this, too, is the street scene in Tehran

Travel in Iran

Autumn 2016 we finally traveled to Iran, something we we had wanted to do for a long time already. As so often, there is the travelogue, which can be accessed here. From the blog descriptions I have also distilled some  location entries, which you can reach by clicking on the relevant city name below – these are referring to the respective blog entries.

Ashura in Bijar

A Dutch-language article on the Ashura celebrations, with a focus on the mud parade in Bijar, can be accessed here.

iran42_1_img_7261An entry on the more mundane issues of traveling in Iran should help those who plan to go, something I can only encourage as many people as possible to do.

My views on several books in which Iran features is in the reading list, accessible here.

 

Tehran
Iran's dynamic modern capital, frantic yet friendly
Rasht & Masuleh
provincial Rasht as base for the mountain village of Masuleh
Ardabil
with a mausoleum and several Safavid bridges
Tabriz
Iran's second-largest city, with a wonderful bazaar
the Aras River Valley
part of the northern border of Iran, with villages and forts and great scenery
Kandovan
a great trogdolyte village near Tabriz
Bonab
an utterly untouristic town in North Iran, an experience
Sanandaj & Palangan
the town of Sanandaj and the cute Kurdish village of Palangan
the Howraman Valley
a Kurdish valley in the Iraq-Iran border area, with spectacularly stacked villages
Paveh
unpretentious Kurdish town, non-touristic and very friendly
Kermanshah
base for several tourist attractions inside and outside town
Shushtar
small town in Khuzestan with some remarkable historical sites
Choqa Zanbil
the impressive ziggurat, a mountain of brick and mud, near Shustar
Isfahan
Iran's pre-eminent tourist destination, and justly so
Shiraz
city of mansions, madrasses and mosques
Persepolis
impressive remains of this city from antiquety
Yazd
adobe city, of alleys and arches, badgirs and qanats
Kerman
not the most attractive of Iranian towns
Meymand
pretty trogdolyte village far from any large town
Rayen and Mahan
the Rayen adobe fort and the Mahan Persian garden
the Kaluts
spectacular wind-eroded desert landscape
Bam
earthquake-affected citadel is only one from many attractions at this southern town
Kashan
very touristic town, on behalf of its great mansions
Abyaneh
one of the lesser touristic villages in Iran
Hamadan
archaeological treasures in otherwise ordinary, but pleasant town
Zanjan
well-positioned town, to visit several attractions around it
Qazvin
lively town near the famous Castle of the Assessins