My encounter with an Iranian Date

Iranian dates are reknown for their deliciousness, especially ones from Bam (the epicentre of the 2003 earthquake), so it was a bit annoying that the Husband and I kept forgetting to buy dates with which to break our fasts with! In hindsight, it might have been better if we hadn’t remembered on our last shopping trip!

The Husband and I decided to send food to the other 2 flats in our building. I decided to send dates along with the meal… trying to make them look like ‘posh dates’ I sliced each one, removed the stone and put an almond in. About half way through, I got to one that looked a bit dodgy, so I showed it to the Husband…. As I was doing so, I realised why it was dodgy….. there was a HUGE worm type thing in it which had laid little black eggs….. GROSS! Apparently the look on my face when I realised what was in the date was a Kodak moment!

So yes, in future, I shall be slicing all Iranian dates before they are served!

Back in Iran

The Husband and I arrived back in Qum on Friday, just in time for the 19th night of the month of Ramadhan.

We rested for most of the day, then headed to the shrine of Lady Masuma for the prayers. The mosque was PACKED!! The Iranians had separated the courtyards into women's areas, men's areas and family areas. The Husband and I went to pay our respects to the Holy Lady, then joined in the prayers (sitting on the wet grass outside the mosque - the only available space!)

Although I missed doing the amaals in Stanmore, with the powerpoint slide shows, spending the night in a shrine city is something that should not be missed.



"O Allah, on this day, open for me the doors of the heavens, and lock the doors of Hell from me, help me to recite the Qur'an, O the One who sends down tranquility into the hearts of believers"