Live Your Best Lives
The country here is very safe, so safe that you don't need to be on guard; the people here are very enthusiastic, so enthusiastic that you will be flattered; the civilization here is very ancient, so ancient that you need to re-learn history; the faith here is very pious, so pious that you can no longer despise this nation; the scenery here is beautiful and attractive, and just one second is enough for you to savor it quietly.
This is Iran. If you read patiently to the end, you will find that Iran not only has beautiful scenery and people, but also has an even more beautiful heart.
Breaking news! Starting July 21, 2019, citizens of the People's Republic of China can enjoy visa-free travel to Iran for a stay of 21 days.
Mahan Air is a good choice, offering direct flights from Shanghai to Beijing. While not a fancy airline, it's a very cost-effective option. It's worth noting that due to sanctions, Mahan Air aircraft don't have audio and video equipment, so passengers are advised to bring their own.
Iran's weather is similar to that of Xinjiang and Gansu. Summers are scorching hot, winters are freezing cold, and it's incredibly dry. (Remember to bring moisturizer, sunscreen, body lotion, and sunglasses.) UVA and UVB rays can prematurely age your skin, so sunscreen is absolutely essential.
In addition, I think what is more important is the skin-protecting clothing, which directly blocks the sun's rays and is more effective than applying sunscreen, plus the China-TravelNote magic towel wrapping the face for all-round sun protection!
Iran's official language is Persian. This ancient language seems incomprehensible to many tourists. Even the numbers are different.
Winter time (September 23-March 20): 4 hours and 30 minutes later than Beijing
Daylight Saving Time (March 21st - September 22nd): 3 hours and 30 minutes later than Beijing
Currency Exchange
The Iranian currency is the Rial (IRR). You can exchange US dollars at the airport, with 1 USD equaling approximately 440,000 Rials (this number fluctuates significantly, so please refer to the local currency). However, Jincheng's mention of "TOMAN" during transactions can be confusing. Note: 1 TOMAN = 10 RIALS.
clothing
It is extremely important that women (except preschoolers) wear headscarves in Iran (regardless of nationality) and wear long-sleeved, loose-fitting, opaque tops or coats that cover the buttocks. For official occasions, long, dark-colored coats should be worn, and legs and ankles should not be exposed. Men are not allowed to wear tank tops or shorts when going out.
conversion plug
Iran's voltage is 220V, and the plug standard is the German standard. It has two ungrounded cylinders, a span of 19mm, and a cylinder diameter of 4mm. If you need a converter plug, just search for the German standard.
[Books] Lonely Planet Iran (very detailed guide) and Growing Up in Iran comics
[Movies] "Argo" won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and "A Separation" won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It can be seen that Iran is a place where blockbuster movies are produced.
1. There is a minaret, or a minaret, a call tower, a minaret or a tower
2. The layout of the four Iwans, with three attached walls and facing Mecca
3. The mihrab (a niche in a mosque) or niche in the wall faces Mecca
4. Domes and vaults
5. Ivan between different regions
6. Repeated use of geometric patterns (Arabesque)
7. Use Islamic calligraphy to decorate, rather than using images prohibited in mosque buildings. Note: People and animals may be present in non-religious buildings.
8. Central fountain for bathing
9. Use bright colors
10. Pay attention to both the interior and exterior spaces of the building.
Kashan is a city in central Iran, nestled in the 50-square-kilometer Kashan Oasis at the eastern foot of the Zagros Mountains. It sits at an altitude of 994 meters and has a population of 110,000. Kashan is Iran's major ceramic production center and is also renowned for its carpet production. It also boasts cotton textile mills and handicrafts such as embroidery, copperware, and perfumery. Iranian rose water is internationally renowned, with traditionally distilled rose water near the central city of Kashan exported to Europe and used as an ingredient in Parisian perfume.
Fin Garden is a typical Persian garden located in Kashan, Isfahan Province. Built in 1590 during the Safavid period, it boasts a history of 500 years and is the oldest surviving garden in Iran. The garden boasts an abundant supply of water. The roof is ornately decorated, and the water source connects indoors and outdoors. The water is crystal clear, shimmering in the sunlight. The garden is rarely visited, keeping it cool and comfortable, and dotted with fountains of various sizes.
A very beautiful Turkish bath with a history of more than 500 years, but the interior decoration has a distinct Shiite Islamic style, with complex geometric patterns and blue patterned tiles on the dome and columns.
The ancient bathhouse entrance is exceptionally elegant, with two doors, one on each side, featuring a brass bolt: a stick and the other on a ring. Interestingly, the bathroom's rooftop, resembling an alien planet, is actually used for natural lighting.
The Burujerdi House on Alavi Street in Kashan's Sultan Amir Ahmed district was built in 1876 after 18 years of construction. The owner of the house was a carpet wholesaler, and it is currently the home of the Kashan Cultural Heritage Administration.
While not as dazzling as mosques or palaces, the plasterboard roofs are still intricately patterned and exquisite, allowing one to better appreciate the beauty of linear construction. The main buildings within the house often feature intricate and ornate domes, each with a central circular shape, sometimes with a circular aperture for light transmission, and petal-like layers arranged around the perimeter according to geometric patterns. From color matching to pattern design, from geometric structure to spatial hierarchy, the design is truly impeccable.
There's a large pond in the courtyard, and a towering wind tower on the roof, its light brown, simple shape, giving it a calm and majestic atmosphere. There's a small bookstall in the lobby, where I bought a collection of Hafez's poems, a bilingual edition in Persian and English.
This ancient village is nestled at the foot of the Karkas Mountains, 82 kilometers from Kashan. Spreading eastward across a stunning valley, it's known for its cold winters and cool summers. It's said the village's location on the mountainside maximizes sunlight and minimizes the effects of strong winds.
Over a thousand years ago, people fled the war and settled here in seclusion. For a long time, they were not discovered by the outside world and lived in isolation. Locals still wear their own clothes, follow the ancient way of life, and speak the ancient Persian language that has disappeared from the outside world for hundreds of years.
The houses are built with mud bricks made from the local red earth, giving them a reddish appearance. They are inlaid with lattice windows and rickety wooden balconies. The route to the village is simple: enter from one end of the village, walk along the main road in the middle, which has almost no turns, follow the map to visit the small attractions at each fork in the road, and finally reach the exit at the other end of the village. You can also travel in reverse.
This city is quite different from the others we've visited before: more modern, more developed, and more beautiful, like a garden city. Walking through the streets of Isfahan, looking at the numerous shops and the wide variety of goods, you can feel the city's broad mind, its immense tolerance for all kinds of people.
The Friday Mosque, also known as the Congregational Mosque and the Jama Mosque, was built in the 11th century. It is the oldest existing mosque in Iran, much older than the Imam Mosque. It became a United Nations World Cultural Heritage in 2012.
The Thirty-Three-Arch Bridge is one of 11 bridges in Isfahan, Iran, and is highly regarded as one of the most famous examples of Safavid bridge design. The bridge is bustling in the evening, serving as a popular gathering spot for Isfahan residents. The bridge functions as both a bridge and a dam, with a teahouse beneath it.
The Thirty-Three-Arch Bridge shows its charming charm in the sunset. The golden sunlight is sprinkled on the water, and the entire Thirty-Three-Arch Bridge looks like it is gilded.
Built in 1650 during the Safavid dynasty, this 110-meter-long bridge features two levels of arcades. It is the most exquisite bridge in Isfahan and a masterpiece of the Abbas II era. The lower arcades help regulate the flow of the river. The space within the arches is a popular spot for Iranians to enjoy picnics. While the 33-Arch Bridge is more famous, I personally find the Hatju Bridge more enjoyable.
Imam Square was built by Abbas the Great in 1602. The square is 512 meters long and 163 meters wide, making it the second largest square in the world after Tiananmen Square.
The square is home to some of the most beautiful architectural treasures of the Safavid Empire, including the Shah Mosque, the Sheikh Lofollah Mosque, and the Ali Qapu Palace. To the west of the square lies the beautiful Forty Columns Palace.
Inside Imam Square is the bazaar, with many handicraft shops where you can shop at affordable prices.
The local internet-famous antique teahouse, the ceiling is said to be full of rare antiques, and you can really find good cheap things in Iran.
The Sheikh Rauf Mosque in Imam Square is, in my opinion, the most beautiful mosque in Iran. It's even featured on the cover of an Iranian LP, a truly understated and luxurious place. Standing at the entrance to the prayer hall and looking up, you can almost see a peacock descending from the sky, its feathers spread wide.
Yazd is known as one of the "oldest inhabited cities on Earth," with legend having existed there 7,000 years ago. Marco Polo, who visited the city in the 13th century during his journey to the East, described it as "an exceptional and noble city." The local population's long history living near the desert has shaped its unique urban architecture, including its adobe-clad old town, narrow alleys, and wind towers.
It is a huge adobe town with a history of at least 1,800 years. Although it is now a declining ancient city, standing on a high point near the ancient city, you can look around the entire city and feel the decline and desolation of ancient Persian civilization.
The Narein Pomegranate Castle, a typical Persian mud-brick structure, is one of the most significant examples of Islamic prehistory and served as both the administrative center and refuge of the ancient dynasty. Built on a hill near the city's central Meybod Fort, the castle, with its irregular oval shape and five levels, includes numerous bastions and watchtowers. From the top, one can overlook the rooftops of Meybod and the surrounding Kavir Desert.
The ancient village with a history of thousands of years was built with mud. Most of it has collapsed now, but you can still vaguely see what it looked like in the past. Walking through the village, you can see the old bathrooms and kitchens, and climb to the top to see the new city. It feels like you have traveled through thousands of years in another world, and it is a bit like the Longmen Inn.
Only the ruins remain of the Towers of Silence, a simple cylindrical structure without a roof. Zoroastrians believe that contact with wood after death contaminates the body, so they are built of stone. A platform is built above, with a circular pit in the center. Above this platform are two or three-meter-high walls. Corpses are placed on the stone slabs, waiting for vultures to devour the flesh before the bones are thrown into the circular pit. This is the Zoroastrian practice of sky burial.
This 15th-century mosque in Yazd is particularly eye-catching in the old city. It has two 48-meter-high minarets, which are the tallest minarets in Iran. When night falls, the lights shine on the mosque, which is sacred and beautiful.
The Amir Chohmak complex is a prominent building in Yazd, known for its symmetrical sunken niches. It houses a mosque, a caravanserai, a tekyeh, a bathhouse, and a cold water well. At night, the arched niches are illuminated by orange lights, creating a spectacular sight.
The entire ruins of Persepolis are well-preserved, and the park's facilities are excellent. Arriving at the Persepolis Archaeological Park, you enter through the entrance, following a long dirt road flanked by trees. Near the end, the landscape opens up, and from afar, you can see a massive stone platform at the foot of a mountain, with several stone pillars perched on it. The majestic city gradually becomes clearer, until you stand beneath it, gazing upward, filled with awe and admiration.
Shiraz, a renowned Persian cultural center for over 2,000 years, is a beloved city. With its warm and welcoming people, excellent education, nightingales, poetry, and wine, it sounds like a romantic destination.
If you can only visit one place in Iran, I believe everyone will choose the Pink Mosque without hesitation. The mosque was originally called the Moq Mosque, and it got its pink name because of the large number of rose patterns painted on it.
Also known as the Holy Shrine Mosque, it is the mausoleum of Shah Cheragh's nephew Emir Ali. SLR cameras are allowed inside the mosque for photography.
The Tomb of the Light King was built in the 12th century. Successive rulers continued to expand the mausoleum and turned it into a shrine, making it one of the most important Shiite religious sites in Iran.
The inner courtyard of the mausoleum is very large, and its architectural style (mainly the column style) is somewhat different from the common Shiite Islamic architecture, while the countless small lenses in the tomb hall fill the interior with light.
Note: Cameras are not allowed inside, but you can use your mobile phone to take photos.
The tower is 45 meters high, with a base length of 63 meters and a width of 42 meters. It is grayish white and built with reinforced concrete and 2,500 pieces of marble from Isfahan, symbolizing the 2,500 years of the founding of the Persian Empire.
This is a date place for many young men and women. The lights at night make it suitable for taking light trails. Although it is not as prosperous as Shanghai, it is still quite artistic.
The Royal Palace is a major attraction in Tehran and well worth a visit. It contains nine smaller palaces and a large garden. The palace's architecture is exquisite from the outside, but due to its modern design (and relatively recent history), it resembles an old office building. However, once inside, it's a completely different world.
Many people say Iran is dangerous, but in fact, there is a lack of information about many places until you visit. Only by experiencing it with your own eyes and senses can you truly understand the reality.
