How the native of hot and bustling Tehran went on to win the unofficial title of “world’s northernmost kebab seller” comes down to the vagaries of early 20th century geopolitics.
Under a 1920 treaty, Svalbard is an international zone under Norwegian sovereignty that requires no tourist or resident visas. So when Norway rejected Ariaiwand’s asylum application in 2003, he fled as far north as you can fly on a commercial flight — to this land of legal limbo.
