Parsian Shiraz

... out in nearby Shush). Persepolis' golden age came to an abrupt and devastating end at the hands of the armies of Alexander the Great in 330 BC, with historians still not sure if the destruction occurred after a drunken party got out of hand, or as retribution for the Achaemenids sacking Athens years earlier.<br><br>Our driver, who had lived for many years in Wellington before returning to Iran, guided us around the site for 3 hours, explaining the relevance of the ...

... He may have to fly to Uzbekistan rather than go through Turkmenistan as he may not get a Turkmen visa. I don't think there's much more to tell but hopefully you're now happy to know that Sam has in fact not died in an Iranian protest. I shall continue to keep you updated if anything more happens while he is in a country where travel pod is banned.<br><br>Good work Mr. Angell, although everything was in Esfahan, not Tehran, but I've changed it now. <br>Thanks again I Dog!<br>

... for their Iranian visas. After numerous photos of one of the Citadel&#8217;s corner towers, one of which stands at a precarious angle due to ancient water damage, we went through the gates and into the palace, which now houses a museum. Why is it that our mind&#8217;s eye instinctively tries to straighten an object that is not? Anyone who has photographed the Leaning Tower of Pisa will know what I mean. <br> <br><br>The palace ...

... in the bazaar drinking tea while he explained the intricacies of carpet weaving and design. It was good to have a connection since he gave us a great deal on carpets, so now the only trick is to make sure we can get them home past US customs - keep your fingers crossed. We also spent a day in nomad country, about a 3-hour drive from Shiraz. There is a small population of nomads in Iran that continue to live the lifestyle they've ...

... commercial gagnant en importance alors qu'il eut la chance d'être épargné par les envahisseurs Mongol et Tamerlane ; elle profita surtout du ...

... quite tersely that this was the first time that the optional tour had been cancelled. I really think that he cancelled the lunch as some sort of retribution for the lack of enthusiasm for his optional tour which I found disappointing. Greta, our resident United Nations representative (from Kiwiland) quietly - I wasn't ear-wigging, she was in the seat in front of me - assured Mohsen on the way into Shiraz on the bus that people ...

... was already full with couch-surfers. When I came into the apartment, I had to watch my step as there were already three people sleeping on the floor beside a pile of backpacks, and in another room were Mansour's two friends who were still awake and playing computer games. After shaking their hands, they set up my blanket on the most comfortable persian rug I have ever felt. We may have been sleeping on the floor, but it was just as comortable as any bed I could find back ...

... these volunteer "guides" that befriend foreign tourists in the bazaar in order to make commission by taking them to souvenir and carpet shops. Since I had no intention of buying anything, I let her and her mother follow me around for a while and then bid them goodbye politely. Nothing overt about the nature of her solicitation was ever said. She even acted as if she and her mother were on a shopping trip themselves. Such was the way of Persian culture: meaning and ...

... given their blonde hair and fair skin. Our female Iranian tour guide to Persepolis, a no-nonsense and bossy young lady, more than once pointed out to the two blonde beasts that the Germans and Iranians are both Aryan races. She proudly reiterated the Iranian claim that long ago the Aryan people of Central Asia had split up into two groups, one migrating to Europe and the other to Iran, which derived its name from "Aryan." Therefore, as the theory goes, my two ...

... I have been told that the Esfahanis are shrewd and calculating, that people in Qom are religious fanatics and that all men in Qazvin are gay. But they have nothing but good things to say about the Shirazis. "Oh, the Shirazis are the most cultured and genteel people in Iran. They will treat you beautifully when you go there." Such generalizations are never true of course. But Shiraz is indeed a city blessed with a temperate climate and a fertile valley. As the bus was approaching the ...