Ancient Cities with a Shiraz

We had to get up early to get on the road for Ancient Cities as it was about a  6-7 hour drive. Our first stop was Pasargadae, the ancient capital built by Cyrus the Great. As you entered through the gate, directly in front of you was his tomb, with the six stone tiers on which it sat. It was amazingly simple, but it gave the impression that he was a giant. The rest of Pasargadae was for the most part exactly as the word describes, a ruin. There was very little that was recognizable; you'd look at the map and it would read "Cyrus's Private Palace" and looking up, it would be a couple of stones in the middle of a field.

The tomb of Cyrus the Great, Pasargadae

Our next stop was Naqsh-e Rustam, or the four Ancient Rock Tombs hewed out of the rock face. These are the tombs of Darius II, Artaxerxes I, Darius I & Xerxes I. These Persian Kings were a series or rulers that ruled from Eastern Europe all the way to India. It is hard to fathom the intricate detailing that went into the creation of these tombs, and how they've stood up to the elements for centuries.

The Stone Tombs of Darius II & Artaxerxes I, Naqsh-e Rostam

Our final stop on our journey was Persopolis, the ancient capital of Xerxes. History has it that when Alexander the Great captured Persopolis, it took 2000 camels two months to remove all the treasures, and it allowed Alexander to become financially independent from the Greek states. It is unclear why, but Alexander after stealing all the treasure set fire to the palaces and burnt it all to the ground. 

Due to the sheer scale & history of the site we decided to get a guide, & boy was she a hater of Alexander. Everytime she mentioned something about what was there, she'd remind us that Alexander burnt it to the ground, and if you said his name she'd snarl.

Xerxes' Gateway (Gate of all Nations), with the statue of a bull with a head of a wise old man, Persopolis

The two headed griffin (out of focus)

The vast majority of Persopolis was buried until 1935, and when it was excavated they found the most exquisite bas-reliefs (rock carvings). Xerxes was a big one for entertaining, and didn't actually look a thing like he is portrayed in the movie 300 e.g. more head & body hair. He had a gate to Persopolis called the Gate of Nations where he once threw a party for all the heads of state of all the empires he'd conquered. Each group was carved in the hall to minute details so that historians can look at them now and say from the clothes & or gifts they brought, where they came from, and it was far and wide, Ethiopians to Indians.

Bas-relief of one of the kingdoms that were famous for their sheep, Persopolis

Zoroastrian sign on one of the gateways, Persopolis

Detail on the side of the Tripylon, Persopolis

Me posing in front of the northern side of Persopolis due to the sun

What is left of the Gate of all Nations from side on, Persopolis

The next stop was Shiraz, the famous name that you'd associated with wine, and you'd be right, the wine is named after the place, but since the revolution, alcohol is banned. They still grow the grapes, and people often make their own brews in secret, but it is not sold publicly. Shiraz is the artsy capital of Iran, laid back, liberal, and home to the mausoleum of the famous Iranian poet Hafez, the Iranian Shakespeare.

Soap operas & sweet treats in the hotel

The courtyard of Aramgah-e Shah-e Cheragh, the masoleum & mosque of Sayyed Mir Ahmad

Kids playing football outside Arg-e Karim Khan fortress

A tower of the Arg-e Karim Khan that has sunk into the sewer below

Me chilling at a fashionable traditional restaurant, Haft Khan, it it a four storey restaurant with different themes on each floor

We had a few days here which we spent wandering the streets, visiting mosques, visiting mausoleums & chilling at the parks. We truthfully were a little mosque'd out, but the Masjed-e Nasir-al-Molk took our breath away. It was an early morning getting there, we had to tip the caretaker to open the curtains, but boy was it worth it. I tried to take some fancy photos of me amongst the light but they all looked stupid. We also walked up the Allah Akbar Gorge, the walk almost killed Dad, but we got some beautiful shots of Shiraz.

Early morning at the Masjed-e Nasir-al-Molk

The tomb of Hafez, the Iranian Shakespeare

The Irish Gang we ran into five times along the way through Iran; we decided to have dinner together on their last night, (from the left) Dad, Me, Hafiz, Tim, Jenny, Andronikos, & Neil

On our final day, I couldn't help myself and organised another trip skiing. This time in the Zagros Mountains at a ski field called Pooladkaf. The weather was phenomenal, so much so that our driver picked up his skis on the way. His name was Abdoloh, and he's a bit of a celebrity on the mountain. I had asked him if he was any good at skiing and he said he was OK, but turns out he's a ski instructor. He confirmed what my friend Greer had said about my skiing, that I'm all hips and no knees. But I am getting better, especially because I basically had the mountain to myself to practice. When we dropped our ski gear off on the way back home, one of the Iranian girls I had been skiing passed all day said I was very beautiful...... I've still got it.

Moustaches are back in a big way; Dad & Abdoloh on our way skiing, enjoying Faloudeh the famous Shirazi dessert made from frozen vermicelli noodles

My headband & neckwarmer are back, getting ready to ski

Pooladkaf Ski Field, Zagros Mountains, had the mountain basically to myself

Abdoloh & I up the top of the pommer, my hair is a little afro

Anyway, we are off to Jordan next via a night in Dubai at my friend Andrew's apartment. Iran was absolutely fantastic and we are sad to leave. There is so much propaganda against the country and for no good reason. Iran Tourism needs a serious PR team, because it was an absolute pleasure to travel there. If anyone is interested in travelling there (especially for a honeymoon) I am more than happy to help.

Goodbye Iran, it was an absolute pleasure. View from Allah Akbar Gorge over Shiraz

Nick + Tony

xo