When she first started learning to ride a motorbike, Iranian Maryam Ghelich, now an instructor, would drive through Tehran's empty streets at night to avoid scrutiny over her clothing or lack of a licence.    

Fifteen years on, Ghelich has trained hundreds of women, helping them navigate not only the capital's gridlocked streets but the barriers facing women motorcyclists in the conservative Islamic republic, with a marked surge in demand for lessons in recent months.

Originally published on doc.afp.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.