DAYS 38-40 (28-30 April 2025) IRAN: Persepolis, Shiraz.

At the bottom of this post, I shall explain the difference between “Iran” and “Persia”.

 

STOP PRESS:

I experienced the best personal moment today in Shiraz. I was unlocking the door to my hotel room and a cleaning lady that I had met the day before came running towards me pointing to my room and asking OK? OK? Like she was seeking permission to enter. I said OK and she came in and pointed to my small Greek Orthodox Icon of Christ, which I carry with me on my travels and again asked OK to pick it up. No worries. I gave it to her and she pointed to my room mates mobile saying google google and I figured she wanted to translate her Farsi into English. We loaded google translate and she spoke into it. Here is what emerged in English: “This is your prophet. I know your prophet because I saw him in my dream. This is good for me. We believe in your prophet”. She pointed to my Icon of Christ smiling. Amazing. Unstaged. Unprompted. Unrehearsed and out of the blue !!! This is the type of experience that I value the most and speaks volumes of human tolerance rather than fear and separation. I wish I had asked the cleaning lady her name…

 

I was sad to leave Isfahan. It was a good stay and a relief not to pack and repack for 3 nights. Today was another big drive day taking us 430km across the mainly desert Persian altiplano to the ancient capital of Persepolis only 63km outside the city of Shiraz, which was our most southern destination in Iran at only 341km from the Persian Gulf.

 

The first hour took us past what looked like many military facilities with barracks, sheds and huge Iranian flags flying in the centre. The next hour was the all now familiar landscape of flat arid ground with saltbush and distant craggy sandstone ridges, all hovering around 2000m altitude so nice and cool in motion. We then started to climb topping out at 2568m after moving through some irrigated green agricultural land – a surprise given the predominance of desert up until this time. At around 1pm we reached our lunch stop at Morghab where I finished the Isfahan post while everyone else lunched away. The archaeological site of Pasargadae was only 10min away and nothing to write home about. It featured the tomb of Cyrus The Great (559-530BC), ruler of the Achaemenid Empire which one of the most significant in the history of Iran. His body went missing and was probably stolen and discarded by the bandits who took possession of the gold sarcophagus he was buried in. From here it was another 79km to the archaeological site of Persepolis passing through a broad valley of irrigated green agricultural land. Just after was a grand display of spectacular ridges rising high above the green fields with villages of boxed-shaped houses at their base. Approx 12km from Persepolis we visited the Naqsh-e Rustam Archaeological Site which is in fact a necropolis containing the tombs of 4 Kings of the Achaemenid Empire: Darius I, Darius II, Artaxerxes I & Xerxes I. Each is carved into a rugged vertical cliffside mountain with reliefs below each tomb. They are certainly tombs fit for a king.

 

We reached our grand old hotel just outside the Persepolis archaeological at 5pm where we stayed the night. I cannot recall another trip where I actually stayed at an archaeological site. This was a very fancy place with rooms decorated with royal blue ceiling to floor curtains. Sadly, internet used a sign-on screen (like in Isfahan), which my laptop VPN does not accept so I had to get the guy in reception to hot spot me. What a champ – worked beautifully. Early to bed tonight as prep for run tomorrow.

 

This was the easiest (route) and coolest run to date. One straight road of 3km merging into another at 2km then back again. I had to climb two fences to get out of the hotel complex since it was inside the Persepolis complex, ie, AFTER the ticket gates. After a great run and “garden brekkie” we simply walked into the complex at 9am. It is up there in preservation and size, especially for its age.

 

The 1979 UNESCO site, Persepolis was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (550–330BC). The earliest remains of Persepolis date back to 515 BC. The city, acting as a major centre for the empire, housed a palace complex and citadel designed to serve as the focal point for governance and ceremonial activities. It exemplifies the Achaemenid style of architecture. The complex was taken by the army of Alexander the Great in 330 BC, and soon after, its wooden parts were completely destroyed by fire. The complex was raised high on a walled platform, with five "palaces" or halls of varying size, and grand entrances. These structures can be seen today as you will see in the photos below. Most archaeologists conclude that Persepolis was primarily used for celebrating Nowruz, the Persian New Year, held at the spring equinox, which is still an important annual festivity in Iran. It may be better to think of Persepolis as a single ceremonial complex rather than a "city". The best view of the entire site is from the Tomb of Artaxerxes III, which is carved into a hillside cliff overlooking the site. I am puzzled as to why Iran retained the name “Persepolis” which is the Greek name that Alexander the Great gave the complex. The Iranians know it as Takht-e Jamshid – why did they not use this name ? Our guide says because tourists could never pronounce or remember it !!! All I know is that whatever you call it the photos below struggle to do it justice in real life…

At 1130am we bad farewell to this place that must be visited and headed the short 71km hop into the city of Shiraz – our southernmost stop in Iran. The drive there was flat and mainly agricultural but still around 1600m elevation. This very crowded city emerged at around 1pm. Check-in was at 2pm so I used the time to stock up on dinner. There are no supermarkets as we know them in Shiraz. Only small individual family-run shops that sell specific items. Most will sell a range of small food and drink items but there are tiny shops (almost stalls) that sell only toiletries or only paper products or only plastics etc. Just like Isfahan. Tehran and Kashan on the other hand had western-like supermarkets selling everything. I got back at 2pm but check-in was delayed to 3pm, lasting to 4pm so our orientation walk was cancelled. No worries. Used the free time to blog and email and settled down to a nice movie and local kebab dinner.

 

Shiraz (Pop 1,743,000, Elev 1,505) is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and has been a regional trade centre for over a thousand years. The earliest reference to the city dates back to 2000BCE. The modern city was founded by the Sasanian dynasty and restored by the Umayyad Caliphate in 693AD. It was the capital of 9 dynasties. In the 13th century, Shiraz became a leading centre of the arts. Shiraz is one of the top tourist cities in Iran and is known as the city of poets, literature, and gardens. Shiraz has historically had major Jewish and Christian communities. The crafts of Shiraz consist of inlaid mosaic work of triangular design; silverware and pile carpet-weaving. Dominant industries in the city include the production of cement, sugar, fertilizers, textile products, wood products, metalwork, and rugs. Shiraz also has a major oil refinery and is a major centre for Iran's electronic industries: 53 percent of Iran's electronic investment has been centred in Shiraz. The city is home to Iran's first solar powerplant.  Recently, Shiraz's first wind turbine has been installed.

 

The following morning, we climbed aboard a bus (same as Isfahan) and started our tour of attractions. Shiraz has way too many cars and not enough tree-lined boulevards like Isfahan. As a result, the sun is constantly on you. It topped at 32C today. We saw the following attractions from 9am to 2pm: Nasir al-Mulk Mosque (Pink Mosque, 19thC Prayer Hall with Lattice Windows where Women put on a Chador), Tomb of Hafez the Poet, UNESCO Iran Eram Garden (1000yrs old with 19thC Palace inside belongs to Agricultural Faculty of Iran Uni), Karim Khan Citadel, Vakil Mosque, South Vakil Bazaar. What surprised me was the masses of Iranian people from other cities/towns visiting these attractions. Good to see but took me ages to shoot scenes and photos without people in them. The Pink Mosque was unique in that sunlight poured through stain-coloured windows creating a kaleidoscope of colour inside the Mosque. The other surprise was the Hafez Tomb. This was the most crowded. Why ? Allow me to explain who Hafez was and what he did…

 

Mohammad Shams al-Din Hafez or just “Hafez” (1325 – 1390) was a lyric poet, who was born, lived and died in Shiraz. His poems were mostly about love, spirituality and protest which are themes that endure today amongst Iranians let alone 700 years ago. This is why people of all ages flock to his tomb in central Shiraz. The tradition of tapping three times on the grave of the Persian poet Hafez is a custom associated with seeking blessings and spiritual guidance. The practice is believed to be a way of connecting with the poet's spirit and asking for help with life's challenges, particularly in matters of love and understanding.

 

This explained the masses of people here and of all ages and equal numbers of male and female. Even toddlers and babies !!! For the first time I was at a busy attraction dedicated to a poet instead of a religious or political or military figure. We finished the group tour at Vakil Mosque at 2pm and the rest of the day was free. Attractions in Shiraz and indeed Iran are cheap – most are $6AUD. Food and drink is also cheap. $3-5AUD for local restaurant entrees and $5-12AUD for mains. Whole BBQ chickens for $6AUD. Taxis are also cheap - $3AUD to travel 2-3km. Petrol is CRAZY CHEAP at $0.60AUD per litre !!! I walked back to the hotel solo via the very narrow and busy Vakil Bazaar and picked up some supplies and dinner along the way. It was on my return to the hotel that the hotel cleaning lady approached me to reveal the STOP PRESS moment at the start of this blog, which is the best personal experience I have had to date on this trip. Please enjoy the sites of Shiraz…

Then another miracle came. As I nibbled on cheese and olives looking at the attractions of the day, I noticed a map pin that I had missed – it was the 12^th Century built “Shah Cheragh Holy Shrine” and according to my notes (based on Google, Lonely Planet & Tripadvisor), the MUST-SEE attraction of Shiraz, so much so that if you have not seen this then you have not seen Shiraz !!! Why did we not see this in our Group Tour ? Why did I miss this in my solo walk. It was 5pm and I was not completely happy so I picked myself up and set out to walk the 1.7km to this attraction. Shiraz is ablaze with people in the late afternoon leading to sunset. It is cool and after work so it brings everyone out to shop. I arrived at the site but the main tourist entrance was closed and locked. I was determined. I started walking around the perimeter high-wall until I reached a guard house in a back alley. I was upset and about to give up when I felt an urge to approach what looked like a military guard. I pointed to the name of the Shrine in Farsi and motioned to my camera to visit it and take photos. Much to my amazement he nodded and pointed to a sign at the entrance to his guard house. It read: “Welcome Dear Tourist. Please wait a few minutes for a guide to take you to the Shrine”. I almost fainted. This was the miracle. It was meant to be. The guard spoke Farsi into his walkie-talkie and 15min later a young girl in a black Chador approached and welcomed me. She wore a large sash with the words “International Shrine Guide” emblazoned on it. She introduced herself as Setareh and motioned me to follow her. We walked through several passages and through a mosaic gate to reveal one of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen bathed in the light of a setting sun. I shall not describe what I saw here but allow the photos below to bear witness. What I must tell you is that this Shia Islam complex is so Holy that it attracts 25 million pilgrims per year !!! Why ? Because the main Shrine houses the body of Sayyid Ahmad, a cleric and son of Musa al-Kazim (745 – 799AD), the 7^th Shia Imam of Persia. The complex also has a second, smaller Shrine housing the body of Sayyid’s younger brother and a third Shrine housing the body of Ayatollah Seyed Abdolhossein Dastgheyb (1913 – 1981), who was an important cleric and personal advisor to Ayatollah Khomeini, the first Supreme Leader and founding father of the Iranian Republic. This cleric was assassinated in a bomb explosion during the revolution so is revered as a martyr of the highest order. I was so lucky to enter the shrines and gaze upon the tombs of all these figures in Iranian history. I could not do this without a guide. This is a miracle that I will never forget and leave with you to see…

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IRAN AND PERSIA:

 

The term “Persia” is often used interchangeably to describe “Iran” but the two terms are not exactly the same. Persia is the name of the ancient empire that existed from 550BC to 331BC. It occupied all of what is today Iran plus a lot more. It was established by Cyrus the Great as part of his Achaemenid dynasty. The empire was so large and lasted such a long time that the name stuck. The term Iran was also used during this dynasty but it referred to a particular ethnic group called the Aryan peoples. After the end of the Persian Empire the term Iran took over and became the political name of the area and eventually the country from 1935. When you hear Persia now it used to describe the empire and not the modern-day country of Iran even though the largest ethnic group in modern day Iran are descendants of the Persian ethnic group.

END OF POST