All around Iran you can find near the roads natural springs where people stop to fill their bottles and drink. This picture I took in my bus trip from Bandar Abbas to Shiraz. Near the spring some people were selling figs at a very incredible cheap price. Although there’s free cold water inside the bus, people were quite happy to have this moment of getting out of the long bus ride.
Persepolis is a wonder in the middle of the Valley 40 km from Shiraz. To get here could be not that simple unless you’re willing to pay a lot with this private taxi that will take you at least 4000% plus the original price of the whole trip.
Persepolis is a palace and tombs complex from the 5century BC and was house of Emperor’s like Darius I and
Xerxes. In this complex you still can see historical engravings and ancent writings with the big things made by the ancient empire.
Darius I had his reception hall in the Palace of 100 Columns and consist in the biggest palace of whole Achaemenian period and has the largest hall of the ancient city of Persepolis it self.
How to get there
Get a bus from Shiraz direction Marv Dersh and from here take a taxi (6km) to the Persepolis complex.
Bus 2500Rials
taxi 3000Rials (they will ask you for 10000/20000, but you have to know how to deal this. Locals pay 1500/2000 so 3000 will be a good deal for them.
This is the map of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In the map you can clearly see some important cities like Tehran the capital, Isfahan the UNESCO city, Mashhad the religious pilgrimage spot very important for Muslims, and you can notice cities in the Persian Gulf like the ones that start with Bandar (that means port). Near Shiraz you can notice the ancient city of Persepolis.
From the map you can see how rich in terms of landscapes Iran can be. In one hand, in the North of the country you have the views from the Ararat Mountain in the border with Turkey, after you have the Caspian Sea, The Gulf, The Oman Sea. You have mountains in Tehran with snow and deserted parts near the region of Afghanistan.
This map was taken from the Lonely Planet Website
This is a very special moment that if you’re going South to The Gulf you have to enjoy and make it possible to be awaken to enjoy the sun getting up.
This picture was taken in the port city of Bandar Abbas the port where you can take the boat to the Persian Gulf Island of Qeshme.
The official name of the Imam Square is “Maidan-e-Naghsh-e-Jahan” which means Square of the World Portraits. In 1598, Shah Abbas I changed the capital to Isfahan and with large-scale city plans, began the construction of a new urban city.
This huge square is 512 m from north to south and 159 m from West to East. This makes the perfect relaxing plans if you’re up to relax times of course. The sun set get to be amazing to enjoy in this square and the sun goes down in the nearby Zagros Mountains.
All the tiles on the nearby mosques and madrassas get a special colour during sun set when also the square light are turn on. You can enjoy this moment gong to one of the few tea houses terraces that exist on the square. These tea houses are also Xixa houses where you can smoke flavoured tobacco.
The night view from the Sio-Seh Pole bridge is indeed something you have to experience. During the night this usually gets a off tourist zone and get full with young people that use the place to interact with each other, lovers come to visit away from public eyes etc…
As you can see on the photo lots of action is going on, people walk along the river bank, some tea and xixa houses are also located in the bottom part of the bridge.
Shiraz can be very calm during the night, something it isnt during the day. Its rushing streets and noisy cars almost disapear after 11pm. You can just walk in the city centre without getting lost without getting to far away from your hotel as people say it can be not that safe during the night. You can just go out and drink some tea and eat Falafel.
Shiraz is not that far fro the Iraq border so this should be one of the main reasons Iranians were worried i was actually visiting the area. The funny thing was that I was very welcome everywhere I would go, being on the majority of time almost “escorted” by nice people that would take me to where ever i was going, just in case I needed something they say.
Shiraz castle walls by night:
This is very pleasant to enjoy during the night as it has night light pointing at them. A walk in Shiraz can be not as safe as Esfahan for example, but for sure you’ll have to give it a try.
As the city is well known for being unsafe during the night, the streets are empty so you will have the whole boulevards and avenues to walk by yourself. This is a great difference comparing with Esfahan for instance, a city used to foreigners (in Iranian standards of course as there’s not much tourism in the country anyway…), people go out until late. Not as much in Shiraz. I was hungry so I found a small kebab place opened with this very curious people that start staring at me. hehe, I have to say I was kind of scared to even go inside this small place as when I passed they were looking very strange to me and their look wasn’t that friendly. But I needed to eat something and this seemed to be the only place opened so I decided to give it a try. I thought: what tha hell, Ill buy some food and I’ll go away right after. Conclusion: those guys were so friendly to me after. Not in the begining. but then one of them just told me to sit down and eat there as the streets could not be very safe. Conversation after conversation, they now knew I wasn’t American hehe (sorry guys, but these ones didn’t like Americans that much: but don’t worry cos they don’t like Israeli even more hehe) and they end up offering me a bottle of juice. I ate some great Falafel and french fries.
Sio-Seh Pole means thirty three arches, and was also called Allahverdikhan Pol, after the architect who built it in 1600. The bridge is about 300 meters in length and makes the perfect attraction for Irani local young people that choose this place to walk and look at each other. This is the lovers point where girls come very well dressed to look at boys and boys come also well dressed to look at girls.
I got a one way ticket from Iran Airline for 266800SUM about $260us. Contact Abda Travel Company for nice deals. They know the man in Iran Air office so maybe you can get a nice deal. 132-22-56 ask for Sanjar, manager of inbound. fax 132-22-56
abdatravel@albatros.uz
Street scene of Theran, Iran
Persepolis is a wonder in the middle of the Valley 40 km from Shiraz. To get here could be not that simple unless you're willing to pay a lot with this private taxi that will take you at least 4000% plus the original price of the whole trip.
Persepolis is a palace and tombs complex from the 5century BC and was house of Emperous like Darius I and
Xerxes. In this complex you still can see historical engravings and ancent writings with the big things made by the ancient empire.
Darius I had his reception hall in the Palace of 100 Columns and consist in the biggest palace of whole Achaemenian period and has the largest hall of the ancient city of Persepolis it self.
Persepolis was a huge complex of palacies and tombs that was only build after 150 years since it started. It was the centre of the Persian Empire and the house of ancient Achaemenid Empire. This was a very victorious Empire and you can see many sculptures and engravings that still today resist to show us the rich hitory of this place.
You can notice many palacies that have many columns still standing after lots of restauration.
Persepolis was burn down by Alexander the Great in 331BC some historians say in retaliation of Xerxes burning Athens.
You have in the area, at least 2 huge tombs, the Tomb of Darius and the tombs of Xerxes which consist in this big monument carved on the hill facade with at least 20 metres high.
Persepolis is a must to visit while coming to Iran. Altough you'll find lots of tourists, even lots of Iranian tourists, you still have to consider spending a couple of hours or a whole half day in this complex. I went in early morning to see If i got less tourist there. Nice choice.
How to get there
Get a bus from Shiraz direction Marv Dersh and from here take a taxi (6km) to the Persepolis complex.
Bus 2500Rials
taxi 3000Rials (they will ask you for 10000/20000, but you have to know how to deal this. Locals pay 1500/2000 so 3000 will be a good deal for them.
This is the perfect place to meet travellers and share travel information. This is a hostel with very nice staff and they will make everything in their power to make you check out with a smile.
50000Rials for a small single room, and 30000 Rials for a shared room. The majority of people staying in the hotel are from Japan although I found from The Nederland, USA, France, Belgium, Swiss and Turkey.
Directions:
Chaharbagh St. Isfahan - Iran
Phone: 0098 311 2227273 E-mail: mr_ziaee@hotmail.com
This is a low cost hotel in centre Shiraz. Private shower room but no private toilet. Somehow clean for the standard.
I paid 100.000Rials for 2 nights or 10 euros for 2 nights.
I found no tourist but local Iranian people staying here. Shared fridge for each hall of 3 rooms available with fresh drinkable water.
This is a nice opportunity to stay in a cheap place in a avenue full of not so cheap hotels. This is not very bad but you'll not be impressed by its old look. The tiny entrance will make you think the hotel is very small but as soon as you go up the stairs you have more space and lots of rooms 3 flights accessible with elevator.
Address: Kh. Piruzi, Shiraz - Phone: 2221778
This is a Apart Hotel which consist on small apartments to rent for tourists. This is a very nice place, very clean and very secure right in the front part of the port of the city of Qeshm in Qeshm Island. This should be the first Hotel you'll see coming from the port from Bandar Abbas.
You can rent a whole apartment for 150000 Rials about 15euros.
Room, living room with TV kitchen private bathroom and air conditioner.
Directions:
Opposite Shahid Azkeri Lane, Qeshm Island, Iran. Opposite Shahid Azkeri Lane, coming from the port you can see the building with the big Hotel letters above.
Phone: +98 763 5227707 mobile:09173630200 fax:+98 5225766
I liked this place very much. Somehow very clean for the normal Guesthouse in Iran. Even the shared bathrooms were not that messy (they are not very clean either) as you could expect. Staffs were not very polite but after a while they start to smile.
This hotel is located right in Tehran's centre Emam Khomeiny Square.
The price for tourist is 60000Rials (6 euros). On the lower part of the Hotel you have a cheap restaurant self-service type.
Directions:
Emam Khomeiny Square, Nº654 First Ferdowsi Street
Go to Emem Khomeiny Sq and turn to Ferdowsi street and the hotel will be on the right side. Phone: 3912777, 3910525, 3910554
his modern style of Kung Fu developed in the 1960s in Iran. His founder - Ebrahim Mirzaii - was master of different traditional Asian martial arts. Using his large personal experiences of fundamental principles, he developed this extraordinary style.
The exercises of Kung Fu To´A have a direct effect on the muscular system, articulation, coordination and the ability of relaxation, which happens in Kung Fu To´A by the functional analysis of the sequences of physical exercises. With a change of static and dynamic activity of the muscles, with economical load of joints, with the relaxation of tensed up muscles and the compensation of muscular dissimilarities, Kung Fu To´A is very well applicable to the prevention and rehabilitation of diseases of the heart circulation system and trouble with the system of exercise.
The system of exercise consists of dynamic, circling and flowing physical exercises, whose motives are assembled to make so - called Kung Fu forms. The forms are practised in groups or for oneself. There are forms for hands only, forms for feet and even apparatus forms. But this is also widened by the free and dynamic use of partner Kung Fu, and thus the aspect of martial arts, which is inherent in Kung Fu To´A, becomes evident.
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Iran is very cheap to travel. On the North you have nice trains, and almost every city has very cheap flight between them. Bus is another option if you want to meet some local people.
By Bus
Iran has these incredible cheap and fast bus connections between cities. People on the buses will be very gentle with you and even if they don’t speak any of your languages they will try their best to make you comfortable and enjoy the ride.
Iran is a very big country so usually bus trips take lots of hours but remember if you want to take the train that usually buses are quicker…
Roads in Iran are quite safe apart from cities chaotic traffic system of course. But the big roads are highway style and its almost non stop.
Water is served in all bus trips. This water comes from ice put in a machine, and 20 in 20 minutes a guy comes with a jar to serve you cold water. In 1st class buses you even have gifts from the bus company.
Bandar Abbas to Shiraz Bus
This bus left from Bandar Abbas 10am and got to Shiraz 11pm so we took 13 hours to make this whole trip. The price was 2800 Rials for almost 500km trip on a kind of old bus, not very old but old enough I say.
Transportation in/out Tehran
Tehran is very easy to travel around. Although this city is huge you can easily get around with its easy to find easy to get taxis and buses. Taxis usually becauset around 2500Rials for a single trip, and public buses becauset around 500Rials up to 1000Rials if you're heading the city outskirts.
Subway is also a very easy to use transportation and can easily and effectively take you from one part of the city to another just paying 1000Rials.
Bus Tehran to Bandar Abbas (Persian Gulf)
This bus ride costs 10000Rials (10 euro) and takes 22 hours. Usually these big trips buses are very good quality ones, the same we have in Europe.
People are just great as they try their best to be nice to you and make you enjoy the trip as it can get a bit tiring for some many hours inside a bus. We had many stops until we actually arrived in Bandar Abbas. I remember my self changing place to stand aside the driver as he invited me to talk to him, no Farsi because I don’t know, no English because he didn’t know, but a bit of Arabic known just a little bit by both.
The bus left 9am from Tehran and got to Bandar Abbas 7am.
Tehran Bus South Terminal
From this terminal in the Southern part of the city you can get buses to all the southern part of the country. Qom 2000Rials, Yazd 5000Rials and Bandar Abbas 10000Rials. You also have buses to the border city with Pakistan Zehadan.
You can get here from the city centre in a taxi motorcycle for 15000Rials up to 20000, for sure tourist price but even tough is at least 20 minutes going on a motorcycle.
Tehran->Istanbul Bus, Iran to Turkey
This is the cheapest way you have to go from Iran to Turkey and its quite simple to pass the border if you choose to go by bus. I took the SimaSadar International Bus Company in Tehran Bus terminal near Azadi Square.
The trip costs 220.000 Rials for students, the normal price is 250.000Rials. Not all companies make you the special student price. 220.000 is about 22 euros for a 2 day trip on 2500km: 48hours!
For more information contact SimaSafar International Transport in West Terminal, Azadi Sq. Theran, Iran. Phone: 4645632, 4648620, 4671770
The right picture above shows the Mount Ararat in Turkey.
Location: 39.70 N, 44.28 E Elevation: 16,940 feet, 5,165 m, Ararat is the largest and highest volcano in Turkey, and can already be seen from Iran.
Taxi boats in the Persian Gulf
This is the main transportation for local people in The Gulf. This is a very fast way of going at least 45 minutes to some Islands existing in the Gulf are both of The Persian Gulf and the Oman Gulf. It doesn’t look safe, and even with the life vest existing in all the boats you will still don’t think the trip is that safe. It isn’t. Some taxis are quite old and you will feel like going inside a sardine can 60km p/hour in the middle of the water full of sharks…
Bandar Abbas to Qeshme Island fast taxi boat
This trip takes about 45 minutes and takes you from the port city of Bandar Abbas to the Island of Qeshme. This whole are is very beautiful and you can see many big ships passing from the Persian Gulf to the Oman Gulf.
On my way back ride my taxi boat just stopped in the middle of the Gulf with engine malfunction. We had to wait for help for at least 20 minutes. We just stopped in the middle of nothing. Interesting felling, I, in this very tiny boat along with 20 people waiting to see what would happen to us…
Bandar Abbas to Qeshme ticket costs 7500Rials
Motorcycle taxis
This transportation in Iran is one of the fastest and fights back the intense car traffic in the cities as you can get to places faster just paying a bit more than the normal taxi. These guys will pass everything speeding so grab on you really tight to the driver.
The normal price for a short trip in the city will cost you from 5000Rials up to 20000 if you make 10km for example. I went from centre Tehran to the bus terminal 10km away and had to pay 20000. For sure Tourist price but 2 euros for this trip was very cheap. It’s also the most amazing transportation adventure you can have while in Iran, please don’t miss it!
Esfahan Emam Square
Esfahan nesf-é jahan or Esfahan is half of the world was usually said back 16th century to relate word to its magnificence. In fact for me, while travelling in this country enjoyed it very much due to its relaxed ambience that I could find has much in the hurry streets of other cities I visited. I remember I walked very much all around the city and enjoyed it very much.
A must in the city is the Emam Square, one of the largest town squares in the world and a place where you will have to drink tea in one of the square tea houses and enjoy the amazing view of this wonderful square considered by some the most beautiful in the whole world. This is the square I have on the picture above.
Other nice attraction in the city is the medieval bridge and other nice parks.
Esfahan is 400km South of Tehran and can be reached from the capital by bus or by train. Transportation in Iran is one of the easiest in the World, nice BUS system and nice roads.
Emam Square in Esfahan
Shiraz
Shiraz stays in my trip, between Bandar Abbas and the Persian Gulf and Esfahan. As I had to stop here to go to Persepolis Ancient city, I discover it to have very nice things that would make my staying very nice.
Its big main Bazaar is a must and I actually spend lots of money in some big panel made of cloth hand made ones and some scarves.
Shiraz was one of the important cities in the medieval Islamic world for Iran and was actually the Iranian capital during the Zand dynasty between 1747 and 1779.
Nowadays it head of state city ambiance was lost but still some castles can be seen and big avenues can be enjoys I think. I remember walking a lot in this city also. Shiraz is 900km south of Tehran and can be reached by train or by bus also by plain from Tehran.
Old City in Shiraz
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Islamic Republic of Iran
Iran was the thrill of my 2004 summer vacations. All places I visited and people I met will stay in my mind for a long time. This country very rich in cultural history lacks of tourism as it is wonderful to explore and get astonished by its wonderful landscapes and historical sites.
I flew to Tehran from Tashkent, Uzbekistan on the same day some suicide attacks were held in the city. Expecting the unexpected was always present in my mind. Somehow, I couldn’t erase my mind from dozens of westerns kidnapped and kept hostages in the last years especially back in the 80’s.
I was surprised by all. I love getting surprised by places while travelling. Although the country’s changed since the government policies of Ayatollah Khomeini which keeps people living in a different way than before and “some harsh rules” are people daily life, Iranians can be extremely gentle and nice to foreigners, full of interest to hear about foreign things and to know how other countries live.
Iran is a country which suffered changes held by Arabs, Mongols, Turkish Ottoman, Portuguese, Dutch, etc, but which will never lose the presence of the ancient Persian Empire and Persian Culture, unique in the whole world. The highlight of this Empire can yet be experience visiting its Capital City Persepolis or Fars near Shiraz.
I only visited a few number of places and let many to explore next time. Iran is a place I will visit again as soon I can.
I liked the Southern part of the country a lot in the Persian Gulf, and the fact I could feel the Portuguese presence still remaining in street names, local settlements and forgotten defence castle in Qeshme Island was amazing.
More about Iran
This amazing pearl located in the centre of the supposed most dangerous place on earth, border with Pakistan, turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Iraq, this country is a surprise for all travelling there. People are great and very hospitable; Iranians (apart from Islamite which will discriminate and be rude as soon as an opportunity appears) will try to make your visit to the country as pleasant as possible.
Iranian landscapes will make you dream with ancient civilizations and its bazaars will make you spend lots of money as prices are great to buy souvenirs. Iran is one of the best places I’ve ever visited considering quality/price relation. Transportation, hostels and food is very cheap.
Since 1979 that the country changed to these extreme Muslim policies where still if you look to a girl and talk to her you will be taken to the police station and be hit 80 on your back. 2 words for this: Ayatollah Khomeini.
Historical and Cultural richness
This all area is a mess of cultures from the Arabs until 1050 and Turkmen tribes, Genghis Khan in the 14th century, Ottoman Turks and even Portugal! Yes my country were here, controlling all the Southern part of the country in the Persian Gulf where were made many castles to protect their settlements. You can visit Portuguese castles along the southern part of the Persian Gulf; these still standing structures from the 1500’s are very nice to see how far human mentality can take you far way from home. I visited one of these castles in the Island of Qeshme and like it very much.
Persepolis Ancient City
Gate of Xerxes in Persepolis
