Travel Guide to Iran

Tehran : Hamadan : Persepolis : Shiraz : Esfahan : Yazd 

Tehran

Tehran is a sprawling city at the foot of the Alborz mountain range with an immense network of highways unparalleled in western Asia. The city has numerous large museums, art centres, palace complexes and cultural centres and is the greatest for the Iranian markets, with numerous bazaars covered like a railway station.

The city, thought to have been inhabited since Neolithic times, is populated by a number of different ethnic communties.  In addition to Persians, there is a population of Azeris in Tehran, as well as Armenian, Assyrian, Kurdish and Jewish communities. 98.3% of Tehran's residents speak Persian. The city is dotted with mosques and there are a number of churches and synagogues. back to top

Hamadan

Based in western Iran, Hamadan is in the foothills of the 3574m Alvand Mountain. Legend says that the original Hamadan was built by the mythical King Jamshid;  whatever the truth, it is certainly the oldest city in Iran and one of the oldest in the world. During the Media era it was called Hegmataaneh until, in 549BC, Cyrus the Great defeated the last Median king, Astyages and Ecbatana, as it was then called, became the summer residence of the Achaemenian Dynasty court, well away from the torrid heat of Susa. At the height of its glory, Hamedan was described as one of the most opulent cities. It had splendid palaces, buildings plated with precious metals, and seven layers of town walls, of which the inner two were coated in gold and silver. The glorious riches naturally attracted hoards of invading armies and after Alexander's conquest 331BC, Ecbatana lost much of its former importance, although it remained a staging post between the plateau and Mesopotamia.  In the 12th century, Hamedan briefly became the capital of the Seljuk Dynasty, but it was destroyed a century later during the Mongol invasion, and again by Tamerlane's armies in 1386. Because of its position, Hamedan was also severely hit by the wars between the Ottoman and Safavid empires. The successive sackings have spared few of Hamedan's ancient monuments; however, some valuable finds from the ancient town have come to light, and much remains unexplored.

While lacking antique vestiges, Hamadan, has several monuments worthy of interest and we will visit The Hehmatneh Hill Museum & Excavation, The Parthian Stone Lion, and The Archimedean Cuneiform tablet of Ganj Nameh.  We will also visit the tomb of Esther and Mordeca, and The Alaviyian Dome, a tomb tower made famous by its flora decoration that was added in the Ilkhanid Era. back to top

Persepolis

Founded by Darius I in 518BC, Persepolis was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire. It was built on an immense half-artificial, half-natural terrace, where the king of kings created an impressive palace complex inspired by Mesopotamian models. The importance and quality of the monumental ruins make it a unique archaeological site which is, naturally, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This magnificent site embodies the greatest successes of the ancient Achaemenid Empire and is littered with monumental staircases, exquisite reliefs, immense columns and imposing gateways.

Burnt to the ground during Alexander the Great's time,  and historians are still debating whether this was or in retaliation for the destruction of Athens by Xerxes, the ruins you see today are a mere shadow of Persepolis' former glory but with a bit of imagination you can still get a great idea of its former glories.

One of the first things you'll see is Xerxes' Gateway, covered with inscriptions and carvings in Elamite and other ancient languages. The gateway leads to the immense Apadana Palace complex, where the kings received visitors and celebrations were held. Plenty of gold and silver was discovered in the palace, but it was predictably looted by Alexander the Great, and what he left behind is in the National Museum in Tehran.

The largest hall in Persepolis was the Palace of 100 Columns, probably one of the biggest buildings constructed during the Achaemenian period, and once used as a reception hall for Darius I. back to top

Shiraz

Shiraz is a city of sophistication and has always been celebrated as the heartland of Persian culture.  It is the capital of Fars province and is one of the most beautiful, historical cities in the world. Farsi (Persian or Parsi) the language of Ancient Fars has become the official language of Iran.  

Shiraz came into existence after the Arab conquest of Iran and by the 13th century Shiraz had grown into one the largest and most popular Islamic cities of the era; by the mid 18th century, when most of it’s building were either created on restored, it had become the capital spreading out like an immense garden on a green plain at the foot of the Tang Allah-o-Akbar Mountains.

Shiraz has been synonymous with poetry and learning, as well nightingales and roses, and, at one time, wine.  Today Shiraz is a relaxed, cultivated city, with wide tree-lined avenues and enough monuments, gardens and mosques to keep most visitors happy for several days. We will visit the Arg-e Karim Khani an imposing fortress, with 14m high circular towers which dominates the city centre and was used as a prison in Pahlavi times.  We’ll also take a look at the Citadel, the Eram and Narenjestan Gardens and the Tombs of Sa`adi and Hafez. back to top

Esfahan

Esfahan is one of Iran’s oldest cities and served as Persia's capital from 1598 to 1722.  When Shah Abbas I came to power in 1587, he pushed out the Ottoman Turks, who had occupied a large area of Persia, and then set out to make Esfahan a great city.  However, this period of glory lasted little more than a century when an invasion from Afghanistan came, and the decline began.  As a result, the capital was moved to Shiraz, and then later to Tehran.

Esfahan is one of the finest cities in the Islamic world and was a crossroad of international trade and diplomacy and it became a kaleidoscope of languages, religions, and customs. The city is renowned for the abundance of great historical monuments and exquisite blue mosaic tiles of its mosques and madrassas and we shall be visiting Nasqh Jahan Square, Imam Mosque, one of the world’s most beautiful mosques, and Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque as well as Ali Qapu Palace - a magnificent six-storey palace built in the 16th century to serve as a gateway to the royal palaces – and the 12th century Shahrestan Bridge amongst other things. back to top

Yazd

A barren plain in the heart of the Kevir Desert between the great mountains of Dasht-é Kevir and Dasht-é Lut is a curious place to build a city but its position, as a key pass on the old Silk Road to China, meant that this was exactly what founders of Yazd had to do.  The story of the technical breakthroughs that allowed these pioneers to make the desert bloom is told in the fascinating Yazd Water Museum, while the results of their endeavours are still to be seen to this day on the streets of the old city.  The story of their day to day lives is retold in a pleasant little ethnographical museum at the Zendan-é Eskandar (Alexander`s Prison), which is said to be an even older construction while the trade that made it all necessary continues as it has for centuries at the Bâzâr-é Khan (King’s Bazaar).  

The real highlight of Yazd, however, is the people who Marco Polo described as “intelligent, industrious, and talented,” but forgot to add “warm, friendly, and helpful,” and  it's been said "if you want to see the real Iran go to Yazd”. back to top