Day 1
Arrival at the hotel in Tehran. (3 nights stay in Tehran)
From Australia you can fly Emirates, Etihad, Virgin etc. The average cost is about $1850 but you may find cheaper special rates.
Day 2, and 3
At first glance Tehran appears to be a large and modern city: 13 million inhabitants live in an area of 1650 km2. The north of the city is bordered by the foothills of the Alburg mountains, the highest the Damavand at 5671 meters. Tehran has been the capital for only the last 200 years and is the centre of cultural, social and political life. We will go into magnificent palaces built during the Qajar and Pahlevi dynasties. Tehran possesses a wealth of museums some of which we will visit. In particular the National Museum gives a taste of the wealth of cultural treasures and historical places we will come across during our tour. And of course we will view the imperial crown jewels at Bank Melli, the Central Bank.
Day 4
We leave Tehran and drive to Kashan. Kashan is an oasis city on the edge of the Dasht e Kavir (Great Salt Desert), and has been home to human settlements since about 4000 years BC.
Wind towers, “badgirs”, have been invented and erected here to take advantage of natural power generation which is an essential necessity in summer to cool the houses. The shady Fin Gardens are a classical Persian vision of paradise on earth and were designed in the 16th century. For centuries Kashan was a merchant city, famous for its carpets, silk, ceramics, copperware and rosewater. It has some magnificent mansions and other historical buildings dating back to its prosperous trading days.
(246 kms, one night in Kashan)
Day 5, 6 and 7
We travel to Yazd, a trading post on the north-south route. The mountains supply drinking water via a system of underground canals (qanats). Yazd was a Zoroastrian centre during the Sassanid time; after 650AD and the Islamic conquest of Persia, many Zoroastrians fled to Yazd from neighbouring provinces. The Zoroastrians still make up a significant proportion of the population. The Fire Temple has a fire that has been kept alight since 470AD; there is a Tower of Silence on the outskirts of Yazd. The old city of Yazd is built of adobe and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. The Jameh, or Friday, Mosque dates from the 12th century.
(400 kms, 3 nights in Yazd)
Day 8
We drive to Kerman along the edge of the desert which is the most important city in the south east of Iran. Its strong cultural heritage shines through its local accent, poetry, handicrafts and local customs. Kerman is a prime example of a complete Islamic city: close together we find mosque, minaret, madrassa, midan, hammam, khans and the souq.
(350kms, 2 nights in Kerman)
Day 9
In Ma’an we visit the mausoleum of Nematollah Vali, a sufi mystic and poet. The stunning shrine complex is famous for is tile-works and ancient wooden doors. We can climb to the roof and take photos of the domes and minarets close by.
Day 10
It is a long drive from Kerman to Shiraz, but the landscape we pass through, the Zagros mountains, is very enjoyable.
(570km, 4 nights in Shiraz)
Day 11
Shiraz is the city of poets, nightingales and roses, the birth place of poets Saadi and Hafez; their tombs are tourists attractions for foreigners and Iranians alike. In the city of Shiraz we find many monuments dating back to the period of the Zand dynasty in the 18th century, built by Karim Khan, ruler of Iran and founder of the Zand dynasty.
Day 12
From Shiraz we visit Persepolis. Once it was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire and one of the great cities of the ancient world. It was founded by Darius I in 519BC. He planned this impressive complex of palaces as the seat of government, and to impress visitors of other kingdoms. Construction continued until Alexander the Great in 331 AD robbed the place and burnt it down. Persepolis is considered the symbol of the superpower of Persia. It is also included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
(120kms)
Day 13
We travel from Shiraz to Firuzabad. This circular designed town was founded by the Sasanian Empire, the last Persian Empire before the arrival of the Arabs. Archaeological remains of the ancient city include a palace, fortress, ziggurat, rock reliefs and a walled city.
Day 14
Today we go to Isfahan. Along the way we stop at the caravanserai of Ikad Khast
(485kms, 3 nights in Isfahan)
Day 15 and 16
The city of Isfahan has a population of 1.5 million people. It has a prosperous past. There is an abundance of fine Islamic buildings, for example the famous Medan e Emam square with the Ali Qapa palace and its high facade, the Lotfallah Mosque with its breathtaking, beautifully decorated dome, the entrance to the Isfahan Grande Bazaar (dating back to the 17th century and one of the largest bazaars in the Middle East), and the Imam Mosque one of the masterpieces of Islamic architecture. The Friday Mosque took over 1,000 years to complete and shows the different styles of the different periods in Iranian Islamic architecture. We will take a walk to the Zayande Rud and her charming historic bridges.
We will visit Vank Cathedral in the Armenian quarter of the city.
Day 17
Today we head north towards Tehran. Along the way we will stop in the holy city of Qom provided the local authorities give us their consent to do so. Late afternoon we arrive back in Tehran.
(450 kms, 1 night)
Day 18
The end of our Iran trip. After breakfast we depart to IKA airport to return home.
Please note that the content in this brochure is based on information supplied by third party suppliers and is subject to alteration with or without notice.