What to see in Iran

Shiraz

Ephemeral capital of the Zand dynasty in the eighteenth century, this oasis of vegetation and culture is located in the southwest of the country at the foot of the Zagros Mountains.

It is the city of roses, wine, nightingales and poets, thanks to its writers Hafez, Saadi and Khaju e Kermani, who are venerated throughout the country and to whose tombs the population comes to recite the verses of their works.

In the center of this citadel is the Karimkham Fortress built of brick and stone and with strong crenellated towers, seat of the power of all Iran in the eighteenth century.

An obligatory stop in the city is the Nasir al-Mulk Shiite Mosque of the 19th century, also called the Pink Mosque because it is the predominant color of its interior decoration. The prayer room has some beautiful stained glass windows that divide the light into a thousand colors and wooden dowels to cushion the effects of earthquakes in an area like this, of great seismic intensity.

Shiraz is a garden city and the Persian garden represents the earthly paradise, linked to ideology. The Palace and gardens of Naranjestan and Ghavam stand out, as does the Afifabad Garden which houses the Army Museum, the Garden Delgoshe and the Eram Botanical Garden, with palm trees, cypresses, ponds, rose bushes, rose hips and a luxurious mansion.

In the Vakil covered bazaar you can find bathhouses, market stalls, metal vases, tapestries, carpets, spices and fruits.