Iran. Land of history, legends, culture, and art. From ancient cities to beautiful, elaborate mosques; from detailed museums to breathtaking mountains; one can expect many wonders of discovery and exploration.
From the border, we drove on to our first campsite - in a city park at Tabriz ! Travelling in an easterly direction towards Central Iran, we passed Takab, Hamadan, and Esfahan, one of Iran’s most noted cultural centres.
Enroute, we explored magnificent mosques and historical sites including crumbling citadels. Our second camp site at Shah-re-Kord was near the mysterious Ali Sadr Caves which are devoid of life, past or present. We also visited the Throne of Solomon, as well as elaborate tombs, mausoleums, and monumental sites such as Esfahan’s Emam Khomini Square, the largest of its kind in the world. Iran’s Islamic and Persian architecture is astounding.
South bound, we passed Yazd before crossing the desert to Shiraz. We caught a glimpse of pre-Islamic Zoroastrian or fire-worshippers’ temples dedicated to the oldest religion on earth.
Shiraz offered more architectural wonders with its superb collection of mosques and churches. The last leg of our Iranian tour took us east to Zahedan, a town famous for its mud brick huts at Bam and its exotic bazaar. Across the border was Pakistan.
