Jon Snow broadcasts from the ancient Persian capital, and finds that the bloggers got there first. Listen to the podcast
What a country!
Look at this place for a start. Where are we? The sumptuous centre of Persian Islamic art a few miles from... the far less sumptuous rather more contentious centre of Natanz, where nuclear enrichment continues somewhere under the mountains marked only by stacks of excavated earth, a few low-lying buildings, watchtowers and anti-aircraft batteries.
Yet it feels a million miles from here as does the amazingly ill-tempered row between America and Iran. Funny old world.
Continue reading "Podcast: From Isfahan to the Internet" »
Jon Snow: We are in the holy city of Qom, an amazing place that feels a bit like the Vatican and quite a lot like many other places of religious faith.
Even Jerusalem, if that's not a sacriligious thing to say - I don't think it is because Qom is a precious place to Christians, Muslims and Jews alike.
- Listen to Jon's podcast from Qom or subscribe to it here -
Qom is the capital of Shia Islam. Mullahs wrestle over doctrine in little cubby holes along small dusty side streets. Glittering mosaics festoon the Shrine of the Sister of the 8th Imam - the gold leaf of the dome above glistening in the night sky.
Continue reading "Qom - the centre of Iran's theocratic state" »
