"Ladies and Gentlemen, in preparation for landing in Tehran, please make sure your seat backs, tray tables, and HEADSCARVES are in their upright and locked position."

Checked in to my hotel, the Englehab in Tehran to find in the nightstand everything one would need to convert to Islam -- a Holy Qur'an and a neatly folded prayer rug.

View of Tehran from my balcony in the Englehab hotel -- must be fully dressed to step outside for a pic!

Even though hair must be covered by decree of Islamic law, hairpieces seem to still generate quite a business. Typically, the younger and more stylish the woman, the bigger the pony tail bulge under the "hejab," or headscarf.

Pistachios are a chief export of Iran. I always wondered why they used to dye pistacio shells pink, but now I see the shell is encased in a pink casing when fresh from the tree.

The Tehran bazaar is quite expansive, a labryinth of shops selling everything from kitchenware to underwear,

Some of the shops in the bazaar are quite elaborate, like this one which appears to sell antiques and chandlers.

Iran is known for it's "Persian carpets." Unlike other countries known for their carpets such as Turkey and Morocco, there are no high pressure sales techniques to entice you into their shop to fly away on a magic Persian carpet.

Carpets are "parked" everywhere in the bazaar.

Many deliveries in the bazaar are made on motorcycle, such as this one, though you really have to look hard to find the bike!

The other delivery method is by cart, which can be quite dangerous if you don't get out of the way fast. I saw more than one Achilles be raked by these crazy cart drivers, especially during "rush hour" in a busy bazaar intersection such as this

Tehran at sunset. The northern end is the posh neighborhood resembling Manhattan or Embassy Row in DC, and the south end is the older, low rent district. Our hotel was somewhat in between.