Persepolis

The most famous Shiraz attraction is Persepolis which is registered as the international heritage by UNISCO. Persepolis is situated 70 km northeast of Shiraz. In contemporary Persian, the site is known as Takht-e Jamshid. Persepolis is he translation of a Greek word and means “Persian City”.

It is open to the visitors all the days of the year except Ashura Day which is a very important religious day in Iran.

Naqshe Rostam and Naqshe Jahan are located in a short distance from Persepolis, so you are advised to see all the resorts all together in half of the day.

Persepolis is open from 8: 30 to 5 P.M. even in the summers, so as you are going to see a lot, I advise you to drive from Shiraz at 8 A.M. to use the maximum of you time.

It may be hot to see Persepolis or Takht e Jamshid in summers there is no roof up your head and the sun is shining burningly, but it is really worth visiting. Besides, I think that it is a pity if you go there and see the glory of Persepolis without the explanation of a professional tour guide. You can arrange a driver guide (a person who is an English- speaking tour guide and also drives) to pick you up there and explain the history of this world heritage.

There are some taxis in Persepolis to take you but I think if you want to see Naqshe Rostam, and Naqshe Jahan , you should take the private one if it is available.

Pasargadae

Pasargadae is located in Shiraz – Isfahan or Shiraz – Yazd Road, so you can visit it if you are driving to that direction.

If you want to add Pasargadae excursion to Persepolis in one day, the excursion would be too pressed and you may not have enough time to enjoy.  It is better to see Pasargadae en route or miss it from the one day excursion to Persepolis.
The entrance to these places is less than 1 dollar.

Hafiz and Saadi Tombs

The tombs of very famous poets of Iran are located in Shiraz. The Hafiz and Saadi Mausoleums are nice to see. They are also called Hafiziyeh OR Saadiyeh among the local people.  Many Iranians, especially the people of Shiraz believe that the Hafiz Mausoleum has the positive and energetic atmosphere.

Even the youth choose there for their gatherings, the finances or boy and girl friends like there to meet each other. The meditation classes are also held there because of the positive energy of Hafiz. You will see that how people may love their dead poet if you go there.

Just I remember a funny and romantic memory: my friend has become familiar with her husband in Hafiz Tomb.
The entrance to these places is less than 1 dollar.
They are both open every day from 8 A.M. to 9 P.M.

Zandiyeh Complex, Karim Khan Castle

Karim Khan Arg which is located in the center of Shiraz City, Zand St. Zand St. is among the oldest streets of Shiraz and now it is not a preferable place for the youths to go shopping or have gatherings because it has still kept its traditional and old environment.
The shops are not the luxurious ones and the old appearance of the street is still preserved.
The most and best hotels of Shiraz are located in this street and the nearby streets and it makes the tourists to have the walking tour to Zandiyeh Complex and also the other highlights.

This building is built in Zandiyeh Dynasty when Shiraz was chosen as the capital of Iran by Karim Khan who was a sincere king and is famous for his loyalty to the people.

The entrance to Zandiyeh Complex is less than 1 dollar and it is open from 8 A.M. to 6 P.M. but the tickets will be sold till 5: 30

Here are some of its photos:

Zinatol Molk House and Narenjestan Palace

This is located in God e Orban (the end of Lotfali Khan e Zand St.) and is just one alley far from Narenjestan Palace. The relationship between Zinatol Molk House and Narenjestan Place is beyond just the neighborhood and Zinatol Molk House is the introvert section of Narenjestan Palace. The architecture of the house who was Ali Mohammad Khan Ghavami built the two houses beside each other and each with just one yard, so the present Narenjestan Palace is considered as the extrovert and Zinatol Molk House as the introvert one. The two houses are connected to each other by an underground way which was an especial way for the intimates.
There is a museum in Zinatol Molk House as well.
So you can see both Zinatol Molk and Narenjestan in one stop.

Both Zinatol Molk House and Narenjestan Palace are open every day except the national and religious off days from 8 A.M. to 6 P.M., but the tickets are sold till 5: 30.

About Shiraz:

Shiraz, the nice historical city of Iran, is one of the main cities in Iran; it is the capital of Fars Province in the south west of Iran and has a moderate climate. It can be said that 99 % of the tourists do like to travel to Shiraz. Its fame is strengthened by the name of Persepolis. Some tourists think that Persepolis is a city near Shiraz, but you can learn of it more in http://www.eternaliran.com/category/iran-cities-attractions/shiraz-attractions/

The people of Shiraz are famous for their hospitality although I believe that it is not just the Shirazi people, but all the people of Iran like the tourists a lot. If you ask the travelers who have been to Iran as a backpacker or joined a group, they may have faced lots of invitations from the Iranian sides.

Shiraz is called the third main city of Iran after Tehran and Isfahan and many people believe that it is a very good city for living because it is not as big as Tehran while it is a modern city. The people of Shiraz are easy going and are fond of going to picnic even if the time is short and the nature place is so small. The green place makes them refresh and they gather together almost outside the city, sit on a small blanket, eat cookie, fruit, tea and seeds and talk about daily affairs, life high expenses, politics, cinema, the present series or films and their actors and actresses. One of the main characteristics of Iranians is saying something back of somebody else; it is more widespread among the Iranian women.

Shiraz is a nice city with less traffic in comparison to Tehran, but it does not mean that driving is easy in Shiraz. Some of its streets have always heavy traffic because of the underground railway project which has been under the construction for about 10 years. I think it has made the appearance of the city bad, but we should welcome the modern technology.

The most important highlighted site is Persepolis which is close to Shiraz. The tombs of poets Hafiz and Saadi are nice to see. Do not miss the Zandiyeh Complex, old Vakil bazaar. It is said that Shiraz is the third place for the Imams’ Mausoleum in Iran because of Shahe Cheraq Shrine, of course it is said by the government, but I think it is much cultural and historical than religious city. You can judge it yourself!

You can see Shahe  Cheraq from outside.

Nasirol Molk Mosque is also called Pink mosque because …. It is better to see it first.

Zinatol Molk House Narenjestan Palace, Erma botany Garden, Afif Abad Garden,Jahan Nama Garden,  Khajou Kermani, and are among the other highlighted places to see when you travel to Shiraz.

Pasargadae is about 2 hours’ driving far from Shiraz and it may be too pressed to be visited by Persepolis, Naqshe Rostam and Naqshe Rajab which are located close to each other.

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Shiraz

Shiraz has given its name to one of the most famous grapes in the world. Today there is no Shiraz wine in Shiraz. The desert city is 4000 years old and has been called the city of love, gardens, poets, roses and learning. We admit: in no other Persian city people were more open and lovable.

Life in this desert city can be like in a beehive, but between 12 and 6 pm public life comes to a complete stop, even the shops close.

Shiraz has an old citadel, and there Hertha gets the first flavor of what will be her contacts with women throughout the country. She walks slowly towards the entrance gate, when she is all of a sudden surrounded by numerous chador-clad women. It suffices when 2-3 of them speak English to keep the conversation going. All contacts were benevolent.

The citadel with its leaning tower

Inside the citadel

The economic heart of every Iranian city is the bazaar. It has always been pleasant to take a bath in the crowd.

Many of the things offered are unknown to us

In the Friday Mosque we get the first glimpse of Islamic artwork. Since pictures of human beings are not allowed, the Islamic artisans have become masters of ornamental techniques.

Guides

Yes, you need them. First of all, the government wants to know your whereabouts at all times. Secondly you are illiterate, are not allowed to drive and have only crude maps. Unless you like to bargain for 30min with a taxi driver for the price of a trip that lasts only 10min……

Our guides let us travel on a very long leash and whenever we wanted, we were on our own. When strolling alone through the streets, I was never really alone. Very often people asked me for my name, my age, my children and of course “where I am from”. Austria in Farsi is called Autriche (like the French would say). It happened several times that Iranians imitated a fiddler, when I learned that I am coming from the country of waltz (being in a country where dancing is strictly forbidden….).

When I held my “map” for better visibility towards a street lantern, I could be sure that someone would stop and ask me where I wanted to go.

Our guide in Shiraz was “more wide than tall”, was a university professor and in earlier years a wrestler. Because of his enormous weight he was constantly panting and sweating, but he was a bundle of energy. His name was Daryush, the Persian version of Dareios. In the old days there were 3 Persian kings with that name, so he called himself modestly King Daryush IV.  He cannot live on a salary of a university professor, so he works most of the time as a tour guide. He makes sure that by constant eating his shape remains spheric, and since his main food is meat, he suffers from gout.

For the next few days on our trip from Shiraz to Persepolis, Yazd and Isfahan the backseat of a tiny Korean car was our new home.

In general, all our guides were courteous, spoke reasonable English and were knowledgeable. One of them clearly exaggerated and told me that in preparation for his work he had “googled” me.

Shiraz has been the home of two of the most famous Persian poets: Haffiz and Sadi. Their graves are wonderful places and in the evening locals hang out there in high numbers. We are astonished how openly we could discuss sensitive topics and they all seem to be highly educated. This was the one and only time I got a handshake from an Iranian lady. Men and women cannot touch each other in public. Shiraz is known in Iran for their “independent” people. It was the only place in Iran where I detected a young couple on a hidden park bench and the young man had his hand on the shoulder of his fiance.

Tomb of Haffiz at night

The fame of Haffiz and Sadi in Iran is definitely greater than that of Shakespeare in the English speaking world. Here I would like to insert a few words from a travel report by Swiss Nicolas Bouvier, who traveled in the 50’s in a tiny Fiat from Switzerland to India. He had the car door painted with a poem from Haffiz:

No secure roof for the night
Your goal is far away
But believe me, no path is without end
Don’t be sad

Bouvier wrote in his book: for months this poem served as a door opener in all corners of the country, where people have no reasons to love strangers. It is unbelievable, how big the influence of this 500 year old poetry still is and how beloved and well known his verses are everywhere.

On anther occasion Bouvier writes: The purpose of traveling is not that you decorate yourself like a Christmas tree with exotics and anecdotes, but that the road shakes you, flushes you and wrings you, like those towels that have become flimsy due to excessive laundering

Hertha is as usual hopelessly surrounded by young women and she speaks with feministic authority. Her audience is listening with full attention. Later our driver warns Hertha to be more careful. I know that it would be more pleasant to visit Hertha in an Iranian jail than censoring her words.

According to the mullahs’ belief these charming ladies will go to hell for their hair