Drinking Arak Off an Ayatollah's Beard: A Journey Through the Inside-Out Worlds of Iran and Afghanistan

I can't emphasize enough how much I love this travelogue. The author travels to Iran, Afghanistan and several other central Asian countries, but he mainly stays in Iran hosted by a local family in Tehran. Nicholas Jubber's talent in recounting true events during his stay in Iran is obvious throughout the book. It gives you an insight into the lives of regular Iranians (upper middle-class families), and it is just fun to read and savor every bit of the information you gain. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Written by Nicholas Jubber and subtitled A Journey Through the Inside-Out Worlds of Iran and Afghanistan this work follows the author on his travels through these two nations (with a quick detour to a couple of other `stans) this work is centred on his explorations of the cultures of these nations via the link of the 11th century poem/epic entitled Shahnameh (Book of Kings). The book is mainly centred on the authors time in Iran where he spent most of his time living with a local family in Tehran who, seemingly, are upper middle class types and certainly educated. He travels to other parts of the country as with Tehran as his base and much of the book involves tales of his observations and interactions and adventures with this family. Now admittedly if this book was set in the UK, New Zealand or the US I wouldn't give a tinkers cuss about their daily life, but given the book is set in Iran it is interesting. As the author works his way around the country and thence into the `stans for a brief foray in and finally to Afghanistan he is able to impart an on the ground tale of the situation in these nations at the time of his writing. It's not terribly given to creating a mood of optimism it has to be said but at least the authors lack of any rose coloured glasses means his highs are more genuine. And without spoiling it there is definitely a bevy of high points contained herein. Beyond his interactions with locals and his travels to what are, admittedly, pretty exotic locales, the main crux of this work is the aforementioned Shahnameh - a work within which we are led to believe contains not only a great history but also many stirring tales and, indeed, much of the philosophy of Persian culture in the way the stories are told. Seemingly combining the Histories of Herodotus, the Iliad of Homer and the works of Plato et al. It is certainly now on my `to do' list. Having said that, the author himself inadvertently advertises the main weakness of using this poetic work as the tie that binds his work and that is the simple fact that few Westerners `dig' poetry these days, Western culture long having moved on in terms of popular entertainment. And therein lies the rub - banging on about an ancient epic which is constantly referred to as a poem isn't exactly a great hand hold to throw your readership. It just doesn't connect quite enough, and that's coming from someone who has read his fair share of `classics' of the ancients. But all that aside I stand firmly behind my four stars for this book. Firstly there is the whiff of the exotic, secondly there is the not inconsiderable educational factor of this book and it's all wrapped up in a pretty non-judgemental idiom that remains firmly rooted in the human. Certainly not your average piece of travel literature and that is perhaps one of the things it has going for it the most.

This is sort of a travelogue in Iran and Afghanistan which sounded great and I appreciate that the author dove into the culture but I was bored with the infusion of Shahnameh (Book of Kings) throughout the book.

What a wonderful travelogue through Iran and Afghanistan. A great way to gain insight to the history and culture of the area.

I am an Afghanistani woman who has been born and brought up in Iran. I am currently living in Afghanistan. I believe the author of the book has been disappointingly influenced by the racist Iranian family he has lived with. This influence can be seen very well in the author's description of Afghanistan. The Iranian family - based on the book - seems quite ignorant of Afghanistan and its history and that explains why it had impact on the book and the author.To drink alcohol, or keep your wife in the kitchen cooking Ghorme Sabzi do not mean one is a civilized person. The writer has ignored non-Tajik Farsi speakers which shows his lack of knowledge. For instance, the Hazara ethnic group who speak Farsi has been summed to a one word description. He could have at least mentioned that this group speak Farsi, no matter if Ferdowsi had gone to Bamyan, Daykondi or Samangam. Although there are a large group of Hazaras living in Ghazni!!! The author also seems to have few meetings with Afghan intellectuals. This could have helped him to have an objective perspective. I am afraid the book made me angry and feel offended. I also believe the fact that the author insist a lot that Sultan Mahmood was 'Spawn of a Salve' shows very well why British people were so excited about the Royal Wedding, seeing a commoner marries someone from Royal family. It is still hard to digest how people can still believe in monarchy and Royalty! Instead of revenging from Sultan Mahmood by playing some verses of Shahname, I would have had a good meeting with Shahname Khanan in Central and Northern Afghanistan and would have tried to promote it by different means. That way, Sultan would have been angrier and Ferdowsi happier!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this interesting ,informative book.The author spends a lot of time in Iran and comes up with a colorful portrait of Iranian society with a particular focus on young people.He spends a little time in Central Asia and Afghanistan and while the books interest never flags , you sense he's more at sea here.Juber is obsessed with The Shanamemeh which I've heard of but never read.He clearly believes The Shanameh is relevant and helps you understand the countries he visits.I can't say whether he's right or wrong.In all events, ARAK is a fun, if not particularly deep read.

Author Nicholas Jubber writes of his fascination with the Persian poet Abolqsam Ferdowsi who wrote Shahnameh: The Epic of Kings 1000 years ago. His acquaintance with this work began with his language studies in Tehran (Jubber is British) where he meets many others who love and appreciate this 60,000 verse work of Persian history and legend. "Ayran" (ancient Iran) encompassed the Persian (and derivative languages/dialects) speaking areas of today's Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. Author Jubber travels to these places and finds people who similarly revere the work. He speaks with academics, thesbians, and "Shahnameh-khwan" (readers or those who recite the verses from memory). Jubber is a beneficiary of the region's incredible hospitality. Poetry lovers take him into their homes and show him, a total stranger, places where they share some aspect of the poet or his work. Some of the poem's stories are of heroes. The most famous is Rostam who tragically kills his own son. Some of the stories have messages such as that of Zahhak a ruler with snakes growing from his shoulders. The snakes require food- the brains of the young men of the kingdom. The works are known throughout the Persian influenced world, they are Persian before they are Islamic. As Jubber says, like the Bible and the Quran, the text is easy to abuse. During Iran's revolution, Islamists tried to take down the poet's sculpture in Tehran and the memorials at his home. In other areas of the country, small testaments to the poet are carefully guarded. In Afghanistan, where Persian based Dari is spoken, the poet is revered but where Pashto is spoken he is forgotten or criticized. The Pashto revere Sultan Muhmud who ... captured Uzbekistan and Pakistan, attacked Iran and crushed the Hindus in Somnath" according to a member of Sheikhan tribe which sends two of its members each day to guard the sultan's tomb. Sultan Muhmud humiliated the poet for unclear, but likely political and not artistic reasons. Jubbar, in pursuit of all things Ferdowsi becomes obsessed with visiting the tomb of the Sultan who offended the poet. The tomb is in Ghazani, Afghanistan and he is warned not to attempt a trip. It is dangerous for a foreigner to travel through Taliban controlled areas. He dons the shalwar qameez (baggy Afghan pants) and learns to walk in long strides like an Afghan. With a guide and a cover story (he's been struck mute from the war) they visit the Sultan's tomb, where Jubbar manages to get a moment alone to play a tape of Ferdowsi's satire of the Sultan. This is an amazing recount. Jubber will not only raise your awareness of Persian culture and how it pre-dates and differs from Islamic culture, but will give you a unique and page turning travelogue as well. He makes you aware of how rulers will use or abuse this work to meet their political ends. This book is not for everyone, but if you are interested in the topic, you will be very satisfied. ____ I don't understand why the books about Iran all have such cute titles. Regardless of publisher, the titles belie the serious quality of the work... Iranian Rappers and Persian Porn: A Hitchhiker's Adventures in the New Iran , Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing up Iranian in America and American in Iran , The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran to name a few.

This is an interesting combination of travelogue and history. Armed with an 11th century epic poem, Nicholas Jubber travels to Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia. Written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi around 1000 CE, the Shahnameh (Book of Kings) consists of some 60,0000 couplets - about four times the length of the combined Odyssey and Iliad. The Shahnameh is both mythical and historical: it contains the stories of the shahs from the prehistoric Gayomart to the fateful reign of Yazdegerd III which saw the Arab invasion of 637 CE. Although the Shahnameh is considered heresy by Islamic mullahs because of its celebration of Iran's pre-Islamic past, it is revered by many Iranians. The stories and verses, harking back to pre-Islamic Zoroastrian beliefs, pop up in paintings, puppet shows, everyday proverbs, contemporary thrash metal lyrics, and even lurk behind religious festivals. The tale of the legendary hero Rostam was recited by soldiers to bolster their courage during the Iran/Iraq war. The Shahnameh becomes Nicholas Jubber's passport into households in Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia: the epic is a unifying factor from a past when this part of the world was part of the same empire and shared the same Persian culture. After a brief visit to Central Asia (including backgammon in a brothel), and after earning to walk like an Afghan (in a straight line, and taking bigger steps) Nicholas Jubber heads off to Afghanistan. He wants to trace the steps of Ferdowsi, who took his epic to Sultan Mahmud. Alas, Nicholas Jubber's journey took him through Helmand Province and into Taliban country, where he had to pretend to be mute to try to hide his foreignness. In Afghanistan, too, the Shahnameh sheds light. An Afghan mujahid tells Nicholas Jubber that `If you read the Shahnameh, you can understand why we will never let foreigners rule our country'. I enjoyed this book, and to some extent the quirky title sums up why. If you are interested in reading a book about this region that draws on its shared cultural history, then this book may interest you. Jennifer Cameron-Smith