Iran's Inevitable

The citadel of Bam, located at the edge of the Iranian high plateau, was one of the cornerstones of the production and trade of silk and cotton in the seventeenth century. It was built in Adobe in order to preserve it from warm, and served by an ingenious network of channels, the oldest of Iran, making an oasis in the middle of the desert. Unfortunately, the city was hit by a violent earthquake in 2003, destroying almost in full the citadel Arg-e Bam classified as UNESCO's heritage heritage. Today the city is struggling to rebuild, but it is always good to wander in this millennium town out of time.

Iran, by its geographical position, is a land of meetings and exchanges, the Armenian monastic ensembles are an example. Composed of the St-Thaddeus, St-Stepanos and Ste-Marie chapel, this pilgrimage site is a retrospective of Armenian religious customs over the ages. It reflects the artistic and architectural traditions and was a epicenter of the dissemination of the Christian religion. These buildings are also the witnesses and vestiges of important exchanges with other civilizations, and it is easy to find Byzantine, Persian and Orthodox influences.

Founded in the life of the century B.J.C. Pasargades is the first dynastic capital of the Acheside Empire and represents all its art and architecture on its own. Located in the heart of the Fars la Patrie des Perses, there are few cities that have succeeded as Pasargades to integrate all the cultures that compose them. That is why the Acheside Empire is considered the first great multicultural empire in Western Asia. The 160 hectares of the site contain monuments not missed like the mausoleum of its founder Cyrus II the Grand, the Tall-e Takht or the residential palace and gardens surrounding it.

At the crossroads of the East and Asia, Iran is a central commercial route. The city of Tabriz, located on the Silk Road, has built its reputation thanks to this advantage. His bazaar is one of the oldest in this region. It developed around the twelfth century and consists of bricks and brick structures connected between them out of a total of almost 75 hectares. The city, which lost its status as capital in the sixteenth century, nevertheless retained its commercial hegemony thanks to the expansion of Ottoman power. Visiting Tabriz's bazaar is immersed in immersion in the most complete representation of Iran's traditional trading and cultural system.

Botanic is also part of Persian specialties. The Persian Garden is a style that comprises nine irrigated gardens from various eras and regions of Iran symbolizing the Eden. It is estimated in the century B.C. the creation of the very first. The figure «4» holds a central place in the gardens, in four parts symbolizing the four elements of earth, sky, water and plants. A true source of inspiration in the art of the landscaped garden from Spain to India, the Persian garden was once a real corner of paradise for everyone seeking a spiritual and recreational rest. Here everything is taken into account, from the shade of shadow to each texture, to reduce the impact of light for a total decay.

«Shahr-i-Sokhta» or «the calcined city» is one of the first cities to have seen the emergence of complex societies. Founded around 3200 BC, it was occupied during four major periods, which led to the development of several neighborhoods, including a monumental area, necropolis and residential and craftsmen. After its abandonment due to geo-climatic variations, the desert drought allowed a very good conservation of the city. Today this place is a well of knowledge of the history of the region and of relations between the different societies that inhabited it.

The Kadjare dynasty is marked by a desire for modernization and openness. The Golestan Palace is the result of this paradigm shift: it incorporates typical elements of Persian art as well as innovations from the West. Today it is the emblem of that time and above all it has become a centre of Kadjar arts and architecture. The walled palace, one of Tehran's oldest ensembles, was chosen as the seat of government by the ruling Kadjare family, who came to power in 1779, making Tehran the country's capital. Built around gardens and ponds, the Golestan Palace embodies a new style that combines traditional Persian arts and crafts with elements of European architecture and technology from the 18th century

The city of Djordjan was demolished by the Mongolian invasions of the XIV century. There is only one funeral tower left today. Built in honor of Prince Qabus ibn Wushmgir, it measures almost 53 meters. His Islamic architecture shows the mathematical prowess of the time in Iran, as well as science in the Muslim world, and has found resonances to Central Asia. Built in unglazed ceramic bricks, this mausoleum is designed using a complex geometric diagram to form a cylindrical tower (17 meters diameter at the base and 15.5 meters under the roof) that erases towards a conical brick roof. Impressive!