definitely not to. I hated the place. People are so conservative. I had to wear a full chador and I can't tell you how difficult it is to walk around in 47C heat (a hot 116.6 degrees Farenheit) and have to hold this chador between your teeth (!) so that it doesn't fall off. To top it off, I had to wear my scarf and "manto" under the chador! I got off the car with Mom near the bazaar and an old man pushing a cart told me to "cover your hair, it's disrespectful". If he wasn't old, I would have told him something. Now, only my hairline was showing! The bazaar is nothing special. It does not boast of any craft; however the structure itself is pleasing.

On the way to Ghom, we took the Tehran/Saveh road and stopped at the lands that belong to the Mostofi family. Hectares and hectares of land (a hectare is almost two acres). I was taking photographs when a man came up to us. I witnessed the rudeness of the Shasevan. Shasevans are the people who live in the villages near the lands. They are known for their underminingness and cheating character. This man, Mohammad Javan, has been working my Mother's lands for years without giving her a cent. He won't leave, even though the government has issued an order for the lands to be given back to the rightful owners. He was all molasses sweet, asking after her health, etc. Then he said he needed her to give permission to dig a well.

Story is, the well my Mother built years ago has now dried up and he cannot dig another one without the permission of the true owner (sometimes, justice shows its face just a dab bit). Mom said she would, as soon as they sat down and signed a contract, in which case he would be obliged to give her a percentage of what he makes from the land. He started raising his voice to the point where I interrupted and asked his name, and then told him to calm down. He told Mom he didn't need her permission to build a well, who was she anyway, and did she have a deed to the land? I wanted to ask him if HE had a deed to the land, if his father had a deed to the land, and if his grandfather and great-grandfather had deeds to the land. I decided to wait and see how Mom responded, since I'm new to this exchange. Mom simply told him: "If you don't need my permission, then go and dig your well." After that we just drove away, leaving the son of a bitch totally frustrated.


We took the Ghom/Tehran road back which is on the edge of Dashteh Kavir, or Great Desert. The Daryacheyeh Hozeh Soltan, or Sultan's Pool Lake, is visible from this road. This lake goes on for miles and miles, lies in the distant, and does not contain a drop of blue water. It is as white as snow. The whiteness of the Salt Lake, the ochre and sienna of the desert, and the pure blue of the sky create a breathless sight to behold.