Eram Hotel Restaurant
Friendly service, excellent value salad bar (eat as much as you can) and a great menu. Huge portion for an average €3! The decor is somewhere in in the 1960s or 1970s but nevermind. Caucasian Kebab, served as fajitas sizzling on a hot plate with Iranian flat bread (see photo) instead of tortillas was yummy! more
Esteghlale Hotel
At the price of 120,000 rials (€8) for a room without a toilet, but with a shower, it is rather poor value for Iran. However, the location is unrivaled - a few hundred yards from the Arg. Management is okay, but I think they kind of abuse the fact that the hotel is mentioned in the Lonely Planet. Oh, yeah - the rooms come with a fan and I think an air-con or a heater - something I did not switch on... more
Hafiz and Sadi mausoleums
Every tourist to Iran visits, without exception, enchanting Isfahan, but few tourists venture a little bit down until Shiraz, and they miss a wonderful town.
From Shiraz (Iran capital during several periods in the past), a pretty town founded in the VII century, you can reach Persepolis, UNESCO Patrimony of Humankind.
There is also a lovely mosque called “Masjid-i-Jama” (Masjid is an Arabic word meaning Mosque).
Furthermore, in historical Shiraz was born the poets Hafiz, whose real name was Mohammed Shams od-Din but obtained the title of Hafiz (the one who has memorized the Koran), and Sadi, whose both mausoleums are tourist highlights.
I went to Shiraz in a kind of pilgrimage to pay respect to the authors of Divan and The Orchard, and was not deceived at all. more
PERSEPOLIS (The city of the Persians)
Based in Shiraz, where I visited the monuments of Sadi and Hafiz, I made 1 day excursion to Persepolis, at about 60 kms.
Since transport is so cheap, almost for free, I decided not to hitchhike or walking and to get there by taxi instead, something that I do very rarely.
Persepolis was one of the ancient capitals of Persia and the residence of the Aquemenides Kings. I saw the rests of several buildings over a great terrace on stone with thirteen great columns still standing, surrounded by a wall of bricks. The Palace and the Audience Hall of Dario I are ornamented by sculptures in relief representing Aquemenide ceremonies.
Unfortunately, Alexander of Macedonia burned and razed this old town in the year 330 B.C. (and he is still called the Great!)
After their defeat by the Greeks, the angry Persians killed their king Dario III.
People are very friendly in Iran; even young girls will smile at you in the streets and will stop you to ask you questions to practice their English. more
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