Some Must-see sites in Iran

Day 2,483, 19:49 • Published in Iran Iran • by ¤Anon.7904407¤

Tehran (City):







Monument of Freedom (Shahyad/Azadi)- Azadi Tower in the light of the setting sun circa August 2012 in Tehran. Azadi Tower and Azadi Squere are some of the most famous places in Tehran visited by tourists.



Northern Tehran mountains/Darband

Isfahan (City):



Interior and ceiling of historical building Shah Mosque in Isfahan, Iran.



Naqsh-e Jahan: This was once one of the largest squares in the world, and today it contains the Mosque of the Shah/Imam, the Mosque of Shaykh Lotfollah, and the Palace of Ali Qapu. It is also the perfect place to begin your exploration of traditional Persian crafts, and wander in the bazaar.

Shiraz (City):



Shiraz Sa’di tomb photo....

Here is one measure of Persian emphasis on literature: Iranian children are introduced to their 13th century masterpiece in elementary school. It would be akin to teaching American third graders to Chaucer. Sa’di’s Rose Garden (Golestan) is considered an ethical gem, and a humanist marvel. It is Sa’di’s words that have summed up the highest ethical aspirations of Iranians in acknowledging the innate dignity of all humanity.



Hafez’s tomb in Shiraz photo

Tomb of Hafez, master of the love lyric.

There is no shortage of great poets in the Persian pantheon, and yet Hafez stands alone as master of the ghazal (the short love lyric). Ferdowsi is the master of the nationalistic epic, Sa’di the master of prose, but if one’s taste is that of the mystical/sensual love lyric, Hafez is your poet.



Tomb of Cyrus the Great photo

Tomb of Cyrus the Great Cyrus is commemorated in the Bible as a messiah (“anointed”) due to the report of having freed Jews from the Babylonian captivity. Iranians look back to the Achemenid Dynasty as a highlight of pre-Islamic Persian glory.



Photo of Xerxes palace in Persepolis, Iran

Persepolis:

The great palace complex of the pre-Islamic Persian empire was one of the great empire capitals of the world. Located outside of Shiraz, it is well worth viewing.

It would be a shame to leave off one more bonus site, the Naqsh-e rostam. This site is approximately 3000 years old, and offers some of the first examples of divinely sanctioned rule in Iranian history.