At our October Core meeting we were delighted to welcome Dr. Javad Hashemi-Tafreshi to talk about ‘Unknown Iran’.  Dr. Hashemi began with a quick history of the different invasions and changes in rulers that led to seven capital cities in Iran.  He then advised us to sit back in our seats and enjoy a photographic tour of these 7 cities, as if we were in a luxury coach.  We began in Tehran and progressed to Nishapur, Mashad, Isfahan, Persepolis, Hamedan, and finally, Tabriz.  We saw the mountain behind Tehran, the Persian art from Isfahan, saffron gathering, pomegranates, wine from Armenia and saw the people and their customs. We went on to follow the story up to 1979, the Iranian Revolution when the Islamic Republic came into being. Then we discussed education and women's culture in Iran, among other questions.  It was a very enlightening talk.