What to do in Iran in 2024 - a detailed guide to the country

President of Pro-Vision, author of Vinogradov.story community

“Iran is a country with a rich historical heritage, unique architecture and ancient traditions. Here every town, every village has its own history, which the locals carefully preserve and pass on from generation to generation. And popular tourist locations are neighboring with islands and deserts, where even the locals do not often visit. Having traveled more than 4000 km across Iran, I have experienced, it seems, all shades of delight. And I will gladly tell you how to get there and what is worth visiting in this once closed but actually very open country”.

There are regular flights between Moscow and Tehran, and the travel time is about 3 hours and 45 minutes. In this sense, Iran can be considered even as a weekend destination. But I still recommend staying longer to see not only the famous sights, but also the hidden treasures of Persia.

Iran the touristy: Isfahan, Yazd, Shiraz
Iran unknown: islands, desert and Inner Azerbaijan

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Iran tourist: Isfahan, Yazd, Shiraz

Shiraz

Garden city, city of roses, city of love and poetry, Shiraz is something like St. Petersburg. The cultural capital of Iran. Everything here reminds of art and is imbued with inspiration. Wrapped in a romantic veil, it welcomes guests with a spectacular array of colors, magnificent architecture and greenery. It’s worth setting aside a couple of days to check out all of the city’s iconic locations:

The Pink Mosque, or Nasir ol-Molk, made famous by the dominance of pink and roses in the decoration, as well as the gorgeous play of morning light on the colored stained glass windows.
“Orange” Narajestan Garden and Gavam Palace: a lush green oasis within the city limits with the textured palace of a wealthy 19th century provincial judge.
The Vakil Mosque with its dozens of columns is an architectural reminder of the Zend era.
The tomb of the Iranian poet Hafez (and in fact – a mausoleum at which young poets and connoisseurs of good literature gather).
The Shah Cherah Mirror Mosque with dazzling mosaics scattered on the walls and vaults, playing with all possible colors.
Karin Khan Castle, which was once a prison and today has become an architectural symbol of the city.

Persepolis

Not far from Shiraz stands Iran’s most recognizable architectural symbol, the legendary Persepolis. Erected more than 2500 years ago, it is still admired and awe-inspiring today. And once it was one of the most majestic and wealthy cities in the world. The history of Persepolis is closely connected with the Achaemenid dynasty – and first of all with the name of King Darius I. The time of his reign was the era of the flourishing and expanding power of Persia over a vast territory from India to Egypt. Conquering one by one the most different nations, Darius preserved their political and religious autonomy. And the most outstanding representatives he invited to Persepolis, which was destined to become his most grandiose project.

Persepolis was built without slave labor. It was a city of free and equal. It was the ceremonial capital of the world’s first empire, where resources, technology and minds flowed. On one of the bas-reliefs in the palace of Apadana you can clearly see how representatives of various nations go to the king with offerings – and looking at their faces, outfits, gifts, you realize how great is the diversity of this procession. But each of its participants enters the king with the same respect.

Zoroastrianism was also “marked” in the architecture and art of Persepolis. The builders arranged the main buildings so that they performed the function of a sundial. And another famous bas-relief, on which a lion devours a bull, is nothing but a Zoroastrian symbol of the change of the year. Today, the best views of the ruins of Persepolis include the Apanada, the Palace of 100 Columns and, of course, the legendary Gate of All Nations. And away from the city, in Naqsha Rustam, are also the rock tombs of the Persian kings – Darius I himself and his descendants Xerxes, Artaxerxes and Darius II.

Yazd

Located exactly in the center of the country, on the edge of a vast desert, Yazd was the center of Zoroastrianism – and remains so today. For 15 centuries in the temple of Atashkadeh the sacred fire, which became a religious symbol of three Persian dynasties, has not been extinguished. And where there is fire, there is water, with which Yazd has a special relationship. Everyone who comes to the city for the first time pays attention to the wind towers, as if pierced by battle spears.

In fact, the badgirs (that’s what they are called) have a peaceful function – they help fight the heat. Stone chimneys rise above the roofs and go deep into the cellars, where icy water from the surrounding mountains flows through an aqueduct. Then physics comes into play – and the towers play the role of air conditioners perfectly! The engineering genius of ancient Persians in general deserves endless respect: even the streets in arid Yazd are covered with clay roofs, through the holes in which penetrates exactly as much sun as necessary to maintain a comfortable temperature.

You can walk around these cozy city “galleries” for a long time. And after walking around, make sure to take a break for a jezdski coffee. Its recipe is kept secret, but it reminded me of Turkish coffee, to which cardamom and rose water were added. I can’t be more precise: I was too engrossed in the process.

Isfahan

Isfahan once had a different name – Nisf-e Jahan, which means “half of the world”. And even today, the scale of the city and the scope with which it approaches trade, economy and other commerce are no less impressive.

If you delve deeper into history, it would seem that Isfahan is constantly going for the record. The most expensive spice? No problem, let’s sprinkle saffron literally all over the city. The second largest square in the world? Here it is – Imam Square stretches for almost half a kilometer. Grandiose mosques, the residence of Shah Ali Kapu – and there are fountains, pools and even gates for horse polo. And beyond the perimeter of the square, just behind the arcades – endless covered bazaar galleries.

And here I got lost – not only from the beauty and variety of ornaments, textures and flavors, but also in the truest sense. And when I did find a way out, I went to another iconic symbol of Isfahan – Ci-o-Si Pol, or the Bridge of 33 Arches. Built almost 400 years ago as an ordinary river crossing, over time it has become a popular urban space. Picnics overlooking the river and the city during the day and poetry readings under the stars at night. The illumination also adds to the impressions: in the warm light of the lights, it seems that you have walked straight into an illustration of some beautiful oriental fairy tale.

Abayaneh

In the very center of Isfahan province there is a small but very colorful village of Abayaneh. Once you see it at least once, you will not be able to confuse Abayaneh with any other settlements. It’s all about the unusual color of clay from which village houses are built – in Abayane they are coral-pink. “The roof of each house serves as a courtyard for the one above it. Abayane has been standing like this for more than 2000 years, cozily huddled in the mountains. It is considered to be one of the oldest settlements in Iran.

And only 300 people live here, each of them is like Abayaneh itself: bright and unique. Women wear traditional clothes with a long colorful shawl descending below the waist, and men are dressed in wide charcoal-black trousers. And everyone without exception is very friendly, sincere and direct. Almost 300 years ago, the locals started practicing Islam, but traces of Zoroastrianism can be seen in Abayan to this day.

Fire is everywhere here. Even the food here is served directly from the fire – and the local soup, I must say, is very tasty. Another memorable feature of Abayane is the ancient doors, the sashes of which women and men open each from their own side. And overhead, slabs made literally of straw are constantly whizzing by – considering the proximity of fire, it looks quite daring.

Iran unknown: islands, desert and Inner Azerbaijan

The islands of Hormuz and Qeshm

Iran is almost another planet to many, and the Gulf Islands reinforce this association a thousand times over! Hormuz is often compared to Mars – so different are the local landscapes from anything we are used to seeing when traveling. Volcanic hills, salt valleys, rainbow-colored mountains and caves are all packed into one small island, with the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman meeting at its shores. I don’t know which of Hormuz Island’s natural wonders makes the strongest impression.

Perhaps the salt waterfalls frozen forever. Or the sparkling sand scattered underfoot on Red and Silver beaches. Maybe it’s a cramped cave whose walls bloom with iridescent layers, just by directing a ray of light. Even the local hotel, where each room is built in the shape of a colored egg, is striking. According to the architects’ idea, this is an allusion to the natural lines of the landscape and the colors of Hormuz. According to residents and tourists, it is simply the clutch of a giant cheerful turtle.

Quite different in aesthetics and atmosphere is the island of Keshm – the center of amazing rock reliefs, skillfully created by the elements: earthquakes and water. The most stunning of them is the Chahku Canyon. Quite wide at the entrance, it imperceptibly narrows as you move forward, as if trying to close over the head of a gawky traveler. At the top – 100 meters of rocks and a narrow strip of light, and around – ringing silence. At some point the anxiety becomes almost palpable, and you want to find a way out of this stone labyrinth as soon as possible. But leaving Chahka, you feel only positive emotions – all your worries remained somewhere there, in the gorge.

The Valley of Stars is another point of attraction of Keshm Island. In the shape of its rocks you can see columns, palaces, animals – anything! The Valley of Stars got its romantic name because of its “cosmic” origin: according to legend, a meteorite once fell in this part of Keshm. But it was almost 2 million years ago, so it is difficult to verify. But the Valley of Stars is not without mystery and enigma.

Inner Azerbaijan

In the north-west of the country there is a completely unique region – Inner Azerbaijan with the center in Tabriz. At first glance it seems to be the most modern and technologically advanced city in Iran, although there is nothing wrong with the history here either. The local city bazaar was once the largest trading center of the Silk Road, and today remains an active trading post where locals shop. The Blue Mosque, decorated with ultramarine tiles, even after the devastating earthquake, makes a strong impression – albeit inferior to the mosques of Tehran or Isfahan in terms of opulence.

Elgoli Park is a kind of Iranian CPCI with fountains, ideal for picnics on shady alleys. It would seem nothing amazing – but exactly until you remember that you are in the middle of the desert, where water and greenery are real treasures. The Mausoleum of Poets is an example of how a monumental constructivist monument turns out to be a treasure trove of meanings, ideas and cultural references. Young poets come here in search of inspiration – and I don’t think they leave without a couple of lines.

Not far away, in the province of East Azerbaijan, there is a Cappadocia of its own – the village of Kandovan. The houses here, at the foot of Mount Sahand, are cut right into the igneous rock. The earliest of them appeared about 700 years ago – and people still live in them! Some “apartments” are three or even four stories high. There is even a skyscraper with seven cave spans – a local landmark. The floors are usually not connected to each other, and you can enter each one through colorful wooden doors – another indispensable attribute of Candovan. Apparently, the colors here try to compensate for the harsh, restrained mountain landscape – fascinating, but still a bit monotonous.

However, the Candovans do not consider their life monotonous. They keep apiaries on the surrounding plains, breed honeybees, grow fruits and medicinal herbs. And then treat tourists, who are still fewer in Candovana than in other regions of the country.

Varzane Desert

Situated between the bustling and colorful Yazd and Isfahan, Varzaneh seems to be the most peaceful and serene place on earth. For kilometers around are endless dunes and dunes, from which sand “waves” descend. And right on the course there is a salt lake covered with a snow-white fragile crust. I was lucky: the day before it had rained over Varzane and the lake was filled with water to the limit. In dry times it partially dries up, leaving only white traces – dozens of smaller lakes. By the way, the salt and sands of Varzaneh have a very unusual effect – they seem to “nullify” the impressions of bright architecture and colorful Persian markets. But only to prepare the traveler for the further route.

Soltanieh

Following from the south strictly to the north of Iran, it is worth a short deviation to the west to see one of the outstanding dominants of world architecture. Its name is the Oljeitu Mausoleum. But it is better known as Soltanieh. It is impossible to pass by Soltanieh: its outstanding dome serves as a landmark for several kilometers around. Shaped like a helmet and covered with a geometric pattern in shades of turquoise, it rises almost 50 meters above the valley. For the beginning of the XIV century, the height is phenomenal! But even today, the brick dome of Soltanieh is second only to that of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. Something commensurate in age and scale is incredibly difficult to find.

However, it is not only the way the dome looks from the outside that is striking, but also its interior decoration. 700 years ago this territory belonged to the powerful Mongolian dynasty of Ilkhanids, and characteristic elements of Central Asian culture can still be traced in the interior. However, the interiors of Soltanieh can be used to study any stage of evolution of Persian-Iranian architecture – from the Seljuks to the Ilkhanids. Now Soltanieh is under reconstruction under the auspices of UNESCO. Inside there is scaffolding, which paradoxically only adds air and volume to the mausoleum. It reveals the architectural and engineering genius that would later be “inspired” by the Taj Mahal itself.