87. The hidden splendours of Iran

The hidden splendours of Iran
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- We must imagine Iran, beyond its image of an Islamic dictatorship. Though, the current regime using power is not unanimous liked, and even among the population, we deplore the totalitarianism and the deprivation of freedom exercised by the ruling imams.
- Despite all this, Iran remains an exceptional country: especially in terms of natural scenery on the territory. The relief is incredibly varied: sand deserts, salt deserts, seas, mountains, plains, large basins, plateaus... there are beauties for everyone!
- Iran is also a crossroads between civilizations and has a very rich and diverse cultural heritage. You can visit palaces, Shia mosques, bazaars, caravanserais, gardens and parks, bridges of different ages, cathedrals... This country has preserved its richness over the centuries and I invite you in this article to explore with me, all these destinations through the six destinations of my stay.
Tehran - the big bazaar
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- There are many activities to do in the capital of Iran. The large bazaar includes ten kilometres of very varied stall corridors: any consumer good can be traded there. The magic of this place lies in the mixture of captivating colours that mix together, to the delight of our eyes. A video in the bazaar:
Tehran - Imamzade Saleh
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- In this large blue mosque lie the remains of Saleh, the son of one of the Twelve Imams. The Twelve Imams are for the Shias, the spiritual and political successors after the death of the Prophet of Islam, Mohammed. This gigantic mausoleum, filled with gilding and ceramics, also gives a dazzling spectacle.
Tehran - Darband
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- These mountains in the North are a good spot to escape the Tehranian pollution.
Tehran - the Golestan Palace
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- The "Flower Garden Palace" is a former royal palace, which includes a marble throne room (extraordinary, just to see it on the photo), a large European-style reception room (Talar-e Salam), a mirror room inspired by the Versailles Ice Gallery, other towers (like Shams-ol-Emareh) and a pretty floral park.
Kashan - the traditional houses
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- Kashan is the first of the large oases along the road between Qom and Kerman, in the deserts of central Iran, and its attraction is mainly due to the contrast between the vastness of the deserts and the greenery of the well-kept oases.
- Kashan is the city that includes former traditional residences of merchants or princes, such as the Tabatabaei House (pictured), the Boroudjerdi House and the Abbassi House. These villas, dating from the 19th century, have large rectangular courtyards decorated with basins and lined with rooms and iwans connected by passages. An iwan is an architectural element that consists of a vaulted room that opens onto a rectangular facade topped by a Persian arch. Two videos in the Tabatabaei house, to bring a little more perspective:
Kashan - Garden of End
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- It is the archetype of the Persian garden, which houses a pavilion and baths where, in 1852, Chancellor Amir Kabir was assassinated by imperial order.
Kashan - Maranjab Desert
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- The Maranjab Desert is a pretty sandy desert, which includes 70-metre sand dunes (called Kvyrnd), a 400-year-old caravanserai and also a salt lake (Namak).
- During my trip, the heavy rains caused our jeeps to get stuck in the middle of the desert. A hell of an experience where I discovered an obvious lack of practicality on the part of our Iranian guides: I had to order tourists to get out of their stuck jeep, despite the hot rain showers, to push the second vehicle (out of three), which had also just got stuck. Four videos to show the flood:
Isfahan - Shah's Square
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- This square is also called Naghch-e Djahan Square, (in English the place of the portrait of the world). It is one of the largest squares in the world, located in the historic centre of the city of Isfahan. It was built 500 years ago. See how big it is:
- The ingenuity of Naghch-e Djahan Square was for the Shah to bring together the three main components of power in his court: the clergy, represented by the Shah's mosque, the power of the traders by the imperial bazaar, and the power of the Shah himself, from his Ali Qapu palace.
- The majesty of this square is a testimony to the social and cultural life of Persia during the Sephardic dynasty. The development of Isfahan into the new capital of Persia was an important step in the centralization of power organized by Shah Abbas.
- In the bazaar, I come across a strange artist:
Isfahan - the Chehel-Sotoun and Hasht Hacht-Behecht palaces
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- The Chehel-Sotoun palace is called the palace of the forty columns, in reference to its 20 columns reflected in the basin facing the building. The Hacht-Behecht palace, called the eight gardens of paradise, is one of only two palaces from the time of the Safavid dynasty that remain from that time (17th century).
Isfahan - The Great Mosque
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- The Great Mosque of Isfahan (Jameh), also known as the Friday Mosque or Old Mosque, as opposed to the Shah Mosque, is a mosque built from the 10th century onwards.
- Not far from there is the Hammam Ali Gholi Agha and its two intriguing door handles, which indicate the entry of a female or male person.
Isfahan - the Si-o-Se Pol bridge
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- The Si-o-se-pol, the bridge with thirty-three arches, is one of the best known bridges of the Séfévides dynasty, built around 1608. The Si-o-se-pol is a double-level arched bridge. With its arcades, on the sides and in the base, it offers the possibility of a multi-level walk, depending on the height of the water.
- The river below is called Zayande Rood or Zende Rood (meaning “Alive river”). It's dried most of the year, and this year 2018, it was very dry the whole year because of drought in recent years.
- The Chobi bridge next door is nice too:
Isfahan - Armenian Vank Cathedral
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- Vank Cathedral, better known as Isfahan's St. Savior Cathedral, is the most visited cathedral in Iran. With its magnificent frescoes on each wall of the cathedral, it has the opulence of Iranian mosques and tells, among other things, the legendary martyrdom of St Gregory the Illuminator, the founder of the Armenian Church.
- This cathedral houses a memorial to the Armenian genocide of 1915 in Turkey, a museum dedicated to the history of the Armenians of New Djolfa, an ancient printing house, as well as a large library of Armenian manuscripts.
- At the beginning of the 17th century, King Abbas I protected against the Ottoman Empire and welcomed the Armenians to his new capital Isfahan. The Armenian community was able to build a new city (the "new Djolfa") with sumptuousness and in accordance with their tastes, while living peacefully with the society already in place. Thanks to their commercial, artisanal and cultural know-how and the cultural, religious and commercial freedom granted by the King, the Armenians have built a cultural, industrial and scientific jewel that shines throughout the world.
Isfahan - Mount Soffeh
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- It is a mountain to the south of the city, ideally located to enjoy the sunset, and spend a good time between groups of young people far away from the spies of the Muslim regime.
Yazd - a city in the middle of the desert
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- According to UNESCO, the city of Yazd is one of the oldest cities in the world, after Ur, in Mesopotamia. Yazd was known 3000 years BC. Yazd is known as a Sassanian city (Persian dynasty from 224 until the Muslim invasion of 651), the city of the Zoroastrians (see below) and the caravanserais. The city of Yazd has the driest climate with only sixty millimeters of rainfall per year. The city has been able to develop thanks to the presence of an oasis in this region surrounded by deserts. Placed along the Silk Road, this former caravan town founded its prosperity on its trade until the 17th century.
- Yazd's buildings, built of clay, are in sharp contrast to modern buildings. The houses are traditionally made of adobe, with flat roofs dominated by high towers. Similarly, the houses, which are generally low (maximum two floors), have extended into the basement (from one to four floors in the basement) to combat extreme weather conditions. The city gets its water supply from underground canals that divert the springs from the mountainous deserts. These qanats, dug and maintained by man, run distances of up to several kilometres, sometimes to supply collective or particular underground tanks for the homes of the richest families.
- The harsh winter allows large glaciers (yakhchal) to be supplied with adobe more than thirty metres high, which keep the ice all year round despite the heat of the hot season. The City Water Museum traces all the techniques used by humans to conserve water in this hostile environment.
Yazd - the Amir Chaghmagh complex
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- The Amir Chaghmagh complex is a set consisting of a mosque, a bazaar, a caravanserai, a public bath, a cold water well and... a candy store, as well as a tekiyeh, a place to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hossein.
Yazd - Dowlat Abad Garden
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- The Dowlat Abad garden is surrounded by large walls, in its centre a canal and water jets and at its end a large hexagonal pavilion topped by an impressive Wind Tower, also known as a badguir.
- The other large buildings in the city are the Hazireh Mosque, the Great Mosque, the traditional house of Lari.
Yazd - Zoroastrian fire temple
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- The fire temple is the place of worship for Zoroastrians. But what is Zoroastrianism?
- Zoroastrianism is a monotheistic religion of three thousand years old Iran! This is a religious reform led by Zarathustra (translated into Zoroaster) oriented Mazdaans towards monotheism for the benefit of the god Ahura Mazda. Ahura Mazda is solely responsible for the scheduling of the initial chaos, the creator of heaven and earth. Every human being is endowed with an eternal soul and free will. After death, souls are judged and go to heaven or purgatory. Ahura Mazda is the creative force of the world and the four elements, water, earth, fire and air, elements that Zoroastrians worship and respect most highly because they come from the god.
- The Zoroastrians respect fire as a divine symbol. Zarathustra preached an apparent dualism, based on the struggle between Good and Evil, Light and Darkness. Zarathustra's principle is that there is a holy spirit, son of Ahura Mazdā, and an evil spirit, his twin, both opposed because they represent day and night, life and death. These two spirits coexist in each of the living beings. However, Zoroastrianism is indeed a monotheism, for only Ahura Mazda retains the celestial pre-eminence and will triumph over evil at the end of time.
Yazd - Cham Tower of Silence
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- This is Cham's tower of silence (also called dakma), a tower used for the funeral rites of the Zoroastrians. This allows the body of the deceased not to decompose on the ground, but to putrefaction at a height or to be disembodied by the animals.
- In 1979, since the arrival of the Islamic Republic in Iran, the Zoroastrians had to change these customs, which were considered barbaric for the deceased.
- Not far from the oasis of this village of Cham, there is a multi-millennial cedar tree.
Yazd - Saryazd Castle
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- This giant sand castle, built in the 7th century, was used to store food and valuables during the attacks. It is a labyrinth of impressive and well restored dried earth walls in the middle of the desert.
Yazd - Meybod
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- Meybod is an ancient city that has survived through the ages. In addition to the fortress of Narin Qaleh and the Great Mosque, Meybod houses the mausoleum of Khadijeh Khatoun, the Shah-'Abbâsi caravanserai, a dovecote, badgers (wind towers), a yakhtchal (natural refrigerator in photo) a ceramic museum and a rug museum.
Yazd - Chak Chak
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- It is the most sacred pilgrimage place of the Zoroastrians. In Zoroastrian belief, it was here that Nikbanou, a daughter of the last Persian ruler, was surrounded by Arab invaders in 640 AD. Afraid of being captured, Nikbanou asked Ahura Mazda to protect her from her enemies. In response to Nikbanou's incantations, the mountain miraculously opened up and took refuge from the invaders.
- An interesting feature of Chak Chak is the source of the mountain that has always dripped, it is the sound that gives the name to this place. Legend has it that these drops are the tears of sorrow that the mountain pours in memory of Nikbanou. It is said that the immense ancient tree grows near the sacred spring, is the Nikbanou cane. Legend has it that Nikbanou's petrified coloured clothing was visible in the rocks, although pilgrims have since taken it off.
Yazd - Kharanaq
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- The old town of Kharanaq, built of mud bricks, is one of the largest adobe collections in Iran. Some buildings are supposed to be more than a thousand years old, and the site was already occupied more than 4000 years ago.
- The buildings to be explored in this abandoned city are the oscillating minaret, the Iranian bathroom, the caravanserai, the large mosque and a communal room, the castle, the traditional drinking water reservoir and the Kharanaq bridge: this is the oldest bridge and forty metres long.
- Follow me through this labyrinth:
Persepolis - the door of nations
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- Persepolis was a capital of the Achaemenid Persian Empire (between 550 and 330 BC). Its construction began on the orders of Darius I, wishing to legitimize the royal power and show the greatness of his reign. Construction continued for more than two centuries, until the conquest of the empire and the partial destruction of the city by Alexander the Great in 331 BC.
- Here is the gate of the nations in photo:
Persepolis - the column capital with griffins on its side
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- The column capital with griffin protuberances is located on the processions aisle.
Persepolis - Darius' courtroom
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- Called Apadana, it is one of the largest buildings on the site.
Persepolis - the palace of the Hundred Columns
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- Also known as the Throne Room, it has the shape of a 70-metre square: it is the largest of Persepolis' palaces.
Naqsh-e Rostam
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- These are four gigantic royal cruciform tombs, carved into the rock and bearing three registers of bas-reliefs. One of these, would be the tomb of Darius I. The other three graves would be those of other Achaemenid kings.
- In addition to the tombs, there are also seven very large bas-reliefs in the rock of Naqsh-e Rostam, under the tombs, sculptures commissioned by the Sassanid kings.
- Facing the rock is the Ka'ba-ye Zartosht, a Zoroastrian monument.
Shiraz - the Pink mosque
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- The Nassir-ol-Molk Mosque, also known as the pink mosque, because of the colour of its stained glass windows on its façade. To appreciate this feast for the eyes, you have to arrive at daybreak to see the stained glass windows gradually coloured in the prayer room.
Shiraz - the Bazaar of Vakil
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- The great bazaar of the city whose name literally means the regent's bazaar.
Shiraz - Karim Khan's Citadel
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- Built around 1766 under the reign of the first ruler of the Zand dynasty, who gave it his name, it was converted into a museum.
Shiraz - the mausoleum of Hafez
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- The mausoleum of Hafez in memory of the famous Persian poet.
- Shiraz still has many wonders, I quote the traditional house Zinat Al-Moluk, the baths of Vakil, the mausoleum of Amir Ali or the garden of Narenjestan and Ghavam
Subatan - The mountains in the northwest
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- Northern Iran is very different from the rest of the country. The climate is much more temperate, the freshness is felt, the plains are green. We are very far from the sandy deserts, the dry lands of the centre.
- I had the opportunity to go on a weekend expedition with a group of Iranians to the mountainous regions of Subatan. It was an exceptional opportunity to discover Iranian culture, their very lively songs and dances.
Iran is rich in incredible destinations!
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- My trip to Iran lasted only a fortnight, so I focused on the main destinations that I could not miss. There are many other really interesting drop-off points in Iran: let's mention the Kerman desert, the islands of Qeshm and Hormuz in the south of the country or Mashhad the equivalent of Mecca for Shias (mainly Iranians)....
- In any case, I was able to understand that northern Iran, which is very different, has many particularities that can be found in the temperate regions of Europe, China or the United States.
- Choose your season carefully, avoiding the hot summer weather and explore these well-preserved wonders!
- A travel blog that I recommend
- https://www.facebook.com/easytoirancom/

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