Description
Rick takes us beyond Europe to Iran, a place that’s rich with history… and mystery. Visiting Tehran, Shiraz, Persepolis, and a small village, we’ll get a rare present-day look at some of civilization’s most important historical sites, and a sense of Iran’s 21st-century culture. From architecture and art to faith and everyday living, “Rick Steves’ Iran” offers a rare, candid, and humanizing look at a powerful and perplexing nation. – Rick Steves’ Iran Pledge Special

I was actually scared to go to Iran. We almost left our big camera in Athens and took our little sneak camera instead. I thought people would be throwing stones at us in the streets. And when I got there, I have never felt a more friendly welcome because I was an American. It was just incredible. I was in a traffic jam in Tehran, a city of 10 million people, and a guy in the next car saw me in the back seat and had my driver roll the window. He then handed over a bouquet of flowers and said, “Give this bouquet to the foreigner in your back seat and apologize for our traffic.” […]

”Steves has produced a loving portrait of the demonized country. Characteristic Steves-on-the-street interviews open closed minds to the sophistication of Iranian citizens and their lack of antipathy toward Americans. In one scene, a man in a car pokes his head out the window and says to Steves, “Your heart is very kind.” […]

He wants us to please shed our geographic ego. “Everybody should travel before they vote,” he has written.

Read more here: SALON | The other side of Rick Steves