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 etc. .

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.

A pleasant walk on the NATURAL BRIDGE; a modern work of the Iranian capital in Tehran. The Bridge of Nature is a pedestrian crossing, built over one of Tehran’s main highways and connects the two green hills of the city. The bridge was designed by a 26-year-old Iranian woman named “Leila Araghian”. The bridge, since its opening in 2014, has won many international awards. Leila herself reported that she designed it with the purpose of bringing people together.

Dinner in typical restaurants in the north of Tehran at the foot of the Darband peak. Transfer to the hotel, overnight.

KERMAN

Departure for the Lut desert. In Shahdad, a last inhabited center on the edge of the desert, you can see the very particular Nebka also known as Tamarix (the vases of the desert) which in the Lut desert reach an incomparable height compared to the other deserts of the planet. The eastern side of the desert is a low plateau covered in a layer of salt, while the central point of the desert is sculpted by the wind in a series of parallel ridges and valleys that can reach up to 70 meters high. After the visit to anthropologically desert Shahdad, the journey continues to discover the Yardang or the ridges created by wind erosion that are located just ahead of the village. Yardang in Persian is known as Kalut while Yardang etymologically derives from Turkish. The local guides say that the Kalut are the work of the jinn, entities known in the Islamic world as malevolent ghosts, in reality they are formed by the wind that here always blows in the same direction and over the millennia has eroded the beaten earth up to form them, they are the underground layers which collide due to tectonic movements and grow up to 10-50 mm per year. The Dasht-e-Lut included in the Unesco heritage as a landscape site of Iranian nature. During the short wet season, in spring, the water from the Kerman mountains floods the area, but in a short time it dries up, leaving behind only ridges, sand and salt.We continue the journey to Rayen, a splendid fortified citadel made of adobe, a typical example of ecological architecture of the desert in the Sasanian era in 400 AD. The Rayen citadel has been divided into different places and neighborhoods: the council houses, the bazaar, the warehouse of grain stocks, the part of the bourgeoisie or the merchant class and the stupendous royal mini fortress. The citadel has 15 towers with a single corridor that allowed the soldiers to move from one tower to another, while instead the holes in the apex of the wall were used to guard the citadel by the archers who controlled, from above, every movement in the vicinity. Rayen is located almost 2200 meters above sea level, so the desert landscape and the mountain behind the citadel offer a picturesque image to the visitor’s eyes. the mountain is called Hezar vuoldire mille, It is the highest peak in the province of Kerman, with its height 4500 meters. The name of the mountain is due to the abundance of various aromatic and medicinal plants which number in the thousands.

In the afternoon we continue to Mahan, on the way back to Kerman, the blue dome of the Nur-ed-Din Nemat Allah Mausoleum of the century immediately strikes the attention. XVI, one of the most important figures of the religious doctrine called “Sufism” of the Middle East. We then leave for the Prince’s Garden, “Baghe Shahzadeh”. A unique model of Persian gardens where the descent of water through some waterfalls make the Persian Garden a true earthly paradise in the heart of the monochrome of the Kerman desert.

Return to Kerman, dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Mahan

After breakfast, depart in the direction of Mahan.We visit the Mausoleum of the great Suffi of the fourteenth, Sha-Nemat-Olah-Vali designed in the sixteenth under the order of the King of the Safavids, Shah Abbas I the Great. Garden of the prince of the Qajara dynasty IXX century Continue to the Rayen citadel, one of the great architectural complexes of the raw earth of the pre-Islamic period.

Arrival in Shahdad and overnight.

Kalut

After breakfast, a day dedicated to the desert with a visit by jeep, 4 × 4, to the Kalut with the rock formations that rise out of the sand similar to castles; you will see the localities of Ney Bit and Golbaf.

YAZD

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 the 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 as it is considered a source of good. the two tallest minarets in Iran 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 Towers of Silence. Here everything stops, in this place there is in fact a cemetery used until about 70 years ago and it is very different from the common ones because it is a sacred place for the Zoroastrians. In this particular holy field the dead were brought to the top of the tower by special employees the “Salar”, and were the only ones who could touch the dead. The corpses were left inside circular buildings and there the bodies, thanks to atmospheric agents and vultures, became bones and were subsequently moved to the well in the center of the tower, where they would find perpetual rest. The four elements of nature: air, water, fire and earth are considered sacred by the Zoroastrians. The earth could not be contaminated with human remains so there was no provision for the burial of the bodies and for the same reason neither was cremation. These places were called: Towers of Silence. And here the silence is real, deafening, softened only by the sound of the wind.

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 inspection wells 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.

SHIRAZ

Landscapes and routes are part of the journey. A true traveler can only begin to think about what the local people are through the colors of the environment. If you are in Kerman and pass by the pistachio fields, observe how the farmers pamper their trees. Summer will be the ideal time to walk among these treasures of the area that produce one of the best agricultural products in the whole country. The pistachio is a tree that can reach up to 5 m, with leaves usually composed of three leaflets, purple flowers, dioecious, gathered in a panicle, fruits similar to those of the olive tree, yellowish or reddish, containing an aromatic seed, sweet and tender. When we observe the pistachio fields we cannot ignore the linguistic root of the word, because you are in the right place to know it: Pistachio in Italian derives from the Latin Pistacium, in turn derives from the Greek Pistakion which finally derives from the Persian Pistah, today called “Pesteh “. This tree has not only given an original flavor to our palate, we think of sweets and cannoli, but also has defined a particular green color for our tastes: pistachio green or pistachio color.

The journey continues with a visit to one of the oldest mosques in Iran in Neiriz, with a Mihrab

Along the way you will visit a salt lake and the pink salt flats, “Daryache Maharluo”. A breathtaking and absolutely cinematic panorama where laboratories for the drying of salt water and the production of pink salt still abound today.

The Sassanid Castle in Sarvestan is one of the main castles of the Sassanid Baroque. Sarvestan was the hunting palace of Bahram Gur, the Sassanid king, who went there to hunt the zebras of the area – before the desertification of the Iranian plateau -. The hunting lodge dates back to the 5th century AD, and is a prime example to understand the construction of the dome. For those who want to know the basis of the construction of mosques – during the Islamic period – should contemplate the simple theory of the multiplication of 4 used to raise the dome: in the case of the construction on a square plan, we pass from the square structure to the circular structure by means of four pendentives , concave triangles formed respectively at each corner with projecting brick courses. The Bahram hunting lodge has all the elements mentioned above.

In the evening I arrive in Shiraz. Dinner in a restaurant and overnight at the hotel.

SHIRAZ

The word Fars or Pars is the name of the region of which Shiraz is the provincial capital. Only by reflecting for a moment on the word Pars do we realize that here we are in the heart of history and it is in this region that the Persians built Parse also called Persepolis: city of Persia. Shiraz covers such a wide historical axis that it goes from the 4th century BC to the 1700s. In Shiraz the true poetry of the Iranians will be truly tangible because here in the historic center, the monuments, the gardens, the Bazaar and the mosques narrate a culture that embraces each visitor with such softness. The inhabitants of this city disappear at noon and then appear in the square of Arg in the evening until late at night; they love to have fun and are the most fun and lively in Iran. To discover the Dionysian atmosphere of Shiraz, the name of the city tells us everything, you have to go to the tomb of the great Persian poet “Hafez” or wander in the alleys of his Vakil Bazaar where many European traders spent a period to transport the famous product of the God Bacchus.

Shiraz visits:

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.

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 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 Madrasa of the Khan whose decorations of pink and blue flowers with birds remind us of the frescoes of the Safavid palaces.

Narenjestan Pavilion and Garden – The Narenjestan or Qavam Garden of Shiraz dates back to the Qajar era (1880). Due to the abundance of sour orange or bergamot trees, it was called Narenjestan because Narenj precisely means bergamot. It is no coincidence that Shiraz is the most famous city for its bergamots that can be found along the streets of the city. The Narenjestan building was a place where ordinary people went for administrative purposes and where public meetings were held, as well as meetings between Qajar dignitaries and nobles.

Dinner in a restaurant and overnight at the hotel.

NAQSHE ROSTAM – PERSEPOLIS

Before breakfast, visit the Mausoleum of Hafez, it is dedicated to the great poet of the fourteenth 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!

After lunch we leave for a visit to the great archaeological sites, of the Achaemenids IV century BC, and of the Sassanids III century AD, we visit the archaeological site of Naghsh-e-Rostam, it is a necropolis. A very suggestive place, it still retains the rock tombs of the great Achaemenid kings. It is not at all an exaggeration to say that the site is the richest in all of Iran because here there are all the historical evidences: a magnificent bas-relief of the Elamites, 1300 BC, the particular shapes of the royal tombs and ancient Persian scriptures of the 400. BC, the very important documents of the Sassanids and the writing of the Middle Persian of 300 AD In a single archaeological site, very suggestive, one can contemplate a Persia at the time of Elam up to the defeat of Valerian the Roman general who fought against Shapur.

The journey continues with a visit to 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 Satrap and the imperial guards known as the Immortal Soldiers.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

PERSEPOLIS – PASARGAD 

A cultured itinerary must enrich the traveller’s knowledge, and Pasargade, which is the first capital of politics and diplomacy of Ancient Persia, is able to do so and in addition can demonstrate the sagacity of its brilliant general, known as Cyrus the Great. He, the Father of all Median and Persian soldiers, celebrated the conquest of Babylon with a document defined as the foundation of the charter of human rights: “The Cylinder of Cyrus”, which is a clay document, in which it was recorded the liberation of the exiles, including Jews. The archaeological site of Ancient Persia, Pasargade, among its ruins, highlights the simple square-plan Tomb of Cyrus built with stone blocks that at first sight resembles a Mesopotamian ziggurat. Cyrus the Great, with the construction of his tomb, wanted to respect his origins, that is the ancient Iranian civilizations and in addition he also managed to surprise Alexander the Great, centuries after his death. It is said, in fact, that in the inner chamber Cyrus the Great wrote a message to any conquerors including Alexander the Great who, after hearing the words of Cyrus the Great, would have started to cry:

“O man

Whoever you are,

and whenever you come,

Since I know that you will come,

I am Ciro

I conquered a world empire for the Persians.

Don’t envy me

for that little land that covers my body! “

On the way, we visit the archaeological site of Pasargade. The city was the first capital of the Persian Empire founded in 546 BC. by Cyrus the Great during his reign who died in the summer of 530 BC. In Pasargade was born the real Pardis or Paradise the “Persian Garden”. Among the monuments and ruins at the site are three royal palaces and a magnificent bas-relief: the Private Palace of Cyrus the Great, the Palazzo delle Udienze and the Tomb of Cyrus the Great. Pasargadae was once surrounded by two rivers which brought water to the city, through a peculiar irrigation canal that sang and supplied water, passing through the middle of the Persian Garden.

Halfway before arriving in Yazd we will pay a visit to the town of Abarkoh: a particular urban example where the construction of the houses involved the use of raw earth (bio-architecture) which acted as insulation during the summer and winter. The same system was applied for the construction of an ancient icebox that provided ice in the hottest months of the year. In Abarkuh we visit one of the oldest cypresses in the world Sarve Abarkuh which according to some sources will be approximately 4000 years old.

PASARGAD

On the way, we visit the archaeological site of Pasargade. The city was the first capital of the Persian Empire founded in 546 BC. by Cyrus the Great during his reign who died in the summer of 530 BC. In Pasargade was born the real Pardis or Paradise the “Persian Garden”. Among the monuments and ruins at the site are three royal palaces and a magnificent bas-relief: the Private Palace of Cyrus the Great, the Palazzo delle Udienze and the Tomb of Cyrus the Great. Pasargadae was once surrounded by two rivers which brought water to the city, through a peculiar irrigation canal that sang and supplied water, passing through the middle of the Persian Garden.

Halfway before arriving in Yazd we will pay a visit to the town of Abarkoh: a particular urban example where the construction of the houses involved the use of raw earth (bio-architecture) which acted as insulation during the summer and winter. The same system was applied for the construction of an ancient icebox that provided ice in the hottest months of the year. In Abarkuh we visit one of the oldest cypresses in the world Sarve Abarkuh which according to some sources will be approximately 4000 years old.

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 the world. 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 in Isfahan a phase of “renaissance” of Persian civilization, culture and arts was born. 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 an ablution tank. 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; namely 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.

The Ali Qapu Pavilion is the palace where the ruler 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. .

The Palace of the Forty Columns or Chehel Sotun is the pavilion where the King granted audiences. A few steps from the Piazza, another luxurious Persian Garden shines in the courtyard of the Chehel Sotun, embracing one of the delights of the Safavid Renaissance: the pavilion still pulsates in the heart of the Persian Garden as if the luxury of real life had never ended. Here the frescoes strut because it is very little to define them as refined and elegant. Admiring the paintings and the stories they tell means opening a cultural and anthropological door to identify for a moment with the most important characters of the history of the Middle East of 1600 – 1700.

Dinner in a restaurant and overnight at the hotel.

ISFAHAN

The multi-ethnicity of Iran is a relevant factor in understanding Iran today. While some nomads resided and still reside in the Iranian plateau for several centuries now, other ethnic groups such as Turkmen or faithful of other religions, such as Christians, came to Iran following geopolitical reasons, recognizing that this state tolerates other ethnic groups and religions; this has always been an added value given by a millenary culture. Just think, in this precise case, of the Armenians who had to move to Iran on the direct order of Shah Abbas I. In fact, the Armenians of the Jolfa area of ​​Armenia, in the twenties of the seventeenth century, left their homeland forever. , devastated due to a continuous conflict between the Ottomans and Safavids, and came to Isfahan, starting a new socio-religious phase, building both their churches and the headquarters of their so-called Armenian Caliphate. The Jolfa neighborhood in Isfahan welcomed the Armenians, and Shah Abbas I, in a manuscript, signed by himself, allowed them to establish new commercial and religious relationships, granting them a certain freedom fully supported by the Safavid Court. The Armenians have opened an important trade route in the heart of the capital of the Safavids “Isfahan”. In addition, the headquarters of the Armenian Caliphate primarily focuses on the publication of new religious texts, using Gutenberg’s invention in Iran. All in all, Isfahan is a historical summary of the events managed by the Armenians, who still live in the Jolfa district where the architectural beauty and the details of the frescoes of the Vank Cathedral surprise any type of traveler.

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.

posting 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 dome of Taj al-Moluk, 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

When we talk about the house, in Kashan it always represents an exemplary model to get to know the local culture better. Because Kashan in addition to having the millenary hill displays its nineteenth-century villas, also called bioclimatic houses. It should be known that Kashan enjoys a desert climate and a remarkably hot summer period. The invention of the inhabitants of the city gives birth to a house with two or three different levels where you can simply cool down or heat a room or a living room depending on the season in which you are. But the importance of the city is not just the variety of houses that exist. 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. Before leaving for Qom you will visit the Sultan’s Hammam and the Agha Bozorg Mosque and Madrasa.

Departure for the holy city of Iran: Qom. The latter is one of the holy cities of Iran, dominated by the imposing sanctuary dedicated to Hazrate Masumeh; Fatima the Innocent was the daughter of the seventh Imam Musa ibn Ja’far and sister of Ali ibn Musa al-Reza, eighth Imam of the Shiites and descendant of the prophet. Hazrate Masumah was born in 789 AD. in the city of Medina; when in 816 she was going to Marv to visit her brother, she would have fallen ill (or injured during a sacking of the caravan) when the caravan carrying her was arriving in Saveh, she was transported to Qom where she died in 27 years old. Every year thousands of Shiites from the Middle East travel to Iran dedicating themselves to the rituals of pilgrimage to the shrines of their saints. In the complex of the Hazrate Masumeh Sanctuary it is possible to reach the entrance door of the burial chamber, where men and women separately touch the tomb

Transfer to Tehran airport. Dinner and overnight at the IBIS Hotel.

TEHRAN-ITALY

Transfer to Tehran international airport and departure for Italy.