Although this ultimate guide to Iranian food could also be entitled Persian Food, today’s Iran is ethnically broader than its Persian roots. So too is its cuisine. Influences on Iranian food draw from across Central Asia, Turkey, former Mesopotamia, and from Iran’s own Azerbaijani Turkish population. This yields a cuisine that is influenced by it all, yet is distinct. This Iranian food guide is drawn from our experiences traveling across Iran — including visits to local markets, meals in restaurants and family homes, and street food adventures. It offers an extensive list of traditional Persian food, modern day Iranian food specialties and tips on what to eat and drink when you visit.

Traditional Iranian food combines the savory of fresh herbs and spices like saffron, merges it with the sweet of pomegranate, barberry and cinnamon and tops it all off with a flourish of nuts, dried fruits and beans. The result: a taste profile which does not present one distinct flavor, but instead serves up layers that keep the taste buds guessing as to what is and what’s coming next.

The following is an extensive list of Iranian dishes, including notable and common traditional Iranian dishes that we found in our weeks traveling in Iran. To give a sense of the culinary mindset, here are words of wisdom from one of our guides on the subtle appreciation of eating one’s way through Iran: “Eat an onion from each new place you visit to adjust your body to the local cuisine.”

Let’s eat! Nusheh jân!

Note: This post was originally published on January 16, 2014 and updated on December 8, 2018.

Traditional Iranian Food

Kebab

Kebab (kebabs) is taken very seriously in Iran – so much so that a restaurant kebab menu alone may run a few pages and feature every style and cut of skewerable grill-worthy meat imaginable. The first few times someone invites you to dine with them in Iran, you'll be tempted to think that all of Iran and its restaurants are powered solely on kebab.

Lamb, minced or in chunks, is the most popular meat you'll find in Iranian kebab. Chicken and beef also make a frequent appearance. In Iran, kebab skewers are often served alongside grilled tomatoes, a healthy plate of rice and flat bread, and a pile of raw onions. (Yes, raw onions. One roadside kebab stand thought us crazy for suggesting our onions be grilled.) You'll also find that one kebab order is likely more than enough for two people to share.

Our favorite kebab: kebab koobideh, minced lamb meat blended with herbs and spices.

Khoresht (Iranian Stew)

After kebabs, stews are the most common dishes you’ll find on the menu at local restaurants in Iran. Most often, Iranian khoresht will feature some sort of vegetable blend (e.g., lentils, spinach, mixed vegetable sabzi, beans, tomato, or eggplant) with a bit of meat thrown in. Khoresht is often served with rice and serves as a comfort food (e.g., as in chelo khoresht, rice and stew).

Some khoresht favorites include: Khoresht-e-Ghorme-sabzi, a stew of meat, vegetables and beans that features a bit of a greenish appearance; and Khoresht-e-Ghymeh, a stew of meat, potato, tomato and split peas.

Fesenjan (Fesenjoon)

Though technically a khoresht, fesenjan (Khoresht-e-Fesenjan) stands alone. At turns tart, sweet and savory, fesenjan is a stew composed of ground walnut and pomegranate juice turned with your meat of choice (chicken is most common). Fesenjan knows some regional variation in Iran, with sour and savory fesenjan prevailing in Northern Iran, while slightly sweeter versions appear elsewhere.

Fesenjan takes some time to make, which is why in Iran it is typically only served during holidays and on special occasions. Because you won't find it on the daily menu in most restaurants in Iran, you may have to make arrangements to have it prepared specifically for you or your group. Ask around, since the flavor of a well-made fesenjan is worth the effort. Good news: because fesenjan is among the best-known and most popular Iranian dishes, it's a staple in Iranian restaurants around the world.

Zereshk Polo

Literally, barberry rice. However, quite often served with grilled chicken or served alongside kebab.

Note: The red berries served atop this dish (you can see in the image below) are barberries (berberries), a berry from the barberry shrub that is quite often mistaken at quick glance for pomegranate.

Dizi / Abgoosht (Stone Pot Iranian Stew)

Dizi and abgoosht are competing names for the stone pot Persian stew that's consumed following an almost ritualized eating procedure.

Dizi, named for the stone pot in which it's prepared, is a hearty, heavy dish fit for the mountains. featuring mutton soup broth thickened with chickpeas, onion, potato, tomatoes, turmeric and various other white beans, all cooked in ceramic pot. The liquid is then strained away and served in a bowl on the side. As an interactive bonus, you’re given a pestle-type instrument with which you are expected to crush and mash to a pulp the solid bits (gusht-e kubideh) which happen to remain in your stone pot. Dizi (abghoost) is typically served with flat bread (piti) and the occasional side of pickled vegetables.

Tabriz Köfte / Koofteh Tabrizi (Tabriz-Style Persian Meatballs)

When offering Iranian food recommendations, a good Iranian friend said of Tabriz Köfte: “A huge meatball with surprises inside…very nice if you can find it.” Our experience: exactly.

We were fortunate to try it twice, once in a restaurant and once homemade served to us by our guide's wife at a makeshift picnic at St. Stephanos church. The latter was the clear winner for freshness and taste.

Tabriz Köfte can be found mainly in northwestern Iran, where the city of Tabriz is the provincial capital. Tabriz koofteh offer a variation on the traditional Turkish köfte (minced meatball). The Tabriz köfte is essentially an oversized meatball made from either minced meat and spices or barley and spices (for vegetarians), served with piles of fresh greens and herbs. After all the kebab you'll eat in Iran, Tabriz köfte strikes the body as refreshing, particularly when served on flatbread with all those greens.

Loobia Sabz (Iranian Green Bean Stew)

Vegetarians in Iran, look for loobia sabz. We list this dish not because we had the good fortune to eat it, but because in retrospect we should have made a greater effort to seek it out. We traveled with a vegetarian during a part of our trip, and she had a notably difficult time finding vegetable dishes untainted by meat. If you are vegetarian and traveling in Iran, ask for loobia (beans) and in particular, loobia sabz.

Mirza Ghasemi / Mirza Qasemi

Mirza ghasemi (or mirza qasemi) is a tasty vegetarian appetizer which hails from the Northern Iranian Caspian region. It's made with roasted skewered eggplant which is seasoned with garlic, tomato, turmeric, oil or butter, and salt. The seasoned eggplant is then turned with eggs. The whole thing is then mixed and served with bread or rice. Mirza ghasemi is another dish to watch our for, especially for vegetarians traveling in Iran.

Ash (Iranian Soup)

Ash is a thick, almost stew-like soup. However, you’ll find ash in all varieties of thin and thick depending on where you are in Iran and who happens to be stirring the pot. We enjoyed one of our favorite bowls of ash with a bunch of guys crammed into a soup cafeteria on their lunch break in the northwestern Iranian town of Tabriz.

Another tasty variety of ash is Ash-Reshteh, known as Persian noodle soup. Ash-reshteh typically features noodles, vegetables and herbs. We had the good fortune to enjoy this restorative meal-in-a-bowl in the mountain village of Masouleh.

READ MORE: Traveling to Iran as Americans: All You Need to Know

Iranian Rice Dishes

To say that rice — a 4,000 year old staple of Persian food and Iranian eating — is hugely important to the Iranian food landscape is a culinary understatement. In our cursory examination, sampling and research of the subject of Iranian rice, it’s clear that a full-length dissertation could be written about the subject, after which arguments of clarification on the terms and names of Iranian rice dishes would ensue.

Note: For a delightful and detailed layman’s guide to properly preparing Iranian/Persian rice at home, check out this article and recipe.

Chelo (Iranian Steamed White Rice)

Trademark fluffy white Iranian rice, typically served with kebab, stews and other main dishes.

Note: Chelo Kebab is the traditional Iranian dish of kebab (above) served on a plate with chelo, white steamed rice.

Tah Dig / Tah Deeg (Scorched or Crunchy Rice)

Tah dig is Iran's somewhat famous scorched, crunchy rice specialty. It's made from the bottom of the pot rice crust and is served by itself or with the rice crust merged with slices of potato, flats of bread, meat, vegetable, fruit and nuts like pistachio.

Baghali Polo (Persian Dill and Fava Bean Rice)

Like its cousins pilaf and plov), polo is a generic term for rice mixed or blended with nuts, vegetables, beans and dried fruits.

Take polo up a notch and add dill, saffron and fava beans (broad beans) and you have the specialty known as Baghali Polo. Baghali is the Persian/Farsi word for fava beans. Baghali polo will often be referred to as Persian dill rice.

Abkesh (Baked, Layered Rice)

Abkesh consists of srained, sieved rice cooked until its moist, then layered with bread or potato and blended with oil in the bottom of pot. It's typically topped with a bit of saffron and small minced pistachios.

Kateh

Kateh is soft, typically found in northern Iran, consists of clumped rice served with a slight crust. Kateh polo is softer than abkesh and is usually served in traditional restaurants in villages and rural areas.

READ MORE: Persepolis: Ancient Persia, Modern Lessons

Iranian Street Food Snacks

Baghali Pokhteh / Baghali Pokhte (Steamed, Spiced Fava Beans)

Baghali pokhteh (or, baghali pokhte) — steamed spiced fava beans — are a popular street snack, especially in the mountains of Iran. Baghali pokhteh are particularly delicious when served with vinegar, red pepper and marjoram. After all the meat we'd eaten in Iran, our group was thrilled to inject some legumes into the diet. We ate almost the entire stash of baghali pokhteh below. We're kidding…kind of.

Laboo (Red Beets, Roasted)

Laboo is the Persian word for red beets. We aren't certain if roasted red beets are typical to the Iranian street food scene, but this display of roasted beets on a stick in the Northern Iranian town of Ardabil was one of the more beautiful and unique street food presentations we’d seen in a while during our travels.

Street beets, who knew?

READ MORE: A Flight to Tehran: The Full Story

Iranian Breads

Interesting how the Farsi word for bread (nan) is similar to the Indian term. Linguistic history often gives a sense of how much we all have in common and how far back that shared history really goes. Especially when kebab, stews and soups are involved, Iranian breads are a staple of the Iranian table and culinary experience.

Lavash (Nan-Lavash)

The thin, flaky, sometimes almost paper-y (wallpaper-y) bread found widely throughout the Middle East and neighboring regions.

Sangak (Nan-Sangak)

Sangak is a stretchy elliptical bread usually baked on a bed of small stones or pebbles. Sangak is among the most common type of bread you’ll find served across Iran, and comes plain or in varieties topped with sesame or other seeds. If you’ve done everything right, you should have secured a few slabs of sangak as gifts (that is, for free from local bakers) along your travels across Iran.

Barbari (Nan-e-Barbari)

Barberi is a thick oval-shaped bread. It's also the ubiquitous bread staple of the northwestern Iranian town of Tabriz. Barberi is perfect to bring along and share on train ride from Tabriz to Istanbul. Our guide, Ali, knew this and bought us a bagful to help us survive our 60-hour journey.

READ MORE: Midnight Express: Iran to Turkey by Train

Iranian Desserts and Sweets

Faloodeh Shirazi / Falooda Shirazi (Persian Sorbet)

Faloodeh, one of Iran's most unique and most popular desserts features vermicelli noodles sloshed in a cold syrup of sugar and rose water. You can also ask for a sweet lemon juice variety of faloodeh. A specialty of the town of Shiraz. In the short time that we hung out in the old Shiraz bazaar we were offered so many bowls of faloodeh that we'd begun to turn them away. Locals are proud to share this with visitors.

Iranian Ice Cream

Iranian ice cream gets its own entry since rumor has it that Iran is the birthplace of the miracle we've come to know as ice cream. We’re not here to dispute or affirm that rumor. Instead, we'll share our experience with Iranian ice creams. Local varieties of Iranian ice cream we tasted were sweet, often fruity, not especially creamy, and somewhat strappy compared to the ice cream and gelato we’ve come to love. In any event, do as the locals do and take a dip of flavors, especially saffron and pistachio.

Aab Havij Bantani (Carrot Juice Ice Cream Float)

Carrot juice ice cream float, often garnished with cinnamon, nutmeg or other spices. In full disclosure, we thought the mixture was a bit sweet and preferred to drink the carrot juice plain, sans ice cream. But it's worth trying at least once.

Persian Halva

Halva is a popular dessert across this part of the world, especially in neighboring Turkey and the Middle East. A sweet made from ground sesame paste (tahini), halva not only satisfies the sweet tooth but it's also packed with protein. One might call halva the original power bar.

Nokhodchi (Persian Chickpea Cookies)

Nakhodchi, Persian chickpea cookies, are amazing and fabulously unique to Iran. Four leaf clover-shaped cookies are made from finely sifted chickpea flour, rose water, powdered sugar and sweet spices like cardamom — and topped off with finely chopped pistachios. The result: melt in your mouth magic. Nokhodchi taste like nothing you've ever had.

When you visit Iran, be certain to buy kilos of nokhodchi, for as easy as they might be to make at home, to make them well is an art exquisitely executed by only the finest bakeries in Iran.

Gaz (Persian Nougat)

Gaz is a traditional Persian nougat confection based on the milky sap collected from Angebin, a plant of the Tamarisk family found only in the dry outskirts of the Iranian city of Esfahan. Gaz is spun with various ingredients including rose water, pistachio, almond kernels and saffron.

Gaz is a specialty in the tourist center of Esfahan where you'll find shops selling all variations and qualities. Hint: Look for and purchase the gaz varieties with the highest pistachio count.

Lavashak (Fruit Leather)

Iran is a dried fruit mecca, so fruit leather (or fruit roll-up) fits. The taste, consistency and value of Iranian lavashak is absolutely nothing like you’ll get from packaged fruit roll-ups in your local grocery store. The sweet-tart fruit flavor of genuine Iranian lavashak will make your mouth pucker like never before, after which you won't be able to stop tearing off strips and eating large chunks like an animal.

Some of our favorite lavashak flavors include pomegranate, apricot and sour plum. Beware of lavashak vendors, however. You may think you're buying only a small piece, but you'll end up with enough fruit leather to make an outfit.

Koloocheh (Klucheh)

Koloocheh are decorative yet tasty cookies known best by the designs stamped on top. Though you'll find koloocheh throughout Iran, the original — and in our opinion tastiest — version of this Persian cookie hails from the town of Fuman in northwestern Iran. Fuman is flush with bakeries selling only these cookies. Koloocheh are stuffed with a cinnamon, walnut and sugar filling. When they are fresh and warm just out of the oven, they are special packages of melt-in-your-mouth goodness.

Reshteh-Khoshkar / Reshte Khoskhar

If you come across a pastry-ish cookie-like confection resembling a gauze bandage, you’ve found reshte khoshkar, specialties of the Caspian area (and specifically the town of Rasht). The khoshkar bandages or leaves are stuffed with walnut, sugar and cinnamon, are typically fried and soaked in a sweet liquid. As we were told by friends in Rasht, reshteh are similar to khoshkar, but come without the filling.

Our good friend from Rasht highly recommends these delights be consumed with a good cup of black tea.

READ MORE: Western Iran Snapshots and Experiences

Iranian Drinks

Doogh (Persian Yogurt Drink)

Doogh is a chilled thin plain yogurt drink, often served with mint and other dried herbs sprinkled on top. Doogh is surprisingly refreshing on a hot day. It also serves as a perfect complement to stomach-plunging, meat-heavy meals like a piled-high plate of kebabs.

Iranian “Beer”

Although Iran is a dry country — that is, consumption of alcohol in Iran is forbidden by law — every restaurant features a listing of something very generously referred to as “Iranian beer,” which is essentially a non-alcholoic fruit malt beverage, which under no circumstance ought to rightly be referred to as beer. Perhaps the only approximations outside of Iran would be drinks such as root “beer” and ginger “beer.”

Note that Iranian beer comes in all different flavors, with pomegranate being our fitting favorite. Once you come to terms with the fact that you aren't really drinking beer, you might actually find Iranian beer refreshing.

Fresh Fruit Juice

Fresh fruit juice abounds on city streets, especially in southern Iran. Our visit to Iran happened to coincide with pomegranate season and we drank generous glasses of it at every opportunity. Pomegranate consumption in volume feels both cleansing and invigorating. Our other juice favorites include carrot and melon. Usually very reasonably priced.

Chai (Persian Tea)

Iranian tea rooms are hubs of social gathering. In Iran, it’s not just about drinking tea, but about lounging back on pasha-worthy cushions on the ground and spending hours with friends and colleagues. Tea houses may also offer qalyan (large water pipes or hookah), in which you can smoke shisha, sweet-flavored tobacco in vanilla, apple, orange and mint flavors.

Typically, black tea is served with crystalized raw sugar on a stick. Stir your tea with your crystalline staff and watch the sugar crystals melt away. A magic wand, of sorts.

Alcohol in Iran

When it comes to alcohol, Iran is about as bone dry as it comes. You will likely find it difficult or impossible to find alcohol at all. Having said that, rumors have it that alcohol such as locally brewed wines can be had behind closed doors and in the back corners of private affairs such as weddings. We don't recommend you actively seek it out.

Vegetarian Food in Iran

Iran, unfortunately, is not an ideal destination for vegetarians as vegetarianism is primarily understood on the level of “a little less meat in the stew” or “we'll just pick the chunks of meat out.”

Can you find and eat vegetarian food in Iran? Certainly. Having said that, you might be limited to street snacks, breads, yogurt, salads and picking in and around main dishes. In addition, falafel is usually available in most towns and is inexpensive.

Vegetarians traveling to Iran should also consider learning the names of a few key vegetarian dishes. Know how to clearly say “I am a vegetarian” in Farsi so that you are able to request them and be understood. A quick list of other dishes (featured above) which might be vegetarian friendly as you travel in Iran: vegetarian khoresht (stew), the vegetarian version of Tabrizi koofteh, loobia sabz (green beans), mirza ghasemi (eggplant), baghali polo (dill rice with fava beans) and snacks like roasted red beets (laboo). this list) may also help. See also this article for additional strategies and advice on traveling as a vegetarian in Iran.

If you are traveling on a tour in Iran let your guide know in advance that you are vegetarian. He or she might be able to convince some of the restaurants you visit to cook a special vegetarian option for you.

Conclusion

Regardless of what you prefer to eat and when you prefer to eat it, allow your curiosity to guide the culinary dimension of your trip through Iran. You'll likely find yourself amidst conversations you'd never imagined having while traveling there.

Nusheh jân!

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Yazd, a historically Zoroastrian town and a sort of desert outpost that took in people fleeing persecution and wars in other parts of the country, is one of our favorite cities in Iran. Its old city is almost entirely built in brown-red adobe clay, helping to blend it into the surrounding desert landscape and to keep its building interiors cool.

Ones eyes adapt to this mono-color, after which the bright turquoise and intricate Persian Islamic design in the Jameh Mosque will make you feel like you've put on 3-D glasses. Gaze at the mosque's designs long enough and they'll dizzy you, pull you in and play tricks on your eyes as you try to discern the calligraphy, symmetry and symbolism buried within.

Finally, look up and check out the rooftop and lose yourself in the stars of the dome. Enjoy!

Our experiences above were from the G Adventures Discover Persia Tour. If you plan to book this or another tour with G Adventures, please consider starting the process by clicking on the ad below. The price stays the same to you and we earn a small commission that helps us continue to share stories like this. Thank you!

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“If you look up, at just the right time, you'll see a peacock on the ceiling,” our guide, Javad, explained as he walked us under the gilded and tiled dome of Sheikh Lotf Allah Mosque in Isfahan, Iran.

We craned our necks, searching for just the right angle. With the aid of sunlight passing through a nearby window, an image of a peacock — previously unseen, now tail shimmering — was revealed to us brush strokes. Intermittent cries of “Oh!” indicated when everyone in the room “got it.”

A playful peacock on the ceiling of an early 17th century Iranian mosque? Throughout the space, there were little optical illusions buried in rich, broad designs. Like so many mosques in Iran, the calligraphy and tile work were truly dazzling. (In a visual dictionary, the definition of dazzling ought to include a few shots from inside mosques in Iran.)

As we lingered, a group of young Iranian women on a school trip entered the mosque. They stole glances of our group as we made our way around, only half paying attention to their guide (even that is a generous estimation). When their lecture ended, we found ourselves surrounded, answering questions about where we were from, where we had visited in Iran, what we thought about the country. They invited us to a concert that evening, email addresses were exchanged.

“Are you on Facebook?” They'd ask.

Yet another dose of the unexpected — in peacocks and people — during our visit to Iran.

Our experiences above were from the G Adventures Discover Persia Tour. If you plan to book this or another tour with G Adventures, please consider starting the process by clicking on one of the links above. The price stays the same to you and we earn a small commission that helps us continue to share stories like this. Thank you!

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Upon hearing the news of the recent earthquakes near Tabriz in Northwest Iran, my mind went immediately to the time we spent in that region last November. This includes a day trip from Tabriz to the village of Kandovan where people live in fairy chimneys, caves made from volcanic ash deposited thousands of years ago.

Local history tells of inhabitants from nearby villages fleeing to these caves more than 700 years ago during the time of the Mongol invasion. The cone-like structures have remained homes ever since.

During our visit last November, with a dusting of snow just covering the ground, the village was as alive as ever. Children used the caves to play hide and seek, fathers dragged stubborn mules laden with saddlebags in and about them, and mothers hung laundry on lines stretched from one peak to the next. At the base of the hill, vendors sold meters of surprisingly addictive pressed dried pomegranate and apricot sheets to unsuspecting travelers like us.

We hear that Kandovan was not badly affected by the recent earthquake and that life still carries on in the fairy chimneys.

Let's hope.

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When most people think about the Red Sea resort town of Hurghada, Egypt they likely imagine relaxing on the beach, scuba diving, adventuring in the desert, golfing, and lounging at a big resort. Hurghada does have all of that.

Rarely, however, does one think about fresh markets and a taste of local Egyptian culture. It's there in Hurghada, if only you look hard enough.

You won't find that local culture on Sheraton Street, an area which many people refer to as a souk when in fact it's actually a street lined with souvenir shops and touts. Actually, we advise you skip this street altogether.

But if you do wish to catch a little slice of local life to go with your flashy new sunburn (er, tan), ask around for the local vegetable market. And when you arrive at the market, be sure make your way deep into the back sections where tourists rarely venture.

There you'll find ordinary Egyptians making their way, shopping, playing with their kids and going about their daily lives. And you'll be rewarded with human interaction and scenes like this.

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Do you remember learning about ancient Egypt in elementary school?

I do. I recall images of Cleopatra, mummies, hieroglyphics, and women with black bobbed hair and men dressed in kilts, all strutting. I remember pyramids that seemed too big to be real, as if aliens must have been the ones to deposit them in the middle of the desert.

And I remember an episode of Asterix and Obelix, a favorite childhood comic book of mine, where Obelix climbs onto the Sphinx, hangs on the nose and breaks it off. In response, all the vendors chip the noses off their ceramic Sphinx replicas to be sure they’d match.

Then I had the chance to see it all – the pyramids and the Sphinx after the nose job — in real life.

Saqqara, The Original Pyramid

Our guide, Maha, told us: “If you want to understand the pyramids, it’s best to begin with the original one: Saqqara.”

Dating back to 2,600 BC, Saqqara was the first pyramid built of its kind and the one from which all the other pyramids followed suit. However, Saqqara was built with steps, which later pyramid architects decided to exclude.

At the time of our visit to Saqqara in late December 2011, we virtually had the place to ourselves.

The Red Pyramid: Going Inside

Outside the neighboring village of Dahshur, not only did we also have the Red Pyramid to ourselves, but we could also actually go inside it.

Now this was cool. As in, “Wow, I feel like Indiana Jones” cool.

From an entry portal about two-thirds up the pyramid we began our descent — crouched down in a sort of crab walk, taking deep squat strides a couple hundred feet into the depths of the pyramid. I tried to imagine what it must have been like for ancient tomb raiders who didn’t have the benefit of wooden steps, handrails and head lamps.

The deeper we went, the heavier and more acrid the air became, as if it were spiked with ammonia gas. Maybe it was something natural from within the confines of those rocks, or maybe a few interlopers decided to leave their mark. Beyond the odor, the first room featured high stepped ceilings. This was the fake burial chamber to confuse thieves. We climbed another set of stairs to arrive at the real burial chamber, one that like so many others had been looted long ago.

Pyramids were no longer just a bunch of enormous blocks mysteriously stacked in mesmerizing geometric mounds. They were, in fact, hollow structures built to keep safe all that the pharaohs needed for their time in heaven.

We couldn’t walk normally for days after plumbing the depths of the Red Pyramid, but we highly recommend it, so long as you are not claustrophobic.

Giza Pyramids

When just about anyone imagines Egyptian pyramids, the image of the Great Pyramids of Giza is the one that usually comes to mind. What surprised me was how close those pyramids were to the modern day city of Cairo.

The first pyramid you see upon arriving at the complex — the Great Pyramid of Khufu – is the biggest and most famous. It also happens to be the place where many of the touts — of the camel riding and cheap souvenir variety – hang out. Like the scene out of Asterix and Obelix, I imagined each of them chiseling off the noses of their Sphinx replicas.

If you grin and bear it beyond the first two pyramids and up the hill, you’ll be rewarded with an iconic overlook and another much better opportunity to ride a camel (about $10 for 15 minutes).

The Great Sphinx

If our experience was any measure, late afternoon makes for a phenomenal time to visit the Great Sphinx. We were spoiled with soft light and a sky filled with feathery clouds. In this big sky context, the Sphinx seemed smaller than I expected, almost dwarfed by the size of the pyramids. But as I spent more time with it I became rather mesmerized by the magnificence and oddness of this ancient figure standing guard.

One thing we didn’t realize is that the viewing area stops the flow of visitors into the Sphinx interior complex around 4:00 P.M., while they promptly kick everyone out at 4:30. So if you’d like to have more time to try and master your perspective photo trickery pose of kissing the Sphinx’s nose, be sure to arrive a bit earlier.

Egyptian Museum

Although it’s not a pyramid, the Egyptian Museum is still worth a visit, at the very least to absorb the contents of Tutankhamen’s tomb. The stash is vast and impressive, complete with the Tutankhamen gold funeral mask that we all know so well.

But what really makes this exhibit amazing is to think that all this was the burial stash of a relatively insignificant, small-fry king who died when he was only 19. I tried to picture what burial tombs must have been like for powerful kings who lived fuller, longer lives. This just about tapped our imaginations.

Egyptian pyramids. I completed a circle, a trip traced from childhood books and fantasy to a visit in today’s reality. And yes, it was cool.

And although I feel like I understand all these icons so much better with a firsthand visit as an adult, the song “Walk Like an Egyptian” echoes in my head, and every time I consider the Sphinx, I think about what Obelix did to its nose.

What places did you study or read about as a kid that you were able to visit later on? Were they what you expected?

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Iran is again catching its share of headlines. So it seemed as good a time as any to share the story of our exit from the country — hopping a train en route from Tehran across the border to Turkey, then all the way to Istanbul. One of the finest and most surprising segments of our around-the-world journey.

But there we were the night before departure, train tickets in our hands. This dream train trip of ours was actually going to happen. That's when a pang of fear set in. Oh boy, what are we getting ourselves into?

Waiting on Tehran

Our train was scheduled to leave at 11:00 A.M from Tabriz in northwestern Iran. We'd arrived at the station at 9:30 A.M. just to be on the safe side. It was the last day of our Iranian visa and we absolutely needed to exit the country. We harbored no interest in reporting what happens to Americans when they overstay their Iranian visas.

When noon arrived, even the horrible movie Orca with Farsi subtitles on the video screen couldn't diffuse our restlessness. One of the station attendants came over and smiled, “Just relax. The train is delayed from Tehran. It’s usually like this.”

A few hours later, it was finally time to go.

Iran's Orient Express

Imagine an Iranian train. I know when I envisioned one, the image resembled that of Midnight Express and harkened to something like an Indian train in the old days — dark, dank, old, and mobbed.

Instead, we found a plush, clean four-person compartment with free water, snacks, and functioning electrical outlets. We continued exploring and landed in a nicely decorated dining car with a full Iranian menu flush (read: kebabs). Sure, the décor reeked of the 1970s and lost hopes to be the Orient Express, but this vessel was downright civilized.

Our Train Guardian

“I would like to speak with you.”

A few minutes after boarding a young Iranian man with a briefcase stood upright in the door of the compartment we’d schemed to carve out for ourselves. His posture and tone suggested he was reporting for duty.

We thought, “Uh oh. Where’s this gonna’ go?”

Formalities out of the way, Abbas introduced himself and we quickly covered the basics — where we had traveled in Iran (a lot of places), where he was going in Turkey (Ankara to study) how often he had taken the train (he was a pro).

When it came time for lunch, we pulled out our feed bag — you know, that ratty plastic bag full of random edible bits and bobs like pistachios, apricots, sunflower seeds, dried pomegranate wraps, a stash of Iranian trail mix, loaves of fresh flat bread, and nomadic Iranian cheese.

Abbas took one look at the snacks and offered an alternative: “I’ll make lunch for us. Don’t worry, I have enough food and tea for all of us.”

He pulled the curtains closed, locked the door, and took out a camping stove. “You’re not supposed to use these on the train, so I need to hide it from the conductor,” he explained.

I made note of his butane canister: “Made in Israel” was plastered across it in big letters.

I joked, “Your camping gas is from Israel. Isn’t that illegal in Iran?”

“You can buy anything in Kurdistan (an area in western Iran),” he smiled. “Everything gets smuggled over the border from Iraq.”

Abbas finished the can of tuna over the flame, bubbling, and we stabbed at it with bits of flatbread. It’s true what they say of breaking bread. Surprisingly satisfying on so many levels.

In reality, Abbas didn’t have a lot of extra food. But it was clear he wished to take care of us. He shared whatever he had and he shared generously.

“I will make a tea,” he would say, assembling his arsenal of trainbound tea-making: electrical heating element tongs (also forbidden), a bottle of mineral water, tea bags, cubes of sugar and a thermos.

His mantra: “Tea is very important!”

And it was.

Iranian border crossing fears

As the train approached the border with Turkey, my fear and anxiety grew. We were the only two Americans on the train and we were by ourselves, unescorted.

Cue footage of the detained American hikers fresh from an Iranian jail that had scrolled endlessly on the international news just weeks before.

I had expected an interrogation and bag search and was prepared. The night before boarding the train, I cleared my browsing history to erase any sign of blogging, Tweeting and Facebooking, all of which are censored in Iran. I wiped the call records clean on our mobile phones, eliminating any history of contact with Iranian friends during our visit. (I blame my spy novel paranoia on growing up as a daughter of diplomats and having lived in the former Soviet Union).

The border-clearing process began. We were called to the dining car, a few people at a time. Inside a queue formed and we worked our way from dining table to dining table until it was our turn.

The border guard looked up from his reading glasses, over his computer screen and a pile of registry books and papers.

He eyed my entrance stamp to Iran and finger-counted the number of days we’d been in the country. Assured we had not overstayed our visas, he asked where we’d visited and how our trip had been. As I rattled off all the names, I noticed a smile. He was clearly proud.

“Did you enjoy your visit to Iran?”

“Definitely.”

“Good. Enjoy your trip. Please return.”

And that was it. Polite and friendly.

Iran to Turkey: No Man’s Land

The Iran-Turkey borderlands are flush with mountainous landscapes, tiny rural villages, endless contours and the occasional shepherd tending a flock. Through one tunnel to the next, we climbed higher. In this no man’s land, it was impossible to tell exactly where we were. Let’s just say there’s no big “Welcome to Turkey” sign along the way.

I was confused. The buildings didn’t look any different to me than the ones we'd seen just 30 minutes before.

“The satellite dishes are out in public. That’s how I know we are in Turkey.”

I looked again with fresh eyes. It was a subtle difference.

As time passed, I noticed women’s headscarves coming off, mine included. The corridors came alive with new sounds as passengers began playing music on their phones and radios.

We were still on an Iranian train, but you could tell we were no longer in Iran.

Across Lake Van: The Turkish Train

Lake Van. Yes, the lake of the same name as the town hit by a devastating earthquake just a month earlier. It’s a wonder the train tracks hadn't been affected.

Our train was supposed to stop at the eastern edge of the lake at 9:00 P.M. In reality, it was close to 2:00 A.M. when we bade farewell to our Iranian train and boarded the ferry to take us across the lake. The crowd of passengers, we included, looked weary and laden, bags dragging. The ferry was terrifically uncomfortable. The chairs were certainly big enough, but their shape was uniquely designed for torture.

A few hours later, with the sun poised to rise, we arrived on the western shore of Lake Van.

We and Abbas crashed instantly. It was some of the best sleep we'd ever enjoyed on a train.

Iranians Prefer Americans?

When we're asked how Iranians responded to us as Americans, people are often surprised to hear that we were treated like rock stars. But if we were Elvis on the streets of Iran, we were The Beatles on that train.

Just about every visit to the dining car turned into social hour, as we were engulfed in Iranians hoping to chat, take photos with us, and just hang out. We'd leave with hands and pockets full of nuts and dried fruits as gifts.

Embarrassing. Almost.

Proud of Iran, Searching for Opportunities Abroad

Later that evening we ventured back into the dining car. After all, we didn’t want to eat all of Abbas' food. We also secretly wanted a beer. Never had a mediocre not-quite-cold enough Efes tasted so good. (Iran was bone dry when it came to alcohol.)

Amin and Parisa, an Iranian couple we’d met at the Turkish border invited us back to their compartment for a nightcap of more snacks. As we cracked open pistachios (Iranian pistachios are truly among the best in the world) and talked about our travels through Iran, they shared photos of various Iranian historical sites they had visited. You could tell they were proud of their heritage. As graphic designers, they drew from traditional Persian design and calligraphy for their modern creations.

They told their story: “We are on this train to go to the American Embassy in Ankara. We want to apply for a student visa or maybe refugee status. It is impossible for us to live in Iran anymore. During the Green Revolution, Facebook really helped us. But we can’t survive now economically, socially.”

This sort of tale was common. We’d met so many Iranians headed to Turkey to apply for American visas.

Earlier when we had gathered in the dining car, we noticed a man with his young son. He noticed us, too. He’d sit and listen, and when the time was right, he would sit in the booth next to Dan and ask questions, non-sequitur.

“Is Texas good for job?” he asked.

“We won American green card lottery.” (To this day, I don’t understand how such an immigration program exists.)

He left, only to return 30 minutes later.

“If we go to Los Angeles, how do I get driver’s license?” he asked.

“Is Los Angeles good for job? Good life?”

Dan explained how to get a driver’s license and that in some cities, there are probably many Iranian immigrants who can provide practical information and support. To address the more difficult question Dan added, “There are opportunities in America. But success is not guaranteed. And at the moment, jobs are difficult.”

The man quickly left.

He returned once more. “Maybe I think about whether I take my family to America.”

This train, it seemed, was the American Embassy Express.

Goodbyes

Early on our third afternoon together, the train pulled into Ankara. We could feel a shift.

While we'd enjoy the space to decompress, we could feel a void. We waved goodbye to our newfound friends as they made their way across the platform.

Our journey was coming to an end, but theirs was just beginning.

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When time is limited, you have to make tough decisions. In Alexandria, Egypt, I decided to hit the streets of its old town rather than going deep into the ancient catacombs. I was looking for interaction, for life on the streets.

And rather than heading down the main street, I found the loneliest alleyway to take me in a different direction. I ended up in a vein of street markets that wasn't so lonely after all.

I couldn't have planned a more perfect travel hour. My only wish was that I had more time.

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Coptic Cairo. The name alone exudes ancient, mysterious, almost mystical. People still live, work and worship in the same place as they have for thousands of years. It's a humbling walk back in time in this secluded Old Cairo neighborhood, whose tranquility belies the 22-million strong bustle of modern Cairo just outside.

One of the highlights of Coptic Cairo: The Hanging Church, suspended above firm ground on palm tree trunks connecting two ancient Roman fortress towers. Although the church has been renovated and rebuilt throughout the centuries to its current form, the original structure dates all the way back to the 3rd century.

An old place. A beautiful place.

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If you've been following us on Facebook or Twitter recently, you're probably aware that we've been in Egypt this past week.

Egypt? But isn't it unsafe now?

You guys are the Perception Busters.

— A comment on our Facebook page in response to our arrival in Cairo earlier this week. And a label we're happy to embrace.

When we shared with our friends and readers that we were headed to Egypt, we could understand their fear. After all, recent news has been full to overflowing with images — protesters and demonstrations, violence and crackdowns — pouring in from Cairo's Tahrir Square. Based on that newsreel alone, you might be inclined to think that all of Cairo — and perhaps the whole of Egypt — is under attack and up in flames.

We'd like to offer an alternative story, straight from our experience on the streets, straight from the people we met during our first days in Egypt. We offer this not to refute the violence that has ensued on Tahrir Square, but to suggest that it's not the only thing happening in Egypt right now, that life carries on for many in rather ordinary ways, and that visitors like us are genuinely welcomed with curiosity and warmth.

So while some people imagine we might be dodging bullets, we're actually dodging people approaching us and giving us rounds of freshly-made bread on the street.

The Egyptians we met weren’t only warm, they were downright kind. They also wanted to ensure we were safe.

“Egypt is safe for you. Just stay away from Tahrir Square,” some would say in response to our visit. But they’d finish with “Welcome to Egypt. Have a nice time.” And these weren’t people anywhere near the tourist sites, but people we happened to meet in the old town of Alexandria.

Here are just a few of their faces.

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