Land of the Turquoise Mountains: Journeys Across Iran

by Cyrus Massoudi

For Cyrus Massoudi, a young Britishborn Iranian, the country his parents were forced to flee thirty years ago was a place wholly unknown to him. Wanting to make sense of his roots and piece together the divided, divisive and deeply contradictory puzzle that is contemporary Iran, he embarked on a series of journeys that spanned hundreds of miles and thousands of years through the many ebbs and flows of Iranian history. From the border with Turkey to that of Turkmenistan, from the Caspian basin down to the Persian Gulf, his journeys took him from the mythological first kings of Iran, to the Elamite kingdom, the eras of Cyrus and Darius, the glory of the Sasanians, the shock of the Islamic Arab conquests and the later Mongols, Safavids and on to Khomeini, Ahmadinejad and beyond. Rich portrayals of Sufis and ageing aristocrats, smugglers and underground rock bands are all woven together with history, religion and mythology to form a unique portrait of contemporary Iranian society. And, like a fragile thread running through the heart of the narrative lies Massoudi's poignant personal quest; his struggle echoing that of Iran itself, as it fights to forge a cohesive modern identity.With its tensions of young against old, reformists against reactionaries and the computer against the Qur'an, it is a battle with global implications for a future that is poised so precariously between promise and ruin.
Land of the Turquoise Mountains reveals a world beyond the propaganda-driven, media fuelled image of fractious, flag-burning fundamentalism, and provides a compelling glimpse both into the heart of a deeply misunderstood nation and into what it is to seek out and discover one's heritage.

Genres: Travel, Iran, Middle East, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 24, 2014

Reviews

[Carolinemawer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interspersed with the bus and taxi trips Cyrus took to see some of the tourist sights of Iran, there's lots of chunks of history in this book. Best bit: his adventure in the sea mud with the rats. But no turquoise mountains that I remember - even though there really are mountains (that used to be) loaded with turquoise in Iran. So why was that the book's title? Why didnt he go to see the remnants of the turquoise deposits? Sometimes the history chunks felt a little indigestible. Is that his writing style? Or simply reflecting how little he knew when he embarked on his journey? The history was, in my opinion, more than a little partial: his choices of Pope, Sykes, and that military sounding guy whose name I've forgotten as his go-to people to quote were surprising to me - especially when there is so much else on offer (and in the bibliography). I missed hearing exactly what Cyrus had been doing for his three years in Iran. I also missed hearing from any women - there's a lot of criticising heavy make-up (in Tehran - or as an indicator of how 'advanced' a smaller town was), or admiring stereotypically hidden eyes, but no idea of the women of Iran as individuals. Not that many of the men get a much better deal. Why does Massoudi say his Persian is rudimentary, if he lived there for three years? And I don't understand why he ends the book with a rehashing of the colonial stereotypes of the Iranian character. Iran and Iranians are multi-faceted, and can be frustrating - but the positives are much more than all the hospitality he describes.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very well researched but terribly dull, I was bogged down in all the confusing history but there was no overall narrative bringing it together or pulling me along. Which is a shame as I was reading this as I travelled through Iran & was really enjoying the country. This history is incredible but endless asides about what happened with a king or empire about a place that I may or may not have visited is not very meaningful & the stories themselves are not interesting enough to stand on their own. There was little insight into how the country made Massoudi feel at home, he seemed to hang out with a series of wacky characters having mildly wacky adventures but then we returned to some heavy handed histories. As if he'd gone and read a lot more history to bolster up the content, neither informed the other & neither offered much in themselves.

[Shriya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating:4.5/5

Review coming up soon.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was difficult to read in some parts and so engaging in others. I found the history very overwhelming and extensive. I'd have rathered more focus on the travel throughout Iran. I understand why the history is important but I'd say this book is 70% history and 30% travel so it depends what you are interested in.

[NCHS Library]

From the Publisher:
For Cyrus Massoudi, a young British-born Iranian, the country his parents were forced to flee thirty years ago was a place wholly unknown to him. Wanting to make sense of his roots and piece together the divided, divisive and deeply contradictory puzzle that is contemporary Iran, he embarked on a series of journeys that spanned hundreds of miles and thousands of years. Rich portrayals of Sufis and ageing aristocrats, smugglers and underground rock bands are all woven together with history, religion and mythology to form a unique portrait of contemporary Iranian society. And, running through the heart of the narrative, lies Massoudi's poignant personal quest; his struggle echoing that of Iran itself, as it fights to forge a cohesive modern identity. Land of the Turquoise Mountains reveals a world beyond the propaganda-driven, media-fuelled image of fractious, flag-burning fundamentalism and provides a compelling glimpse both into the heart of a deeply misunderstood nation and into what it is to seek out and discover one's heritage.

[Stephen the Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful , intelligent and fascinating read ... by the end page I find myself wanting to know more about Iran... yes, there is a lot of historical information but this is integral to the understanding and appreciation of Iran /Persia’s astounding past and how this shapes lives in many ways today.
I would visually love to see this journey - the sights and people met
Highly recommended

[Deborah-Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story of a young man who grew up British with Iranian descent who moved to Iran in his 20s to learn more about the history and the culture. It is a diary of his time and recounts many of his experiences from the puzzling to the profound. Through the cultural differences he discovers more of himself and comes to a place where he is ultimately settled in who he is.

[Graham Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

Takes it time to get going, but certainly a book that has its moments. Those interested in Iran will find some tales here to keep them interested.

[Mihaela Herbei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am citit această carte înainte de-a pleca în excursia din Iran cu dorința de a-mi face cât de cât o idee despre locurile pe care urma să le vizitez. Cartea seamănă cu un jurnal de călătorie dar are ambiția de-a fi ceva mai mult decât atât.

Autorul ei este un tânăr englez de origine persană ce-a dorit să-și facă singur o impresie despre țara în care s-a născut și pe care a părăsit-o la o vârstă prea fragedă pentru a o înțelege. Părinții lui au fost printre cei mulți care au părăsit în pripă Iranul pentru a scăpa de regimul islamic ce a pus stăpânire pe țară după revoluția din 1979.

În cei trei ani pe care i-am petrecut călătorind prin Iran, am iubit și am urât țara în egală măsură. Undeva pe parcurs am ajuns să mă văd mai degrabă un iranian care trăiește în Occident decât un occidental cu rădăcini iraniene. Această schimbare a modului în care m-am perceput mi-a ridicat un semn de întrebare: ce înseamnă să fii iranian? Cartea aceasta este încercarea mea de a găsi un răspuns.

A fost interesant să descopăr Iranul odată cu Cyrus. Mi-au plăcut foarte mult ochelarii "englezești" prin care privea el lumea aceea exotică de care se simțea atras. Se vedea cât de colo obișnuința de-a gândi lucrurile cu mintea unui occidental, stilul englezesc pe care se străduia să-l abordeze, echidistant și fără (prea multe) idei preconcepute. Am descoperit împreună cu el mai toate lucrurile interesante din Iran, provinciile, orașele și diferitele populații ( triburi ) ce-l locuiesc. Am învățat o grămadă de lucruri despre istoria lor tumultoasă, despre religii, despre obiceiurile locului.

Concluzia la care a ajuns Cyrus e următoarea:

Iranul este o țară cât se poate de aventuroasă, cu lucruri imprevizibile și incertitudini pândind la fiecare colț. Iranienii sunt un popor care amestecă o ospitalitate emoționantă și o falsă sinceritate cu o intoleranță dezgustătoare și obiceiul de a ți se băga în suflet, obicei care, deși este enervant uneori, în cele din urmă te cucerește. Pe scurt, este un loc atât de diferit datorită vicleșugurilor și modurilor sale de exprimare, încât orice liber-cugetător sau romantic îi cade în plasă. Acesta este Iranul și locuitorii săi, inima și sufletul țării, ce rămân neschimbate în ciuda ultimei "mode" ce le poleiește suprafața, oricare ar fi ea; o țară cu numeroase defecte care nu fac altceva decât să-i evidențieze nurii.

Massoudi, Cyrus. Land of the Turquoise Mountains . Bloomsbury Publishing. Kindle Edition.

În ciuda declarațiilor lui, mie uneia mi-e greu să spun dacă Cyrus Massoudi a căzut la pace până la urmă cu țara lui de baștină. Oricum, lectura cărții mi-a deșteptat curiozitatea de a-i călca pe urme și m-a îndemnat să observ Iranul fără prejudecățile obișnuite. Cu toate că periplul nostru iranian n-a fost la fel de lung, a reușit să acopere totuși o grămadă din locurile descrise în carte. Și, până la urmă, cu toate c-am fost prevenită, a trebuit să recunosc că am căzut în plasa vrăjelilor persane. Prea mult mi-a plăcut excursia.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book for anyone interested in ancient and modern Iran. It should be compulsory reading for all Western politicians to inform them about the reality of Iran and Iranians.