To talk about hospitality means to consider the countless forms of hospitality that exist. Given that my profession involves a lot of travel, I have had the chance to experience many different sorts of hospitality. For obvious reasons I shall not mention the kind of hospitality provided for commercial reasons or at important events.

I should like to talk instead about the unforeseen and spontaneous hospitality I experienced in Iran, where I spent roughly six weeks to set up a big piece of textile machinery.

I had been given an Iranian assistant to help me do the job. We immediately got on very well together. As we were both football fans, we started to talk about the Bundesliga (the top German football division), whose games are regularly broadcast by Iranian TV. That led to my colleague inviting me round to his home. His was a typical Iranian family, with four generations living side by side. They all drew water and cooked in the same space,  but there were separate bedrooms and living rooms for the various generations. There were also various workspaces where people could weave cloth or carpets.

I was greeted very warmly and I can say I was the honoured guest of a typical, enlarged Iranian family.

The first thing that was obvious was that the people in that house had no idea what stress was. All had to respect certain rules. Older members of the family enjoyed great consideration and someone’s guest was always everyone’s guest. The old folk wove silk scarves on an old loom while the younger people wove carpets in a room next door. Everything was done by hand. Women laid down the law when it came to running the home and the kitchen. It is they who decide what can and can’t be done here.  Meals are eaten separately: men and boys on one side and women on the other.  In spite of that I was very struck by how simple and easy it was for people to be together. I must admit though that I always avoided talking about politics or religion.

During my stay, I often used to call on that family and every time I came they greeted me with open arms. Thanks to those meetings I was able to learn more about the culture and nature of Iran. To understand these people you need to understand their culture.

I learned many positive things during that time and every now and then I ask myself whether our way of living is really the best.

Hospitality always requires the presence of a guest who is able to appreciate the kindness of his hosts.