But the global expansion of the movement — including its penetration into countries like Iran — came with unexpected consequences and cultural tensions. The migration of Western hippies to non-Western countries highlighted a complex web of desires, misunderstandings, and cultural frictions. Nowhere was this more evident than in Iran during the 1960s and 70s, a country on the cusp of modernization but still deeply rooted in traditional norms and increasingly repressive political control.
Iran and the Hippie Trail
During the height of the movement, Iran was one of the stops along the famous “Hippie Trail,” a transcontinental route that stretched from Europe to South Asia. This trail, followed by thousands of young Westerners, wound its way through cities like Istanbul, Tehran, Kabul, and on to India and Nepal — lands perceived as mystical, untouched by Western consumerism, and rich with spiritual traditions.
Yet the Iran that awaited these youthful idealists was not what many expected.