Iran
Entering Kalat the main road passes through a long tunnel then crosses a bridge shortly before the savari and bus stands. If you double back on the north…
Must-see attractions in Iran
Iran
This well-presented but very small museum exhibits seventeen 20th-century Turkmen carpets, labelled with dates of production and styles. There are also a…
Southeastern Iran
The buildings are mostly new and the 'eternal fire' in a giant central chalice smoulders rather than flares, but if you've never visited a working…
Southeastern Iran
Hidden behind high walls is the 1911 former governor's mansion, later bought by a progressive businessman who brought electricity to Kerman. (Reza Shah…
Iran
In its present 1970s form, Khayyam's mausoleum is like a giant calligraphic vase with diamond-shaped lozenges cut out to leave an airy net of criss…
Shiraz
Imam Gholi Khan, governor of Fars, founded this serene theological college for around 100 students in 1615. Over the years the building has been…
Iran
Around 500m north of Cyrus’ Private Palace are the remains of the Prison of Solomon (Zendan-e Soleiman), variously thought to be a fire temple, tomb,…
Iran
From Razmiyan, follow the Hir road for 2.5km to the castle access path. A 20-minute stroll leads to the top edge of the 'castle', where a hint of round…
Southeastern Iran
The strange, circular-fronted building topped with calligraphy on what looks like a lighthouse tower is in fact a venue for zorkhaneh, a traditional…
Esfahan
Dating from the Safavid era, this museum showcases the early technology involved in pressing oil from roasted seeds. A large round stone revolved on a…
Shiraz
Famous for its tall cypress trees, this Unesco-listed garden, designed to complement a Qajar-era pool and palace (closed to the public), incorporates…
Tehran
Immediately west of Niyavaran Palace in the cultural-historic complex, this attractive two-storey mansion dating from the early 20th century was last used…
Iran
Hulagu Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan and founder of Iran’s Ilkhanid Mongol dynasty, had his treasury on Kabudi Island in the middle of the lake. His…
Southeastern Iran
This Qajar-era garden has an avenue of tall pines leading down from a minor, two-storey pink-brick palace. It's worth a quick peep but is surely one of…
Iran
This tiny, bubbling, tepid pool, evidence of local geothermal activity, offers peaceful views of Zendan-e Soleiman peak and the surrounding area in the…
Tehran
Also known as the People's House, the country's legislative body occupies a compound that is defined by the modern pyramid-shaped debating chamber where…
Esfahan
Dating from Sassanian times, the crumbling mud bricks of the Ateshkadeh-ye Esfahan stand on a hill above Zayandeh River on the city's outskirts. There's…
Shiraz
The modern assembly of arches that form Shiraz’s ceremonial gateway until recently housed a revered antique Quran (since moved to the Pars Museum opposite…
Southeastern Iran
A collection of ancient coins, displayed in a half-dark domed chamber, might be of interest to numismatists but at foreigner prices it seems overpriced …
Iran
The 12th-century green dome, immortalised by a reference to it in the poet Khaqani's work, has long since been removed, but the untopped brick tower…
Iran
If you're driving by on the westbound Semnan–Garmsar Hwy, the rest area at Lasjerd makes a popular snack break with the added bonus of two historic…
Shiraz
Built in the 19th century over the tomb of Emir Ali, a nephew of Shah Cheragh who also died here while en route to Khorasan to help Imam Reza, this shrine…
Southeastern Iran
The Masjed-e Jameh's four lofty iwans originally date from 1349, though there was extensive modernisation during the Safavid and later periods. Instead of…
Iran
Although there’s now a green-domed Muslim prayer room here, the shrine’s real interest lies in the animistic rocks and trees behind it, which are draped…
Southeastern Iran
Housed in the Zand-era Soltani House with its two mini mosque-like iwans, this seven-room museum is unusually well arranged – the mannequins have a degree…
Iran
Hamadan's iconic 1954 BuAli Sina (Avicenna) Mausoleum dominates his namesake square and resembles a concrete crayon pointing to the heavens. It was…
Iran
Fronted with splendid blue tiling and filled with dazzling mirror-mosaics, this mostly contemporary imamzadeh just off the bazaar entombs Yahya bin Musa…
Southeastern Iran
The gold bazaar is tucked away to the northeast of Ganj Ali Khan Sq. In the middle of its countless jewellery shops is a small square where you'll come…
Iran
The attraction of the Khaneh Kolbadi museum is the 130-year-old building in which it's housed, which has the feel of a 18th-century khan's palace. The…
Southeastern Iran
The large caravanserai in the heart of Safiabad is bigger in scale than others in the large surrounding oasis, and has four attractively faceted round…
Iran
The most distinctive of Zafaraniyeh's adobe-faced buildings is the beehive-shaped ice house. Up until the 1970s locals cut up thick slabs of compacted…
Iran
Mongol ruler Hulagu Khan constructed an observatory here in the 13th century for brilliant mathematician Nasruddin Tusi (Nasir al-Tusi), who advanced…
Southeastern Iran
On dun-coloured ridges at the eastern edge of town rise the lumpy outlines of two timeless mud-fortress ruins. This area would have been Kerman's most…
Lotfolla Sheik-al-Islam Mansion
Iran
The well-renovated Qajar Lotfolla Sheikh-al-Islam Mansion houses the regional museum, whose orosi (multicoloured windows) – said to have 42,000 pieces of…
Iran
The brick-vaulted basement of the the Khorshid Palace contains a graciously cool ethnology museum, graphically depicting Khorasan village life and also…
Iran
The ever-expanding mausoleum complex of one of Imam Reza's many half-brothers contains dazzling mirror work and is fronted by a giant new ogive-arched…
Iran
This simple, domed building, with three arched porches at both sides, sits in a lonely field with a few wizened trees 1.3km from Belqays. Up close it's…
Iran
Seeing the large, 3D map-model of how Neishabur looked in the 17th century makes it well worth popping into this elegantly presented new museum, which…
Iran
Very close to Firuz Abad, a dirt road fords the Tang Ab River to reach Ardashir’s Palace, a grand structure built beside a spring. This 1800-year-old…
Iran
More atmospheric than the churches in Orumiyeh itself is the Assyrian Orthodox Marsarjis Church in the hillside hamlet of Sir (5.6km west of Pol-e-Qoyum)…
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