Shiraz
is considered as the heartland of Persian culture! It`s a beautiful city in
southwestern Iran with
1,050,000 inhabitants, around 200 km from the Persian Gulf, at an elevation of
1,486 metres above sea level in the Zagros
Mountains. Its location in a fertile big
valley there is stable and pleasant climate, perhaps little bit hot.
Shiraz it's the
capital of Fars
Province with 3.8
million inhabitants. It's well known for great poets,
beautiful, parks, gardens and flowers. Before the Islamic revolution this city
was also famous for its fantastic wine. Due to natural advantages
Shiraz became one of
the greatest cities in the Islamic world throughout the 1300 and 1400 centuries.
Shiraz has been the
capital of Iran several
times.
Shiraz lays spread out
like an immense garden on a green plain at the foot of the
Tang
Allah-o-Akbar Mountains
. The
rivers were dry, but life around flourished.
It was amazing
to see so many people were gathering along the road when I was approaching the
city centre in a car. It was early in the afterno on. People had
just started their picnic, and they were sitting on the ground almost in the
middle of the busiest roads.
The
noise and pollution from the
traffic didn't seem to bother them. I could see that group of families,
relatives and friends had a wonderful time, eating, drinking and talking. This
was something people did regularly so far it didn't rain, but it seldom does in
Shiraz.
| Photo. Old fortification in Shiraz, Iran -
one of may wonder in the city. |
 |
Landmarks in
Shiraz include the
tombs of the celebrated Persian poets Hafez and Saadi, both lived in the city;
the 9th century Atigh Friday Mosque, the 14th century Shah Cheragh shrine, the
17th century Great Library and the 19th century Nizar-e Molk mosque.
It was great to
admire the Eram
Garden, the tombs
of the Persian poets Saadi and Hafiz, Nasirol-Molk Mosque,
Afif-Abad
Garden and Vakil
Mosque. The unique charm of the city was obvious something that really turned me
on.
Photo. The Eram
Garden.
Religious
places
It was
interesting to visit sacred places of different religions in
Shiraz. These
religions are practised without any problems. Some interesting places to visit
were the temple of
Zoroastrians,
synagogue of Jews, church of
Christians,
mosque of Muslims and khanghah (temple) of Dervishes.
Mosques
The unique
aspect about Persian architecture, it is its simple structure combined with
lavish use of surface ornamentation and colour. It has elements of courtyards,
arcades, iwans (doorways/gates in to the courtyards). The typical Persian mosque
design is developed from the plan of the Prophet Mohammed's house in
Medina.
Jame Mosque:
Jame Mosque is
one of the oldest buildings of the early Islamic period in
Fars. Its
architectural technique and high iwan are reminiscent of the Sassanid
constructions which have supplied a model for imitation. This ancient mosque
belongs to the fourth century A.H. (10th century A.D.) and its mihrab must have
been built around A.H. 363 (A.D. 973).
Photo. Jame Mosque, Shiraz, in
Fars
province.
This mosque
possesses a very spacious crescent-shaped iwan, opens the southern side and
walled at the back. Adjoining the back wall, there stands the mihrab, which is a
later addition. In another part of the mosque,
there is a minaret, which may have belonged to the original structure of this
monument.
Masjid-e
Vakil Mosque:
According to
Islamic historians, Shiraz came into
existence only after the Arab conquest of
Iran. The
Arab invasion, in fact, contributed to its importance and by the 13th century,
Shiraz had grown into
one the largest and most popular Islamic cities of the era.
The most
interesting buildings in Shiraz are located in
the old part of the town. Among them are about a dozen mosques, some with
bulb-shaped domes, and others with pear shaped domes and cupolas. These mosques
are mostly scattered in among the old houses.
The
Masjid-e-Vakil (the Regent Mosque) has an impressive portal containing faience
panels in floral designs with various shades and colours on each side. The
northern iwan (veranda) is decorated with shrubs and flowers, mainly
rose bushes. The ceiling in Mihrab Chamber (altar) is covered with small cupolas
resting on twisted columns.
Vakil Bazaar in
Fars
province
Vakil Bazaar,
which is close to the Masjid-e Vakil Mosque (located in Darb-e-Shahzadeh - Gate
of Prince), was built by Karim Khan Zand. Here silversmiths and jewellers still
apply their trades of exquisite inlay work. Persian carpets and other
traditional Persian handicrafts may also be purchased in the Vakil
Bazaar.
This bazaar has
five entrances with two rows of shops (Hojreh), situated north-south and east-west direction and perpendicular to each other. It
displays a beautiful architecture with wide corridors and high ceilings along
with openings which allow air circulation and penetration of light. The range of
products was incredible, and I wondered if they had any flying carpets.
The bazaars
where always crowdy when I walked around just as they are in Tehran,
Esfahan
and other cities in Iran. It was
relaxing in one way because the vendors (sellers) were friendly. They just sat
down and waited for customers to emerge. They didn't bother me or push as I have
experienced other places in the world. In another way it was
not so relaxing since there where reckless drivers on bikes and
motorcycles. I had to watch up for vehicles coming from everywhere without
warning. In a high speed they broke through the dense crowd of people walking
around.
Poets
Shiraz is also the
birthplace and resting place of the great Persian poets Hafez and Saadi.
Therefore it has also been called the cultural capital of
Iran because
of its men of letters.
There are two
remarkable monuments in Shiraz. One is
dedicated to Hafez, the master of Persian lyrical poetry. The other one is
dedicated to Sa'adi, the author of the famous Golestan, a book of sonnets called
the Garden of
Roses.
Photo. The tomb of the big poet Hafez in Shiraz.
The celebrated
Hafez was born in Shiraz in 1326 A.D. in
Shiraz. He is said to
have known all the Koran by heart, hence earning the nick-name of Hafez
(Memorizer). With Ferdowsi and Saadi, he considered to be the most popular and
best known poet in Iran. His
collection (divan) consists of 693 poems, of which 573 are odes.
Saadi died in
1291 at the age of 100. He asked for the following inscription on his tomb: "From the tomb of Saadi, son of
Shiraz - The perfume of love
escapes - Thou shall smell it still one thousand years after his
death".
Photo. The tomb of the big poet Saadi in Shiraz.
The many
Iranians who come to visit these gardens of rest briefly place two fingers on
the flag-stone of their favourite poet as a gesture of tribute.
Teahouses
When you get
tired of wandering around all the interesting sites in Esfahan and
Shiraz, take a rest at
one of many teahouses in these cities. Both Esfahan and
Shiraz have meeting
places for people who like to socialise. To really sense the Iranian life and
culture the probably best way to do it is to drink tea and smoke water pipe at
these places.
These wonderful, mystical
Iranian cities, Esfahan and
Shiraz, have retained their
beauty. They are visions that have inspired human imagination for centuries.
Much more than anything else, they are innately and inexhaustibly symbolic.
Writers render it, Iranians worship it, travellers enjoy it, and the cities
magnetic singularity remains undiminished. Though speechless wonders reign in
their presence. Travellers who experience these cities will speak of them
for years. I will definitely do it!
Stein Morten Lund, 5 September
2004
Additional
information
****************************************************************************************************************
Pars
Tourist Agency (P.T.A.), Iran
Presentation:
It`s a
private Persian incoming agency. It's located in Shiraz under the license
number 1/47026 issued by Iran Travel & Tourism Organization (ITTO) (www.farstourism.org). They organise a
wide variety of tours for individuals as well as groups such as inbound
historical, cultural, anthropology, mountaineering, trekking, adventure and
natural excursion tours.
Speciality - exploring nomad tribes:
For real adventurers P.T.A.
arranges expeditions in to rural areas to search for nomad tribes in Iran's high
mountains. Some of the tribes are Bakhtiari, Lor, Qashqai. They live in a
beautiful landscape that will take your breath away. You will be able to explore
the tribe's daily life and unique culture in a natural way. Sometimes you will
experience a wedding, birth, fighting game, dancing, festival or other things.
Take your time and see what happens. Then it will be an experience of a
lifetime.
Contact info:
Phone: 0098-711-2223163 and 0098-711-2240645. Mobile
Phone (around the clock) 0098-9171118514.
Fax: 0098-711-2229693
Letters:
Pars Tourist Agency (P.T.A), Zand Street 71358, Next to Iran Cinema, Shiraz,
Iran.
Website: www.key2persia.com
E-mail: info@key2persia.com
****************************************************************************************************************
Facts about
Iran (source: ITTO, Iranian Tourist
& Touring Organisation):
Geography: Iran is located in the Middle
East, bounded to the north by the CIS and the
Caspian Sea, the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan, the south by the Persian Gulf
and the Gulf of Oman, and the west by Iraq and Turkey.
Area: 1,648,000 sq km (636,296 sq
miles).
Population: 68,727,000 (1998
estimate).
Population
density: 35 per sq km.
Capital:
Tehran. Population:
8,042,584 (1994).
The center and
east of the country is largely barren undulating desert, punctured by Qantas
(irrigation canals and tree eases, but there are
mountainous regions in the west along the Turkish and Iraqi borders and in the
north where the Alburz
Mountains rise
steeply from a fertile belt around the Caspian Sea.
Currency: Iranian Rials. Notes are in
denominations of RL 10000, 5000, 2000, 1000, 500, 200 and 100. Coins are
in denominations of 250, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. All foreign currencies such
as Deutsch Marks, Pound
Sterling, US Dollars
and Yens can be exchanged.
Credit cards
(Mastercard & Visa) are not accepted! Check the
opportunities here, but aware of the restrictions.
Passport/Visa: Entry restrictions:
Nationals of Israel will be refused entry under all circumstances.
Passports: Valid
passport required by all. Visas: Required by all except nationals of
Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Croatia,
Saudi
Arabia and
Turkey (for
a stay not exceeding 3 months). Requirements are subject to change at short
notice, and you are advised to contact the appropriate Embassy or
Consular Section.
Types of visa:
Entry, Transit, Business, Tourist and Journalist. Fee varies according to
nationality of applicant, type of visa and the existing regulation between
countries.
Note: A visa
cannot be issued for passports which have a validity of less than 6
months. Exit permits required by all (often included with visa). Validity: Entry
visa: up to 3 months from date of authorization.Transit visa:
maximum of 10 days. Application to: Embassy or Consulate. For addresses, see
entries.
Application
requirements: Two completed application forms, four passport, sized photos and
visa fees.
Note: To acquire a tourist
visa within 10 days, it would be easier to apply to local tour operators in
Iran.
It's easier to get a visa
when you have a formal invitation from someone in
Iran, for example a travel
agency.
Temporary
residence: All foreigners wishing to stay for more than three months must obtain
a residence permit.
Religion: Predominantly Islamic; mostly
Shi'ite, with a minority of Sunnis. Many
Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians also live in
Iran.
Click on the
link for more information on ITTO: www.itto.org
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