Remnants of ancient Persia with the mutations of the current Iran, this is a fascinating destination. Perepolis, Ispahan, spicy bazaars and Persian gardens, splendid mosques and palaces, this country has so many attractions that one stay is certainly not enough.
The Iranians came down to the streets to celebrate the nuclear agreement signed in July 2015 between their country and the great Western powers. Forget about the embargo.
It is the announced return of Western companies and investments, the revival of the economy and particularly tourism.
In addition to false ideas!
Western press and public opinion generally convey an image of Iran reduced to violence and dictatorship of Ayatollahs. Of course, the tragic episodes of the megalomania of the last shah, the fanaticism of the Islamic revolution, or the Iran/Iraq war have greatly traumatized the people. But this one wants to turn the page and focus on the embellishment. Some ambiguities must also be removed. Iran is not an Arab country. We talk about Persian and Iranians do not like the confusion at all. This country is Muslim, admittedly, but Shiite and not Sunni. Of course, the regime is muscular and the Iranian people have paid a great deal for their demands for freedom, democracy and openness, but times change. Middle East experts, like the Iranians on the spot, agree that the new and moderate president, Hassan Rohani, even though religious authorities remain vigilant, has a real will for change. In the meantime, the traditional «Welcome in Iran» becomes lighter and more authentic. The administration has considerably reduced the pressure on foreign visitors. Even American tourists seem welcome. That's it! Tourist group guides are no longer obliged to travel for official registration with police authorities on arrival in a city. During your stay, except disrespectful and outlaw, you will have no inconvenience. And individual travelers, if they are still minority, do not encounter particular difficulties.
Affordable and tasty jewels
In practice, you will not be able to withdraw cash from the distributors and rarely pay with your credit card. Save your budget (30 € a day for your stay expenses). For now, you can still eat in small restaurants for a few euros and sleep in a cheap hotel for less than 10 €. Five star hotels (local) are up to 150 €. Tickets to museums and discovery sites cost between 50,000 and 150,000 rials. Let us also know that transport is cheap: taxis in town, comfortable city buses to city, air transport (flight A/R Teheran/Shiraz about 30 €).
If the visits are increasing, especially take the time to lie down on a sofa, enjoy a tea and pastries accompanied by a dazzle before enjoying a typical Iranian dish. Our preference goes to the abgoucht, a specialty in the north of the country, with stew of lamb, vegetables and chickpeas, between the pot and the couscous, which would have been replaced with bread. The dish is served in small baking pots (at the fireplace). If the country is home to a few very good tables, some of the most gourmet restaurants, but you can be sure that it is in families and villages that you taste the best of Iranian cuisine.
Unavoidable visits
So you're rested and hung up. You are again able to continue the discovery of the most beautiful Iranian sites! In this mosaic, the triptych remains the three pillars of Iranian tourism: Chiraz, Yazd and Ispahan. These cities are the most beautiful jewels in Iran and are therefore three essential halts.
In southwest Iran, Shiraz was the capital of Persia under the Zand dynasty. Today it is the cultural and artistic capital of the country. You will gather on Hafez's tomb, where the whole day succeeds the smooth poet's eyes. Other mausoleum are very popular, but also the Vakil bazaar and the splendid mosque of the same name, not forgetting the many gardens. The must remains the Zand citadel enclosed in its piped walls. Nearby you will discover Persépolis before going back to Yazd, the oasis city of all earth and ceramics, gardens, basins and watercourses. A stop in this city will also be an opportunity to look at zoroastrism and see a continuous burning fire in a temple. It is one of the first monotheistic religions, it was prophesied by Zoroastre (or Zarathoustra) in the seventh century BC.
The third inevitable stopover: Ispahan. The city symbolizes Persia safavide and its splendors, rosertains and fountains, the magnificent bridges on the Zayandeh Rud. This university and cultural city, romantic and pleasant to live, evokes paradise. And we check it easily from visu. Its immense and spectacular place of Imam will leave you with marble, as well as its bazaar and Christian city. Like those in Shiraz, the mosques of Ispahan compete with sumptuousness.
Environment and eco-tourism
From Central Asia to the Persian Gulf, the country houses over ten national parks and about forty protected, wet, wooded, desert areas. The Golestan mountain park in the northeast was the first in Iran, alternating steppe and forest, mountain and valley. In a very different register, Kavir Park is a desert, 50 km south-east of the capital, where gazelles, cheetahs, onagi, deer and panthers live. In the province of Fars, Bamou National Park is an enchantment in the spring, during the flowering of a multitude of plant species, and the Arjan Lake Park in the middle of the forest allows the observation of a rich avifauna. These parks, like remote villages where we still live in the old world, are a great asset for the development of ecotourism in Iran.
The mountain marks the Iranian landscape, offering alpine and ski resorts, snow and water in abundance. The warmest of the summer, Iranians like to climb up the heights to seek freshness. Preserved mountain villages take part in the charm of the Iranian mountain, like Masouleh, classified as World Heritage by UNESCO.
Finally, we cannot ignore the beauty of the Persian gardens orchestrated according to very specific rules, the origin of which dates back to 4,000 years BC Havres of peace and greenery in the desert, with their flowers and basins, water flowing, hedges and giant trees, odors and… birds' songs, shadows and light, these are all small paradise that invite meditation. A dozen gardens are classified as World Heritage by UNESCO.
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When is it? The preferred periods for stay are from mid-April to early June and mid-September to mid-November.
Go there. Only Iran Air offers direct flights to Paris-Tehran.
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Formalities. Valid passport and tourist visa are required. For the visa you must leave your fingerprints, provide your itinerary and contact your accommodation in Iran. Visas can be obtained at the consulate in Paris ([email protected]) or arriving in Tehran at the airport.
Useful. To best prepare his trip.
IRANIAN TOURISM OFFICE AND IRANIAN CULTURAL CENTER - More information on the site
AITO - More information on the site
GAMA TRAVEL - More information on the site
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