Ilkhchi is a town similar to Astaneh, located near Tabriz. I have a dear friend from this town. His name is Nureddin Ilkhchi. We met in college in Chicago back in 1977, and ever since he has remained my closest friend.

It really is a privilege and honor to meet someone like him in a lifetime, and I am very lucky to have known him for all these years. He is a friend of humanity.

One day we decided to declare our towns (Astaneh and Ilkhchi) as sister towns, and we did, and the rest is history.

Assad Shafie