The Terminal Man, a book written by Mehran and Andrew Donkin

Mehran Karimi Nasseri (مهران کریمی ناصری [meɦˈrɔːn kʲæriːˈmiː nɔːseˈriː]; (born 1942 in Masjed Soleiman, Iran), also known as Sir, Alfred Mehran (sic), is an Iranian refugee who has been living in the departure lounge of Terminal One in Charles de Gaulle Airport from 8 August 1988 until August of 2006 when he was hospitalized for an unspecified ailment. Download high resolution version (751x1173, 114 KB)Book cover of The Terminal Man, scanned it myself This image is a book cover. ... Download high resolution version (751x1173, 114 KB)Book cover of The Terminal Man, scanned it myself This image is a book cover. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Masjed Soleyman (also Masjid Soleiman and Masjid-al-Salaman) (مسجد سلیمان in Persian) is a town in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, Iran. ... Charles de Gaulle International Airport (French: A roport de Roissy-Charles de Gaulle), also known as Roissy Airport (or just Roissy in French), serving Paris, is one of Europes principal aviation centers, as well as Frances main international airport. ... August 8 is the 220th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (221st in leap years), with 145 days remaining. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Introduction

Nasseri was born in the Anglo-Persian Oil Company settlement located in Masjed Soleiman, Iran. His father was an Iranian doctor working for the company; while he claims his mother was an English nurse working in the same place, the Paul Berczeller article cited below says his family disputes this. He arrived in the United Kingdom in September 1973, to take a three-year course in Yugoslav studies at Bradford University. Following the discovery of a large oil field in Masjet Soleiman, in Iran, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) was founded in 1909. ... Masjed Soleyman (also Masjid Soleiman and Masjid-al-Salaman) (مسجد سلیمان in Persian) is a town in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, Iran. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... It has been suggested that Democratic Federal Yugoslavia be merged into this article or section. ... The University of Bradford is a university in Bradford, West Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. ...

Protests

While in the United Kingdom, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran in March 1974(fragment, meaning unknown, was appointed?). He returned to Iran on 7 August 1975, after money for university fees had unexpectedly been halted. By his own report, on arrival at Tehran's airport, he was taken directly to Evin Prison by the Iranian secret police, SAVAK, and was later imprisoned and tortured for four months before being expelled from the country. Journalists have been unable to verify these claims, finding only that Nasseri had been among 20 students questioned earlier, in 1970 following their protests against a new Tehran University regulation. No incarceration or torture was connected with the incident. His Majesty Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (اعلیحضرت محمدرضا شاه پهلوی; October 26, 1919 – July 27, 1980) also knows as Aryamehr, was the last Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 until... One of the worlds longest-lasting monarchies, the Iranian monarchy went through many transformations over the centuries, from the days of Persia to the creation of what is now modern day Iran. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... August 7 is the 219th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (220th in leap years), with 146 days remaining. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Mehrabad International Airport (IATA: THR, ICAO: OIII) is an airport that serves Tehran, Iran. ... Evin Prison (زندان اوین) is a prison in Iran, located in the north of Tehran. ... Secret police (sometimes political police) are a police organization which operates in secrecy for the national purpose of maintaining national security against internal threats to the state. ... SAVAK (Persian: ساواک, short for سازمان اطلاعات Ùˆ امنیت کشور Sazeman-e Ettelaat va Amniyat-e Keshvar, Organization for Intelligence and National Security) was the domestic security and intelligence service of Iran from 1957–1979. ... Torture is any act by which severe pain, whether physical or psychological, is intentionally inflicted on a person as a means of intimidation, deterrence, revenge, punishment, sadism, or information gathering. ... The University of Tehran (دانشگاه تهران in Persian), also known as Tehran University, is the oldest and largest university of Iran. ...

Wandering through Europe alone

Returning to Europe, he applied for asylum in Berlin, West Germany, and the Netherlands in 1977 but was rejected. Then in 1978, he applied in France but was rejected again; he later lost an appeal. The same thing happened in Yugoslavia. In 1979, he applied in Italy but was unsuccessful. He tried France again in 1980 and lodged an appeal again after it was rejected; the appeal itself was later rejected. His application to emigrate to the United Kingdom was rejected, and he was not allowed to enter the country at Heathrow Airport. Nasseri was expelled from the United Kingdom, so he tried to enter West Germany again, but he was expelled to the Belgian border before Belgium accepted him. World map showing Europe Political map (neighboring countries in Asia and Africa also shown) Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ... Power lines leading to a trash dump hover just overhead in El Carpio, a Nicaraguan refugee camp in Costa Rica Under international law, a refugee is a person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her... Poor but sexy Berlin is the capital city and a state of Germany. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... An appeal is the act or fact of challenging a judicially cognizable and binding judgment to a higher judicial authority. ... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in all South Slavic languages, Југославија in Serbian and Macedonian Cyrillic) is a term used for the three separate political entities that existed during most of the 20th century on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Emigration is the action and the phenomenon of leaving ones native country to settle abroad. ... London Heathrow Airport (IATA airport code: LHR, ICAO airport code: EGLL, and often simply Heathrow) is the United Kingdoms busiest and best-connected airport. ...

On 7 October 1980, his request for asylum was granted by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Belgium. Nasseri lived in Belgium until 1986, when he decided to move to the United Kingdom. He claimed that he was mugged, and his shoulder bag stolen while waiting at the RER platform to go to Charles de Gaulle Airport to take a flight to Heathrow. Nasseri managed to board the plane, but when he arrived at Heathrow without the necessary documentation, Heathrow officials sent him back to Charles de Gaulle airport. Nasseri was unable to prove his identity or his refugee status to the French officials and so he was moved to the Zone d'attente (waiting zone), a holding area for travellers without papers. October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (established December 14, 1950) protects and supports refugees at the request of a government or the United Nations and assists in their return or resettlement. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Robbing a merchants house in Japan, around 1860 Robbery is the crime of seizing property through violence or intimidation. ... The RER (Réseau Express Régional, IPA , Regional Express Network) is an urban rail network in Paris and its agglomeration. ... London Heathrow Airport (IATA airport code: LHR, ICAO airport code: EGLL, and often simply Heathrow) is the United Kingdoms busiest and best-connected airport. ... Charles de Gaulle International Airport (French: A roport de Roissy-Charles de Gaulle), also known as Roissy Airport (or just Roissy in French), serving Paris, is one of Europes principal aviation centers, as well as Frances main international airport. ...

The fight for papers

His case was taken up by human rights lawyer Christian Bourget, and in 1992 a French court ruled that Nasseri could not be expelled from France as he had legally entered the country as a refugee. However, the court could not force the French government to give Nasseri refugee status or a transit visa, and so Nasseri continued to remain in limbo within the confines of the airport terminal building. Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... An entry visa valid in all Schengen treaty countries issued by France A visa (short for the Latin carta visa, lit. ... An airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer from ground transportation to the facilities that allow them to board airplanes. ...

Bourget now approached the Belgian government in an attempt to get them to re-issue Nasseri's original refugee documents. However, the Belgian refugee officials refused to mail them to him in France, stating that Nasseri must instead present himself in person so that they could identify him as the same man to whom they had issued the original refugee documents. Under Belgian law, a refugee who voluntarily leaves the country is not allowed to return, and so the Belgian government refused to allow Nasseri to travel back to Belgium to claim his identity. In 1995, the Belgian government partially relented and told Nasseri that he could retrieve his refugee documents if he agreed to live in Belgium under the supervision of a social worker. Nasseri refused, stating that he did not want to live in Belgium but wanted to live in the United Kingdom. A social worker is a person employed in the administration of charity, social service, welfare, and poverty agencies, advocacy, or religious outreach programs. ...

In 1999, the French Government granted Nasseri a temporary residency permit and a refugee's passport, giving him the opportunity to live in France and finally leave the airport. However, Nasseri refused to sign the necessary papers claiming that they did not identify him correctly. His refusal to sign was perhaps an indication of his failing mental health as he had begun to deny that he was Iranian and claimed not to be able to speak Persian. He had also begun to call himself "Sir, Alfred" (sic). At some point in the past he had received a letter from the British authorities which had begun "Sir, Alfred..." and since then he has stated that this (including the comma) is his official name. 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The title page of European Union member state passports bears the name European Union, then the name of the issuing country, in the official languages of all EU countries. ... Persian is an Indo-European language spoken in Iran (Persia), Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere. ... Sic is a Latin word meaning thus or so, used inside brackets [sic] to indicate that an unusual (or incorrect) spelling, phrase, or other preceding quoted material is intended to be read or printed exactly as shown, and is not a transcription error. ...

Over the years, Nasseri had become accustomed to his life in the airport terminal. He kept himself clean and rose at 5 a.m. every morning (approximately the time when the airport starts to welcome passengers in for the early flights) to wash in the public toilets. The airport staff sometimes washed his clothes for him and had donated a sofa for his use. He spent most of the day listening to the radio, reading books and writing his diary. This diary has been turned into an autobiography, The Terminal Man (ISBN 0-552-15274-9), in collaboration with British author, Andrew Donkin. The Terminal Man has been published in the UK, Germany, Poland, Japan, and (in March 2006) in China. The book was reviewed in the London Sunday Times as "a profoundly disturbing and brilliant book." See also Toilet for the lavatory Public toilet is a movie from the Hong Kong director Fruit Chan. ... Sofas come in a variety of colors, patterns, and materials (two-seater model) Ancient Greek sofa A couch, also known as a sofa, settee, lounge or chesterfield is an item of furniture for the comfortable seating of more than one person. ... An autobiography, from the Greek auton, self, bios, life and graphein, write, is a biography written by the subject or composed conjointly with a collaborative writer (styled as told to or with). The term dates from the late eighteenth century, but the form is much older. ...

Current position

Unlike Tom Hanks' character in the movie, and since at least 1994, Nasseri did not live in the duty-free transit area but simply in the departure hall, in the circular boutiques and restaurants concourse on the lowest floor. He could have at least theoretically left the terminal at any moment, although, since everyone knew him, his departure would not have gone unnoticed. He did not appear to commonly speak with anyone. With his cart and bags, he almost looked like a traveler, so people either did not notice him or ignored him as if he were a homeless person (there are a few of them at the airport). Image File history File linksMetadata MKNasseri. ... Image File history File linksMetadata MKNasseri. ... Thomas Jeffrey Tom Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actor, voice-over artist and movie producer who starred in family-friendly and screwball comedies before achieving notable success as a dramatic actor. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... This article is about a tax measure. ... Homeless woman in Nice, France. ...

The publicity surrounding the movie did not change Nasseri's position. As of December 31, 2005, he was still there, surrounded by a huge number of boxes (in rather bad shape), next to the Relay shop where his book could be bought some time earlier. He has managed to maintain his dentition in excellent shape, with the exception of a single missing front incisor. December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

As of August 1, 2006, Nasseri is no longer at the airport. According to a female employee working at the drugstore next to the place where he was sitting last, he felt ill the week earlier and was taken to hospital. "It was about time," she said, referencing his condition.^{[citation needed]} His personal effects are also no longer there, nor is his red bench. Lately, given the ongoing restructuring works of the terminal, Nasseri had to change the sitting sector, the Relay shop now being part of the closed "under reconstruction" area. August 1 is the 213th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (214th in leap years), with 152 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Fictionalisations of Nasseri

Nasseri's story provided the inspiration for a French language film in 1993 starring Jean Rochefort and called Lost in Transit [1] (released under the title Tombés du ciel in France and Lost in Transit for international audiences). The short story, The Fifteen-Year Layover by Michael Paterniti and published in GQ and The Best American Non-Required Reading, chronicles Nasseri's existence. French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Jean Rochefort (born 29 April 1930) is a French actor who has acted in more than 100 movies. ... This article is in need of attention. ... GQ can refer to several things: Gentlemens Quarterly, a mens magazine The ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code for Equatorial Guinea GQ, a replacement Quake 1 game engine This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same...

Nasseri was reportedly the inspiration behind the 2004 movie The Terminal, however, no publicity materials, the DVD "special features" or the film's website ever mentions Nasseri's plight as an inspiration for the film. In fact, the DVD implies that the story was so "incredible" that it leaves the viewer with the impression that the story was solely a result of the screenwriter's imagination. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ... For other uses of the word terminal, see Terminal (disambiguation). ... This article is becoming very long. ... Screenwriters, scenarists or script writers, are authors who write the screenplays from which movies and television programs are made. ...

Despite this, reports, including one in The Guardian [2], indicate that Spielberg's Dreamworks production company paid $250,000 to Nasseri for rights to his story and report that as of 2004 he carried a poster advertising Spielberg's film draping his suitcase next to his bench. Nasseri was reportedly excited about The Terminal, but it was unlikely that he would ever have a chance to see it. "Yes, my interest in America has gone up because of movie," Nasseri was reported to have said. "That is very good." The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... Steven Allan Spielberg KBE (born on December 18, 1946 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a Jewish American film director whose films range from science fiction to historical drama to horror. ... DreamWorks SKG is one of the major American film studios which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games, and television programming. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A typical suitcase A suitcase is a narrow box-shaped bag, usually made of cloth or vinyl that more or less keeps its shape, has a handle at one end and is used mainly for transporting clothes and other possessions during trips. ...

Visiting

Locating Alfred (as he is generally called by the personnel) took under a minute for travellers departing from Terminal 1. Sitting in front of a large glass window next to the internal court of the terminal, Alfred could be seen by every departing traveller moving up from the check-in floor to the transit floor, during the external escalator travel. With a little more effort, he was even visible to returning travellers moving from the transit floor to the even higher luggage-claim floor. Escalators at Canary Wharf, London. ...

It is possible to reach Terminal 1 from the other ones using the free bus shuttle, line 1. However, at least 20 minutes should be dedicated for the travel, since the shuttle travels a circular route and the return to Terminal 2B can take significantly more time than the travel to Terminal 1.

External links

• Article on snopes.com
• "Has a guy been stuck in the Paris airport since 1988 for lack of the right papers?" - The Straight Dope, 20 August, 1999
• Article by Paul Berczeller about Nasseri and the film in the UK The Guardian.