Where to Travel in IRAN

Western Iran holds some of the most important ancient cities and sites in Iran. The old Safavid capital of Qazvin has several fine historic relics including: the Jame Mosque, dating back to the Seljuk period and boasting the largest mihrab of any mosque in Iran; the Shrine of Shahzadeh Hossein, a Muslim saint; and the Heydarieh Theological School. The castle of Alamut in the legendary Valley of the Assassins, which is accessible from Qazvin, was once home to the notorious sect created by Hassan Al-Sabbah in 12th century. Hamadan – ancient Ecbatana – is one of Iran’s oldest cities. As an important Achaemenian capital, Hamadan was graced with great palaces and temples, the remains of which now lie beneath the modern town. Existing attractions are thin on the ground, but the town is a good base for exploring the wider region. At Kangavar, a small town between Hamadan and Kermanshah, is a major Parthian sanctuary dedicated to the mother goddess Anahita. King Darius’s rockcut inscriptions at Bisitun are located high in the mountains and are one of the most famous sites in Near Eastern archaeology. It was here that Henry Rawlinson copied the trilingual inscriptions of Darius I, carved in 522 B.C in Old Persian, Elamite, and Akkadian, an important step that led to the eventual deciphering of cuneiform scripts in the mid-19th century. The Sassanian kings chose a stunning setting for their rock reliefs at Tagh-e-Bostan, four miles northeast of Kermanshah. One of the most impressive reliefs, is the gigantic equestrian statue of the Sassanian king, Khosrow II mounted on his favourite charger, Shabdiz. On another relief the defeated Roman emperor Julian is depicted prostrate under the feat of the victorious Ardashir I – founder of the Sassanian dynasty.