The best sights of Iran: natural and man-made

Iran. The oldest country, close and far, it was the heart of the vast empire of the past. And now her tracks have not been erased from the face of the earth. But the sights of Iran are not only archaeological and architectural monuments, it is an amazing nature and centuries-old traditions. There we will go right now, making a virtual trip to the east.

A bit about the country

One can safely say that Iran appeared on the world map for about five thousand years ago. However, then he wore another name: the state of Elam, then the Persian Empire, Persia. The modern name of the country was found in 1979. The neighbor of Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Nagorno-Karabakh, Afghanistan and Pakistan has access to the Caspian Sea, as well as to the Indian Ocean through the waters of the Oman and Persian Gulfs.

For many years, the inhabitants of these lands professed Zoroastrianism, and only in the sixteenth century did Islam reign here.

Modern Iran is a country with a well-developed economy, in which, however, there are problems. Although the country has large oil and gas reserves, its inhabitants are rather poor. Instability of the economy caused a demographic crisis: people are in no hurry to marry and have children. In this regard, many companies issued orders that all bachelors were dismissed if they did not marry until a certain period. Also, applicants were refused employment if they did not have a family.

Religion and Culture

We will look at the sights of Iran a bit later. Let me tell you a few words about the culture and religion of the country. As stated before, the dominant religion here is Islam. The rights of women are quite infringed: all women, including tourists, should wear skirts longer than knees, and wear hijab. The punishment for non-compliance with these requirements is severe - disciplinary or administrative liability. In addition, for many serious crimes in Iran, the death penalty is awarded.

Romance of deserts

The description of Iran would be incomplete without a story about its natural wonders. It at first sight seems that its territory is a continuous desert. In fact, the nature here is quite generous.

The main natural attractions of Iran are the deserts with their special climate and color. In the center of the country the many-faced Barchan desert (Deshte-Lut and Deshte-Kevir) is forgiven. It has the Thanksgiving Mosque and several villages. Also in Iran is a very beautiful Red Desert, the land of which acquires different shades due to the exit of rocks to the surface. Interesting places in it are a mosque with a tomb and a river that never dries up.

Other natural wonders

The Tabriz mountains are known for their bizarre outlines and a special red-yellow-green hue.

The park of Golestan is of special interest for lovers of wildlife. In the same area are located such sights of Iran as the waterfall and the gorge of Agsu of rare beauty, Tunnel Golestan. Places abound in animals - wild boars, leopards.

In Luristan, tourists should visit the Bishe waterfall, and you can get to it only by mountain railway with a hundred tunnels. In the mountains of Chak-Chaka you can see the Zoroastrian sanctuary, and in the gorge of Tang-e Chahu, the traveler will seem that he was in a fairy tale. Once, during the earthquake, the mountain split in two, and above the wreckage of the rock, the wind, the sun and the rains worked thoroughly. Now the walls of the gorge are adorned with bizarre figures of faces, and the surroundings are struck by the surrealism of the landscapes.

Also of interest are the stalactites of Ali-Sadr cave, near which a whole tourist and entertainment complex is built.

Interesting places of Iran created by people

As we said before, the culture of Iran is very ancient. True, it is customary to divide it into a pre-Islamic period and Muslim. The arrival of Islam in these lands greatly changed not only the cultural values of the Persians, their religion, but also the mentality. But all the same the tourist will be very interesting to look at man-made sights of the state.

Recall that this is a country with a thousand-year history, which conquered half the world. This is reminiscent of the luxurious palaces of the shahs, decorated with mosaics and doroguschimi Persian carpets, inaccessible castles and ruins of ancient cities.

Abyan is a picturesque village located in the mountains at an altitude of 2100 m. Its name translates as "Willow Paradise" and its age starts somewhere in the III-VI century.

The sotation is a small town in a mountainous area, founded at the end of the thirteenth century by Ilhan Argun Hulaguid. For some time the settlement was the capital of the country.

The settlement with the name of Pasargada is the first capital of the Achaemenid empire. Its ruins can still be seen 130 km from Shiraz today. It still retains the mausoleum of Kurosh the Great, who founded the city and the great empire.

Persepolis, a city 50 kilometers from Shiraz, was once the majestic capital of the Persians. Burned by the army of Alexander the Great, he was not wiped from the face of the earth. Archaeologists managed to find a huge library of clay tablets, unearth the palace of Darius, the Parade and Stokolonny Hall, the harem of Xerxes and the tomb of the last Persian king Darius III.

Instead of an afterword

Eat in Iran and not so famous sights. For example, Rudkham Castle, known as the Assassin's Assumption, the 400-year-old Beharadi Hotel, the Majzalja Oljeytu, protected by UNESCO, the Troglodyte village in Candovan, the mausoleum tower of Togrul Bek.

Some researchers believe that ancient Iran was described in the Bible. On the territory of the ancient city of Tabriz put the divine garden Eden. And the city of Shush is identified with Susa, which are also mentioned in the Book Book. Whatever it was, Iran is a country that has something to attract a tourist and to please him.