The memory of a traveler, part 5

Continuing our trip we stopped in Naqsh e Rostam where 4 graves of Persian kings are hewn into a rock wall. Experts are puzzled why they all have the shape of a cross. One relief shows how the Roman Emperor Valerian bows and asks the victorious Persian Emperor for mercy.

Further North is the complex of Pasargadae with the impressive grave of King Cyrus, also almost destroyed by the Arabs. Under Cyrus (500 BC) the Persian Empire stretched from Libya to Turkey and India. He freed the Jewish slaves in Babylon and allowed them to return home to Jerusalem. ……Times have changed indeed.

As we continue our trip the landscape becomes more dramatic. Fertile valleys are flanked by impressive rock formations and snow-capped mountains are visible far away. Twice we climb up to 8000 feet. In the evening, after a pleasant drive of 300 miles, we arrive at Yazd, a desert city with 1 million inhabitants. We spend the night in an interesting hotel that once was a caravanserai.