Iran Travel Guide

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Top Things to See

• View the many sights of Tehran, modern and ancient, from the eight minarets of the Shahid Motahari Mosque.

• See the towns that have preserved much of their original character. Rey, Varamin, Qazvin and Shemshak are all within easy reach of the capital.

• Glimpse a magic carpet at the Rassam Cultural and Art Foundation of Carpet in Tehran, which includes a carpet weaving school, and the Carpet Museum of Iran (website: www.carpetmuseum.ir), whose oldest carpet is 450 years old.

• Witness 15th-century Persia in the country’s second-largest city, Tabriz. Sights include a ruined but restored fine blue mosque that was built in 1465 and the covered Qaisariyeh Bazaar.

• See the salt lake and the town of Uromieh, about 22km (14 miles) away, which claims to be the birthplace of Zoroaster. Other towns worth visiting include Ardabil, Astara, Bandar-e Anzali and Rasht.

• See the magnificent central square in Esfahan, former capital of Persia and UNESCO World Heritage Site. At roughly seven times larger than Piazza San Marco, it is the city’s most remarkable feature, though there are also mosques, palaces, bridges, bazaars and gardens that are worthy of visits.

• Whilst in Esfahan, don’t miss one of Iran’s finest buildings, the Friday Mosque (Masjid-e Jomeh) or the Shaikh Lotfullah Mosque, famous for the stalactite effect of its northern entrance.

• See the ninth-century antiquities of Shiraz, capital of the Fars Province. About 50km (30 miles) away is Persepolis, also on the UNESCO World Heritage list, and famous for the Ceremonial Seat of Darius, built on an enormous platform carved out of the Kuhe Rahmat.

• Witness a site of ancient education in Khorasan, a large province in the east where a great revival of learning occurred in the early Middle Ages. Mashhad, a former trading post on the Silk Road, is the capital of the region.

• See the several stunning mosques and the ruined citadel in the city of Kerman, in the southern desert region.

Top Things to Do

• Visit the many great museums of Tehran, including the Abgineh Museum of Iranian Pottery. The Reza Abbasi Museum (website: www.rezaabbasimuseum.ir) houses a rare collection of Iranian calligraphy and paintings, while the National Museum of Iran (website: www.nationalmuseumofiran.ir) displays several archaeological and anthropological exhibits.

• Make sure you find the cultural centers of Iran’s capital, including Azadi, Bahman and Khavaran, as well as a national library, a city theater, a zoo and a university. Tehran’s bazaar is one of the world’s largest.

• Tour the Alborz mountain chain - a popular destination for excursions from Tehran. Mount Damavand, the Middle East’s largest mountain, can be found here.

• Explore The Golden Triangle, the region enclosed by the ancient cities of Hamadan, Kermanshah and Khorramabad. Enjoy the historical associations. For many centuries, the Silk Road passed through the region’s rolling countryside, and there are several indications of settlements dating back over 6,000 years.

• Discover Hamadan, the summer capital of the Persian Emperors. One of the few easily visible signs of the city’s antiquity is the Stone Lion, dating back to the time of Alexander the Great.

• Make Kermanshah your base for visiting the Taghe Bostan Grottoes, which have several excellent bas-relief carvings. The site of the Seleucid Temple of Artemis is in Kangavar; it consists of massive fallen columns and is now being reconstructed.

• Take to Iran’s waters and try out the waterskiing facilities at the Karadj Dam near Tehran.

• Go fishing. Many streams are well stocked with trout including the Djaje-Rud, the Karadje and the Lar. The dammed lakes of the Karadje River and the Sefid Rud are also filled with fish and the Caspian Sea is another good choice.

• Test out the slopes during January to March in the Alborz Mountains. Ski resorts include Abe Ali, 62km (38 miles) east of Tehran; the Noor Slope, 71km (44 miles) from the capital; Shemshak, 59km (37 miles) from Tehran; and Dizine near the town of Gatchsar.

• Be adventurous and go trekking and climbing in Iran’s forests and mountains.