As we were sitting at the airport in Tehran I was thinking I wish I had the courage to take pictures of all these people. There was such a variety of ‘costumes’ not the usual that we saw in Iran. In Iran men wear western style clothing and the women conform to a stricter code of dress wearing a manteau ( I call it a trench coat or lab jacket that must hide a woman’s shape) with a scarf or they wear a black chador which covers all but their face and makes them look like a nun. At the Tehran airport the look was much different as the men wore non-western clothing while the women continued to observe the strict dress code. Some of the men looked like they were from Saudi Arabia with the long white garment and a headdress of black and white check or red and white check. Other men were wearing, as best as I can describe it, an old fashion men night gown, white, light gray or light brown and some with a turk cap. Many of these men were well feed. One man, the one I wanted a picture of, was in his fifties and wore a long light colored gown. This man caught my attention because he had dyed his hair and his mustache bright red. A large group of these people were there with a tour group from Pakistan.
When it was time to board the plane the fun began. We had to pass through another security check point, women must go on one side and men on another side. Airport security was only letting 5 or 6 people at a time pass thought the door way to the security check point. As I was standing in the men’s line to go in the room for the security check there was a man standing so close to me, almost to my side, I thought he might push me over. I thought this guy is really anxious to get ahead of me and then the guy bolted ahead of me in the line. Well, as an American, this was shocking to me.
I placed my carry on bag, belt and watch on the conveyor belt and noticed on the other side of the metal detector they were detaining a little old man about 85 wearing one of those night gowns. They kept running the metal detecting wand over him and frisking him. Men kept running through the metal detector wanting to get on the plane and the security person kept sending them back so he could frisk the little old man in his night gown. They kept running through the detector the guard kept sending them back. Finally the guard finds a small pair of scissors in the old man’s night gown. As I’m standing behind the red line waiting for my turn to pass through the detector they let 5 or 6 more people in the area, and they run in, throw their things on the conveyor belt, run in front of me through the metal detector setting it off. Then another person runs through & the guard is trying to push them back because the alarm is going off. I’m standing there waiting for my turn and I finally get my chance, and decide it’s my turn and I hold another guy back and run through the detector setting it off and the guy I pushed aside has run through setting it off. They find a coin in my pocket and I’m cleared to go. The guy behind me has already run through three times and is still beeping the detector.
After I finally get through I meet up with Mary who says she had the same experience in the women’s section with the women pushing her aside so they can get through the metal detector before her. Despite the fact they were all pushing to get through we all made on the plane before it took off.
Finally, the door to the plane was closed, we all got settled, the airline stewards checked our seat belt and the plane started moving from the airport terminal. Much to my amazement several dozen people undid their seat belts and jumped up to put all their belongings in the overhead bins.
We are thinking wow what an experience this has been when the airplane lifts off the ground and what seems like the entire plane voices some strange Arabic chant which must have been thanks be to Alla for a safe take off.
We had an uneventful flight until we landed when the airplane wheels hit the ground and the plane slowed down they broke out in a chant again. This time they do it four or five times. Finally when we get off the runway and are taxiing toward the air terminal a dozen people jump up and start opening the overhead bins to get their things and the airline stewart has to get up and tell them to remain in their seat until we get to the terminal and he closes the bins. Everyone sat down except one man who stood up the whole time we are taxiing and was waiting at the airplane door when we pulled up to the terminal.
These people looked like devout Muslim’s but they sure weren’t courteous. I know it’s probably not true, but it felt like these were uneducated people who had never been on an airplane and were extremely anxious about it. I was glad to be on the plane with them it made for a most memorable flight.
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