Tehran Revisted — And Maybe Again

Azadi Tower – Tehran
credit Tehran Tourist Infprmation Office

El Al Boeing
credit Israel Airline Museum

The war with Iran has awakened personal memories of my visit to Iran almost 50 years ago. Today many people think of Iran as a highly religious, restrictive, and conservative society ruled by despotic clerics driven by hatred of Israel, America and Western democratic values. But it wasn’t always like that, and not when I visited Iran about one year before Khomeini and his mullahs took over the country.

During the regime of the Shah of Persia, Iran was not exactly the haven of democracy, and he ruled with an iron fist. Nevertheless, it was then a pretty secular society, it had some of the trappings of modernity and the Shah worked hard to bring the country into the 20^th century. Of course, he was well known for mixing with the rich and famous at St Moritz, Cannes or Hollywood. In October 1971 he invited some 60 heads of state to attend the lavish 2500 year anniversary festivities of the Persian empire at Persepolis.

Almost forgotten also is that not only was Israel not considered a foe but relations between Israel and Iran were very friendly with close cultural, economic and military ties. El Al flew regularly to Tehran and there was a substantial Israel embassy there. The Hilton hotel for example that was built by the Israeli construction company Solel Boneh.Indeed Israel and Israelis were well admired and respected in Iran then.

At the time I was working as an economist for Koor Industries in Tel Aviv which had considerable overseas interests including with Iran. My immediate boss was Uri Lubrani, the CEO of Koor International Projects who then went on to serve as Israel ambassador to Iran.

In 1977, I paid an extensive visit to Eastern Turkey and Iran. Of great interest as the Jewish connection. It was the Persian Emperor Cyrus the Great who permitted the Jewish exiles to return to the Holy land, and he facilitated the building of the Second Temple. There has been a continuous Jewish presence in Iran since the Exile including the Purim story. At the time of my visit there were still around 30,000 Jews living in Iran.

I  flew with El Al to Istanbul and immediately on to Van in the far east of Turkey; close to Mount Ararat where Noah’s ark supposedly came to rest, in range of the then border with the Soviet Union and eventually made my way to Tehran overland by a series of local busses.

Tehran  was a secular oriental city, vast, sprawling and heavy with traffic. People dressed mostly in European clothes and men and women were seen mingling together in the shops and coffee places.

The Sunday was a national holiday celebrating Iran’s independence. The celebrations reminded me of Mimouna in Israel as everyone crowded into the parks, the atmosphere was joyful and the air heavy with the smoke and smells of grilled meat.

Iranians that I spoke to were both proud of the historic connections of Iran with the Jewish People, pleased with the current (then)close relations with Israel and impressed how our small nation was able to build and create a developed country in a few decades.

One of the highlights of Tehran was visiting the Israel embassy and a chance to reconnect with my former boss Uri Lubrani, then serving as ambassador.

A ten hour overnight bus ride, mostly through grey looking desert, took us South to Shiraz, the city of poets and then visiting the nearby magnificent ruins of Persepolis, which was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (c. 550–330 BC). Close by was the most luxurious “tent” I have ever seen erected by the Shah for the 2500 jubilee to entertain his guests.

I also toured Isfahan; a fascinating city dotted with many historical sites and temples. Notable was the Shah Abass Hotel, an impressive but gaudy hotel frequented by the late Shah and his guests. There was gold and jewels everywhere including the gold plated squat toilets. The hotel being a symbol of the Shah’s excesses was torched by Khomeini’s revolutionary guard though later restored.

Iran 50 years ago had a meagre tourist industry and undeveloped economy. But in those days, it was making progress led by the Shah who believed in keeping traditions yet modernizing the country. Friendship with Israel was important to him both as a buffer to his Arab neighboring states and as a means to benefit from Israeli know how and its defense industry. For Israel, based on the then domino theory of “my enemy’s enemy is my friend”, it made a lot of sense to create strong ties with Iran.

Symbolically, the journey home was relatively easy with a direct flight with El Al from Tehran to Tel Aviv.

I would love to make that flight again………………….