Iran is the perfect destination for exciting adventures. Persepolis breathes history here, the Lut desert and Habr National Park beckon with beauty, residents of Shahdad invite tourists to their homes for tea and open the doors to the fabulous world of the Mirror Mosque in Shiraz. We chose locations that will be remembered for a lifetime.
Iran is an exceptional country in terms of its tourist content, famous for its unusual travel routes.
They can be grandiose and pass through the hottest desert in the world. They can be mysterious and include a visit to ancient Persepolis, founded by one of the most prominent kings of Persia, Darius I, or the Shahzade Garden in Kerman. A trip to Iran will be amazing if you fill it with acquaintance with the Imam Mosque and the bridges in Isfahan.
LUT DESERT: THE HOTEST PLACE ON OUR PLANET
1,000 km from Tehran and 350 km from the city of Yazd, in the middle of a sandy plain surrounded by mountains on both sides, lies the ancient city of Kerman, the capital of the province of the same name.
100 km from Kerman airport is the main driving force for a trip to this province – the Lut Desert, the first natural site in Iran, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. There are 21 UNESCO-listed monuments in Iran.
Lut is the hottest desert in the world. Photo: ATOR
It was in the Lut Desert that the absolute temperature record on Earth was recorded in 2018: +80.8 °C. The 2005 record (+70.7°C) also belonged to the Lut Desert.
Sunrise in the Lut desert. Photo: ATOR
Despite the fact that the surface of the desert heats up to 70-80°C, the air temperature is usually +38-39 degrees. Exploring the desert at this temperature is quite comfortable. But it's better to come to the desert in the evening or at dawn.
The name Lut is translated from Persian as “emptiness”. According to some scientists, even bacteria cannot live in this desert due to the harsh climate.
Tourists travel through the desert in jeeps. Photo: ATOR
But when you drive through this high-mountainous rocky “universe” located at an altitude of 3500 m above sea level and look at the undulating fantasy ridges, calling Lut lifeless does not turn your tongue. On the contrary, it seems that Lut is the most lively and subtle work of nature. The sand dunes, formed here about 20 thousand years ago during erosional changes, look really impressive.
Lut Star Eco-Village in the Lut Desert. Photo: ATOR
Tourists are traveling through the desert in jeeps. They usually arrive at dawn. It is most convenient to come here from eco-towns located nearby. We recommend staying at the eco-hotel Lut Star. The hotel is new and corresponds to the 4* category in terms of service.
Sketches of life in the Lut desert. Photo: ATOR
Apart from entertainment in the desert, in addition to jeep safari and observation of the ridges, the height of which reaches 80 meters, tourists are offered hot air balloon flights, as well as a real concert of ethnic music in nature.
BLUE LAKE IN THE DESERT LOOT
The Blue Lake is considered to be the rarest specimen of beauty in the Lut Desert. It is called the lake of memories. This lake appears in the desert… once every 50 years, pleases tourists with its inspiring view for 5-7 years, and then again for decades… dissolves in the sand.
Lake memories in the wilderness of Lut. Photo: ATOR
This lake really looks like an illusion. You look at him and are afraid to lose sight of him. And when you realize that it really exists, you want to enjoy it endlessly.
The lake will stay in the desert for about 5 more years, so tourists who want to get vivid memories for a lifetime still have such an opportunity.
p>
Loot Lake appears in the Lut Desert once every 50 years. Photo: ATOR
Important: wear comfortable and durable shoes for the meeting with the lake and the Lut desert in general. It can be sneakers or boots.
SHAHDAD CITY AND MEETING THE LOCAL RESIDENTS
Resting in the Lut desert, indulge in such atmospheric leisure: take a walk around the city of Shahdad. There, pay attention to the nameless fortress made of clay and straw and go down into the underground ancient water tank.
In the city of Shahdad. Photo: ATOR
And most importantly – be sure to visit the locals. In a small courtyard entwined with flowers, you will be treated to delicious tea and offered govat to it. This is a mixture of 40 herbs. It must be added to tea to be healthy. While drinking tea, the locals will perform enchanting musical compositions for you on local instruments.
SHAHZADE GARDEN
When you return from the Lut desert back to Kerman airport, or on the way to the desert, make a stop at Sad Shahzade, which is located near the city of Mahan. By the way, the founder of the successful Iranian airline Mahan Air comes from these places, hence the name of the carrier.
Shahzade Garden. Photo: ATOR
The garden originated in the era of the Qajar dynasty. In 2011, this green oasis in the desert, along with eight other historical gardens (Chehel Sotun in Isfahan, Eram Garden in Shiraz, Fin Garden in Kashan, etc.), was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Persian Gardens site.< /p>
Tourists come there to walk along the paths with flower beds, breathe in the aromas of cypresses, pines and fruit trees, and see the water storage tank, which is shaped like a cascade. An interesting way of supplying water to the fountain system. Water flows there due to the natural slope of the earth.
HABR NATIONAL PARK
Another location in the province of Kerman and another reason to admire the natural beauty of Iran is Khabr National Park.
The UNESCO-listed national park is only 250 km from the Lut Star eco-town if you travel by car and 150 km if you fly by small aircraft. The airstrip is located near the eco-friendly hotel.
Habr National Park. Photo: ATOR
Khabr National Park is completely breathtaking landscapes, sincere joy from watching Iranian antelopes and other animals running along the road, amazing sounds of nature and even gastronomic delights.
Habr is different from other Iranian national parks. There are different climatic zones, which, of course, is reflected in the nature, flora and fauna of the park. Tourists are inspired by mountains, deep gorges, hilly plains, mountain and lowland forests, and steppes. The lowest mark of the park is 1000 m, and the highest is Mount Chakhbarf with a height of 3845 m.PHOT
Picnic in Habr National Park. Photo: ATOR
The most convenient way to travel around the park is by jeep. When ordering such a trip, you can, if you wish, ask to organize a lunch in the national park. And then they will fry kebabs for you, prepare salads right in the national park. All that remains is to take your portion and eat it with appetite, while looking at very beautiful expanses.
By the way, surprisingly, the smell of roasting meat does not drown out the aromas of wild olive, juniper and mountain cypress here.
MIRROR MOSQUE AND PERSEPOLIS
The city of Shiraz, which arose in the second millennium BC, attracts tourists not only by its proximity to the ancient city of Persepolis (55 km away), where you can see the palaces of Darius I and Artaxerxes III, the foundations of the treasury, a relief depicting a lion devouring a bull, which symbolizes the change years in Zoroastrianism, and try the faluda dessert.
The ancient city of Persepolis. Photo: ATOR
Shiraz is also known as the birthplace of the great poets Hafiz and Saadi, and the city also has many gardens, traditional Persian courtyards with wooden carved doors, and, of course, many historically significant buildings from various eras. The most beautiful mausoleum of Shiraz – Shah Cherakh or “Mirror Mosque” – is one of them.
Mirror Mosque. Photo: ATOR
The mosque is decorated with thousands of pieces of green glass, silver plates, jewels, the dome is completely covered with mirrors. When you enter the mosque and see how its walls shine and shimmer, it seems as if you have entered a fairy tale world.
The territory of the Mirror Mosque. Photo: ATOR
The mosque is also beautiful. Lots of flowers, trees. There are also unusual fountains with free drinking water.
You have to drink their water through a special tube. The idea of such a fountain belongs to the students of one of the universities of the city.
ISFAHAN BRIDGES AND IMAM SQUARE
The image in which the ancient city of Isfahan appears before its guests is amazing. For starters, it's picturesque. Isfahan is buried in blooming gardens. Omar Khayyam himself, who lives here, sang Isfahan as a city of roses and beauties.
Bridge of 33 arches. Photo: ATOR
Secondly, Isfahan, as befits a city that was the capital of the Persian Empire during the Safavid dynasty from the end of the 16th to the beginning of the 18th century, has incomparable architecture and a huge number of ancient monuments.
Of these, 1850 are included in the List of National Monuments of Iran, and seven, which include the Imam Square with its surrounding buildings, a large city mosque and the Chehel Sotun Garden, are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
There are very beautiful mosques in Isfahan , minarets, palaces, bazaars, boulevards and bridges. Bridges are the pride of Isfahan. It is even called the “city of the bridge.” There are many of them here, most of them date back to the 17th century. And the Shahrestan bridge was built in the 11th century and is considered the oldest bridge in the city.
Imam Mosque. Photo: ATOR
One of the favorites of tourists is the Bridge of 33 Arches, built in 1602. This is not only the most graceful and longest bridge in Iran (298 m), but also a lot of fun.
If you come here in the evening, you can listen to local musicians play and watch the locals dance. And not only to see, but also to become a participant in any action that takes place on the bridge. The locals are friendly and enjoy interacting with tourists.
Mosque on Imam Square. Photo: ATOR
Imam Square, the third largest square in the world, dating back to the 17th century, deserves special attention of tourists in Isfahan. Valuable attractions surround the square on four sides: the 400-year-old bazaar, the Sheikh Lotfallah Mosque, the Lotfulla Women's Mosque and the majestic Imam Mosque, which was built under Shah Abbas I.
Being in the Imam Mosque, be sure to experience the local wonders acoustics. Under the big dome you will see a black square. Get up on it. Take a bill and start sorting it out in your hands. The dome will respond to the sound of the bill with a deafening echo.
ANCIENT UNDERGROUND CITY ON KIS ISLAND
The mandatory list of tourist activities on Kish Island includes: windsurfing, yachting, diving, beach holidays, boat trips, going to the dolphin park, restaurants and exploring the underground city of Kariz, located on site of an ancient aqueduct that was drilled over 5,000 years ago.
Kariz Underground City. Photo: ATOR
Walking around the underground city, the total length of the tunnels of which is more than 3 thousand meters, is interesting. Tourists look at how the ancient water supply system of Iran works, get acquainted with household items. There are also souvenir shops in the underground city, you can also do Mehndi there – henna painting on the body.
The locations we have voiced are only a small part of the huge number of Iranian non-standard routes for unusual experiences.
For example, one of the most ancient cities in the world – Yazd, the historical part of which is protected by UNESCO, can become a strong incentive to travel to Iran , looks the same as many centuries ago. And, of course, Iranian cuisine, which varies greatly depending on the region.
Barbecue in Iran. Photo: ATOR
So, the traditional dish of Isfahan is called Beryani and is a lamb stew with lungs.
And in Shiraz, you should treat yourself to Kalyam pilaf. It is made from chopped cabbage, greens and rice, of course. The dish is served with kalkali meatballs.
Well, no matter what region of Iran you are in, there will definitely be many, many types of barbecue and kebabs and fresh fragrant flatbreads on the dining table.
Alexandra Polyanskaya