Omidvar Brothers
Omidvar Brothers, the Iranian world travelers
In September 1954, Issa and Abdollah Omidvar embarked on an adventure fraught with jeopardy to explore the world, mostly the unknown parts of the world with the aim to make people more familiar with remote tribes and little-known cultures. Their 10-year journey, which included their encounters with different ethnicities, tribes and cultures, was filled with achievements for themselves, their country and the world. On their perilous journey, they had the experience of living among primitive tribes like Amazonian tribes, or they even lived with Eskimos for months, with the aim to study the living conditions and living habits of these tribes in the world.
Who are Omidvar Bothers?
The two Iranian brothers were born just after the Second World War and lived in the suburbs of Tehran. They had a strong desire to explore the world and they were even more inspired by the stories told by their father. Before traveling around the world, they satisfied their adventurous soul by participating in bike races and being a member of a mountaineering club in Tehran, They climbed several mountains including mount Damavand. The idea of traveling around the world was inspired by meeting Lionel Bras, a French cyclist who was traveling from Paris to Saigon on his bike. These two brothers started to prepare themselves for their long journey by first traveling to closer distances on Bike. Issa took a 4-month journey to Turkey, Syria and Iraq while his brother, Abdollah traveled to the south of Iran on a bike.
Omidvar Brothers 10-year journey
Having returned from their short journey, they started to plan their long journey and embarked on their travel in 1954 with 90 $ in their pockets and Matchless motorcycles they imported from England; they equipped these motorcycles with the items they needed for their travel. The reason they chose motorcycle for their travel was that it enabled them to ride through even impassable roads. They started their journey by heading east through Afghanistan, and then passing through Pakistan, India, South and East Asia and Australia. In Australia, they made a film about Aboriginals of Australia to make the world know Aboriginals more. After Australia, they headed to Alaska and Canada to the Arctic by crossing the Pacific Ocean. They explored the American continent and then traveled to Europe, where they managed to budget their second travel to Africa. In Europe, Citroen Company gave them a Citroen 2CV as a gift, a gift that sparked the idea of their second journey.
After Europe, they returned to Iran and stayed in their country for some time before embarking on their second journey to Africa. They passed through many African countries and tribes, and lived among primitive tribes to get to know about cultural differences and wild nature.
Omidvar Brothers documentary
The Iranian brothers recorded their experiences and observations during their travels by making films. In contrast to the dominant media in the world that tried to depict more modern side of the world, their documentary included their adventures and observations related to their stay among primitive tribes. They featured the life style, customs, and living conditions of people who were less known to the world; for instance, they filmed their eating raw animal meat while living among Eskimos for months; in addition, they broadcasted their documentary on various networks around the world to help the world follow their adventures.
Omidvar Brothers Museum
In 2003, Omidvar Brothers museum was finally established in Sa'd Abad palace. Having the moto "all different, all relative, these brothers collected many objects that manifested the various cultures of the tribes they lived among in order to put these objects on exhibit for other people. This museum houses the artifacts such as monkey skulls, elephant tusks and a severed human head they brought home from their travels. You can see the showcases, each of which is divided by the region they belong to. The objects in their museum depicts a world far from globalization and consumerism, so if you want to have a picture about how the early settlers of earth lived, this museum is the place.
