A journey to the mystic Iran through "Searching for Hassan"
Book title: Searching for Hassan Book author: Terence Ward The past is a country from which we all have emigrated. —SALMAN RUSHDIE, IMAGINARY HOMELANDS This was one of the first recommendations Barbara made to me. I explored Iran through books, read Kader Abdolah, Marjane Satrapi and resisted myself from reading this because of my habit to leave a good book to cherish later. This time I unraveled my long kept treasure and I did cherish every moment of my reading. The author, Terry, is making a journey across Iran, where he spent his childhood, to find Hassan—a long lost friend, and re-discover the country. Through the cultural hub of the country, Shiraz, where Hafez and Saadi were born, their jeep crosses Pasargadae, where Cyrus the Great lies, and reaches Persepolis’s ancient ruin. The American caravan of four brothers and their parents reach Yazd, the great desert, they see the country’s Zoroastrian past’s remnants. The caravan leaves for Isfahan, the turquoise city of Iran, the city...
