Iran

Shiraz is one of the most famous cities in all of Iran. Before the Revolution of 1979, people here sipped on fine Shiraz wines, recited poetry from the famous poet, Hafiz, explored the arts freely and enjoyed a more western way of life. Nowadays, the vineyards growing the famous Shiraz grapes have been destroyed. Hafiz poetry ...

After a crazy few days in Kerman, we headed for Shiraz, the cultural and artistic capital of Iran. Because of the ceremonies for Ashura, buses were not running for 3 days, so we had to hire a taxi to take us. In most countries, a 9 hour taxi ride with 2 stops along the way ...

We spent 3 nights in the city of Kerman and had a very memorable time with the local people, while experiencing the religious ceremony of Ashura first hand. As we’ve said before, it’s the little things in travel that really bring us joy and our time in Kerman was a prime example. Initially, we decided to ...

After 3 amazing days in the desert oasis of Garmeh, we headed off to Yazd, the center of Zoroastrian culture and unique ancient desert architecture in Iran. Taking the taxi in from the bus station, we already had a good feel for what the next days would have in store. The sprawling old town was ...

Have you ever considered hitting yourself with chains to remember a man who died 1333 years ago? This may sound strange to non-religious Westerners, but to the majority of Iran, it’s an annual occurence. The mournful, melancholy parades and nation-wide sadness is called Ashura (or Muharram) and it is all in memory of the death ...

No trip to Iran would be complete without venturing off into the desert! After spending 2 nights in the Holy City of Mashhad, we were on an overnight bus bound for the desert village of Garmeh. The bus was nice, but since it’s technically winter here in Iran (even though it’s 25 degrees during the ...