An outstanding Iranian noble, which had come 1876 to the study to Germany, writes in its memoirs over this country: “If I legend that it that column-rich Iram (= sunk city on the Arab peninsula, in which after a paradiesähnlicher garden was established to the legends) resembles, did not exaggerate I.”
The flowering green of this European country appears to all, which come from to a large extent dry widths of Iran, particularly as indication of the promised Paradieses. Shine-red clay tile roofings in the midst of a green level are the singular picture, which remembered to me over the sky of Frankfurt with the view from the airplane.
An incident at the airport
On each journey occur smaller incidents, which one should not take Ernst in principle; to one of it it came with my entry to Germany. I forget usually my eastern feature, I in my homeland not of it am understandably reminded. To Frankfurt airport I was stopped and asked in the queue of the travelers, who carried their suit-cases, with a gesture, what in my suit-case is. “, I answered clothes and books”.
This answer did not convince it, it required of me to open the suit-case. One of them began to scan it drew then a bulgy article, which was in a black plastic bag, of the reason of the suit-case out and asked, what that was. Automatically I answered that I did not know it. In this instant I did not know really, what in this black plastic bag was. It put a triumphierendes smile on, weighed the suspicious object in its hands and asked: “Why don't you know it?”
I answered not, but helped him instead to solve the knot of the bag. Then appeared the corner of a ceramic(s) cup, which I had bought in Zurich. Like a surprised Missetäter I said hasty, this was only one cup, and added, in order to convince it: “My wife loves ceramic(s) cups.” The threatening mischief dissolved in well-being favours. Supposed was all this pure coincidence.
Shade of the past
Apart from this small detuning order belongs and general signs of prosperity to the first things, which impress an arriving passenger like me in Germany. One can return into the past, it gives also different pictures, persistent conceptions, a short, us all common history: Films from Hollywood!
Beleibte Bavaria in leather trousers with feathers/springs at the hats, men of schneidiger Statur with Prussian names, humans with shining black hair-styles and dark sun glasses as indications for the fact that they are convinced neo-Nazis, who have deep, feelingless voices, and suddenly military, which give senseless in the dark atmosphere of the camps roaring like dangerous instructions; all these are the pictures, which obtain these films of the Germans. Each newcomer must argue first with these conceptions, because the reality is another.
From Frankfurt I drive directly to Cologne, where I three weeks will be. A city with a pretty cathedral and its famous Eau de Cologne, in my country the generic term for all smell water, who preferably use men.
Bronzetäfelchen in Cologne and Berlin
One can ignore the routistic attractions rapidly, in particular, because the information brochures for tourists sufficiently on her report. Which employs me at most, is small rectangular Bronzetäfelchen, which is on the Gehsteigen before some buildings: here were once the residences of the Jews, who fell the terror and fright of the Holocaust to the victim.
Yes, one cannot separate a country from its past. Also in Berlin I meet this Täfelchen. I spend the two following weeks in this city. Berlin is beautiful, because it possesses a river, lakes and forests. In addition my friends lead me to the large cathedral, to the museum island and to a road in Berlin center, which humans the road of the tolerance call (she is called natural differently), because in it the Jews, catholic and Protestanten possess own in each case mechanisms. The friends lead me to the Humboldt university, to the inspection of a part of the citizens of Berlin wall, which one received as memorial, to the Jewish museum, to potsdam and Sanssouci, which lock of the last king of Germany, to the prison house, to the exhibition topography of the terror fascinates… which me however, are the insanity of this large city. An illusion, which expresses itself everywhere in the same way, controls the large cities - from Rome and Paris, Berlin and London to to Teheran and Cairo -, and from something it exists that it lacks all other cities of the world: for a long time, spreads boulevards and avenues, people masses, incessantly driving cars and courses; Cities, which never sleep.
In each important building of Germany you meet a photo from the year 1945, the image of a ruin, which is to make clear to the visitor, how much destruction a war brings with itself, in addition, the fact that there are more hands in the world, to building to have gotten accustomed as to fighting.
Polizeigewalt here like there
From Berlin it is not far to Teheran. On 2 June 1967 the Iranian Schah and its wife visit a performance of the Mozarts' magic flute in the citizens of Berlin opera. Outside of the building riot, the Konföderation of Iranian students in Europe, which succeeded to mobilize a part of the citizens of Berlin population prevails demonstrated against the attendance of the Schahs, which did not only return with the help of a Putschs of the Americans to power. Few months later it in addition three students have because of their passing to demonstrate against the attendance of Richard Nixon, to the vice-president at that time of the United States, on whom areas of the University of Teheran of its police let shoot, and it continues with this suppression.
The citizens of Berlin police stretches, for control of the demonstrators überdrüssig, a German student down, and now, forty years after, I, exactly opposite the opera building, discover Gedenkstein for the killed student Benno Ohnesorg and see bouquets before it lying. Bunches of the Kombattanten of those years and even of the citizen of Berlin chief of the police.
The large cities of the world are connected, even if one of it is Berlin and Teheran the other one!
From the Persian one of Susanne Baghestani
Amir Hassan Cheheltan, 1956 in Teheran born, published, among other things so far six novels and five telling volumes the novel “CUT - restricted area!” In addition recently that was published narration volume “assistance call at the Stahlfenster”, which had appeared already once before the Islamic revolution.