Iran. The oldest country, near and far, it was the heart of a vast empire of the past. And now its traces are not wiped off the face of the earth. But the sights of Iran are not only archaeological and architectural monuments, it is amazing nature and centuries-old traditions. We’ll go there right now, making a virtual journey to the east.
A little bit about the country
One can safely say that Iran appeared on the world map about five thousand years ago. True, then he bore a different name: the state of Elam, then the Persian Empire, Persia. The country acquired its modern name in 1979. A neighbor of Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Nagorno-Karabakh, Afghanistan and Pakistan has access to the Caspian Sea, as well as to the Indian Ocean through the waters of the Oman and Persian Gulfs.
For many years, the inhabitants of these lands professed Zoroastrianism, and only in the sixteenth century Islam reigned here.
Modern Iran is a country with a well-developed economy, which, however, has problems. Although the country has large reserves of oil and gas, its inhabitants are rather poor. The economic instability caused a demographic crisis: people are in no hurry to marry and have children. In this regard, many companies issued orders according to which all bachelors quit if they did not get married before a certain period. Applicants were also denied employment if they did not have a family.
Religion and Culture
We will consider the sights of Iran a little later. Now a few words will tell about the culture and religion of the country. As stated earlier, the dominant religion is Islam. Women's rights are quite infringed: all the fairer sex, including tourists, should wear skirts longer than knees, wear a hijab. The punishment for failure to comply with these requirements is severe - disciplinary or administrative liability. In addition, the death penalty is awarded for many serious crimes in Iran.
Desert Romance
A description of Iran would not be complete without a story of its natural wonders. At first glance, it seems that its territory is a continuous desert. In fact, nature is quite generous here.
The main natural attractions of Iran are deserts with their special climate and flavor. In the center of the country lies the many-sided Dune Desert (Deshte-Lut and Deshte-Kevir). It has a Thanksgiving Mosque and several villages. Also in Iran there is a very beautiful Red Desert, whose land takes on different shades due to the emergence of rocks to the surface. Interesting places in it are a mosque with a tomb and a river that never dries up.
Other natural wonders
Tabriz mountains are known for their bizarre outlines and a special red-yellow-green hue.
Of particular interest to wildlife lovers is the Golestan Park. Iran’s attractions such as the waterfall and Agsu Gorge of rare beauty, the Golestan Tunnel, are also located in the same region. Places abound with animals - wild boars, leopards.
In Luristan, tourists should visit the Bishe Falls, and you can get to it only by mountain railway with a hundred tunnels. In the mountains of Chak-Chak you can see the Zoroastrian sanctuary, and in the gorge Tang-e Chahu, the traveler will think that he was in a fairy tale. Once, during an earthquake, the mountain split in two, and the wind, the sun and rains carefully worked on the rock fragments. Now the walls of the gorge are decorated with bizarre figures of faces, and the surroundings amaze with the surrealism of the landscapes.
Also of interest are the stalactites of Ali Sadr cave, near which a whole tourist and entertainment complex was built.
Interesting places of Iran created by people
As we said before, Iran’s culture is very ancient. True, it is customary to divide it into the pre-Muslim and Muslim periods. The arrival of Islam in these lands greatly changed not only the cultural values of the Persians, their religion, but also their mentality. But still, it will be very interesting for a tourist to see the man-made sights of the state.
Remember that this is a country with a thousand-year history, which half the world has obeyed. This is reminiscent of the magnificent palaces of the shahs, decorated with mosaics and expensive Persian rugs, impregnable castles and ruins of ancient cities.
Abyan is a picturesque village located in the mountains at an altitude of 2100 m. Its name translates as "Willow Paradise" and its age begins somewhere in the III-VI century.
Soltanie is a small mountain town founded at the end of the thirteenth century by Ilkhan Argun Khulaguide. For some time the settlement was the capital of the country.
The settlement with the name Pasargada is the first capital of the Achaemenid empire. Its ruins can still be seen 130 km from Shiraz. The mausoleum of Kurosh the Great, who founded the city and the great empire, was still preserved here.
Persepolis - a city 50 km away from Shiraz, was once the majestic capital of the Persians. Burned by the army of Alexander the Great, he was not wiped off the face of the earth. Archaeologists managed to find a huge library of clay tablets, unearth the palace of Darius, the Main and Columned Halls, the Xerxes Harem and the tomb of the last Persian king Darius III.
Instead of an afterword
Eats in Iran and not so famous attractions. For example, the Rudkham castle, known as the abode of the Assassins, the four-hundred-year-old Behradi hotel, the mausoleum of Aljait, protected by UNESCO, the troglodytes village in Kandovan, the tower-mausoleum of Togrul-bek.
Some scholars believe that ancient Iran was described in the Bible. On the territory of the ancient city of Tabriz, the divine Garden of Eden is placed. And the city of Shush is identified with Susa, which are also mentioned in the Book of Books. Be that as it may, Iran is a country that has something to attract a tourist and to please him.