Tips for train traveling in Iran

A country as unknown as it is contradictory is slowly opening up. The best way to get to know it is by train. When I travel, a lot of memories come back to me. I look at everything. It's very romantic. I enjoy it a lot. I'm not in a hurry. We start our journey of discovery on the Shat al-Arab, the river that forms the border between Iraq and Iran, a region that was once hard fought over. Abadan was partially destroyed by the Iraqis during the Iran-Iraq war. Today it's a bustling port. The station's located in the nearby city of Quramshah. Our train stands alone at the platform, and we are feeling a little wary and exposed. In the name of God, dear friends, welcome. This is a typical train in Iran. You can see how diligently our employees are cleaning it. They have to be quick, so they're done before the departure. Supposedly German virtues far away from home may be a leftover from when the railway was first built. Some sections were constructed by German companies. Today Iran is one of the few countries in which the railway is undergoing a renaissance. Assigned seating makes the trip stress-free and comfortable. Our train leaves Quramshah and heads north. Not far from the Persian Gulf, we take the Trans-Iranian Railway on a 1,400km journey to the Caspian Sea. The construction of this railway line was once the prestige project of the Shah of Persia, a central investment in infrastructure. Reza Shah cared a lot about Iran's economic development. He did a great service to this country by building the railway. Passengers and cargo are transported by train. Millions of passengers a year, as well as lots of machines, vehicles and goods. In 1925, when Reza Khan came to power as Reza Shah, Persia was a structurally weak agricultural country. The train was intended to help the country, called Iran, from 1935 onwards flourish economically. The Shah ruled with an iron fist, and today the Islamic Republic of Iran has its very own understanding of democracy. There's no freedom of the press here. The railway owes its existence to the country's natural resources. It was built to transport oil. Passenger transport was unimportant at first. I always take the train when I travel. The train is a good mode of transport. You can rest well, and it's safe. It's a varied journey. I'm retired now. Before that, I worked with a raw materials company for 30 years, serving my country. We're in one of the most significant regions for global energy. Iran has the world's fourth largest oil and second largest natural gas reserves. The state-owned companies don't publish exactly how much they extract every year. The country is highly dependent on income from raw materials, however. As a result, it's interested in loosening the economic sanctions that have been in place since 2006. Oil was discovered in Iran and exported more than a hundred years ago. The train line that used to transport the oil to the ships on the Persian Gulf runs right next to us. Without the oil, the railway line wouldn't have been built. Oil exports created the economic conditions for its construction. That was unusual in Asia at the time. The railway lines were largely planned by the various colonial rulers and built for their needs. In independent Iran, however, the Shah was in charge. He even raised special taxes. The money for the railway line came from a tax on sugar and tea. That way, we didn't have to get into debt with other countries. The construction of the Trans-Iranian Railway took a good 11 years. 230 tunnels and 4,100 bridges were needed for the difficult terrain. It was worth it. The costs of transporting oil were reduced by 80%. It used to take weeks to transport the oil. Now it could be done in a matter of days. Water has also always been important in Iran. We're visiting the legendary hydraulic system in Shushtar. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The water from the Gargai River was channeled to power water mills. Once enough water is dammed, the weir is opened. Just like with a regular mill, a millstone is put into operation using hydropower. The grain is ground. It's a simple principle that still works today. This workplace is also pleasantly cool, even when it's 48 degrees outside. We leave the plains behind and start climbing into the Zagros Mountains. The Trans-Iranian Railway runs through the Deyes River Valley for 70 km. It's one of the most scenic stretches of the entire route. The railway has made this remote region accessible. A halt for prayer. The trains have to make unscheduled stops. Islam is the official religion in Iran. The faithful have around 20 minutes to pray. There are prayer rooms in every station, with a strict separation of the sexes. We continue our journey in this vehicle, a trolley. We've been invited to join a maintenance team on its daily inspection trip. The railway is an important employer here. The route here in Lorestan has a special appeal. I've been working on this line for 18 years. It's really good work. I'm interested in what I do. I love my work and do it as best I can. Unofficially, the unemployment rate in Iran is more than 20%, so secure jobs with the national railway are highly sought after, even though the work's hard. The track bed is always moving because of the heavy trains. In addition, two continental tectonic plates meet in the Zagros mountains, and they also cause the ground to move. The boss quickly checks that everything is as it should be. We're allowed to travel a little further with the light trolley. After a short journey, we're in Bishe, a very popular place. People come from far and wide to visit this waterfall. At 70 metres, it's an exciting, natural spectacle. It gets busy here at the weekends. People even come here from distant Tehran to chill out and smoke a hookah. When we're visiting, we only see men. Women aren't supposed to enjoy themselves in public in Iran. But the Iranians have a relaxed attitude to water. There's a saying here, where there's water, there's culture. Water invigorates us. Water is life. Life and the earth are dependent on water. There would be nothing without water. We reach what's quite literally a high point of our journey, the highest point on the Iranian railway network, at 2,217 metres. This high point in the Zagros Mountains is here, between Dorud and Arap. During our oriental railway adventure, we constantly tried to chat with the people. We sensed they were fearful. They didn't want to say something inappropriate on camera. Our retired train driver's not scared, however. One day I travelled from Haftepe to Shush. The station chief told me that a woman was very advanced in her pregnancy and was in labour. He told me she had to get to Andimeshk. The traffic controller said he wouldn't do it. I took her on the train. When we arrived at the freight station, she gave birth to a healthy baby. We're arriving in Gom, a highly religious city, which isn't popular with all Iranians, maybe for this reason. Its inhabitants are considered by many to be fanatical Shiites. There are lots of religious schools in Gom. The Ayatollah Khomeini lived here until he was exiled in 1964. After his return, too, he spent most of his time in Gom. But many pilgrims come to visit one of Iran's most important Shiite holy places, the Fatima Masumeh Shrine. But adherence to Islam as a state religion is crumbling among the population. People feel confined. They feel the state and religion are interfering too much in their lives. The totalitarian claim to power no longer fits with a modern society. Even though the people's faith is faltering, it's still good for business here. Many pilgrims come to Gom for Friday prayers in particular, and these pilgrims are hungry for suhan. Gom is said to have the best suhan. It's made of wheat germ, flour and sugar, and sometimes cardamom, saffron, oil or butter. Even though few people talk about the shah these days, when he tried suhan during a visit to Gom, he made it famous throughout the country. We asked Syed for his secret recipe, but he would only tell us a little bit. You should start work in the name of God, and then it always goes well. We do it the way the scholars taught us. We stick to that, and our success vindicates us. Mohammediyah, the new railway station in Gom, is like a no-man's land way outside the city. Nobody lives here, but it connects to the high-speed rail line to Tehran. We're proud to have a train that's so fast. High speeds aren't without their problems. We don't like the stress. During the day in particular, it can happen that people step onto the tracks. There's no fencing. That's not good. But apart from that, it's great. On the last 135 kilometers to Tehran, the train races through the desert here. It's cool inside thanks to the air conditioning unit, and there's a movie playing. It's the pride and joy of the Iranian railway. We're on the Iranian railway's fastest train, the Pardis. It was built by Siemens, and has a top speed of 160 kilometers per hour. To Pardis, paradise, at 160 kilometers per hour. There are no problems with the air conditioning in this train, even with a blistering 50 degrees outside. The tracks follow a historic route, the Silk Road. This caravanserai is evidence of that. In the name of the God, the Most Merciful, we're at the Qaim Mohammed Abad Caravanserai. This is one of the most important historic sites in Iran, and is very well known. When people still traveled with horses and camels, they would spend the night in such a caravanserai. There were caravanserais every 30 to 40 kilometers along the route. Roughly how far a caravan of camels could travel in a day. The central courtyard is a characteristic feature. This is where the horses and camels were looked after. It was a welcoming place where travelers could relax and bathe and refuel for the next leg through the desert. But now we're going to Tehran by express train. Travelers don't need caravanserais anymore. Now they can be gently rocked to sleep. We soon reach the outskirts of Tehran. Iran's capital has a population of more than 8 million. In the mid-1920s, when Reza Shah came to power, the city had just 250,000 residents. He fueled the modernization of the city, thereby attracting more and more people. He had the main station in Tehran built by a German company. It's currently being refurbished. We've covered around 900 kilometers since the start of our journey. It's time for a break. We can get an idea of the size of Tehran from Mount Tosha, which overlooks the city. The bazaar quarters are a must for every visitor to the city. We dive into one of the biggest bazaars in the world. Al is 10 kilometers long, 30,000 shops and 100,000 jobs. The bazaaris, the shop owners, are powerful. In 1979, they were among the supporters of the Islamic Revolution, fearing the Shah's pro-Western economic policies. Since then, women have had to wear headscarves in public. That too is good for business. When a customer asks about the price, the design or the colour, I know at once what taste she has. If she asks for a light headscarf, she wants to buy it for a young woman or a girl. If a customer wants a black headscarf, it's either for an older woman, or she has no time and has to buy one quickly. There are guardians of public morals everywhere, making sure that all women obey the headscarf rule. That applies to female tourists too. We discover this station near the bazaar. It was abandoned a long time ago. It's part of the narrow gauge railway that started operating between Tehran and the Shah Abdul Azim shrine in Raye in 1888, making it Persia's first railway. This locomotive dates back to the old pilgrims' train. The locals called it the Maschine Dudi, the smoke machine. But instead of using the train, the pilgrims initially preferred to cover the 9km to the shrine on foot, as they had always done. A former passenger remembers. When I was 12, I went to Shah Abdul Azim with my family. There was a big garden there at the time called Bagh Tuti. The people from Tehran went there and relaxed under the trees. There was a lot of pushing around when we wanted to board the train. They were elbowing each other as they climbed onto the train. This place of pilgrimage is located on what was once an important intersection on the Silk Road. It has existed for more than 1,000 years and is the fourth most important place of pilgrimage in Iran. It's a holy place for Shiites. The Hazrati Abdul Azim pilgrimage site is one of the most sacred places in Iran. This site's in the historic city of Rai. Three descendants of the Prophet are buried here, as well as some great Shiite scholars. Unfortunately, non-Muslim cameras aren't allowed to take a closer look at the shrine. Well, other eyes won't miss a thing. Not even the smallest grain of dust on this larger-than-life Koran at Tehran station. Passengers can't get onto the platform without a valid ticket. The platforms are opened shortly before the train departs. This train to Bandar Tuakaman on the Caspian Sea also has allocated seats. We're going to cover 460 kilometres on our second leg. Greater Tehran is home to more than 15 million people. Once again, the conductor forbids any interviews. It's a shame. We try our luck at the rug washing. This pool is called Cheshmeh Ali. The water quality here is said to be particularly good, both for carpets and bathing. The men handle the hand-knotted rugs with something like veneration. Rugs have been washed here for a long time. Today, the only people who come here are those who can't do it at home, such as Afghans who live in rented accommodation. This place used to be full of rugs. These days, most rugs are dry-cleaned. The foothills of the Arborz Mountains, not to be confused with the Mount Elbrus, the highest mountains in the Caucasus Mountains, point us north. Our journey is currently taking us through the Fertile Valley in Zarin Dasht, a remote region that can almost only be reached by train. Many Iranians haven't seen this splendid landscape before either. But there are many other reasons to prefer the train to a car. We're from Tehran. We want to get to Shirga. We take the train because the roads aren't safe. There are lots of accidents. The train's safer. The train continues to climb almost imperceptibly. Iran is a rich country, even though most people don't benefit much from it. They're suffering under the economic sanctions and high inflation. Taking the train isn't always about nostalgia. Iran's north is also rich in natural resources. High-quality coal is mined here. The coal mine employs 70 men who all earn around 300 euros a month, about 50% above the legal poverty line. It's not a lot if you consider the strategic significance this mine once had. This mine was set up because coal was needed for the steam trains during the Second World War. The trains transported weapons and soldiers. And went from south to north. These days, the coal is used for non-military purposes, such as iron smelting or just heating people's homes. But during the Second World War, the coal was used by the Red Army in its fight against Nazi Germany. In 1941, Russian and British troops invaded Iran. They confiscated the Trans-Iranian Railway, which was quite new back then. From then on, it was used as a transport corridor, the Persian Corridor. 646 boatloads of war equipment were moved by rail from the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea. That allowed the Red Army to launch a decisive offensive against Germany in 1944. The heavy military trains needed a lot of coal. They had to negotiate differences in altitude of as much as 2,000 metres. Beautiful structures, such as at Guduk Pass, made it possible. After a few minutes, we reached the pride and joy of the Iranian railway. Veresk Bridge. Because of its significance in the Second World War, it's also called the Victory Bridge. 120 metres tall, it's the highest railway bridge in Iran. Walter Aigner, the Austrian engineer who built it, is buried in this small cemetery within sight of the bridge. The people celebrated the inauguration of the bridge and sacrificed their animals. They were proud that Reza Shah had come to their village. Many important people came with him, including from the military. They all wanted to see whether the bridge was stable. It's said that the Shah forced the engineer to stand under the bridge with his wife and only daughter as the first train crossed it. They would have been the first people to die if it had collapsed. Trains still cross this bridge today. We continue our journey and reach the fertile Caspian coastline. Rice is a particularly common crop here. The quiet sounds are evidence of the hard work on the fields and of the dreams of the women doing that work. Preparations for baking bread. We've been invited to dinner by the Kushin family. It's evening and everyone's looking forward to the meal. We've been travelling during Ramadan, meaning that Muslims aren't allowed to eat or drink between sunrise and sunset. The only exceptions here are the old, the sick, children and pregnant women. The hunger and anticipation are huge. We're all excited about the fresh bread that's still baked here in the traditional way. All the remaining preparations are made in the kitchen. This mash is part of every meal for us. It consists of flour, rice flour, rose water, vanilla, sugar and milk. These ingredients are mixed and put on the hob. It's stirred until it becomes thick. This mash is a staple of Iranian cuisine. We eat it to break the fast. At last it's sunset and people are allowed to eat and drink. The family sit on the floor in the traditional manner. We were allowed to sample the delicious bread as well. We would have liked to enjoy the hospitality of the Kushin family for longer, but we had to move on. North of Sari, we depart from the historic track. There was once a 128km test track here, built under German supervision. The aim was to collect data that would help estimate the exact cost of building the railway. By the way, travellers, and that includes train passengers, don't have to fast during Ramadan. We're heading to Beyshah to visit our family for Ramadan. We like taking the train. We always use it. We like its safety and convenience. And we're always together. That's why the train is a good choice for us. This section of the journey seems to be a good one for sleeping. That's no surprise because the Iranian railway has invested in modern carriages here. It's good for the train staff too. When the passengers are comfortable, we're happy too. Since we bought these air-conditioned trains from Hyundai five years ago, we and the passengers don't have problems anymore. We reach the terminus of the Trans-Iranian railway in Bandar Torkaman. This small port is unspectacular. It was once an important Russian supply hub. The temperatures here are more pleasant than in southern Iran. A short walk along the old track takes us to the Caspian Sea. Trains haven't passed this way for a long time. The Caspian Sea is the world's largest enclosed inland body of water. Hossein takes us on his boat and shows us the island of Mian Kale, which is a protected nature reserve. Wild horses roam free here. We use the peace and quiet to talk to Hossein about the significance of the term freedom. Freedom means that you're left to your own devices and that you can say what you want. It doesn't mean being naked, going to a nightclub and drinking alcohol. Freedom also means security. We have freedom in our country, but it's a bit limited. But the country and its society are changing, offering hope that Iranians will be able to live in real freedom one day.