TEHRAN

We begin the journey with a visit to the Iranian capital Tehran: the most lively and so-called effervescent Iranian city. The Iranian megalopolis with more than 8 million inhabitants demonstrates its refinement in a chaotic atmosphere like all major cities in the world. Tehran, however, is a fundamental page in modern history as it offers travelers its extraordinary museums such as the Jewelery Museum which exhibits the most important collection in the world. The artistic progress, the architectural interventions and the rebirth of the many cafes to the traditional Persian style, has made Tehran, in recent years, a fascinating labyrinth so as to surprise the traveler in every urban corner.

The visits of Tehran:

The National Archaeological Museum of Iran traces history, art and culture through archaeological finds ranging from the sixth millennium BC to the Islamic period, the seventh century AD. At the Tehran Museum there is a splendid collection of ceramics, terracotta and bronzes and in addition, every semester, there is a temporary exhibition of objects of high archaeological value, loaned by other museums such as that of Venice, Berlin and ect .
Golestan Palace is located near the Grand Bazaar and is a remarkable complex that has its roots in the 16th century, when Tehran slowly transformed itself from a village to a real city. Golestan means “rose garden” because it is a typical example of the wonderful Persian Gardens. Modern Iranian history owes so much to the complex where Mohammad Reza Pahlavi crowned himself and proclaimed himself the successor of Cyrus the Great. Then we visit the entrance to the Grand Bazaar of Tehran where “cooked and raw” are sold and, as they say in Persian, “hen’s milk and the human soul” are also sold.

The National Jewelery Museum (open only from Saturday to Tuesday) is located in a huge safe with a 25 cm thick door, and is housed in the underground coffers of the Central Bank of Iran. The museum houses the crown jewels, the gem-encrusted globe, a riot of precious stones, diadems, crowns of the Pahlavi family and the largest existing pink diamond in the world also called Darya-e Nour (Sea of ​​Light) of 182 carats. The diamond is a symbol of the victory that Nadir, Shah in 1739, brought to Iran after his successful campaign in India.
An alternative to the Jewelery Museum is the Carpet Museum.
Transfers to the domestic airport and departure for Ahwaz. Arrival in Ahwaz, transfer to the hotel and

AHWAZ – SUSA – SHUSHTAR – ZIGGURAT

Day dedicated to sites of great importance both from a historical and archaeological point of view. To understand the history of Iran it is necessary to know the most ancient civilization of the Iranian plateau: Ilam. With this term, already in the period of the III Dynasty of Ur, the inhabitants of Mesopotamia referred to the people who were to the east of them. A few centuries later (around 1800 BC), shortly before Hammurabi’s reign in Babylon, the term Ilam also appears in the title of the kings of Susa. In fact, the term “Ilam or Elam”, born to indicate generically the foreigners who lived in the mountains to the east of the Mesopotamian lowland at the time when its elite took power in the city of Susa, giving international visibility to what was previously probably confined to the remote valleys of the Zagros range. Through Mesopotamia, the term would then arrive in the biblical books and from there it represented the only uninterrupted transmission of the existence of this ancient civilization for Europe.

Ziggurat by Chogha Zanbil: the Elamite religion is difficult to understand since, the majority of the epigraphic and archaeological sources come from Susiana: a region that has been strongly influenced by Mesopotamian culture. For this reason, many Sumerian and Akkadian deities have benefited from temples and cults in both Susa and Ilam. It is interesting to note how, during the four centuries of Elamite power on the Acropolis of Susa there were temples dedicated to both Suso-Mesopotamian divinities and to properly Elamite divinities. In fact, one has the distinct impression that religion was, as in Mesopotamia, omnipresent in the life of the Susians. Sometimes perhaps the Babylonian messengers had to present themselves before the king traveling about 35 km beyond Susa, towards the southeast, where Untash-Napirisha was having a monumental celebratory-ceremonial center called Al Untash-Napirisha “the city of Untash-Napirisha” built. and today famous with the modern name of Chogha Zanbil. This toponym, which means “basket hillock”, was probably born in reference to the impressive mass of land, shaped by atmospheric agents into the rounded shape of an overturned basket. The four-storey ziggurat or ziqqurat (105 m on each side) with a summit temple and an estimated height of over 50 m, surrounded by numerous buildings, temples and palaces, and protected by three walls. The ziggurat was formed by a massive structure in unfired bricks, reinforced by wooden beams, which also allowed the connection with the external facing in baked bricks. Each floor of the ziggurat is used for specific functions: in the highest part of the building is the actual temple “sanctum sanctorum”, with the altar and statues dedicated to the patron deity, which can only be accessed by the priest king; in the intermediate floors there are often the writing schools and along the steps are the little rooms of the priests; in the lower part there are the warehouses for storing the goods to be used in case of need, the archives to keep the clay tablets on which the contracts or the quantities of goods delivered to the temple are recorded. On the external face of the Ziggurat, in addition to the presence of the knobs, there were rows of bricks whose visible face bore an inscription. The registered rows were arranged every ten of non-registered bricks. The same inscription was placed on each brick:
I Untash-Napirisha, the son of Humpan-umena, the king of Anshan and Susa.

So that (I) can prolong my life, my prosperous dynasty, don’t see the end? … Of my offspring.
The Sian in baked brick (and) the Kukunum in (brick) Upkum I built.
I offered them to the god Inshushinak of Sian-kuk
I have raised the ziqqurat
What I have endeavored to accomplish may be pleasing in my favor to the god Inshushinak.

We continue with a visit to the complex of the Water Mills, Shushtar where you can admire the houses, the mills and an exemplary model of a hydraulic system from the Sassanid period.

Susa, starting from 2400 to 1500 BC, and until the Achaemenid kings established their dominion over Persia and, soon, over all the ancient realms of the Near East, up to Egypt, the city of Susa will be found under the Mesopotamian or Elamite domination. For the Mesopotamians, the city probably constituted a stop for expeditions launched towards the east against the Elamite kingdoms, attracted by the natural riches of the Iranian plateau, such as wood, stones and metals, not available in their territory. In the sixth century BC, under the leadership of Cyrus the Great and then Cambyses, they had conquered almost all the African and Asian lands known to the ancient Greeks: Mesopotamia, Syria, Libya, Egypt, Palestine and Asia Minor. At the beginning of the fifth century BC, the Persians were ruled by Darius, the “King of Kings”, whose government program was not to proceed to other conquests, but to give a perfect organization to the Empire he had inherited. Darius divided the entire imperial territory into twenty “provinces”, which he called Satrapìe because they were entrusted to the government of a “Sàtrapo”, that is, a governor. The Sàtrapo was endowed with extensive military and civilian powers, but could be dismissed with a simple order from the king. At the time, there were no roads, except for a few very short ones that led from a city to its sanctuary or its port on the sea.

Darius, who needed to connect his entire Empire, accomplished the extraordinary feat of building a 2683 km long road, the Royal Road, which led from Susa, in the heart of Asia, to Sardi, on the Mediterranean. Susa, first with Dario and then with Serse, became the political and administrative capital of great importance thanks to the connections of these so-called royal roads. Susa, today’s Shush, before Darius was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Islam and, in 1175 BC, the ruler Shutruk Nakhunte brought the loot taken to the ancient city of Babylon, including the famous diorite stone on which Hammurabi’s code had been engraved and was found in Shush in Iran. In a later period, after being devastated by the Assyrian ruler Ashur Banipal in 646 BC, it became the imperial residence of the Achaemenid Persians.
Return to Ahwaz. Dinner in a restaurant and overnight at the hotel.

SHIRAZ– PERSEPOLIS

In the morning after breakfast we go to discover the Nasir Mosque: the term “elegance” finds its true meaning within a sacred space with its splendid polychrome majolica tiles. It is no coincidence that the spring climate of Shiraz is reflected on the walls, the stained glass window and the exquisite tile decorations. This mosque is a masterpiece of artistic beauty from the late 1900s, also called the Rose Mosque, it is a very welcoming place, but what is striking at first sight is the chromatic world coming from the rose petals, iris and more.

The Hafez mausoleum is dedicated to the great poet of the 14th century AD, the mentor of Sufi. The meekness of Persian philosophy was born between the lines of Hafez’s poems. What makes the poet immortal is the transversality of the meaning of his poetry which highlights the fruit of his “Sufi” thought to all readers. If Shiraz is the homeland of mystical poetry it owes it to its poets. The surprise of the visit to the mausoleum consists in the fact that Hafez’s word is linked to Bacchus and Venus. So reading Hafez while walking in his heavenly garden serves to understand the contradiction that exists between a sweet Iranian stilnovista with modernity that has taken place: perhaps it might seem like a subversive poem!
The Vakil complex: Mosque and Bazaar is unique in Iran for its painted brick architecture, vaulted ceilings created to keep the air cool in summer and warm in winter.
The Saray-e-Moshir caravanserai, unique of its kind, because you enter the spring courtyard, where you can engrave a new “Iter” for the dream world; here the imagination can range. Usually the term Caravan brings to mind the colors of the desert environment, something that has to do with dromedaries and desert sand.

After lunch we leave for Persepolis, it is the sacred city founded by Darius in 524 BC, to celebrate the feast of Nowruz (new day) or the Persian New Year on 21 March. Persepolis was conquered and burned by Alexander the Great as revenge for the pillage that Xerxes made during the Persian wars. The excursion to Persepolis delves into the details of a majestic city where Darius and Xerxes brought the best craftsmen, paid and insured by royal law, to build it. Here there is not only an architectural study but with the marvelous bas-reliefs of the Apadana Palace you can leaf through an ancient anthropological book. Among the ruins you can visit its imposing palaces that never cease to impress travelers: the Palazzo Cento Colonne where the King received the generals, the Sala delle Adienze called Palazzo Apadana with a square plan and six rows of columns, up to 19 meters. The access stairways depict processions of Satraps and the imperial guards known as the Immortal Soldiers.

A stone’s throw from the archaeological site there is a historic structure that today serves as a hotel. The latter once housed the archaeologists and heads of the teams who worked between 1930 – 40 during excavations in Persepolis. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Shah of Persia, Mohammad Reza and his third wife, Farah Diba, came to this hotel on the occasion of the 2500th anniversary of the founding of the Achaemenid Empire (the first Persian Empire) by Cyrus the Great. After the visit we return to Apadana Hotel and in the evening we would be the only ones to have the opportunity to walk under the walls of the magnificent Persepolis.

YAZD

To understand the root of Zarathustra’s philosophical thought, it is necessary to know its fundamental principles. Zarathustra’s message established the difference between good and evil so what was right from what was wrong.

Zoroastrianism has existed for three thousand years in Iran and is the first monotheism in the world. According to Zarathustra, the one God, Ahura Mazda, creator of the sensitive and supersensible world, causes an eternal conflict with the forces of darkness, led by the anti-God called Ahriman. So the followers of Zarathustra have the task of choosing between black and white and contribute their actions to save the world. After the arrival of Islam in the seventh century, this religion, from the ancient Persian empire, was abandoned by most of the people.

During your trip to Iran you will hear the name of Ahura Mazda and your antide Ahriman mentioned many times; the first means “Wise Lord”, characterized by infinite light, omniscience and goodness and is a “Benevolent Spirit”, opposed to the “Evil Spirit”, the second is the lord of darkness, violence and death.

Breakfast. Full day dedicated to visiting the city, one of the most interesting in Iran and an ancient Zoroastrian center.

The Atash-Kadeh – the Fire Temple. It is wrong to think that Zoroastrians worship fire. Before going to a Fire Temple, where the sacred fire still burns, Fire must be recognized as the sacred element because, according to this philosophy, it is a Source of Purity and Light. This is the true direction in which the Zoroastrians practice their worship. Here in Yazd in the Fire Temple this sacred flame has been burning for more than 15 centuries and has never been extinguished. The priestly duty or that of the Temple Wizard is to empty the ashes and provide the wood to keep the flame burning, so that practitioners can turn to it because it is considered the source of good.

• The Friday Mosque – The two tallest minarets in Iran rise from the portal of this mosque, in fact they measure 48 meters.
  This mosque is not only famous for the height of the minarets, but also for the splendid main portal, decorated with inlaid majolica tiles; it is in fact an artistic masterpiece that offers one of the most fascinating works of the trip to Iran. To observe the details of the cut of the majolica tiles, just approach the main facade.

Historic center and old Fahadan district. Yazd owes its fame above all to the architecture of the old city, built entirely with unfired bricks; the most important monuments of the historic center, however, are the so-called “wind towers” ​​which dominate the roofs and which can be seen from afar. For this reason Yazd has been called the “city of wind towers”.
These towers, called badgir (literally “wind catchers”) are used to provide the necessary ventilation, since the houses do not have many windows to the outside. The badgir during the day removes the hot air from the inside and, during the night, brings fresh air from the outside to the inside of the building. The system uses two environmental conditions: the difference in air pressure and the difference in temperature.

The Water Museum, In Iran, especially in desert areas such as Yazd, there was an underground irrigation system that supplied the oases with fresh water from the aquifers, through a system of underground channels up to twenty kilometers long, with wells of inspection called “mil”, artificially dug along the canal route. These vertical wells guaranteed access to the underground tunnel, both for the withdrawal of water and to facilitate the necessary maintenance works. The canals, known in Persian as Kariz or Qanat, were dug by exploiting the natural inclination of the land, so that they conveyed the waters of the aquifers towards the cultivation land or a town. Even in the long run, the canals suffered minimal loss of water by evaporation and did not contaminate drinking water. Through the Water Museum you have the opportunity to know the details of this millenary work of Iran.

• Then, in the labyrinth of the old city, surrounded by walls, you can visit the refined examples of traditional houses, without entering the sites such as the Mausoleum of Seyed Rokn ad-Din, the Mausoleum of the 12 Imams, from the 12th century, with the inscription in Kufic letters of the names of the 12 Shiite Imams and the so-called Alexander Prison.

the ancient Bazaar and the Amir Chakhmagh complex, and the Dowlat Abad Garden.
In the evening we visit Zur-Khaneh, a typical place dedicated to traditional Iranian sport. Zur-Khaneh, also called the house of power, began as a military education for soldiers during the Persian Empire. (the visit depends on the days and times of training)
Dinner in a restaurant and overnight at the hotel.

YAZD – MEYBOD – NAEIN – ISFAHAN

After having breakfast, depart to Isfahan. To reach the city of Isfahan, you have to cross two desert cities: Naein and Meybod.

In Meybod you can visit a caravanserai, a traditional glacier and the brilliant tile and ceramic industry. The term of the caravanserai is composed of kārwān “caravan of camels” and sarāy “building” which indicates a building or group of buildings intended – in the East – to accommodate travelers and merchandise, both as a place to stop and stop on commercial roads and as a point of arrival or storage of goods near or within cities. The caravanserai in turn was divided into two different social categories: real and popular. In Meybod there is a complex that includes a Caravanserai and its Ice House. This construction in the shape of a trullo was mainly used for storing ice during the summer. Ice production took place during the winter in the external trays in front of the icebox. With its conical shape, it protected the internal basin which contained ice and protected it from the sun.
The diameter of the internal basin – corresponds to the level of the entrance door – also reaches 13 meters and slowly as it descends, almost 6 meters, the diameter decreases. Therefore, the interior height of the icebox from the lowest part to the highest point of the dome was 21 meters.

We continue the journey to the desert town of Naein, famous for its hand-made carpets and visit: the Jamè Mosque, with an interesting Mehrab and the charming old Bazaar, now in disuse.

At the end of the day we arrive in Isfahan, one of the most beautiful cities in Iran,

Isfahan

“The flower of the Thousand and One Nights” is the icing on the itinerary and we find it in Isfahan. The city is a historical picture that completes the trip to Iran. It is no coincidence that Isfahan attracted Pasolini’s attention to shoot some scenes of his film in Naghsh-e Jahan square. And here is a Persian saying that says: Isfahan is half of the world, Isfahan nesfe Jahan. In fact, the flowering of Islamic architecture was born here in Naghsh-e Jahan Square where the turquoise blue color dominates its mosques and the sky above the square, that is the ancient Polo field, over time, has become the seat of the most precious artistic workshops. The Safavid age corresponds to the third Persian empire which restored Iranian power to the throne, establishing a new Persia, based on political, religious and military relations. The presence of the Vank Cathedral, managed by the community of Armenian Christians since 1605 AD, makes it a striking example. However, Safavid power is admired in art and so a phase of “renaissance” of Persian civilization, culture and arts was born in Isfahan. The Islamic Renaissance period in Iran sees the artistic lightning under the rule of Shah Abbas I (1587-1629).
In Isfahan, in a few seconds, the dream of every Middle Eastern traveler comes true: Iran and its Renaissance charm; just think of the frescoes of Palazzo Quaranta Colonne or the splendid ceiling of the Music room of Palazzo Ali Qapu.

Breakfast. The whole day is dedicated to visiting the city walking through the streets between Naghshe Jahan square and the artists’ shops.

Visits of the day

Royal Square or Naghsh-e Jahan, in Persian (the image of the world) urban center of the city, redesigned by Shah Abbas I. In the large central square Naghsh-e Jahan (512 x 163 meters) there are two series of arches where in the lower part there are all the artists’ shops where they produce and sell most of the handicrafts of Iran such as miniatures, turquoise and fabrics. Naghshe Jahan Square housed an elite of merchants who were in search of artistic refinement. Still in the square there are still the poles that were used to delimit the polo field built 400 years ago.
The graceful “Mosque of the Queen or Sheikh Lotfollah” is a majestic masterpiece of the Safavid period located in a harmonious space and completely recognizable for its artistic opulence. Shah Abbas I chose the talented Iranian architect, Ali Akbar Isfahani, as head of the construction of the mosque, which took almost 17 years to build. The mosque, at the behest of the shah, would have been dedicated to his father-in-law, the Lebanese theologian who would later be entitled to a Koranic school in Isfahan. The masterpiece of the architect Isfahani has put into practice a unique model of mosque that has never existed before. In fact, the mosque has neither minarets nor an internal courtyard, nor a bath for ablution. However the prodigious external and internal decoration, the play of light towards the mihrab, the calligraphy magnificence with the lapis lazuli background and finally the complexity and beauty of the floral motifs under the dome have made the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque in Isfahan one of the most beautiful in Iran.

the Royal Mosque, that is the Mosque of the Imam today; The genius of the architect Isfahani can be seen, willingly and unwillingly, outside the interior space of the mosque. In fact, when you have completed your visit to the mosque, in the middle of Naghsh-e Jahan square you see an unusual abundance of minarets and a cunning and “deliberate” detour from Isfahani, for an aesthetic adaptation to the square. The Imam Mosque is an unmistakable masterpiece where every decoration and every particle finds its meaning in the geometric symmetry. Here the inner courtyard has been decorated with a bath for ablutions, around which there are four imposing iwans that represent the majesty of the use of blue colors in the Islamic sacred space. In addition to the decorative beauty, the two-layered dome – 36.3 m. of internal height and 51 m. the external one – of the southern Iwan, an excellent system has been applied to amplify the sound, during the calls of the ritual. Walking with a velvety step is recommended to hear the rumble.
Ali Qapu is the palace where the king received his guests. Ali Qapu has six floors with a door that connected the square to the Chehel Sotun Palace. When you are in the square you immediately notice the beautiful terrace with its 18 columns, where you can certainly enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of the Naghsh-e Jahan square. The masterpiece of the Palace consists of the incorporated details such as the fifth floor tub, the inlaid wooden ceiling, the type of tablet applied on the walls of the building that highlight an oriental dream world. Finally, in the spine of the Ali Qapu Palace winds a spiral staircase that leads to the enchanting Music Room, decorated with stuccoes depicting vases and other similar themes, which together help to improve the acoustics of the room.

Vank Cathedral and its Museum tell the story of the diaspora of the Armenian people who have lived outside their motherland for more than 300 years. Iran not only knew how to welcome its guests, but above all it protected them from the serious conflicts that threatened social life in the Armenian neighborhood of Isfahan. Today, in the courtyard of the Vank Cathedral, the Armenians with great care and caution have opened a new ethnological museum, where it is possible to immerse yourself in the real culture of a country so far and almost, thanks to the information displayed in the galleries of this historical showcase of the Armenian people. But the story does not end there because the Vank Cathedral – it is not the only church in Isfahan – invites the Armenian community to celebrate religious holidays and above all to commemorate the genocide. In fact, every year on April 24, Armenians gather in the Vank Cathedral to commemorate the deportation and elimination of their compatriots, about 1.5 million dead. As soon as you enter the elegant courtyard of the Vank Cathedral, going down the steps of the main entrance you will notice one of the most important monuments of the Armenian people, dedicated to the people deported during the great tragedy.

Moving to Isfahan means being surprised and enriched by the local culture. When from the Jolfa district you go towards the Friday Mosque (Masged Jamè) you absolutely have to cross the Zayandeh Rud river. On the way there is a simple sign of how the river marked the urban border between the two religious districts of Isfahan. The passage from the area of ​​the Armenians, arriving in the very popular area of ​​the Friday Mosque, brings us back to the official religion of Iran: Shiism. The visit of the Friday Mosque in Isfahan, to say the least, is the most important visit because here you can admire the Islamic architectural progress that took place from the seventh century until 1900. So it is not wrong to point out that the Friday Mosque it is the oldest and most complete in the whole country. Here the details are infinite and the spaces are immense. An exemplary model of altar called the Mihrab of Olgiaito was born in this mosque in the 14th century; the building has a complex stucco composition consisting of three-dimensional inscriptions that blend with floral and geometric carvings. The Mosque has two clearly recognizable spaces even for the inexperienced eye: internal space and external space. It is wonderful to admire the monochromaticity of the colors of the bricks in the inner space and the turquoise blue and lapis lazuli colors in the outer space. The passage from one space to another makes us travel in time especially when we are under the magnificent Taj al-Moluk Dome, reputed to be the most beautiful, among those made of bricks, in all of Iran.

The end of the visit to the mosque on Friday now leads us to an unexpected discovery in the midst of the traffic of people. Here in Isfahan, when one visit ends, another starts again and the traveler unconsciously prepares to listen to the narratives of the city as if Shahrazad were reading them directly from “A Thousand and One Nights”. And here is the popular bazaar immediately after exiting the main entrance of the mosque. For those who love to get lost in the popular alleys, you should know that the time has come to be free from the fees by taking a walk among the shops and perfumes and in this way you can reach Naghshe Jahan Square in 40 minutes. Before turning right and following the covered corridors of the Bazaar, one can satisfy the traveller’s curiosity by going directly to another historical district of Isfahan, to visit all the Synagogues of the Jewish community of Isfahan, where the Jews practice their worship. There is talk of a multi-ethnicity in the true sense of the word and not easily found in other parts of the world.
The visit of the bridges over the Zayandeh-Rud river, the Sio Se Pol Bridge (of the 33 arches) and the Khaju Bridge (Pol-e-Kaju).
Free time. Dinner in a restaurant and overnight at the hotel.

KASHAN

The sun is setting and the landscape, on the return journey, becomes more and more reddish according to the rays of the sun that hit the way back to Tehran. The journey to Iran seems to have started just two hours ago, and as soon as you are slowly understanding Iran and the Iranians, the time comes to close the bag and leave for your own country. But there is a clear difference in the saddlebag before departure and after; now it is full not only of many emotions and enthusiasm, but also of a lot of culture. Usually the traveler worries about the extra kilos in the saddlebag and while staring at the color of the sky he thinks about how to organize the gifts; he would like to buy everything from pistachios, to fabrics, to turquoise. However, we know that everything is in the saddlebag except one thing: the hospitality of the people we found around the bazaars, in restaurants or in archaeological sites. This image remains engraved in the hearts and is the immortal souvenir that the traveler takes wherever he goes and for all those who enjoyed this tour it will be a right motivation to return to Iran for the second time.

In Kashan there is also the Bagh-e Fin, one of the most famous Persian gardens that can be visited during the trip to Iran. The Fin garden was designed by Shah Abbas I (1557-1629), as an earthly vision of Paradise. The concept of the Persian Garden takes its soul only when the traveler listens to the melody that springs from the lapping of the water, along the path of the various canals. Even today, the central water basin called the camel’s throat has the duty to distribute the water in all the lateral channels, using the simple theory of communicating vessels. In 1600 the Persian Fin Garden in Iran became important because Shah Abbas I chose it as the ideal place for the royal coronation when he ascended the throne. But two centuries later, the kings of the Qajar also chose the Persian Fin Garden in Kashan as the operational headquarters of the Court. In the midst of the greenery of the Fin, only the cypresses and plane trees can tell us about the symmetry and elegance of the Persian Garden plan. On the other hand there are still the magnificent frescoes in the building built by the kings of the Qajar which date back to the 70s of the 1800s, and finally to learn the secrets of the Fin Garden you have to enter the Hammam complex, famous for the story of the assassin or attempt suicide of Amir Kabir, the reformist of the Qajar administration.

We will visit Sultan’s Hamam the thermal complex of the Safavid period with a precise hydraulic system and a particular heating system. In fact, climbing on the roof of the Hamam we will have the opportunity to see the details of the incorporated systems of the Soltan Ahmad thermal complex.
Kashan is rather known for the precious production of Rose of Persia water. In fact, the trip to Iran now absorbs its original scent, which is the scent of rose petals that is grown on the hills of central Iran. This beautiful city built in a verdant oasis still houses some of the most beautiful traditional houses in the region, such as the splendid home of the wealthy merchant of the Tabatabaei family. During the visit it is possible to contemplate the details of a patriarchal house, where the head of the “Pedar” family tends to gather his sons and have them in the same villa as a matter of availability and family economic management. Furthermore, the nineteenth-century mansion highlights two factors of Islamic architecture: introversion and extroversion.
The journey continues to the airport. Dinner and short rest at the IBIS hotel at the airport.

TEHRAN – ITALY

Transfer to “Imam Khomeini” international airport for the Tehran – Italy fligh