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Travel the Silk Road
Iran, formerly known as Persia, was once a vital commercial link on the great Silk Road, and acted as an important cultural bridge between the heart of Asia and the cradle of Western civilization. The legacy of the resulting supremely rich heritage is a world-class cultural destination that today is blissfully free from visitors. Some of the atmosphere of the old Silk Road can still be captured when visiting in the great trading cities of Iran. The great bazaars of Tabriz, Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, and Yazd are a throwback to the Middle Ages and particularly memorable.
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Trace the Legacy of Ancient Persia
Iran is an archaeological plum and home to one of the great civilizations of the ancient world. From their capitals at Persepolis, Ecbatana and Susa the great Achaemenian kings such as Darius, Xerxes, and Cambyses ruled an enormous empire that stretched from India to Greece. Discovering the rich remains of the Achaemenians, and their successors the Sassanians, is one of the great joys of visiting modern Iran. The palace at Persepolis is one of the world’s most important archaeological sites and a highlight to of any visit. Beside this there many other important monuments, rock carvings, and temples, that will enthral the cultural enthusiast.
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Exquisite Mosques, Minarets and Tombs
An Iranian holiday can introduce you to awe-inspiring architecture that is considered to be amongst the finest in the Islamic world. Frequently written about by poets and travellers, Iran’s monuments have captivated the hearts and minds of those that witness their true beauty firsthand. With our bespoke Iran holidays, you can be expertly guided through the Islamic wonders. From the decadently tiled domes of Isfahan, to the glorious mausoleum of Oljeitu at Solantieh, and the sublime desert architecture of Yazd, and the pleasure palaces of the great Safavid kings; this was the architecture that was the inspiration for the Taj Mahal.
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Zoroastrian Fire Temples & Towers of Silence
Followers of the ancient prophet Zoroaster, while now greatly reduced in number, have long been established in Iran. The attractive desert city of Yazd is the centre of Iran’s small modern Zoroastrian community and contains many fire temples (Atashkadeh) and other places of Zoroastrian pilgrimage. The main Atashkadeh (holding the eternal fire considered sacred by the Zoroastrians) is located in the old quarter of the town, while outside the city are two abandoned Towers of Silence (Dakhma), where until 50 years ago the dead were carried and left to decompose and be devoured by birds.
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Persian Gardens & Poets
Gardens have been popular in Iran since the earliest of times. The old Iranian word pairidaeza, meaning an enclosure or park, is thought to be the origin of our word ‘paradise’. In the often arid and harsh climatic condition of Iran, the Persian garden with its running streams, bright flowers, tall shady trees, and elegant pavilions, has always been of central important to the Iranian people and served as inspiration for generations of poets including the Hafeez, Saadi, and Rumi. Built to the traditional Charbagh design with a central basin of overflowing water representing abundance, and four different quarters representing water, fire, earth, and air, the beautiful gardens of Persia greatly influenced garden design in Renaissance Europe. Today, many fine traditional gardens exist in Iran and are particularly beautiful in the late spring and early summer.
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Tehran’s Aladdin’s Cave
Tehran may seem like an unlikely location for one of the world’s most important collections of jewels, but within a bank vault in the Iranian capital is a collection built up by Iran’s former kings that is nothing short of astonishing. There can be few, if any, bank vaults in the world that present the visitor with such an Aladdin’s Cave of wealth, glittering beauty, and exquisite artistic achievement. Amongst tray upon tray of loose, uncut, and polished diamonds, rubies, emeralds, spinals, jewelled scabbards, thrones, and aigrettes, are some more curious exhibits including: a curtain fringe made entirely from miniature pearls, a tea set encrusted with enormous gem stones, and a globe of jewels. The State Jewels are simply unmissable.
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Magical Carpets
Carpet weaving in Iran dates back at least as far as the Bronze Age and is one of the most noted manifestations of Iranian art. Iranian (or Persian) carpets are famous for their high quality and intricate designs. Each hand woven carpet is unique. One of the best places to learn about this fine art form is at the Carpet Museum in Tehran which houses many beautiful and well displayed examples from all over the country. The bazaars in the major tourist centres also hold extensive collections of Persian carpets, and tribal rugs, which are available for purchase.
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Travel to the Dawn of Civilization
Iran is a country home to a culture that is as old as time. There is evidence of habitation in Iran from the ninth millennium B.C., and throughout the country there are innumerable archaeological sites of great antiquity. Perhaps the best known is Sialkh Hill where the art of Persian pottery was born; there are also Uratian sites in the northwest of the country; and in the southeast various Elamite remains. The great ziggurat, and UNESCO World Heritage Site, at Chogha Zanbil (built c 1250 BC) is without doubt the most impressive structure surviving from the early period of Iran’s history.
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Armenian & Jewish Iran
Armenian and Jewish populations have long been present in Iran and have bequeathed the country an interesting cultural legacy. The small Jewish population is one of the oldest in the diaspora. According to legend Esther, the Queen of Xerxes, helped establish a Jewish colony in Hamadan in the 5thcentury BC. The tomb of Esther and Mordecai is still to be seen in the city. Other sites of Jewish interest include: the shrine of Daniel in Susa, and the Peighamberiyeh in Qasvin. The Armenians are Iran’s largest Christian minority and are referred to in an inscription of Darius of 515 B.C. After the 13th century many Armenian settled in north-western Iran; today some stunning churches can be found in Iranian Azerbaijan. Later in the 17th century Shah Abbas relocated many Armenians to the Isfahan suburb of New Julfa – now the site of more fine churches.
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The Caspian Coast
The Caspian Coast, including the two littoral provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran, with its thick forests and intensive rice cultivation presents a striking contrast to the dry inner plateau of Iran. The Caspian is very popular with Iranians as a holiday destination though from an International perspective has fewer sites than other areas of the country. It is possible in the warmer months to swim in the world’s largest inland sea. Sites of interest include Masuleh Village is a UNESCO World Heritage site features houses clinging to steep cliffs, and the Anzali lagoon, with its rich variety of flora and fauna and aquatic life.