Wandering from Shiraz to Tehran

An hour's drive takes us this morning to a mythical place: the city of Persepolis, capital of the Achaemenid Empire, founded 2500 years ago by the "King of Kings" Darius I. The ruins of the buildings, partly carved into the rock, are remarkably well preserved and showcase architecture influenced by Mesopotamian models. It is likely that the city served both as a government center and as a sumptuous venue for spectacles and royal receptions.

A few nautical miles to the north, the Necropolis site is where Achaemenid kings were buried.

We resume our journey to Shiraz. After some rest at our hotel we set out to explore the Sang-e-sia historic quarter. This quarter, one of the oldest in the city, includes many passages, the most important of which reveals a series of historical sites and sacred sanctuaries including the famous Bibidokhtaran sanctuary. Mosques, tombs and historic houses dot our wanderings and testify to the evolution of Iranian architecture from the Qajar era to the present day. In particular, the architecture and decoration of the old Pahlavi houses, organized around very beautiful inner courtyards, are sure to charm visitors.

We leave Shiraz this morning and head north. After 140 kilometers of road we reach an exceptional remnant of the Achaemenid civilization: the ancient city of Pasargades, created by Cyrus the Great in the 6th century BC and first capital of the Achaemenid Empire.

We continue our journey towards Abarkouh. In the heart of the desert, this ancient city exudes a mysterious aura with its remarkable ruins. Those large domes of white stones, for example, are nothing other than ice houses where ice was preserved. That old cypress tree aged 4,500 years and shrouded in legends. Or the Gondab-e Aali, a thousand-year-old funerary tower from the Daylami era, perched on a hillside.

We conclude this rich day at the Nizamiyyah school, named after these medieval institutions of higher education founded by the Persian vizier Nizam al-Mulk, which were the first organized and high-quality universities in the Muslim world.

The word caravan comes from the Persian kârvân, which designates a line of camels and travelers. Since the caravan was generally a merchant convoy, it is hardly surprising that Persia, at the heart of the Silk Road, invented the term! In order to provide accommodation and other necessities for these convoys, the desert was dotted with caravanserais (the Persian sarây designates a large house), fortified places consisting of stables, warehouses and rooms.

On the road to Yazd, which crosses the desert, we pass by three of the oldest caravanserais: Zeinoddin (Safavid era and superbly restored), Saryazd (Seljuk and Safavid eras, and its Sassanid citadel) and Mehriz (Sassanid era).

Upon arrival in Yazd, we visit two major Zoroastrian sites: the Towers of Silence, where corpses were exposed to be eaten by carnivorous birds, and the Fire Temple, one of the most important Zoroastrian places of worship in the world.

Finally, early in the evening we head to the Amir Chakhmaq complex. It is a square bringing together a mosque, a caravanserai, a tekyeh, a hammam, a well and a confectionery. As night falls, the lighting gives the place a magical appearance.

We continue our journey today and make our first stop at Meybod, an ancient city that was also the capital of the Mozaffarid kingdom in the 14th century. The Narin Citadel, from the Sassanid era, is one of the oldest in Iran and an important remnant.

Continuing our route towards the north, we enter Isfahan Province and arrive at the city of Nain. An ancient city, Nain houses one of the oldest mosques in Iran, the Jameh Mosque. It is also an ideal place to observe the qanats, which still function today and bring water from the mountains to the city.

Largely desert country, it is in Varzaneh that it is easiest to observe magnificent sand dunes at the gates of the city. What a sight! In town, we will not miss visiting the Jameh Mosque as well as the thousand-year-old citadel of Ghoortan.

Evening arrival in Ispahan, jewel of the Middle East and most beautiful city in the world in the hearts of many Iranians. Perched at 1500m altitude in the middle of the arid Iranian plateau, it appears as an oasis of greenery thanks to its irrigation systems. Ispahan was the capital of the Persian Empire under the Safavid dynasty between the 16th and 18th centuries.

Check-in at the hotel.

On the northern route, we devote a good part of the day to the Natanz region, rich in historical heritage but also renowned for its climate and subsistence crops. Among the local sacred sites, we can mention the sanctuary of Sufi Sheikh Abd al-Samad dating from the 14th century.

About forty kilometers west of Natanz, tucked at more than 2000m altitude in the Karkas mountains, lies one of the oldest and most beautiful villages in Iran, Abyaneh. Evidence from the Sassanid era is clearly visible here: ruins of an old fort, traditional clothing and local dialect steeped in remnants of the pahlavi language of the time.

Arrival in Kachan in the afternoon. This city with its rich architecture is also one of the great oases of the deserts in central Iran, and traces of human habitation date back to the 6th millennium BC. The city's remarkable buildings are relatively recent, particularly the magnificent traditional residences of the Tabatabaei and Boroudjerdi, which date from the Qajar era (19th century). The Fin Garden is the oldest garden in Iran.

Check-in at the hotel.

Early in the morning we head towards Tehran.

Without delay, we embark on our first discovery of Iran's capital. Given the city's legendary traffic jams, we travel by metro and taxi, which also gives us the opportunity to have our first encounters with Iranians. We visit the Carpet Museum where we discover the art of hand-woven Persian carpets, with more than a hundred magnificent pieces on display. We continue to the Sa'ad Abad complex, which houses gems of Iranian architecture: the palaces built in the 19th century by the Qajar monarchs and where notably the Pahlavi dynasty lived.

In the afternoon, we visit the Reza Abbasi Museum where we discover an exceptional collection of Persian art ranging from the 2nd millennium BC to the Islamic period. We continue to the Borj-e Milad tower, one of the tallest in the world at 435 meters, or even to the Pol-e Tabi-at (with additional charge), Iran's longest pedestrian bridge that overlooks one of the main thoroughfares in the northern part of the city.