Religious fanaticism, sabre-rattling Mullahs and a seemingly sealed off society: Iran remains a largely cryptic country. The oriental magic of the past is nowhere to be found. A trip to Tehran and its back-country has confronted Andrew Neethling and Holger Meyer with reality: together with locals, the well-traveled pros explored the pearl of Persia’s single trails — and experienced not just the country’s top-notch trail network, but also the warmth of its inhabitants. Their perception of Iran was turned completely upside down.