Iran: The view from Tabriz

Telephone lines to Iran are very patchy, but sometimes we succeed in getting through.

Tuesday night we reached a friend in Tabriz, in northern Iran, near the border with Turkey (see map below). Tabriz is is the hometown of opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi and is in East Azabaijan province. Tabriz is one of Iran's largest cities and many people speak a form of Turkish there.

Our friend in Tabriz told us that two people were killed Monday in front of Abrasan Square, close to Tabriz University. She said police were everywhere in the city Tuesday.

Multiple pockets of people protested across the city, but the largest group was in Abrasan Square. Tuesday was more quiet. She said she came home late and she did not see many gatherings of people.

In downtown Tabriz, people go up to their rooftops every night and shout "Allah-Akbar" (God is great). This is what people shouted during the revolution of 1979 and now it is being picked up again to bring people together in a call for change. She said they shout this to show solidarity.  She said it is hard to find a rooftop without people shouting.

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http://www.globalpost.com/notebook/middle-east/090616/iran-the-view-tabriz