OK. I lied. Strictly speaking the first few images here are neither Iran nor Pakistan. However we were on our way to Iran so it's as logical to put them here as anywhere else. This one is Dogubayzit (universally known to travellers as Dog-Biscuit) near the Turkish-Iranian border.
As for this...
Well it's near to Dog Biscuit and is claimed locally to be the site at which Noah's Ark landed when the flood subsided. It needs a lot of willing suspension of disbelief.
A view of Mount Ararat which is claimed locally NOT to be the place where Noah's Ark landed.
While we're dealing with Biblical subjects, this one is St. Catherine's Monastery at Mount Sinai.
And this is San Liurfa where Abragam was allegedly born.
While this is nothing more significant than a muddy pool. (Mind you a muddy pool takes on a whole new significance when you haven't had a chance to wash for a couple of days !)
And so we come at last to Iran and to Esfahan which is a quite remarkably beautiful city. Iran was a great surprise full of extremely friendly people who seemed not to mind the political regime half as much as our own women who in general didn't take too happily to having to wear the all encompassing black that is required there by law.
Bam, one of the (many) archaeological sites that I had never heard of, lies in Iran and was really a rather interesting place to visit.
I do like taking sunset and sunrise pictures !
This truck is NOT an exception. When you enter Pakistan literally every truck you see is decorated like this.
Now this is a scarey picture. That's a REAL AK47 the kid is holding, at least it is if you count the copies whose manufacture is the sole industry in Darra as being real. They are real enough to kill you !
If anyone doubts that these are fully functional weapons you can go up into the mountains and play with them.
Three photographs from our visit to the Khyber pass, a mere stones throw from Afghanistan. Only a couple of months later this border town was flooded with refugees as the Americans started to batter the country and the Taliban were forced to flee south.