My First Time In Iran's Crazy Tourist Spot.. I was Shocked!! 🇮🇷

Get ready to see a side of Iran you may never have seen before.

Come with me to Hamedan where we will experience local Iran Basloq.

From the food to the natural wonders, the stunning artistry, and, the entertainment.

We've briefly stopped in Hamedan and I want to get some local sweets.

So this looks like a local sweet shop and it's called Komaj.

Let's go and see what they've got.

I think it's amazing.

Look at all these sweets.

Oh wow.

Wow wow wow wow wow.

Look, all these local sweets are coming out.

These are the.

These are the komaj.

Yeah, I recognize those.

These ones.

This one is the shirmal.

Syrup of the grapes, which is the inside The syrup of the grapes.

Grapes yeah.

The syrup of the grapes in this one.

This is the Another halwa.

Halwa yeah.

I recognize that.

I want to try one of these figs.

Figgy sweeties.

Figgy sweeties.

There we go.

Yes.

And some of these.

How many should we take, Bob?

How many are you going to eat?

I fear we have a lot of sweets in the car.

Do you know what I mean?

If we run out of fuel, there's no problem.

Fantastic.

Perfect.

Should I try one now?

I'm going to try one now.

I'll try one now.

Oh, I like that.

I thought they would be soft.

They're more biscuit like.

Hang on, look.

Can you see that?

I don't know how close I can get.

And you can see it.

Oh, it's kind of like got a bit of a syrupy thing on the top.

Sesame seeds.

Tastes like.

Kind of tastes vanilla Vanilla.

Easy.

Dunk it in the chai How much is that then?

That's that, yeah.

What's that price?

Yeah.

So.

So Bob has to convert it from Riels, I think.

I don't know.

There's.

There's two currencies here.

There's Rials and there's toman I think. I don't understand it.

I think. I don't understand it.

So I just look at Bob and he tells me, It's a gift for us.

Oh, that's very kind.

That's so kind.

Thank you.

So how much for the sweets?

150 Thank you.

So my next location is somewhere that's really popular with locals and international tourists.

We're in the countryside.

We're about 10 kilometers outside of Hamedan.

There's a gorgeous waterfall.

There's beautiful nature, and there's ancient inscriptions which reveal hidden treasures.

Today is, Today's a Thursday, so it's like the start of their weekend.

So it's really popular here.

And everyone's out like taking pictures, enjoying their time.

It's a really beautiful waterfall as well, the way it just comes in between the two trees.

Many locals come to spend a leisurely day here, enjoying the natural surroundings whilst having a picnic.

And they also come to see two huge inscriptions dating back around two and a half thousand years.

One was commissioned by Darius the Great and the other by his son.

And over the centuries these carvings have sparked all kinds of legends.

Indiana Jones, eat your heart out.

We have a true life adventure here.

And basically the inscriptions behind me date back to 500 B.C.

and for some, they say they reveal the location of hidden treasure.

The reality may be somewhat different.

The reality may be that the treasure actually is the beauty of this place, which in itself is a treasure chest with the waterfall and the gorgeous landscapes.

But can you imagine, can you imagine all the people that have come here over the centuries and seen the writing and wondered where the The views are amazing, absolutely stunning.

Oh wow.

Look at the view of Hamedan in the distance.

So at the top of the cable car you have the most incredible views down to Hamedan, as you can see behind me.

And as we got off, three hikers ahead of us, they, they walked off and off into the distance.

I bet they're going to have an amazing day.

And I've just heard as well that in the winter time this place doubles as a ski resort.

And it's funny, I don't associate Iran with skiing at all.

And I'd love to try it.

It's beautiful here.

The mountains look incredible.

I bet the skiing is ace.

And you've got the cable car.

It's all set.

Cracking open the fig delights.

What are they called again?

Basloq.

Pardon?

Basloq.

Basloq.

I've got a memory like a goldfish.

Do you know that?

Oh, you told me that about 34 minutes ago.

Look at this basloq.

So what's on the outside.

Is that coconut?

Exactly.

Is it coconut?

And the walnut inside.

And of course, with the, syrup of the fig.

Wow.

I didn't realize it had walnut in as well.

Silence.

They're really good.

You see the fig, the seeds of the fig inside is amazing.

You know the seeds inside.

Yeah, I was crunching.

Is that what it is?

Fig seeds?

Yeah.

Oh, yeah, I can see.

And walnut.

What's the walnut?

The walnut are in the.

I got a bit.

I found it.

I found it.

One more.

And you too.

Oh, that's so good.

Aren't they?

I mean, I was watching the hikers and it was making me feel tired, honestly.

In the cable car.

When we were going up in the cable car and I was looking at the hikers, I was like, my legs are exhausted already thinking about what they're going through.

I need some energy just thinking about it.

We're getting the cable car back down, aren't we?

Yep.

Right.

Excellent.

Yum.

Just checking.

I wonder if there'll be any left by the time we get to the bottom.

There's a nutter walking up, probably regretting his decision.

He stopped.

He's got miles to go.

Why would he do it?

Why would you walk up like that in this heat?

He's probably like, what do you reckon?

75% up, but it looks like the top 25% is the hardest.

I would never do that.

But one thing I will do is go on a bobsleigh.

I just needed some instructions.

There is no need to do anything uphill.

But yeah, when you are going to downhill.

So you have the brakes.

Okay.

Right.

So basically.

So basically going uphill.

Just going to repeat this.

Going uphill.

Don't touch anything.

Exactly yeah.

Going downhill, go slow.

Brake.

What could go wrong?

What could go wrong?

Forward for go, back for stop.

I don't know.

I don't know how fast this thing goes.

Here we go.

Hello Salam.

I wonder if Iran has a bobsleigh team.

Back brake.

Back was braking thing.

No, forward is brake.

I don't know if it's forward or back.

Bob, on the bobsleigh...

You're going to crash into me.

You've got to slow down!

I hope they can stop you if you forget to brake.

Goes fast!

I think they stop us now.

Oh, I'm getting out.

He's just waving at me now.

He's like, get out.

Okay, Bob's coming.

Bob's coming.

Didn't realize Iran had dinosaurs.

As well as dinosaurs, they also have one of the world's largest water caves called Ali Sadr. So we went to find out what it was all about.

So here at the Ali Sadr caves, people come and they spend time.

They have a bit of a holiday.

There are these little shops, there's these little cabins that they can stay in.

There's play areas for the kids.

You can do a nice workout here.

Something like this.

What?

Why'd you do this?

Oh, for my shoulder.

You're kidding me.

I'm just working my pectoral muscles.

I'm not convinced by the Iranian gym.

So if I've eaten too many Iranian sweets, this is going to be hard, is that what you're saying?

Oh yeah.

What's this back scratcher?

I mean, what is this?

Guys, this is the first Iranian thing I've seen that's weird.

I'm not gonna lie.

It's weird.

This is weird.

What is that?

It's just for sitting and relaxing.

Oh no.

Oh no no no no no.

Oh.

Oh.

These are like torture contraptions.

What is this doing?

I'm not sure at all about this.

It's like a resort, and this is for tourists.

But it obviously must be pretty quiet, like now in the week.

Oh, it's huge, though, isn't it?

Look, now I know our kids must love to come.

I mean, it's a treat, isn't it?

Come buy yourself a new outfit.

Yeah.

What have we got?

Lots and lots and lots of scarves.

And, the pottery.

Oh goodness.

Kind of Oh yeah Buy yourself a knife if you want.

Flick knife.

Play area for kids.

I can see that Iranians definitely like to focus on kids.

Everything is very kid friendly and very, very focused towards what little ones will enjoy.

We've probably been walking about 10 minutes from the car.

This place is huge.

And, I mean, it must just go off everywhere.

It's got observatories to see the stars.

It's got endless shops, it's got restaurants, it's got play areas.

I'm not going to see it because we're just going for the caves and then we're going on.

But it is massive.

Kurdish style of dress there.

It's really pretty, isn't it?

May I have a look?

Wow.

Look at these.

The men wear these or are these for women?

For women.

For women.

Yep.

Like this.

Like this.

Like that.

Exactly.

There we go.

How do I look?

Do you like it?

Yeah, it's a good color for me.

Yo, it's too colorful.

Yes excellent.

Just chatting with Arif here and he's the owner of the shop and he's been here five years.

He's Turkish.

And he really likes Iran.

He likes the people, the place.

I'm from London.

Yeah.

London uk.

It's my first time in Iran.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Merci.

Oh, it's lovely.

Yes.

He's very happy here.

It's beautiful.

Thank you.

Hello.

It's apparently a two hour tour, so we're gonna buy some sweets just to keep ourselves going in case of an emergency.

What's it, what's this called?

Oh, this is the, for the breakfast with the, bread and I was gonna say with the bread and what's it called?

Smells nice.

Anghosht pich.

Right, so this is Anghosht pich.

I am learning.

Smells really sweet.

It's got sugar water, egg, it's got saffron, it's got rose water, honey.

And apparently they have it on their bread for breakfast.

It actually reminds me of like Nutella.

Like a white Nutella.

Let's see.

Oh, it's really nice.

It's like a creamy rose water.

Exactly.

Oh yeah.

Just like eat our way Got another one coming in.

This one, which is the yellow halva.

Oh, yellow halva.

Yeah.

Right, so this is the Hamedan halva and apparently it's got like.

Apparently it's got like sort of wheat blossom in.

I didn't even know wheat had a blossom.

Blossom.

So, they, like they cultivated.

They want to pour the water on the wheat seed and the little by little have the blossom seed.

Oh, that's really nice.

Yep.

I think I like that.

One more.

Whilst tasting these delights, we got chatting to shopkeeper Muhammad.

That's good.

Yeah.

Delicious.

This one.

Do you have it with this?

So you have it?

We will take one.

Yeah.

Cool.

Komaj and the halwa, do you eat them together?

Yes Should I break a bit off?

Yeah.

It's very kind of cake like.

Yeah yeah.

Thank you.

Merci.

This is feeling like a bit of a treat.

Bit of a big treat.

That's good.

We can buy some of these.

Let's buy some.

Just whilst we're here, may you ask him how long has he worked here and what does he think of it?

Near to seven years.

Seven years?

Seven years.

We're just chatting about what he likes about working here and he likes meeting tourists, likes the area and just, sharing, obviously, local things with people.

So we are going to take these delicious cakes, as I call them, for the cave journey and it's ...

Thank you.

Merci.

It basically works out at like $1.20, $1.02 It's $1.02 for these there.

Look amazing.

It was now time to head for the caves.

Life jacket on, safety first.

So as you can imagine, the temperature has dropped.

It feels like damp.

I can smell the damp and it already looks absolutely massive.

Do I look good in my jacket?

It's a good look, yeah.

Do I look like a turtle?

Can you remember the difference between stalactites and stalagmites?

That will be a no.

What have we got down here?

If there's any physical action involved, Bob had better realize it's going to be him that's doing it.

Two hours, apparently.

I'm just gonna be...

I plan on eating cakes and looking at the stalagmites.

So we're in the boat and the way it's working is that it is a number of, like, rowing boats in a row.

So there's a guy at the front pedaling and he's pulling about three boats.

This place is 190 million years old, and it's a vast underground world where you travel by boat through flooded tunnels to enormous rock chambers where you can then walk around.

Some of the stalactites have gained names, such as this One 'Eagle claw' and as you glide through the water, it's easy to feel like you're in another world.

Part adventure, part geological wonder, and completely unforgettable.

It's hard to comprehend that I am somewhere that's 190 million years old.

And of course, all the people, that will have come through here over the years all the way back to, to, like, Neolithic times.

It's so beautiful in here.

Every single chamber that you go in is, is incredible.

The water is beautiful.

And some of it makes me feel like I'm in a Disneyland theme park.

Except the thing is, it's real.

It's real and it's natural.

The cavern opens up.

Look, I'll show you over here.

There's a lot of steps to get up here.

Look, it's huge inside.

Well, I didn't imagine I would see this in Iran.

I have to say, Bob, I thought Iran was all about a desert.

This is gorgeous.

This guy's got an interesting job.

I wonder what he does.

Should help.

Yeah.

Can you imagine, like, working here in the cave?

That security guy there.

Sitting in a 190 million year old office.

I wanted to find out what it was really like to work here.

And we got to chat to a member of staff.

So this is Hasan, and Hasan has worked here 25 years.

And what is Hasan's Job?

With the help of Bob translating, Hasan explained that he works as a guide and guard, helping to protect the rock formations.

And what do the caves mean to him?

What does he think of them?

Hasan explained that he feels the caves reflect the power of God and that he loves to work somewhere so beautiful.

When he thinks of people working in buildings, how does it make him feel that this is his office?

So he said that here the people, all of the people are working here are happy.

Oh, that's really lovely.

Thank you.

Merci merci.

It was really lovely chatting to Hasan and finding out more.

And I have to say I really loved this tour.

Just come out.

That was brilliant.

Time to take the old life jacket off.

Definitely, recommend that if you're coming to Iran.

It was time to head to our next destination now about an hour away, where a new experience awaited.

So we are now arriving in a place called Lalejin, where 80% of the population here are involved in the pottery industry.

And I can see pots everywhere.

And it's no surprise UNESCO recognizes Lalejin as a creative city for crafts and folk arts.

Pottery isn't just an industry here, it's part of the town's identity.

So I really want to see some potters doing their pottery, whatever it's called.

And this place here looks like a workshop that's on the go.

It's called Haj Asgar, I believe.

Let's go and have a look.

Certainly got a lot of pots, that's for sure.

I got to meet Mohammed and his father Saaed, who started working here some 45 years ago.

But this workshop has been used for pottery for the last 300 years.

He says what's your guess about his age?

He looks like a fresh faced baby to me.

You look very young.

22.

22 yeah.

You've got very nice, fresh, youthful skin.

So how old were you when you started pottery?

So from the 10 years old.

From 10.

Amazing.

So Mohammed here, Mohammed here.

Young Mohammed, 22 year old Mohammed with a very fresh face.

Also has very soft skin.

Very, very soft hands that do dishes are, not Mohammed's.

It wasn't long before Saeed offered me the chance to have a go.

Am I putting this on?

Thank you.

Merci merci merci.

Official.

We're official now.

Let's show these guys how this is done.

I'm just going to be terrible.

I know I am absolutely terrible.

I'll make like a little, maybe I could just make a little espresso cup.

What do you think?

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you, too.

Right, what is this?

Spinning wheel.

I put my feet here.

Right there.

So wet my hands.

Yeah.

Okay.

Turn it on.

This.

Oh, it's spinning underneath my feet.

I thought he was gonna give me a high five.

Then down.

Hard like that.

Now what?

What do I do now?

Oh, it moves at the bottom.

This is a massive one.

Right okay.

This is going to fly off, isn't it?

This was turning into a big, fat failure.

So it was time to call the troops in.

Wow, look at it.

Look how it moves down in the middle.

Oh wow.

It's amazing.

Just.

Yeah, just feel it.

It feels, it's very smooth.

Very cool to the touch.

It's quite addictive, I think.

Oh look.

And he's shaping it, shaping it into a bowl.

That's... how does he do it?

That's amazing.

It's a proper skill That's amazing.

Wow!

Look at that.

This is the most amazing thing.

Thank you.

Merci.

It's not easy.

I can tell.

First time is really good.

Yeah.

Thank you.

I mean, it's just, you know, just.

I just sat there.

This is brilliant.

Right then.

Well, now what?

Water.

Water.

Oh, my hands are so soft.

My hands are so soft.

Feel like I've come to a spa.

It's so nice to meet you.

Thank you so much.

Merci.

It's lovely to meet you both.

Bye.

Bye.

Bye.

Bye.

They were so lovely and, like, so welcoming.

They didn't know I was coming.

I just rocked up and they gave me their time and they showed me their trade.

And it's just been.

This is the thing with Iran, you know, everyone is so friendly.

They're so welcoming.

They're so, happy to.

To have you pop in.

It was time to head.

Head back to Hamedan And have a quick change in the hotel before dinner.

I was staying here at the Parsian Buali Hotel.

And here's a quick look.

Massive room, very clean bathroom.

And as the night fell, we took to the road again, this time in search of a local dish.

I've had an amazing day, and I'm really, really hungry.

And we have been recommended Valla Mansion here in Hamedan.

And I'm hoping that I can get a taste of something traditional and local.

Oh, this looks really lovely.

Salam.

Wow.

So we're sitting out on the gorgeous terrace and we have ordered, a dish called Dizi, which is like a stew that's cooked in a clay pot.

I believe it's meat and beans.

And it's slow cooked.

And there's going to be a bit of a process when it arrives to get it ready to eat.

The dizi has arrived and it is in this pot.

And this gentleman here is holding it very carefully with these special tongs because obviously it's boiling hot.

And he's poured out the juice.

And inside the pot is left the meat.

And it looks like potato and I think beans.

So you break the bread into pieces.

Exactly.

Put it inside, into the sauce It has the two parts.

First of all, this is the fat.

First of all, squeeze it.

Oh wow.

Oh wow.

This is...

This is reminding me of a dish I had in Azerbaijan.

This is the lamb.

Yeah.

Yep.

Bring the meat from here.

As you can see, this is just gonna fall apart.

And then potato.

Oh, my goodness, I can't wait to eat this.

This time is for the beans Oh look.

So.. and you mash it again.

Exactly.

Oh wow.

Again we started to beating in the stew Squeeze it again, again and again.

Near to finish.

Okay.

Yep.

So take it.

And making a loop.

Oh, I see here.

Here we go.

I can smell the lamb.

That smells amazing.

It reminds me of what we would call comfort food.

Really comforting, I should imagine, if it's, like, wintry and cold, or perhaps if you don't feel very well and you want something that's going to bring you back to life.

Dizi.

Dizi Dizi.

Yep.

Dizi is it.

Bread in the sauce Oh, that's really good.

They call this sardashi.

They call it what?

Sardashi.

Sardashi.

Yeah.

This is the minced.

Yeah, I, mean meat.

The lamb mince Which they added the onion and of course, the, several spices, and then fried.

That looks good.

Bob's given me quite a lot on the fork.

Not sure I can eat all of this.

Totally different from the burger.

I was going to say.

It's not like a burger exactly.

It's actually lighter.

It's fluffier.

Yeah, it's a fluffier, taste.

With the mince, the onion feels like it's kind of lightly fried.

And with the rice.

Oh, just finishes it off.

It's gorgeous.

Yeah.

This is a meal fit for a king, I think.

Yep.

What a lovely venue as well.

What a lovely restaurant.

Just being able to sit outside because it's warm and enjoy this incredible meal.

It's been a brilliant day in this.

In this area.

And Hamedan seems like such a cool city as well.

Hamedan had a deeper impact on me than Than anywhere else in Iran.

At the tourist sites of Ganjnameh and Ali Sadr, I noticed something simple.

The other people there were both Iranian and Iraqi visitors, and they already knew the secret.

They knew this place was special.

And after meeting such warm locals as well, I realized how much of this region is shaped by perception, by the stories we accept before we've even seen a place with our own eyes.

But now that I've been, I can tell you it's not just beautiful, it's somewhere I genuinely want to return to.

I hope very much that you enjoyed this video as much as I did making it.

Thanks for watching.