A Journey to the Mystical, Ancient, and Colourful Persia - Iran

Once known as the mighty Persian empire, Iran is rich in history and culture with its countless numbers of mosques, bazaars, ruins and stunning landscapes. Follow me as I guide you through the various lesser-known natural beauties in this 9000 year old civilization!

Highlights:

• Stay in the ancient city of Tehran - inhabited for more than 7000 years, full of palaces and museums and ringed by mountains. 
• Visit the dome of Soltaniyeh, a UNESCO world heritage site, and the main source of inspiration for the Taj Mahal
• Wander through in Masouleh Village, where the houses are built on a hillside
• Photograph the red terraces and green waters of the thousands of years old Badab Surt hot springs in Sari
• Walk in ancient footsteps as we explore 7000-year-old archaeological sites near Kashan
• Marvel at the beautiful sights in the city of Shiraz - home to eight UNESCO world heritage sites
• Tour the ancient ruins of Persepolis (located in Shiraz) - Once the bustling capital of the mighty Achaemenid Empire

Day 1

We'll land in Tehran before making our way to visit the Dome of Soltaniyeh in Day 2

Aerial view of Tehran.Photo by Hansueli Krapf is / CC BY-SA 3.0

Day 2

The Dome of Soltanieyh is the first ever doubled-shelled dome and also one of the largest brick domes in the world after the Florence Cathedral in Italy and Hagia Sophia in Turkey. One can see why it fully deserved its UNESCO World Heritage label

The Dome of Soltaniyeh. Photo by Amir Hosein Nasooti is / CC BY 4.0

Day 3

We'll explore Zanjan, browse the local bazaars and admire the local handicrafts. 

Colourful Mountain of Aladaghlar Mahneshan

Finger-Like Colourful Mountain along Qum-Kashan highway by Hamed Saber / CC BY 2.0

Like a brown cake in Mahneshan mountains. Photo by auoob farabi / CC BY 3.0

Our journey will then take us to Ardebil. Along the way, we will stop to admire the remarkable rainbow mountains. We will end our day in the city of Ardebil - a city famous for its beautiful carpets.



Day 4

We will then head towards the ancient village of Masuleh for an overnight stay, where its uniquely quaint houses are perched on the steep hillsides. Masouleh architecture is unique in that its the only city in Iran where the buildings are interconnected with the mountains. Courtyards and roofs also serve as streets for pedestrians

Masouleh. Photo by Casey Hugelfink is / CC BY-SA 2.0

Masuleh at night. Photo by Parastoo.Atrsaei is / CC BY-SA 4.0

Day 5

We'll make our way to Sari, to visit the gorgeous Badad-e-Surt hot springs. There are only a few other of similar places on earth, such as Mammoth Hot Spring in the U.S. and Pamukkale in Turkey but Badab-e Surt is unique due to its distinctive orange hue, resulting from a concentration of iron oxide

Badad-e-Surt hot springs. Photo by Mljfy72 is / CC BY-SA 4.0

Badab-e Surt. Photo by Mahdi Kalhor is / CC BY-SA 3.0


Day 6 

We'll make our way back to Tehran before going to Kashan. 

Fin Garden in Kashan. Photo by Ninara is / CC BY 2.0

Fin Garden in Kashan. Photo by Ali Reza is / CC BY 2.0


Overview of the courtyard of the Agha Bozorg mosque, a historical mosque in Kashan, Iran. Photo by Diego Delso is / CC BY-SA 4.0

Bazaar of Kashan. Photo by Jérémie B. is / CC BY-SA 4.0

Day 8

Next up, we'll go to Isfahan. Isfahan is the third largest city in Iran and used to be known as one of the larges cities in the world at one point. Its famous for its Perso–Islamic architecture

Shah Mosque in Isfahan. Photo by Julia Maudlin / CC BY 2.0


The painting of the 'Battle of Chaldiran' at Chehel Sotoun. Photo by Hamed Sabar is / CC BY 2.0


Day 9

We'll leave Isfarhan for Shiraz where Persepolis is. In my opinion this is one of the key highlights of this trip due to it having a high concentration of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ruins are quite a sight to behold! According to history, Persepolis was once a palace and the ruins are what remained after the palace was destroyed by a fire started by Alexander the Great as a form of revenge against Xerxes I.

Ruins of The Gate of All Nations in Persepolis. Photo by reibai is / CC BY 2.0

Medes and Persians at eastern stairs of the Apadana, Persepolis. Photo by Bontenbal / CC BY 3.0

Ancient palace in Persepolis, Iran. Photo by Ivar Husevåg Døskeland is / CC BY 2.0

Nasir Al-Malek Mosque (also known as The Pink Mosque). (public domain)

This beautiful mosque gets its name from the pink tile mosaics that decorate the interior, but what makes this mosque truly remarkable is the use of stained glass which results in a space that makes us feel like we are walking in a kaleidoscope

Shāh Chérāgh mosque in Shiraz, Iran Photo by Mostafameraji / CC BY SA-4.0  

Nasir ol Molk Mosque. Photo by Bernard Gagnon / CC BY 4.0

We will visit a pink lake Maharloo Lake, the lake will turn pink when it is not dry.  Therefore, if the area has been raining for a few weeks, we should be able to see Maharloo Lake pink!  Yeah!Maharloo Lake as seen from the plane