IKA airport metro station

IKA airport metro station

"The subway to IKA is open, but the train runs very rarely once every 30 minutes, plus a few transplants to other trains, it works in testing mode, I got from Teleghani station for 2 hours, I was not late for the plane, it works from 6-40 to 14, so that lay on the road 2.5 - 3 hours"

Pictures from Yazd

Yazd

advice for yazd (cheap hotel and Hostel )

advice for yazd (cheap hotel and Hostel )

I have some info for people on budget. In Yazd we found this local guesthouse Gole Yas which has rooms with 3 beds (tv, fridge, but shared bathroom) for 10-12$ per room. There is also a local restaurant downstairs that has half the prices of touristic ones. It is on Imam street. The owner doesnt speak english but there is this guy Hassan whose number I will send who does.

advice for shiraz ( holy shine)

Holy shine in shiraz

"Shahcheragh Holy Shrine maybe. When you go there as a tourist, there is a security control. They make you leave your luggage and camera in a locker room for free, then they provide you with an english speaking guide for free that leads you inside the mosque complex.

tourists are not allowed to enter the 2 shrines inside the complex, but you can enjoy the rest of the complex and ask as many questions you like to your guide. they are volunteers and really welcoming and nice (obviously, they are iranian).

we went there on friday during the midday prayer and it was awesome.

you can take photos with your smartphone with no problem, the guide tells you to do so, but no professonal DSLR cameras are allowed

https://goo.gl/maps/NtzWL6Lq3x62

the entrance is through a covered passage n the south part of the bazar

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠do not be afraid to approach the security control point.
you will see military men, but they are kind and try to explain what you need to do to get in (they do not speak english and may seem confusing for the first 2 minutes)
men and women enter through different gates at the same point, and have to be checked (airport-like)
after the control you are given a chadoor and can rejoin your male/female partner.

advice for esfahan ( hostel )

Amir Kabir Hostel:

45000 toman in dormitory 

70000 toman single room

You can book through this web and you pay there:
http://hostelsiniran.com/isfahan/hostels-and-hotels/amir-kabir-hostel-in-isfahan

They give you a booking code and you confirm the day before your arrival through telegram

For us was 35$ a triple room, 50 if you go to hotel.
The hotel has private bathroom in the hostel you share.
You pay in the hotel or hostel, not in the web.

Shiraz

Shiraz

Celebrated as the heartland of Persian culture
for more than 2000 years, Shiraz has
become synonymous with education, nightingales,
poetry and wine. It was one of the
most important cities in the medieval Islamic
world and was the Iranian capital during
the Zand dynasty (AD 1747–79), when many
of its most beautiful buildings were built or
restored.
In his 1893 book A Year Amongst the Persians,
Edward Browne described Shirazis as
‘…amongst all the Persians, the most subtle,
the most ingenious, the most vivacious’. And
even in Iran, where regional one-upmanship
is common, everyone seems to like Shirazis.
A city of poets, Shiraz is home to the
graves of Hafez and Sa’di, both major pilgrimage
sites for Iranians. It’s also home to
splendid gardens, exquisite mosques and
whispered echoes of ancient sophistication
that reward those who linger longer than it
takes to visit nearby Persepolis (p 198 ), the
area’s major tourism drawcard.
There are the usual Iranian traffi c issues,
but the city’s agreeable climate, set as it is in
a fertile valley once famed for its vineyards,
makes it a pleasant place to visit (except at
the humid height of summer or the freezing

depths of winter).
History:
Shiraz is mentioned in Elamite inscriptions
from around 2000 BC and was an important
regional centre under the Sassanians. However,
it did not become the provincial capital
until about AD 693, following the Arab conquest
of Estakhr, the last Sassanian capital
(8km northeast of Persepolis, but now completely
destroyed). By 1044 Shiraz was said
to rival Baghdad in importance and it grew
further under the Atabaks of Fars in the 12th
century, when it became an important artistic
centre.
The city was spared destruction by the
rampaging Mongols and Tamerlane because
the city’s rulers wisely decided that paying
tribute was preferable to mass slaughter.
Having avoided calamity, Shiraz enjoyed the
Mongol and Timurid periods, which became
eras of development. The encouragement
of enlightened rulers and the presence of
Hafez, Sa’di and many other brilliant artists
and scholars helped make it one of the
greatest cities in the Islamic world throughout
the 13th and 14th centuries.
Shiraz remained a provincial capital during
the Safavid period, when European traders
settled here to export its famous wine.
But by the mid-17th century it had entered
a long period of decline. This was worsened
by several earthquakes, the Afghan raids of
the early 18th century, and an uprising led
by Shiraz’s governor in 1744, which was put
down in typically ruthless fashion after a
siege by Nader Shah.
At the time of Nader Shah’s murder in
1747, Shiraz was squalid and its population
had fallen to 50,000, a quarter of the
number 200 years earlier. But the city soon
returned to prosperity. The enlightened Karim
Khan, the fi rst ruler of the short-lived
Zand dynasty, made Shiraz the national capital
in 1750. Despite being master of virtually
all of Persia, Karim Khan refused to take any
higher title than vakil (regent) – hence the
name of many of the city’s monuments. He
was determined to build Shiraz into a worthy
capital, the equal of Esfahan under Shah
Abbas I.
Karim Khan founded a royal district in
the area of the Arg-e Karim Khan and commissioned
many fi ne buildings, including
what was the pre-eminent bazaar in Persia.
But after his death, things fell apart. The Qajars,
long-time enemies, attacked and destroyed
the city’s fortifi cations and by 1789
had moved the national capital – and the
remains of Karim Khan – to Tehran.
Shiraz remained prosperous due to its
position on the trade route to Bushehr, but
this role was greatly diminished with the
opening of the trans-Iranian railway in the
1930s. Much of the architectural inheritance
of Shiraz, and especially the royal district of
the Zands, was either neglected or destroyed
as a result of irresponsible town planning
under the Pahlavi dynasty. Lacking any great
industrial, religious or strategic importance,
the city is now largely an administrative centre,

though one famous for its universities.

Sights:
The old city is where you’ll spend most of
your time. The city centre is Shohada Sq
(still widely known as Shahrdari Sq), which
is within walking distance of most hotels,
the bazaar and the major mosques and
shrines. The square intersects the city’s major
thoroughfare, Karim Khan-e Zand Blvd
(usually referred to as Zand Blvd). To the
north is the Khoshk River, and north of that

are the tombs of Hafez and Sa’di.

Arg-e Karim Khan:
(Citadel of Karim Khan; Shohada Sq; admission
US$0.50; h8am-7.30pm) Dominating the city
centre, this burly fortress was built in the
early Zand period and formed part of the
royal court that Karim Khan had hoped
would develop to rival Esfahan. The high
walls feature ornamental brickwork and
are punctuated by four attractive 14m-high
circular towers. The southeastern tower has
a noticeable lean, having subsided onto the
underground cistern that served as the Arg’s
bathhouse.
Inside the Arg is a large, open courtyard
fi lled with citrus trees and a pool. A dusty
museum of the Zand period, with wax fi gures
in traditional dress, occupies rooms off
the northwest iwan.

Masjed-e Vakil:
(Regent’s Mosque; admission US$1.40; h8am-
8pm) Begun in Karim Khan’s time, this
mosque next to the Bazar-e Vakil has an
impressive tiled portal, a recessed entrance
decorated with tiles and muqarnas, two
vast iwans, a magnifi cent inner courtyard
surrounded by beautifully tiled alcoves and
porches, and a pleasingly proportioned 75mby-
36m vaulted prayer hall supported by 48
carved columns. Inside the prayer hall are
an impressive mihrab and 14-step marble
minbar, carved from a monolith carried all
the way from Azerbaijan. Much of the tiling,
with its predominantly fl oral motifs and arabesques,
was added in the early Qajar era.
You’ll fi nd it near the exit from the Shamshirgarha
Bazaar.

Hammam-e Vakil:
(Regent’s Bath; off Talequani St; admission US$0.50;
h7.30am-5.30pm Sat-Thu) The vaulted and
beautifully decorated central chamber of
this Zand-era bathhouse now houses an interesting
exhibition of Persian carpets. Once,
Shirazis would have relaxed by its fountain
after taking a bath in the handsome heat
room, which has a vaulted ceiling, pillars
and a small (empty) pool. Local artisans
now work in a chamber between the two

and off er their wares for sale.

Aramgah-e Shah-e Cheragh:
(Mausoleum of King of the Light; Ahmadi Sq; hvariable,
often 24hr) Sayyed Mir Ahmad, one of
Imam Reza’s 17 brothers, was hunted down
and killed by the caliphate on this site in AD
835 and his remains are housed in this glittering
shrine. A mausoleum was fi rst erected
over the grave during the 12th century but
most of what you see dates from the late-
Qajar period and the Islamic Republic.
The expansive courtyard is a great place
to sit and take in the bulbous blue-tiled
dome and dazzling gold-topped minarets
while discreetly observing the pious at what
is one of the holiest Shiite sites in Iran. In
the shrine itself, countless minute mirror
tiles refl ect the passion within.
In theory, non-Muslims are not allowed to
enter the shrine. Enforcement seems to be
mixed, but if you are polite and in a small
group you may be lucky. Women must enter
through a dedicated entrance and wear
a chador; these can be hired from one of the
old women hanging around the entrance –
US$0.50 is a fair fee. Cameras are forbidden.
A recently opened museum (admission
US$0.30; hvariable) is housed in a new building
off the northwestern corner of the courtyard
(next to the shrine itself) and houses
an interesting collection of shrine-related
objects, including some highly prized old
Qurans upstairs and an absolutely exquisite
door decorated with silver, gold and lapis
lazuli downstairs.
In the southeastern corner is the Bogh’eye
Sayyed Mir Mohammad (Mausoleum of
Sayyed Mir Mohammad; hvariable, often 24hr),
which houses the tombs of two brothers
of Mir Ahmad. The shrine has the typical
Shirazi bulbous dome, intricate mirror work
and four slender wooden pillars, leading
some to describe it as more beautiful than

Shah-e Cheragh.

Madraseh-ye Khan:
(Dastqeib St; hknock on the door) In 1615, Imam
Gholi Khan, governor of Fars, founded this
serene theological college for about 100
students. The original building has been extensively
damaged by earthquakes and only
the impressive portal at its entrance has
survived; look for the unusual muqarnas
inside the outer arch and some intricate mosaic
tiling with much use of red. The college
(still in use) has a fi ne stone-walled inner
courtyard and garden.
The building can be reached via a lane off
Lotf Ali Khan Blvd. The doors are usually
closed but if you are lucky the caretaker will
open it; a tip is appreciated. If you get in, ask
to be shown to the roof for panoramic views

over the bazaar.

Masjed-e Nasir-al-Molk:
Nasir-al-Molk Mosque; off Lotf Ali Khan Blvd; admission
US$1.80; h8am-2pm & 3.30-7pm) Down
the road from the Madraseh-ye Khan is
one of the most elegant and photographed
mosques in southern Iran. Built at the end of
the 19th century, its coloured tiling (an unusually
deep shade of blue) is exquisite. There
are some particularly fine muqarnas in the
smallish outer portal and in the northern
iwan, but the stained glass, carved pillars
and polychrome faience of the winter prayer
hall are the most eye-catching features. Photographers
should come as early as possible

in the morning for shots of the hall lit upthrough the glass (you might have to tip the
caretaker to open the curtains). A museum
in the opposite prayer hall opens into the
Gav Cha (Cow Well), in which cows walked
downhill to raise the water. The structure
has survived numerous earthquakes, due in
part to its construction using fl exible wood
as struts within the walls – look for the
wooden bricks in the iwan columns.
Don’t rely on the mosque’s offi cial opening
hours. Basically, it’s open whenever the elderly
caretakers are on-site. Mornings are best.

Naranjestan & Khan-e Zinat ol-Molk:
A huge courtyard planted with rows of palm
and orange trees, the Bagh-e Naranjestan
(Citrus Garden; Lotf Ali Khan Blvd; admission
US$2.70; h8am-6.30pm) is the setting for the
opulently decorated Naranjastan-e Qavam
pavilion, built for the wealthy and powerful
Mohammad Ali Khan Qavam al-Molk
between 1879 and 1886 as the buruni (public
reception area) of his family home. The
Khan-e Zinat ol-Molk housed the family’s
andaruni (private quarters) and an underground
passage (not open to the public) connected
the two.
The pavilion’s mirrored entrance hall
opens onto rooms with painted walls and
ceilings. The ceilings in the upstairs rooms
are particularly interesting, with the beams
painted with European-style motifs, including
Alpine churches and busty German
fräuleins. The downstairs museum houses
an archaeological collection put together by
Arthur Upham Pope, an American scholar
who taught at the Asia Institute in Shiraz
between 1969 and 1979.
Down a small street beside the garden
is the Khan-e Zinat ol-Molk (Zinat-ol Molk
Museum; admission US$0.80; h8am-6pm), originally
the Qavam ol-Molk family’s gorgeous
andaruni. Twenty rooms are embellished
with paintings, stucco decoration and mirrors,
and the mosaic fl oors were designed to
resemble ornate Persian rugs. In the basement,
the Fars Museum showcases wax
fi gures of famous Shirazis. The museum is

signposted from Lotf Ali Khan Blvd.

Aramgah-e Hafez:
Tomb of Hafez; Golestan Blvd; admission US$0.50;
h8am-9.30pm) Iranians have a saying that
every home must have two things: fi rst
the Quran, then a collection of the works
of Hafez (see p 314 ). And in reality, many
would reverse that order. Hafez the poet is
an Iranian folk hero – loved, revered and as
popular as many a modern pop star. Almost
every Iranian can quote his work, bending
it to whichever social or political persuasion
they subscribe. And there is no better place
to try to understand Hafez’s eternal hold on
Iran than here at his tomb.
Set in a charming garden with two pools,
the whole scene is restful despite the everpresent
traffi c noise. The marble tombstone,
engraved with a long verse from the poet,
was placed here by Karim Khan in 1773. In
1935 an octagonal pavilion was put up over
it, supported by eight stone columns beneath
a tiled dome. Plan to spend a couple
of hours sitting in a discreet corner of the
grounds, at sunset if possible, to watch the
way Iranians react to what is, for many, a
pilgrimage site.
You might see people performing the
faal-e Hafez, a popular ritual in which you
seek insight into your future by opening a
volume of Hafez – the future is apparent
in his words. After sunset, with the tomb
fl oodlit and sung poetry piped over the
public-address system, it is diffi cult not to
feel transported back to the magic of ancient
Persia. There’s a teahouse at the front
of the garden where you can enjoy a tea,
cheap bowl of ash (noodle soup) or faludeh
(a frozen sorbet made with thin starch noodles
and rosewater).
To get here from the centre of town you
can walk (about 2km) or take a taxi dar

baste (US$2.70).

Aramgah-e Sa’di:
Tomb of Sa’di; Bustan Blvd; admission US$0.50;
h7.30am-8.30pm, to 9pm summer) While not
as popular as Hafez’s tomb, the Aramgah-e
Sa’di and its generous surrounding gardens
are appropriate for a man who wrote so
extensively about gardens and roses. It’s a
tranquil place, with the tombstone housed
in an open-sided stone colonnade built during
the Pahlavi era. See p 314 for more on
Sa’di. Nearby is an overpriced underground
teahouse set around a fi sh pond that is fed
by a qanat.
It’s easy to visit the tombs of both Hafez
and Sa’di in a single afternoon. From
Golestan Blvd, near the tomb of Hafez,
take a shuttle taxi four squares southeast
(US$0.30) to Sa’di Sq, then walk about

1.3km uphill to the tomb.

Bagh-e Eram:
Garden of Paradise; Eram Blvd; admission US$3.60;
h8am-12.30pm & 3-5pm, to 7pm summer) Famous
for its tall cypress trees, this Unescolisted
garden was laid out during the Qajar
period but incorporates elements from an
earlier Seljuk landscape. Social anthropologists
will love it – the many hidden corners
of the gardens are wildly popular with young
Shirazis, who pay a fraction of the entrance
fee that foreigners are charged. The garden
is designed around a pretty pool beside a
Qajar-era palace, the Kakh-e Eram (Eram
Palace), which is not open to the public. The
gardens are easy enough to reach by taking
any shuttle taxi (US$0.30) going along Zand,
alighting at Namazi Sq and then walking

north across the river.

advice for Shiraz(hotel and hostel)

"I was at Niayesh hostel traditional. About 11 doll. There also is a hotel with upstairs restraint."

"Taha traditional hostel:
It is around 10 dollars and around the corner from niayesh hostel"