THE ROUTE
The options for following the Silk Road in the Middle East are endless. This book starts in Istanbul before moving on to explore the various Silk Roads in Anatolia and the Syrian Desert, though any number of ancient Mediterranean ports would have been just as appropriate starting points for your trip. The important part is that you physically touch the Mediterranean Sea at some stage before heading east and thus allow yourself the opportunity to cross Asia ‘coast to coast’.
Ideally, the best route from a historical point of view would take you from Syria to Iran via Baghdad, which was so important to the Silk Road for so long, before travelling along the banks of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers (similarly prominent Silk Road landmarks). Unfortunately, this is of course currently impossible. Our route, therefore, crosses Turkey diagonally, loops through Syria and then heads north-east to the Iranian border.
From Mount Ararat, the journey across the north of Iran is quite straightforward. When you reach Tehran, you can cut north through the Elborz Mountains (through a pass known as the Caspian Gates) to the shores of the Caspian Sea, or carry on straight for the holy city of Mashad. Note, however, that not all Silk Road routes stuck to the north. In particular, a number of cities in central Iran became important trading centres and these are also included in our guide.
If you want to miss out Central Asia altogether, you can make your way to Pakistan from Shiraz and rejoin this guide at Islamabad (see p274).
From Mashad, one branch of the Silk Road carried on east through Afghanistan (see box p10) but the political situation there and the country’s roads (or lack of them) made this impractical if not impossible at the time of writing. Our route, therefore, takes you into the heart of Central Asia, which was just as popular a choice for Silk Road traders, and in Turkmenistan merchants would meet up with others who had come from Tehran via the Caspian.
DOCUMENTS
See pp15-18 for details about visa requirements. Overland visitors are neither Syria’s nor Iran’s favourite type of tourist but the rules and regulations are quite straightforward once you have entered each country. In Syria you will be given an entry card – keep this as you will need it for visa extensions and also when leaving the country.
Some hotels might take your passport when you check in to save waking you if there are any police checks but don’t forget to pick it up in the morning! The Middle East is where you will make your biggest savings if you have a student card as it will halve nearly every entrance fee.
Customs declaration form
The old rules, which meant you had to enter and leave these countries via the same airport or border crossing, have been scrapped. Passing through customs is now a simple procedure, although you may be asked if you have bought any large handicrafts (particularly rugs) when leaving Iran. If an item is very expensive they will tax you for it but otherwise don’t let them bully you as it is legal to take out two rugs and 150g of gold.
It is, however, illegal to export antiques from any of these countries without government permission. It is also illegal to take alcohol into Iran. You may need to fill in a declaration form or a disembarkation form when entering each country, in which case, keep it until you leave.
CLIMATE
All three countries are very hot and dry through the summer; indeed, just how dry is a cause for concern because global warming seems to be having a particularly acute effect. Many dams have also been built in eastern Turkey as part of a programme to revitalize farming in this region but this has lead to increasing aridity downstream, particularly in Syria and Iraq. Eastern Turkey and northern Iran have the advantage of being at a higher altitude, which lessens the ferocity of the heat. In the winter, these same altitudes mean considerable wind, rain and snow (skiing is on the increase here!). Autumn and spring are both very pleasant all over but the Caspian and Black Sea regions can be pretty wet.
ACCOMMODATION
Turkey
Turkey has got by far the most sophisticated network of hotels of these three countries but don’t expect as many options in the east as you will find in Istanbul or the tourist resorts on the coast.
At the bottom end there are cheap and friendly backpacker hostels in most places (breakfast and free Internet are sometimes included and are worth haggling for) and camping is often (but certainly not always) an option (see box opposite). Things can get really busy in summer so you might want to book ahead (especially in Istanbul). The mid-range is in short supply but what there is gets good reports. The top-flight is really catered for only in the tourist resorts and the capital. If you do want to stay in this type of accommodation it is worth booking beforehand through a travel agent back home or one of the various Internet agents – they always get better deals than individuals and sometimes the savings can be substantial, particularly out of season. Type ‘cheap hotels’ alongside the city name into any search engine and all the main players should come up.
Syria
Syria has increasingly good accommodation and all sizes of wallet are catered for, although camping is not really an option.
The budget end is cheap and cheerful and reminiscent of Egypt’s budget options although, be warned, there are not as many of them here so you may find you need to book a day or two in advance. Single travellers should find plenty of dorm-bed options to keep their costs down.
The mid-range is probably the weakest area, so you may well find yourself in the most expensive budget option or the cheapest upper-range. At the top end you might be surprised to learn that Syria has its own four- and five-star chain – the Cham Palaces – which covers all the main cities and sights. While they may not compare to many Hyatts and Sheratons around the world, they are a better choice than their Western-owned rivals here.
Iran
Hotel prices in Iran are set by the government and have gone up quite dramatically in the last few years. Despite a drop in the number of foreign visitors recently, this trend shows no sign of abating. Nevertheless, you still couldn’t call the accommodation on offer expensive.
Like eastern Turkey, Iran’s budget options, particularly dormitories, are aimed at the local market rather than backpackers (and often refuse foreigners because of this) but this is slowly changing. The mid-range tends to be dominated by hotels that were once top of the range but since the Revolution have deteriorated rapidly. The new high-class hotels springing up, however, are impressive and (outside Tehran) not too pricey.
One thing you might encounter in your hotel room is a large cloth wrapped around a small, round soapstone. The cloth is in fact a prayer mat and Shi’ites place the small stone on the ground in front of them whilst praying so that their forehead will not touch the potentially ‘unclean’ ground. There will often be a mihrab (see box p57) signalling the direction of Mecca.
TRANSPORT
Buses
The road networks in all these countries are impressive, even if the driving skills aren’t, and you will find yourself almost entirely reliant on four wheels to travel from one stop to the next. Bus services between towns and cities are regular and cheap and you shouldn’t find yourself with too many problems. The quality of buses varies: in Turkey all are modern and efficient (with air-conditioning), while in Syria and Iran such buses exist but you must pay a premium. Bus stations (‘otogars’ in Turkey) can be some way out of town and finding the right local bus to take you into the centre (like deciphering which local bus to take around town) can be difficult.
In Syria, minibuses and microbuses run alongside most bus routes and can often be quicker and cheaper (if less comfortable).
Taxis and share-taxis
Taxis are cheap in all these countries and although most towns are small enough to walk around you will probably prefer to take a taxi rather than a local bus for the longer hikes. Share-taxis (savaris in Iran) are cars or, occasionally, minibuses which race around/between towns and cities, often duplicating the bus service routes and charging only a little extra.
Cars and motorbikes
Car hire is not a problem in these countries: Hertz is represented by the Cham Palace group in Syria, Turkey has many of the European networks and Tehran has a couple of outlets. Few will want to use this mode of travel, however, because it is expensive and you usually have to return to your start point to drop the car off. Driving your own vehicle (see box opposite) is possible but can be difficult: once off the beaten track, especially in the desert areas, you would be struggling without a four-wheel drive. Hitching is not very common in the Middle East (see ‘Hitching the Silk Road’, p181).
Train
Theoretically you could do much of this section of the trip by train (see ‘Silk Road by Rail’, pp8-9) but in reality trains are now used mainly for goods transportation because the passenger service has become so slow and unreliable. For example, the train from Istanbul to Lake Van takes almost two days whereas the bus takes only 24 hours. Nevertheless, the express train between Istanbul and Ankara is excellent and in Iran the line between Tehran and Sari is an engineering marvel.
Air
The distances between stops in Syria and Turkey are so small that they make air travel as unnecessary as they are undesirable for this land-based trip but in Iran, especially if you are taking the side trips to Esfahan and Shiraz, you should seriously consider flying. Iran Air has a cheap and efficient internal service linking all its major cities, although it must be said its recent safety record is not great. Bookings can be made at any of the travel agencies we have listed.
TRAVEL AGENCIES AND TOURIST INFORMATION
Turkey has lots of independent tours and tour guides and your hotel should have plenty of brochures and details. Out of season, though, things do dry up, especially in the east. Travel agencies in Syria and Iran tend to be similar to package-holiday agents in the West and they are usually of little use to independent travellers. They can be invaluable in helping with your visa requirements, though, so we have included some of the better ones in the Damascus and Tehran ‘Orientation and services’ sections. Tourist information offices are not always very helpful (Tehran hasn’t even got one!) but the situation is improving.
ELECTRICITY
Mains electricity supply in these countries is 220V and virtually all sockets take the round two-pin plugs.
TIME
Syria and Turkey are two hours ahead of GMT and Iran is an unusual 31/2 hours ahead of GMT. Each country operates the daylight saving system.
MONEY
In Syria and Iran you will witness the annoying habit of dual-pricing goods and entrance fees with one rate for locals, the other for foreign visitors. There is little you can do except haggle for your life, which can become very tiring and doesn’t always have the desired effect.
Turkey
Financially, you can treat Turkey like any other European country. It has all the facilities you’ll need. You can change money and travellers’ cheques in any bank and most credit/debit cards work in most ATMs. The black market is therefore redundant and Turkey is pretty cheap.
The major development to note is that 2005 saw the old Turkish lira (TL) replaced with the new Turkish lira (YTL). This should bring much-needed stability to the currency as part of the country’s push for EU membership but it also means that you no longer become an instant ‘millionaire’ every time you make a withdrawal. There are 1YTL coins; notes come in denominations of 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 500.
Syria
Syrian pound notes (S£) come in denominations of 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 500. Syria is a difficult country in financial terms, however, because the Commercial Bank of Syria (CBS) has few links with the outside world and you will have to wait until you arrive in the country to change your money into Syrian pounds; the US dollar is by far the most accepted foreign currency and there are plenty of private and CBS exchanges in most towns. Inside Syria it is very difficult to exchange Syrian pounds for any foreign currency.
Travellers’ cheques are now welcome – both at CBS branches and in top hotels – but advances on credit/debit cards are difficult and expensive: the CBS can’t help so you must negotiate with hotels/shops that accept Visa/MasterCard (they will charge a hefty commission). There is an ATM at the airport and in the Damascus Cham Palace but you can withdraw money only from certain foreign savings accounts. The black market is not worth the hassle as it offers only the same as the official exchanges.
Iran
Iran’s currency is the Iranian rial but many Iranians work in tomans which is slang for 10rials. There are coins for the small values but you will mainly deal in 100, 200, 500, 1000, 5000 and 10,000 rial notes. Cash advances are unavailable on credit/debit cards as Visa and MasterCard are not accepted in Iran. Travellers’ cheques can be changed at the main Bank Melli branches but you’re unlikely to get a favourable exchange rate.
It is, therefore, best to have a large supply of US dollar bills but be careful to check your exchange rate. The banks’ official exchange rates are slightly lower than those available from the money exchange kiosks in the street.
Finally, remember to have enough US dollars in cash to last your entire stay in Iran!
Tipping
Demanding a tip (baksheesh) is like a religion in Syria but Iran and Turkey are relatively easygoing and you should tip as you would back home.
COMMUNICATIONS
Where this region is particularly divided is in its communications.
Turkey
Most of Turkey cannot wait to catch up with the future and even in the more conservative eastern provinces the Internet has had a massive impact with Internet cafés springing up in every town. The post and telephone networks in Turkey are as good as most European countries and privatization should bring the exorbitant cost of international calls down (Internet cafés often offer cheaper international rates). Most international GSM networks have coverage in Turkey and mobiles are everywhere.
Syria
In Syria, by contrast, the Internet was frowned upon until the arrival of Bashir Assad in 2000. That year saw the country finally open its doors to cyberspace but few locals can afford to log on (it typically costs US$2/hr). Internet cafés are becoming more commonplace but downloading is slow and access is heavily monitored/censored.
Both the postal and telephone services are notoriously slow but the introduction of phonecards (available at most shops) has helped enormously; be careful, though, for each card works only on its own phones and can’t be used in the next town. Mobile phones are on the increase and most international GSM networks have coverage in the big cities.
Syria has a daily English-language newspaper, the Syria Times, but like its Arabic counterparts it is heavily censored.
Iran
Iran has taken a similar, if less draconian, approach to that of Syria. The Internet is legal but as many cafés seem to close down as open up, mainly because many religious clerics see the whole network as American propaganda and put pressure on the government to prevent access becoming too widespread. Having said that, you should find at least one outlet in each town.
Iran has a good postal service and a much improved telephone system. Mobile phones are extremely popular but international GSM networks don’t yet cover Iran. International calls are relatively cheap (particularly from an Internet café) and domestic calls cost almost nothing.
NATIONAL HOLIDAYS
The main holidays in this region are the Islamic festivals (see box p12) but there are national holidays too. Finding a room at these times can be tough, expensive or both.
Turkey: The Kurban Bayrami festival lasts for a week in February/March, April 23 is National Sovereignty Day, August 30 is Victory Day, October 29 is Republic Day, November 10 commemorates Atatürk’s death (see box p63) and December 10-17 is the Mevlana Festival.
Syria: ‘Commemoration of the Revolution’ (March 8), Commemoration of Independence’ (April 17) and Martyrs’ Day (May 6) are the main secular holidays. There is a Silk Road Festival held every year in late September, when Damascus, Aleppo and Palmyra host events along with other cities.
Iran: February 11 is the anniversary of Khomeini’s rise to power, March 20 is Oil Nationalization Day, April 1 is Islamic Republic Day, June 4 is the anniversary of Emam Khomeini’s death and September 8 is the Day of the Martyrs of the Revolution. There are also various other Shi’ite festivals which move around the calendar and Iran has its own Persian calendar with its own festivals, most notably No Ruz (New Year), which begins on the spring equinox.
CUSTOMS AND ATTITUDES
Turkey is very open and you will receive a warm welcome wherever you go, although eastern Turkey is home to some of the strongest fundamentalist voices in the country and you should act accordingly. Many there call for the law to be changed to bring back the veil and certainly if you come here in Ramadan (see box p12) you will notice a much stricter observance of Islamic law than in the rest of the country. As a visitor passing through at any other time, however, the only difference that you are likely to notice is that here more women wear headscarves (though foreign visitors are not expected to).
English is widely spoken and Western pop music adored (the naffer the better) but men should swat up on their football as it will occupy ninety per cent of all their conversations with locals. Women are usually ignored in football conversations and, unfortunately, this is indicative of many Turkish men’s attitude to women. You may also be propositioned or harassed in some of the more touristy areas. Finally, don’t forget you are passing close to the Kurdish heartland of south-east Turkey and if that situation does turn violent once again, beware, as foreign visitors have been prime hostage targets in the past.
As for Syria, while the Syrian government may not be very popular with its Western counterparts at the moment, the Syrians themselves (like their Lebanese neighbours) have always been considered the friendliest and most welcoming of the Arab nations. Through centuries of extensive trade and travel they have developed a broad understanding of the rest of the world and you will rarely feel ill at ease in this country. There is a massive military presence, however, which can take a bit of getting used to. English is quite widely spoken as is French, although an understanding of Arabic, of course, will help.
Iran, like Syria, has a very bad reputation in the West but, again like Syria, the Iranian people have always been known for their friendliness and generosity. Most Iranians are well educated (chess is the national pastime) and the high level of sophistication amongst the middle class under the late Shah has largely survived the Revolution. The fundamentalists still hold much of the power and the army takes a firm anti-Western stance but you will not experience any open hostility as long as you operate within the expectations of an Islamic society, especially regarding their dress code (see box p19), and steer clear of any ‘political’ events or gatherings. Women will find Iran quite hassle-free, apart from the obvious clothing restrictions and the fact that women are not expected to make eye contact with men; if you do you may well find them all staring at you.
Despite the total ban on alcohol, many Iranians drink and in the big cities a clandestine network allows locals to order beer as we would pizza (the Armenians brew a rough vodka for domestic consumption but most drinks are smuggled into the country from Turkey and Central Asia). Visitors will have little opportunity, however, and anyone caught drinking can get into serious trouble. Recreational and hardcore drugs are an increasingly virulent problem with the vast majority of Iran’s estimated one million addicts living in the capital.
Many of the Iranians you meet will speak English and nearly all of them go out of their way to help you and be friendly.
FOOD
These three countries have some of the best and most famous food in the Middle East and few people, even vegetarians, come away hungry, although you will have to spend a bit more money than you might expect if you are to sample the full range of dishes on offer. Almost all the food you eat will be locally produced; Turkey is one of only seven countries in the world that is entirely self-sufficient.
Street food is everywhere and, as often as not, it centres around kebabs (also called shwarmas), meatballs (kofte) and grilled meats, although the meat in these countries can range from the sublime to the fatty ridiculous. Falafel (balls of fried, spicy, mashed chickpeas) are also popular. Pizza (pide) is also very popular, particularly in Iran.
The restaurant favourite is mezze, which can be a starter or a banquet depending on how many snack-type dishes you order in your ‘mix’. Staple dishes include hoummos, tabbouleh, mini cheese-and-spinach pasties (borek), fried chicken livers, olives, stuffed vegetables (dolme) such as aubergines or peppers, shinklish (a devastating cheese), pancakes (golzeme) and lots of fresh salad. Most people fall for mezze in a big way as there is something for everyone.
Most bread is flat bread, freshly baked that day. Along with the fresh fruit and vegetables it usually tastes far superior to your local supermarket’s offerings at home. In Turkey a particularly popular type of bread is the simit; this looks a bit like a bagel but is bigger and covered in sesame seeds. Breakfast usually consists of bread, cheese and honey.
In eastern Turkey and western Iran there are a lot of stews and hotpots (especially outside the hottest summer months), which make a welcome change, and as you get further into Iran the food changes again. You might not be able to afford the caviare (which is now generally regarded as being as good as its Russian cousin because the southern half of the Caspian Sea is less polluted; caviare from the beluga – white – sturgeon is considered to be the best) but fish should play a big part in your diet, as will rice and soup.
The Middle East caters for some of the sweetest teeth in the world and the choice of pastries, biscuits and sugared delicacies has ruined many a good figure and quite a few sets of molars over the years. The choice is endless; simply go to a sweet shop or stall (they are all over the place and are almost sacred) and have a taste of a few of the treats on offer before you buy.
DRINK
Non-alcoholic drinks
In Iranian and many other restaurants the only drinks on the menu are non alcoholic. Coffee is king and strong-coffee lovers will be in heaven. Almost everybody takes sugar; many place a sugar cube or wafer in their mouth first and then sip. Each country has pleasant variations of flavoured coffees (cardamom is very popular) as well, so enjoy. If coffee is king, tea is queen and although Lipton is making inroads here as much as anywhere, green tea is still the favourite and, like coffee, it will often come in a variety of flavours.
Decent fruit juices are available and will often be freshly squeezed but check before you order. Milkshakes can be equally delicious. All the soft drinks you can think of are here (mostly local brands although international brands are represented too) and once you have tried Iran’s non-alcoholic beer you will be glad to return to them.
Alcoholic drinks
You won’t experience many hangovers in Iran (see p129) but beer and spirits are available in Syria and Turkey. There are quite a few breweries in the region but the dominant brand is the Turkish Efes. You will come across local wine in Turkey, too, which isn’t that bad (Sarafin is a brand worth looking out for) and, surprisingly, you could even be offered a secretive glass around Shiraz in Iran where the art of wine-making is not quite dead (Shiraz vines are thought to have been first taken to France during the Crusades).
Local Armenians brew illicit vodka in Iran and Efes beer is regularly smuggled into the country from Turkey but both are best avoided as the risks/punishments involved are too great.
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