Tehran
This imaginative sculpture park and museum occupies two former prisons, one for criminals and one for political prisoners, and the grounds surrounding…
Must-see attractions in Iran
Iran
A Unesco World Heritage site since 2012, this 53m tower in Gonbad's centre looks like a buttressed-brick spaceship with the cross-section of a 10-pointed…
Southeastern Iran
Walking to and exploring this mountaintop fortress ruin is the highlight of a visit to Qa'en, especially if you time your descent to coincide with sunset,…
Tehran
A hub for the contemporary and traditional arts in Tehran, this complex has several gallery spaces over two levels exhibiting works in all media on a…
Iran
Sitting in a lonely bowl of mountains, ringed by 1500-year-old walls, these Unesco-listed ruins are one of the most memorable sights of western Iran. In…
Esfahan
Built as a pleasure pavilion and reception hall, using the Achaemenid-inspired talar (columnar porch) style, this beautifully proportioned palace is…
Esfahan
Punctuating the middle of the arcades that hem Esfahan's largest square, this study in harmonious understatement complements the overwhelming richness of…
Iran
Carved into the side of Kuh-e Bisotun (Mt Bisotun) is a series of bas-reliefs and cuneiform inscriptions dating from 521 BC. The inscriptions, written in…
Tourist Village of Abbas Barzegar & Family
Iran
The fluent English-speaking daughter of Abbas Barzegar acts as the tour guide around this one-of-a-kind family museum that showcases rural life in Bavanat…
Esfahan
Built between 1648 and 1655 with the encouragement of the Safavid rulers, Kelisa-ye Vank in the Armenian neighbourhood of Jolfa is the historic focal…
Esfahan
Built at the very end of the 16th century as a residence for Shah Abbas I, this six-storey palace also served as a monumental gateway to the royal palaces…
Shiraz
Sayyed Mir Ahmad, one of Imam Reza’s 17 brothers, was hunted down and killed by the caliphate on this site in AD 835 and his remains are housed in a…
Esfahan
There are few better ways to spend an afternoon than strolling along the Zayandeh River, crossing back and forth on the river's 11 bridges – or even…
Shiraz
There is no better place to understand Hafez’s place in the nation’s psyche than at his tomb and the memorial garden within which it is set. Iranians have…
Tehran
Built in the 1930s, and one of the highlights of the Sa’d Abad Museum Complex, most of what you see in this 5000-sq-metre, 54-room palace dates from…
Esfahan
Arguably the finest of Esfahan’s bridges, with traces of the original paintings and tiles that decorated its double arcade still visible, Pol-e Khaju was…
Shiraz
The city’s ancient trading district is home to several bazaars dating from different periods. The finest and most famous of these is the Bazar-e Vakil, a…
Iran
This magnificent little museum, housed in the residence of a former khan, comes as something of a surprise given its location in the sleepy village of…
Iran
Jolfa’s tourist pearl is this stunning, Unesco-listed Armenian church, whose origins date back to St Bartholomew. On a wooded hill above the Aras River,…
Aramgah-e Shah Ne’matollah Vali
Southeastern Iran
The physical and spiritual heart of Mahan is filled by the impressive mausoleum complex of dervish-mystic and poet Shah Ne’matollah Vali, who died in 1431…
Iran
The town's Friday mosque is the highlight of a visit to Na'in. Constructed between the 10th and 11th centuries, it was one of the first mosques built in…
Iran
Bishapur (literally, 'Shapur’s City') was the grand capital of the Sassannian king, Shapur I. Shapur and his armies defeated the Romans three times, and…
Iran
The extensive Katale Khor cave system, rated by locals as the best in western Iran, is 150km south of Zanjan, off the Soltaniyeh–Hamadan road near Garmab…
Iran
An exquisite alpine lake lies nestled under the southern wall of the Oshtoran Kuh range in a protected nature reserve. Beginning at the ranger hut and car…
Iran
The palaces in the southwestern corner of the site are believed to have been constructed during the reigns of Darius and Xerxes. The Tachara is easily the…
Iran
With an extravagant hall measuring almost 70 sq metres and supported by 100 stone columns, this palace formed one of two principal reception areas in…
Esfahan
The Armenian quarter of Esfahan dates from the time of Shah Abbas I, who transported a colony of Christians from the town of Jolfa (now on Iran’s northern…
Shiraz
Begun in Karim Khan’s time, this mosque next to the tribal arts arcade in the Bazar-e Vakil has an impressive tiled portal, a recessed entrance decorated…
Southeastern Iran
The Kaluts is a large area in which the rough, rocky desert has been sculpted by millennia of wind erosion into long lines of photogenic formations. Much…
Tehran
Built between 1958 and 1968 this remarkable palace contrasts clean-lined functionality on the outside with opulent, European-royal-style furniture and…
Iran
Many traditional Gilani cottages have been reassembled in the grounds of this fascinating open-air museum that strives to represent the different cultural…
Qeshm Island
In the island's northwest lies this sinuous canyon seemingly carved into the earth by a master builder. The exposed rock and lack of plant life are quite…
Iran
The city was originally approached along the Shapur River in the steep-sided Chogan Gorge. A short walk from Bishapur, the rocky walls here are home to…
Iran
Persepolis sits on top of a great plinth of stone blocks and today, as in ancient times, visitors seeking entry to the city must approach this elevated…
Esfahan
This beautiful new museum in the Armenian Quarter in Jolfa houses a fine collection of traditional Persian instruments. A labour of love for the private…
Qeshm Island
This lovely island off the southern coast of Qeshm is surrounded by impressive soft-coral reefs that offer great diving. Hengam is also known for its…
Iran
Similar to the 'painted deserts' of outback Australia and badlands America, but on a much larger scale, these incredibly coloured hills are visible to…
Iran
Rimmed by mountains, and quite beautiful in the right light, this scenic lake is an easy half-hour stroll from the centre of Marivan. In summer you can…
Esfahan
The 298m-long Si-o-Seh Bridge was built by Allahverdi Khan, a favourite general of Shah Abbas I, between 1599 and 1602. It served as both bridge and dam,…
Qeshm Island
One of the most spectacular natural sites on Qeshm Island, the Valley of Stars features a series of majestic gorges and canyons that were formed over…
