If your dress is too short or deeming immodest the guards will ask you to cover up. There was a place in the mausoleum grounds which loaned or hired the appropriate gear to visitors.
This was the situation a year ago- it may have chnaged more recently
Well I've never had any trouble and have always seen plainly obvious non-muslim / western tourists walk around with no issues in Qom, and have heard numerous similar stories from Mashad.
Obvious caveat is they were men.
Not sure how loose they are with women in that regard.
I'm not sure what you mean about "religious guards" but even if they did exist I can't imagine them being anything other than polite.
In Mashad there is an excellent "foreigners & pilgrims office" which will provide a full individual guided tour with really friendly helpful english speaking (and other language) guides, who can give a really good insight into the place and shia't islam.
They'll even let you pilliage their library for all sorts of books in Islam, Shiat islam, the revolution, writings of khomeini (as well as some dubious books like Henry Ford's The Eternal Jew) for free.
Don't worry about some sort of kalashnikov armed zealots hassling you, think of it as visiting the vatican, there is only one room you maybe not be allowed in which is the tomb room itself, but once you've seen one Shi'at shrine inside you've kind of seen them all anyway.
As for visiting Qom, you're probably best doing it simply as a day trip from Tehran, take a savari (share taxi) and they'll probably drop you off right at the shrine itself, you can walk in, take a look around, have lunch and then go back to tehran in time for an afternoon walk. :-)
A chador woldn't be hard to buy, but you'll look a little silly with one, just buy a manteau, if you need one, they'll probably have them for borrowing, like the skull caps at the western wall in Jerusalem.
I think this is the mosque/mausoleum in Shiraz where I was originally turned away and the front. But....if you walk around to the back there is another entrance where you can walk right in!
A big thank to every one of you! You helped me a lot with your tips and tricks! Thanks! Walking in from the back in case I should be turned away in the front is really good insider information ;-)
“A chador wouldn’t be hard to buy, but you'll look a little silly with one, just buy a manteau, if you need one, they'll probably have them for borrowing” You are definitely right – I would look very silly with a chador especially because I have never worn one and do not have any practice in handling that big piece of cloth ;-)
“Don't worry about some sort of kalashnikov armed zealots hassling you” You are right – I should not be worried about the religious people whose job it is to take care only Muslims visit the holy shrines. Most Iranians (religious or not) are extraordinarily nice and helpful!
I’ll see – maybe I can also manage it to see Mashad. But I fear there won’t be enough time for going there this time. On the other hand I’d really like to see the holy district of Mashad and have one of those guided tours you recommended to me. The architecture of the haram must be incredibly beautiful and impressing. One day I’ll go there for sure.
Visiting Qom as a day trip is a good idea – thanks. My Iranian friends will tell me that I’m crazy when they hear that I like to go there but to me - and I think to all the other western travellers - Qom is as interesting as the modern and wealthy parts of North-Tehran with its shopping centres. I’m excited getting to know a totally different part of Iran and gaining a little insight into the religious and conservative part of the population.
Okay then – I’ll do my best to get into Shah Cheraq and in case the situation entering the Shrine should have changed I’ll share my knowledge with the other users by the time I’m back from my trip.
The lonely planet forum is great!
Best regards
Geadl
In shiraz at the vakil masjid females need to borrow a chador.Some western/USA women refused to cover up on top the scarf they already had on. They picked to wrong country to visit in my view.Go to Canada ladies!
. At the Chirag shrine I was quizzed if i was muslim.I rattled off 'the kamla' at high speed and some other convincing stuff such as the full 786 etc.. I was dressed in shalwar kamiz and a small turban, if that was n't enough ;-p.