A region of storied ruins
Cyrus and Darius, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan – they all left their mark in Iran.
Welcome to what could be the friendliest country on Earth. Iran is the jewel in Islam’s crown, combining glorious architecture with a warm-hearted welcome.
In the footsteps of empire
Echoes of ancient civilisations resonate down through the ages in Iran. Some of history’s biggest names – Cyrus and Darius, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan – all left their mark here and the cities they conquered, or over which they ruled, are among the finest in a region rich with such storied ruins.
Walking around the awesome and beautiful ancient capital at Persepolis, experiencing the remote power of Susa (Shush), and taking in the wonderfully immense Elamite ziggurat at Choqa Zanbil will carry you all the way back to the glory days of Ancient Persia.
The beauty of Islam
Iran is a treasure house for some of the most beautiful Islamic architecture on the planet. The sublime, turquoise-tiled domes and minarets of Esfahan’s Naqsh-e Jahan (Imam) Square gets so many appreciative gasps of wonder, and rightly so, but there are utterly magnificent rivals elsewhere, in Yazd and Shiraz among others. And it’s not just the mosques – the palaces (especially in Tehran), gardens (everywhere, but Kashan really shines) and artfully conceived bridges and other public buildings all lend grace and beauty to cities across the country.
Modern and sophisticated
This is your chance to get to grips with Iran’s modern history, too, particularly in Tehran. Enter part of the former United States embassy, now called the US Den of Espionage; gaze up at Tehran’s beautiful Azadi Tower, where hundreds of thousands of people gathered to mark the 1979 revolution and, in 2009, to protest against the regime the revolution delivered; and visit the haunting Iran Holy Defense Museum to learn all about the Iran-iraq war that so traumatised the country. Tehran is also where you can take Iran’s contemporary pulse at creative contemporary art galleries and liberal cafe spaces.
Redefining hospitality
Across Iran, a nation made up of numerous ethnic groups and influenced over thousands of years by Greek, Arab, Turkic and Mongol occupiers, you’ll find the people are endlessly welcoming. Offers to sit down for tea will be an everyday occurrence, and if you spend any time at all with Iranians, you’ll often find yourself invited to share a meal in someone’s home. Say yes whenever you can, and through it experience firsthand, Iranian culture, ancient, sophisticated and warm. It’s these experiences that will live longest in the memory.
Iran’s top five experiences
1. Meet the people
In any competition for the title of the world’s friendliest people, Iranians would be definite finalists. It’s the people who leave the most lasting impressions of any journey to Iran, their warmth and their hospitality, their willingness to set aside enmities between countries and welcome you with open arms and doors. Whoever you meet, you will regularly be asked what you think of Iran, told ‘You are our guest’ and brought tea and food. Meeting Iranians is, quite simply, the best experience in Iran.
2. Esfahan, half of the world
There are moments in travel that will long stay with you, and your first sight of Esfahan’s majestic Naqsh-e Jahan (Imam) Square is one of them. This square is home to arguably the most majestic collection of buildings in the Islamic world: the perfectly proportioned blue-tiled dome of the Masjed-e Shah, the supremely elegant Masjed-e Sheikh Lotfollah and the indulgent and lavishly decorated Ali Qapu Palace. Far from being a static architectural attraction, the square and the nearby teahouses overlooking the river throng with life.
3. Yazd
Few places have adapted to their environment as well as the desert city of Yazd. It’s a gem of winding lanes, blue-tiled domes, soaring minarets, bazaars, and courtyard homes topped by badgirs (windtowers) and watered by qanats (underground water channels). Several of these homes have been restored and converted into evocative traditional hotels. Many travellers declare Yazd to be their favourite city in Iran, and it’s not difficult to see why, combining as it does a whiff of magic on the cusp of the desert.
4. More than kabab
Iranian food is one delicious surprise after another. Once you’ve tried several varieties of kabab, khoresht (stew), ash (soup) and flat bread, ask for fesenjun (chicken in walnut and pomegranate sauce) or anything with bademjan (eggplant), or try Gilan cuisine with its predominantly sour flavours. Then try the shirini (sweets)… As exquisite as so many Iranian flavours are, it’s the buzz that surrounds eating, the primacy of food in so many social encounters that makes it truly one of life’s great pleasures.
5. Nomads of the Zagros
About two million Iranians from several different ethnic groups still live a nomadic existence, travelling with their goats in spring and autumn in search of pasture. Qashqa’i and Bakhtiyari nomads spend the summer months in the Zagros Mountains, before heading down to the coast for the winter. You can get a taste of nomad life on a day trip from Shiraz, or stay with the Khamseh (and eat their delicious hand-made yoghurt) in the hills above Bavanat.
Reproduced with permission from the seventh edition of Lonely Planet’s Iran guidebook 2017, published this month, lonelyplanet.com