Iran is home to one of the oldest ancient civilizations in the world. For many centuries, the country is a testament to one of the world’s most powerful empires, conquering a huge chunk of Central Asia, the Middle East, all the way until Turkey. It has survived many wars, conflicts, and confrontations from its neighbouring countries. Among many of the country’s heritage is the famous city of Persepolis and the royal tombs of Necropolis, two spectacular legacies left behind byRead more
Iran is one of my favourite countries that I have visited. It is home to one of the oldest civilisations in the world. It has varied landscapes, impressive architectures, stunning mosaics, great history, and delicious foods. The people are the nicest and their hospitality often surprised me. That’s why I visited Iran twice: in 2011 during my 1-month backpacking trip in the Middle East, and recently in 2017 with my beloved husband. Will I visit Iran for the third time?Read more
24-25 December 2011 The next two days of my stay in Shiraz is purely dedicated for sightseeing and meeting fellow CouchSurfers. As the amount of money I have for this entire trip is significantly reduced by USD 400 due to the unexpected change of plans, I cannot go beyond the city centre as travelling outside of Shiraz would be expensive. But it does not seem to be a bad decision either to stay in the city as Shiraz seems toRead more
Azin asks me if I have any plans today and whether or not I'd like to join her for a so-called Shirazi picnic in her friend's house. Since the first day I arrive in Tehran a week ago, my schedules were always packed with sightseeing and meeting CouchSurfing people. I did not have a single day of full rest and doing nothing. Somehow, I kinda miss that feeling. I figure, I have two more days before I come back to Tehran. That's enough time to do sightseeing and mingling with locals. Why would I want to miss out this golden chance? I finally say 'yes' to her invitation :)
Traveling to Iran would not be complete without visiting historic sites of the Great Archaemenid Empire. Since these sites are not too far away from Shiraz, I decided to visit them as soon as we arrive in the city from Yazd early morning. An Iranian guide, recommended by Lonely Planet, picks us up from the bus station to our ultimate destination. I'm hoping that by having a tour guide, we'd not only visit these places and be amazed with their architectures, but also learn about the history behind them.
