Reader’s Digest UK – August 2019

AUGUST 2019 • 87

READER’S DIGEST

fairly unremarkable. But as we pad

barefoot into the vaulted prayer hall,

the morning sunlight shines through

the stained-glass windows, creating

a kaleidoscope of colours—ruby red,

emerald, purple and yellow—on the

carpeted floor.

At sunset, we visit the tomb of

Hafez, considered the Shakespeare of

Iran. The 14th-century poet is adored

across the country, much to the

chagrin of the clerics who tolerate

his writings about love and wine. Set

amid rose gardens and pomegranate

trees, the open-air pavilion housing

his sarcophagus is abuzz with

locals, who gather to listen to poetry

recitations and pay homage to their

beloved poet.

"IF POETRY

IS PART OF

THE SOUL

OF IRAN,

THEN SO

TOO IS

ITS CUISINE"

The Shah Mosque

in Esfahan