- Apr 20

Journey to the East| Intellect may find the door, only the heart may get you inside智慧可寻门径，唯有心灵得入内

I have now been cycling eastwards beyond Türkiye for more than two weeks. It felt like crossing another boundary: not merely like passing Edirne, which marks a passage into the Islamic world, nor like crossing the Bosporus into Asia, or the Euphrates into the ancient universe of Mesopotamia. I transgressed a boundary with immediate topical consequences: into Iran. From millennia-old frameworks of religion, worldviews, and narratives about East and West encountered in the highlands of Anatolia, I moved into the tensions and clashes of today, with the secretary-general of the United Nations recently warning of a terrible escalation that could endanger the entire region or worse. This isn't just any escalation, but the exacerbation of the exact rhetorical projections that have so long fueled violence and human suffering, and the utter incompetence to hear the other. In this century it is probably American President George W. Bush who articulated this sentiment once again calling Iran as belonging to the “Axis of Evil”.

我已经向东骑行穿越土耳其两周有余。这段旅程感觉像是跨越了一个新的界限：不仅仅是穿过象征进入伊斯兰世界的埃迪尔内，也不仅是横渡博斯普鲁斯进入亚洲，或是越过幼发拉底河进入古老的美索不达米亚。我越过了一个具有深远影响的边界：进入伊朗。从阿纳托利亚高原上所遇到的数千年宗教框架、世界观和关于东西方的叙述，我走入了当下的紧张与冲突之中。联合国秘书长最近警告说，该地区可能面临可怕的升级风险。这不仅仅是普通的升级，而是那些长期助长暴力和人类苦难的言辞升级，并且还有对他人声音彻底的无视。在本世纪，可能是美国总统乔治·W·布什再次发声，将伊朗称为“邪恶轴心”。

Seen from mainland Europe with its Christian foundations of neighborly love and its postwar pledge of “Never Again”, this scenario already seems insane, but being among the Iranians, surrounded by their beautiful traditions, it is sheerly unbelievable that hatred still bangs the drum. I am deeply touched by the love they can summon in simple encounters, and I wish humanity could experience more of the Iranian soul, if only the thirst for enmity would subside.

从基督教邻爱精神和战后“永不再战”的承诺构筑的欧洲大陆视角看来，这种情景已经显得令人难以置信，但身处伊朗，被他们美丽的传统所包围，看到仇恨依旧激烈如鼓声，更是难以接受。我深受伊朗人在简单交往中展现出的爱所感动，我希望人类能更多地体验伊朗灵魂，只要对敌意的渴望能够消退。

I entered Iran near the Great Ararat at the Bazargan border and cycled all the way to the capital, Tehran, through Khoi, Marand, Tabriz, Miyaneh, Zanjan, Abhar, Qazvin, and Karaj. Visiting bazaars in several cities vividly brought to life the notion of major stations on the Silk Road, centuries before it was known by that name. These places not only provided a stage for exchanging goods but also for blending the worlds behind them. The photos accompanying this blog post showcase the vast complex of a Caravanserai in Qazvin, an amazing hive of shops, storages, warehouses, camel stables, barbershops, bakeries, and much more. A microkosmos of Eurasia in which everyone and everything is exposed to everyone and everything.

我从位于巴扎尔干边境的阿拉拉特山附近进入伊朗，并沿途经过霍伊、玛兰德、大不里士、米亚内、赞詹、阿布哈尔、卡津和卡拉季，最终抵达首都德黑兰。在几个城市的集市上参观生动地体现了丝绸之路的重要站点的概念，几个世纪前它还未被这样命名。这些地点不仅是商品交换的平台，也是不同文化世界融合的场所。本篇博客的照片展示了卡津的一座庞大的驿站复合体，其中包括了商店、仓库、货栈、骆驼棚、理发店、面包店等，呈现出一个充满活力的欧亚小宇宙，每个人和每件事都在这里交织互动。

But there is more than just interesting blends and cross-pollinated cultures. I traveled to Khoi to learn more about the Sufi teacher Shams-i Tabrizi, known for his mentorship of the world-famous poet of love, Rumi, in the early 13th century. Arriving late after a long ride across the mountains, I was astonished at how the receptionist at my hotel insisted on taking me to a small restaurant he personally liked to ensure I got good food. There, a few friends engaged in a lengthy conversation about many topics, translated by the local English teacher who was personally called to facilitate the chat. I inquired about the tomb of Shams, which I had heard was nearby, and they promised to take me there personally the next morning. True to their word, they guided me there, serving not just as navigators but as knowledgeable experts in Sufism and its love poetry.

但这里的体验不仅限于有趣的文化融合和交叉影响。我前往霍伊，深入探究了著名的苏菲教师沙姆斯·塔布里齐，他在13世纪初期指导了世界闻名的爱情诗人鲁米。经过一段漫长的山区骑行，我在傍晚时分到达，惊讶地发现酒店的接待员坚持要带我去他个人喜欢的一家小餐馆，以确保我能享受到美味的食物。在那里，几位朋友进行了一场涉及多个话题的深入交谈，由一位被专门召来的当地英语教师翻译。我询问了据说就在附近的沙姆斯的墓地，他们承诺第二天早晨亲自带我前往。他们遵守了承诺，不仅充当了向导，还展示了他们在苏菲主义和爱情诗歌方面的深厚知识。

The other day, having planned to reach Tabriz from Marand, I began with a challenging climb in heavy rain and headwinds. Once I reached the top, I tried to find a dry place to quickly take some pictures when I was invited into the old car of a driver who spontaneously wanted to express his concern and share his hot tea. From then on to Tehran, this kind of encounter happened several times and profoundly impressed me as a genuine expression of the people's spirit of empathy + action.

前几天，我从玛兰德出发前往大不里士，途中遇到了大雨和逆风，开始了一段艰难的攀登。当我到达山顶时，正寻找一个干燥的地方快速拍照，一位司机邀请我进入他的旧车中，他主动表达了关心并分享了他的热茶。从那以后直到抵达德黑兰，这样的遭遇多次发生，深刻地感染了我，真实地体现了人们的同理心与行动力。

One example went much further than the offer of tea. It was the offer of awe. One day, on route to Abhar, after having visited the turquoise faience covered dome and palace of a Mongol ruler and direct Genghis Khan descendant in Soltaniyeh, I tried to find my way back to the main road when a man chased after me on a motorcycle, warning that I was about to miss something important. His name was Salimi, and he pointed at it, tucked in the hills in the distance. Gratefully, I accepted his offer to bring me to perhaps the most explicit case of encounters between East and West in Iran: the Dragon Valley. He told me how Khan Öljaitü had commissioned Chinese craftsmen to carve out in the rocks the remarkable curvilinear shapes of two dragon figures, each representing the East and West, in direct opposition of each other. It struck me as more than coincidence that I was taken to this remote place, by someone knowing nothing of the purpose of my Journey to the East.

有一个例子远超过了提供茶水那么简单，它是一种令人惊叹的体验。有一天，在游览了索尔塔尼耶一位蒙古统治者及成吉思汗直系后代的绿松石琉璃瓷砖覆盖的穹顶和宫殿后，我试图找回主路时，一个骑摩托车的男人追上我，告诉我即将错过一件重要的事物。他叫萨利米，指向远处山中的一个地点。我感激地接受了他的邀请，前往伊朗东西方文化交汇最明显的地方之一：龙谷。他向我讲述了奥尔贾伊图汗如何委托中国工匠在岩石中雕刻出两条龙的形象，这两条龙分别代表东西方，相互对峙。这不仅仅是巧合，带我前往这个偏远地点的人对我向东的旅行目的一无所知。

The roads to Tehran were often busy and dusty. The daily distances were usually quite long, but the literal and moral support of the Iranians was heartwarming and provided insight into alternative paradigms of kindness. That the West, without little scrupule, is squeezing this nation with economical sanctions that can be seen as an re-enactment of centuries-long contempt is the saddest revelation I have encountered so far. I’m so glad I was able to enter this node of world history, providing the stage of profound human interactions and what they can yield.

前往德黑兰的道路常繁忙且尘土飞扬。每天的行程通常都很漫长，但伊朗人给予的实际帮助和道德支持令人心暖，也展现了另一种善意的模式。西方国家几乎不加掩饰地通过经济制裁对这个国家施加压力，这种行为可以视为对几个世纪以来轻蔑态度的再现，这是我迄今为止遇到的最令人悲哀的事实。我很庆幸能够踏入这个世界历史的关键节点，见证了深刻的人际互动及其可能带来的影响。