Story of a Trailing Spouse: A Trip to Arak City...

Salaam,

Just came back from a two-day trip to Arak city with hubby and other spouses of the diplomatic corps, arriving back in Tehran late this evening.

The visit was extended to several members of the diplomatic corps, including hubby, by the Forest, Range and Watershed Management Authority, affiliated to the Ministry of Agricultural Jihad of Iran to participate and observe the 'World Day to Combat Desertification' which is being celebrated annually on June 17th.

Arriving in the city just after noon, the journey took us almost four hours on a bus ride from Tehran. Formerly known as Soltan-Abad, Arak, the capital of Iranian central province of Markazi, is about 260 km south of Tehran.

The city may not be known for its great cultural or historical legacy, but it can be a convenient place to break the journey between Hamedan, Qom, Esfahan or Khorram-abad. However, after a half-day tour of the city, one could still be occupied and fascinated by several historical, holy and natural attractions in and around the city such as the Arak bazaar, Chahar Fasl Bath and Soltan-abad Museum, the few places of which we managed to visit yesterday.

A beautiful, green and quieter place than many other Iranian cities that I have been to, perhaps a perfect place to unwind especially on a long vacation.

Wassalam.