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Tehran |
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| Today Tehran
is so vast that getting hopelessly lost at least once
is a near certainty, no matter what form of transport
you take. If you need landmarks, the Alborz mountains,
known as the 'North Star' of Tehran, are to the north;
and the huge telephone office at Imam Khomeini Square
dominates inner southern Tehran. The National Museum of
Iran houses a marvelous collection including ceramics,
stone figures and carvings dating from around the 5th
millennium BC. Many of the relics are taken from excavations
at Persopolis, Shush, Rey and Turang Tapp矡nd will probably
mean more to you if you come here after you've visited
the archaeological sites. The Glass & Ceramics Museum
is one of the most impressive in Tehran, not only for
its professionally organized exhibits, but also for the
building itself. The Reza Abbasis Museum, another stunner,
contains examples of Islamic painting, pottery and jewellery.
The National Palace (White) Museum used to be the last
Shah's palace and is now a complex of museums. Tehran's
best non-museum sight is the haphazard bazaar, so big
it's practically a separate city. Also worth a look are
the busy Imam Khomeini Mosque, the drab Armenian Sarkis
Cathedral, and the city's parks and gardens. Just about
every cheap place to stay in Tehran is in the southern
part of the city, within about a 1km radius of Imam Khomeini
Square. This is also the place to look for a good kebab.
Four and five-star hotels are scattered through the city,
most of them hopelessly inconvenient if you're hoping
to use public transport. The airport is about 10km (6mi)
south-west of central Tehran. |
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Persopolis |
| Persepolis,
the Throne of Jamshid, was a massive and magnificent palace
complex built from about 512 BC and completed over the
next 150 years. Persopolis was burnt to the ground during
Alexander the Great's time, in 331 BC, although historians
are divided about whether it was accidental or in retaliation
for the destruction of Athens by Xerxes. The ruins you
see today are a mere shadow of Persopolis' former glory,
but you can still get a great idea of its majesty if you
carry a map and use a bit of imagination. Incredibly the
whole site was covered with dust, earth and the sands
of time before being rediscovered in the early 1930s.
One of the first things you'll see is Xerxes' Gateway,
covered with inscriptions and carvings in Elamite and
other ancient languages. The gateway leads to the immense
Apadana Palace complex where the kings received visitors
and celebrations were held. Plenty of gold and silver
was discovered in the palace, but it was predictably looted
by Alexander the not-so-Great, and what he left behind
is in the National Museum in Tehran. The largest hall
in Persopolis was the Palace of 100 Columns, probably
one of the biggest buildings constructed during the Achaemenian
period, once used as a reception hall for Darius I. Persopolis
is 57km (35mi) from Shiraz, just off the Esfahan road,
accessible from Shiraz by bus and shared taxi. |
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Isfahan |
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| The cool blue
tiles of Isfahan's Islamic buildings, and the city's majestic
bridges, contrast perfectly with the hot, dry Iranian
countryside around it: Isfahan is a sight you won't forget.
Not only is the architecture superb and the climate pleasant,
but there's a fairly relaxed atmosphere here, compared
with many other Iranian towns. It's a city for walking,
getting lost in the bazaar, dozing in beautiful gardens
and meeting people. The famous half-rhyme Isfahan nesf-瞊
jahan (Isfahan is half the world) was coined in the 16th
century to express the city's grandeur. There's so much
to see that you'll probably have to ration your time and
concentrate on must-sees such as the Imam Mosque, a magnificent
building completely covered in Isfahan's trademark pale
blue tiles; Imam Khomeini Square, one of the largest town
squares in the world; the Chehel Sotun Museum & Park,
a marvellous 17th century pavilion and a great place for
a picnic; and the Vank Cathedral, the historic focal point
of the Armenian church in Iran. Taking tea in one of the
teahouses under the bridges is also an essential part
of the Isfahan experience. Isfahan is about 400km (250mi)
south of Tehran. Several flights make the trip daily.
There are buses, usually overnight, to Tehran, Shiraz
and other domestic cities, as well as to Istanbul. The
express train between Isfahan and Tehran might be a preferable
alternative to sitting all night on the bus. |
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Shiraz |
| Shiraz was one
of the most important cities in the medieval Islamic world
and was the Iranian capital during the Zand dynasty (1747-79),
when many of its most beautiful buildings were built or
restored. Through its many artists and scholars, Shiraz
has been synonymous with learning, nightingales, poetry,
roses and, at one time, wine. Today Shiraz is a relaxed,
cultivated city, with wide tree-lined avenues and enough
monuments, gardens and mosques to keep most visitors happy
for several days. The university here is one of Iran's
finest, and you'll come across lots of students eager
to speak English. Highlights include the restful tomb
and garden of Hafez, a celebrated poet; the Shah-Cheragh
mausoleum, an important Shi'ite place of pilgrimage which
attracts hordes of supplicants; the Pars Museum, which
contains Zand dynasty relics; and the delightful Eram
garden, where the 19th century Ghajar palace lies alongside
a pretty pool. There are plenty of hotels to suit all
budgets in Shiraz, most of them clustered near Zand, the
main boulevard. This is also the area to nose out a good
feed, from inexpensive kebabs and burgers to more swanky
sitdown affairs. Shiraz is nearly 900km (560mi) south
of Tehran. It's a great place to start or finish your
trip to Iran and is well serviced by international and
domestic flights. The airport lies 8km (5mi) south-east
of the city centre. Buses run from Shiraz to Tehran and
other major towns; shared taxis run occasionally to Isfahan. |
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