Iran has riches for the traveller prepared to look past its reputation in the West, Sandip Hor writes.

Watching the 1991 Hollywood movie Not Without My Daughter just before leaving for Iran, the world's first Islamic Republic, generated some uncomfortable feelings for my wife and me.

However, our initial nervousness evaporated almost as soon as we stepped inside Teheran's new Imam Khomeini International Airport.

The immigration and customs formalities were much simpler than expected, we sensed a convivial environment and noticed that not every woman around us was hiding inside a black robe, or chador.

We were further relieved to find Arsalan, our English-speaking guide, who greeted us with ''Welcome to our country''.

Visiting Iran, once known as Persia, had long been on my bucket list, its rich history and cultural heritage the key lure.

So, as per Arsalan's suggestion, we target the National Museum in Teheran as the starting point for our week-long stay. Arranged in chronological order, the assembly of exhibits,

together with Arsalan's running commentary grants us a fair knowledge of the land, which since its foundation in ages past has passed through phases of imperialism, foreign invasion, religious wars and revolution until arriving at the current Islamic era, founded in 1979 by Ayatollah Khomeini.

Perhaps not well understood in the West, the intensely committed Khomeini is revered as a national idol-cum-saint in Iran. He led the successful revolution to oust the pro-American Shah of Iran, became the nation's supreme leader and instituted the Iran we see today.

He died in 1989 but his legacy is explicit in every nook and corner of the country. There is no city, town or village in Iran where a street, square, mosque or a monument doesn't bear his name, the Khomeini Square in Teheran being the one where the capital's heart beats.

His portrait, with its prominent eyebrows and stern expression, can be seen everywhere. His modest Teheran home, during a decade as the nation's head, and his mausoleum just outside the city limits are sites of pilgrimage for many Iranians.

During his reign , Khomeini fought a bloody war with neighbour Iraq, established strict laws based on a particular view of Islam, - which included requiring women to cover their heads at all times - and convened a clergy-dominated regime.

These and other factors have contributed to an image of the country that has made it one of the world's least visited destinations.

But perception is one thing and reality another. Yes, some of the laws are tough, and attitudes towards women are discriminatory, and there are elements of religious fundamentalism, but Iranians are desperate to prove that those are the exception rather than rule.

Everywhere we go locals come forward to say ''Welcome to Iran, how do you like our country?''.

Their friendliness towards visitors and the extent of their hospitality is touching. We are regularly offered ''chai'' and food with the assurance that ''you are our guests''.

Arsalan invites us to his home to meet his wife and daughter, who is studying medicine. There are not many countries in which tour guides will do this. A lady in a mosque at lunch time will not eat her food unless we share some of it.

At restaurants many sitting next to us don't start eating unless food arrives on our table. Unlike other Islamic countries, here people, including women in black, have no hesitation about posing for photographs with outsiders.

These fascinating people make a lasting impression and their attitude towards outsiders makes our journey in Iran a priceless experience.

With a relatively short history, the nine-million-strong Iranian capital is loud and chaotic, mixing Western and Islamic elements. There is a lot to see and absorb here.

Ranking high on the itinerary of a first-time visitor are the Golestan Palace complex, which shows the glories and excesses of the 18th century Qajar rulers who first made Teheran a capital city; the 54-room White Palace, outside which two bronze boots of the 20th-century Pahlavi monarch Reza Shah still stand, remnants of his giant statue cut down to size during revolution; the National Jewels Museum and the Carpet Museum.

Large marketplaces, traditionally referred to as grand bazaars, are an integral part of the Islamic lifestyle. We had browsed through a few of them on previous trips in Istanbul, Cairo, Amman, Dubai and Muscat, but none match the one in Teheran for scale, atmosphere or exuberance.

It's like a city within a city, where shops selling almost everything that you can think of, from clothes, shoes, jewellery and household items to tobacco, saffron, dates and rose water, flank a maze of alleyways jam-packed with people.

The quality of retail therapy is nothing special, but getting lost in the ocean of people provides a great opportunity to rub shoulders with the locals and learn about their traditional customs and practices, such as how they make and serve tea, grow and mix spices or weave carpets.

But exploring Teheran is just touching the tip of an iceberg.

Full of World Heritage-listed sites, Iran has beauty to spare. Here you can admire the ancient structures of Persepolis, visit the natural wonders of the Harra sea forests, hike up the Alborz Mountain, swim in the Caspian Sea or explore the former capital cities of Tabriz, Mashhad, Shiraz and Esfahan.

It's a lot to cover in one visit, so beyond Teheran our schedule included Esfahan, because it is touted as ''the destination in Iran'' if you have time for only one. It's located almost 450km south of Teheran and instead of flying for an hour, we opt to wheel through the desert countryside.

Thousand-year-old Esfahan lives up to its reputation. The exquisite blue mosaic tiles of myriad monuments, its tree-lined avenues, beautiful gardens, expansive market places and grandiose bridges that span a river with no water, demand as much of your time as you can spare.

''This is the crown jewel of ancient Middle East,'' Arsalan tell us, while ushering us along the historic Chahar Bagh, the city's main thoroughfare, flanked by gardens, towards the jaw-dropping Imam Square.

Also known as Naqsh-e Jahan Square, it was built 400 years ago as the epicentre of a capital city. Ringed by an impressive line of architectural marvels, which includes two-storey rows of shops, it was a busy arena of royalty, entertainment and business. Today the regal glitter is gone but the glamour remains.

It is not particularly large, but it is still fashionable to ride in a horse-drawn carriage, as the kings and nobles did during the heyday, to move from the grand Ali Qapu Palace to Imam Mosque or Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, each of which bears testimony to an inspiring architectural grandness.

In the centre lies a sprawling manicured garden adorned with rising fountains. Locals gather there after sundown and enjoy the illuminated setting while having a picnic dinner that generally finishes off with a scoop of saffron ice cream, a specialty of a shop in the square.

Not far from this domain are Chehel Sotun Palace and Jameh Mosque, both standing as fine examples of Islamic architecture. Mosques in Iran are open to all, irrespective of religion. We observe Islam in action there, while at the palaces, the opulence of the early Persian Empires fascinate us.

Time in Iran keeps rewarding us so much that when time comes to say ''khuda hafeez'', or goodbye, we feel we are leaving someone close to our heart.

If you go

Getting There: Fly Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Christchurch or Auckland via Dubai to Teheran.

Accommodation: Stay at Parsian Enghelab Hotel (www.enghelabhotel.com) in Teheran and at Sheykhbahaei Hotel (en.sheykhbahaeihotel.com) in Esfahan.

Best time to visit: Avoid the northern summer and winter as the weather can be harsh. The best times are from February to April and September to November.

Currency: Iranian Rial, $US1 = 27,000 IRR.

Visa: Most non-Iranian passport holders require a visa to enter Iran. Check wellington.mfa.ir for details.