Tehran:

 

Tehran has more than 50 museum and 100 art galleries.

 

Parks:

• Jamshidieh Park which is in the Niavaran district at the base of the Kolakchal Mountain, is one of the most picturesque and beautiful parks in Tehran.

• Niavaran Park is one of Tehran's famous and most pleasant public city parks. It is located within the Niavaran district and is situated immediately south of the Niavaran Palace Complex.

• Park Mellat (Literally the Nation's Park) is situated on Valiasr Street (the longest street in the Middle East) is the largest park in Tehran situated in close proximity to the national television headquarters.

 

Wander around Tehran's massive bazaar. If you're planning on heading out into remote areas, the bazaar is an ideal and cheap place to stock up on almost anything you need. The bazaar ranges from cheap things to very expensive luxury things. You can find almost anything in Bazar, from clothing to carpets, kitchen accessories, decoratings, jewellery....

When in the Bazar, don't miss out the 'Sharafol-eslam' restaurant located in the Bazar. It is very famous for its kebabs and chickens, excellent food, excellent quality, you'll never have enough. It gets really crowded though, which requires some patience.

 

Shiraz:

Must see:

• Hafez Tomb - Mausoleum of Hafez- Hafez (1324-1391), the greatest master of Persian lyric poetry and the literary giant of the 14th century in the west and central Asia, was born in Shiraz, lived all his life here, sang its praises in unsurpassed verse and was buried in a garden known after him as the Hafezieh, in the northeast part of the city. The extraordinary popularity and the wide appeal of this great poet among all Persian-speaking people make his tomb a cherished placed, visited by all. This mausoleum too was rebuilt in the early 50’s. A flight of stone steps reaches to the tomb under a tiled cupola resembling a dervish’s hat. The tombstone is beautifully inscribed with two of Hafez’s poems or Ghazals. Visitors to the tomb can still, as they have done for centuries, take the omens, or faals, by picking a page at random from a volume of Hafez, kept for this purpose. Entry 150,000 rials for foreigners.

• Saadi Tomb - Recommended. Mausoleum of Saadi: Here lie the earthly remains of one of Iran’s greatest poets-Sa’di. Even from the very early days after the poet’s death, the mausoleum of Sa’di became a place of pilgrimage to lovers of poetry and literature. In 1808 AD Karim Khan Zand renovated the mausoleum. The tomb was rebuilt in the early 50’s. The porch with its tall columns of pinkish marble is a traditional feature of Iranian architecture.

• Arg of Karim Khan - formerly a prison, but now an architectural wonder on exhibit. The design of the citadel combines military and residential architecture, for it was the home of Karim Khan and the military centre of the dynasty. Tile works depicting legendary tales were added at the entrance gate of the citadel during the Qajar period.

 

 

 

 

Afif Abad Gardens

• Afif abad Garden (Bagh-e-afifabad) - a garden and houses owned by the Ghavami family. Highly recommended. It contains a former royal mansion, a historical weapons museum, and a Persian garden that is one of the oldest gardens in Shiraz, all open to the public.

• Eram Garden (Bagh-e-eram) - Highly recommended. This stunningly beautiful complex contains a vast network of gardens, as well as a colorful palace and a system of small artificial rivers flowing throughout the entire area. Tourists can admire the wonderful flora or follow the little canals' intricate system. Make sure the weather is sunny before coming here!

• Narangestan Qavam (Bagh-e-naranjestan)is both traditional and historical house, It was built in the mid-to-late 19th century by Mirza Ibrahim Khan. The Qavam "Naranjestan" preserves the elegance and refinement enjoyed by the upper class families during the 19th century. The mirrored porch was a focal point of the house, overlooking onto gardens lined with date palms and flowers.The house today is a museum open to the public. Highly recommended.

• Delgosha Garden (Bagh-e-delgosha)

• Nasir al-Mulk Mosque it was built during the Qājār era, the mosque has extensively colored glass in its facade, and other traditional elements such as panj kāseh-i (five concaves) in its design.

• Jame’e Atigh Mosque

• Vakil Mosque was built between 1751 and 1773, during the Zand period; however, it was restored in the 19th century during the Qajar period where its exuberant floral decorative tiles date from.

• New mosque

• Vakil Bath - An old public bath, highly recommended.

• Vakil Bazaar - has beautiful courtyards, caravansarais, bath houses, and old shops where hundreds of vendor are housed, which makes it deemed among the best places in Shiraz to buy all kinds of Persian rugs, spices, copper handicrafts and antiques. Highly recommended.

• Saray-e-Moshir - a caravansary at the south entrance of Bazaar Vakil, which now functions as exhibition space for Iranian handicrafts. highly recommended.

• Mesgarha Bazaar

• Moshir-e-Now Bazaar

• Shah Cheragh - Highly recommended. Seyed Amir Ahmad, known as Shah-e Cheragh, the brother of Imam Reza, came to Shiraz in the latter half of the 8th century. He passed away in the city and his tomb is now a respected place of pilgrimage. The structure, tile work and the dome of the mausoleum have been rebuilt several times over the centuries. The tomb, the beautiful silver doors and the exquisite mirror work are the handicrafts of masters and contemporary artists of Shiraz.

• Abesh Khatoon Tomb

• Seyed Taj-e-din Gharib Tomb

• Sheykh Roozbahan Tomb

• Khan school

• Ghal'eye Karim Khan

• Christians Church

• Qor'an Gate (Dar vazeh Quran) - the city's main entrance. The original gate was built as an ornamental decoration by the Buwwayhids (Buwayhid dynasty) about 1000 years ago, but this was replaced 60 years ago by new gate, which is considered one of the finest architectural designs in Iran and has won numerous awards. From the the gate walk up the stone stairways to enjoy picturesque and panoramic views of Shiraz. The tomb of Khajooyeh Kermanee, a famous poet is also located here. Hidden in the alleys on the hill-side are numerous restaurants that serve the finest chelo kabob. It is an excellent place for picnics and taking photographs. It's easily reachable when coming back from Persepolis as it is on the main highway going north. You can ask your driver to drop you off there.

• Gahvareye Did

 

Isfahan:

Must see:

• Naqsh-e Jahan Square also known as shah square or imam square-1602. The square contains two mosques, a palace, and the bazaar. The square is the largest historical public square in the world after Tiananmen Square in Beijing and it is one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. The square is surrounded by buildings from the Safavid era. This a very popular place for locals to picnic on Friday and holiday evenings.

• Meydan Kohne (Kohne Square)

• Shahshahan Square

• Chaharbagh Boulevard - 1596, dating from the Saffavid era, the avenue is the most historically famous in all of Persia.

• Chaharbagh-e-khajou Boulevard

 

• Ālī Qāpū(The Royal Palace) - Early 17th Century. It is forty-eight metres high and there are seven floors, each accessible by a difficult spiral staircase. In the sixth floor music room, deep circular niches are found in the walls, having not only aesthetic value, but also acoustic. It is rich in naturalistic wall paintings by Reza Abbassi, the court painter of Shah Abbas I, and his pupils. There are floral, animal and bird motifs.

• Talar Ashraf (The Palace of Ashraf) - 1650.

• Hasht Behesht (The Palace of Eight Paradises) - 1669: Reportedly built for residence purposes of the King's harem.

• Chehel Sotoun (The Palace of forty columns) - 1647: It is called Palace of forty columns, as there are many columns, and in Iranian, 40 means many. Incidentally, there are twenty columns, and these are reflected in the pool in front, which might also account for its name. The function of this palace was for holding religious-national ceremonies and royal festivals and for receiving royal ambassadors and guests.

 

Hamadan:

Must see:

• Avicenna (Abu Ali Sina) Ibn Sina mausoleum

• Ali Sadr Cave – about 100km north of Hamedan lies this fascinating cave the world's largest water cave , best toured by pedal boat

• Baba Tahir Mausleum

• Gonbad-e Alavian

• Ganjnameh, is an ancient inscription which has been carved in granite, is composed of two sections. One on the left ordered by Darius I and the other on the right was ordered by Xerxes I .

• Hamadan Stone Lion

• Shrine of Esther and Mordechai

• Estakhr e Abbas Abad (an over-the-hill lake with a magnificent view to the city.

• Nazari House

• Hamadan Museum of Natural History, It has a considerable taxidermic collection of animals and insects. The museum also has an aquarium and live fish tanks.

• Excavated Ancient Ekbatana City

• Ester & Mordekhai tomb, . Believed to house the remains of the biblical Queen Esther and her uncle Mordechai, it is the most important pilgrimage site for Jews in the country.

• Mohammadi House

 

Kermanshah:

There are four museums that are established in old houses of Qajar period. These are Museum of ethnography at Tekyeh Moavenalmolk, and two museums of Zagros Paleolithic Museum and Museum of epigraphy and Qajar hand writings at Tekieh Biglar Baigi.

 

Mashad

Must see:

Apart from Imam Reza shrine there is a number of large parks, the tombs of historical celebrities in nearby Tus and Nishapur, the tomb of Nadir Shah and Kooh Sangi park and Mellat Park that have modern attractions for children such as the tallest Ferris wheel or fanfar in Iran and Koohestan Park-e-Shadi Complex that includes a zoo, where many wild animals are kept and which attracts many visitors to Mashhad. It is also home to the Mashhad Airbase (formerly Imam Reza airbase), jointly a military installation housing Mirage aircraft, and a civilian international airport.

Some points of interest lie outside the city: the tomb of Khajeh Morad, along the road to Tehran; the tomb of Khajeh Rabi' located 6 kilometers north of the city where there are some inscriptions by the renowned Safavid calligrapher Reza Abbasi; and the tomb of Khajeh Abasalt, a distance of 20 kilometers from Mashhad along the road to Neishabur. (The three were all disciples of Imam Reza).

Among the other sights are the tomb of the poet Ferdowsi in Tus, 24 kilometers distance, and the summer resorts at Torghabeh, Torogh, Akhlamad, Zoshk, and Shandiz.

The Shah Public Bath, built during the Safavid era in 1648, is an outstanding example of the architecture of that period. It was recently restored, and is to be turned into a museum.

 

• Imam Reza Shrine Complex is also a mausoleum to the eighth Imam of Shia Islam. Complex includes a library and Ghoharshad mosque. It is the largest mosque in the world by dimension and the second largest in capacity. Need to leave bags and cameras on the kept luggage outside, only photos-videos with mobile phone are allowed inside the complex. If you enter through the main gate you will be assigned with an English speaking guide who will take you around for free and tell you some interesting information, end up in one of the offices in which you will be offered religious books and some postcard souvenirs of the shrine, all free. If you dress modest and try to enter through the side gates, you might manage to pass and then you will be free to enter the center of the shrine which is normally not allowed to non-Muslims, just be careful as they close the gates when its time for praying. There is no entrance free. [Sep 2012]

• Nader Shah Park & Mausoleum Monument to the founder of Afshar dynasty (1736 - 1747)

• Ferdowsi Park & Mausoleum

• Gombade Sabz Mausoleum

• Torghabe, Sightseeing, village restaurants

• Shandiz,village restaurants

• Sculptures You can find beautiful and artistic sculptures in many spots all around the city. Near the Iranian new year (Norouz), each year, the city's sculpture artists get together and participate a competition for the best city element of Norouz. The best sculptures chosen by the citizens through an online survey, will remain on the spot for the rest of the year. Others will be moved to the parks and other places in which have less chance to be seen.

  

Qom

Must see:

• Jamkaran Mosque, [1]. The mosque is reserved for Muslims only. edit

• Mar'ashi Najafi Library. Library has over 500,000 handwritten texts edit

• Shrine of Fatima-al-Massumeh. The Holy Shrine is the burial place of "Fatema È Massumeh". Also buried within the shrine are three daughters of ninth, Twelver Shī‘ah Imām, Muhammad at-Taqī. Women must wear a chador to enter. edit

• Howzeh lake: Rich in natural spring water which is said to purify the heart.

• Feyze seminary: The place which devout Muslims gather up to meet and hear speeches from the religious leaders.

• Religion University