Persepolis (Takht-e- Jamshid)

It is one of the great wonders of Iran. Impressive ruins steeped in the history of the mighty Achaemenid empire. The Persians called the city Parseh, while the Greeks called it Persepolis whose meaning is the city of the Persians. Darius I began the construction of this palatial city in 518 b. C., inspired by those buildings so typical of Mesopotamia, and continued for about 120 years by his successors and later kings. Persepolis covers an area of ​​125,000 square meters, built on an artificial terrace of which some still some platforms survive forming four different levels. The building’s rocks weigh more than 250 tons. According to some discoveries, these rocks had been extracted from mines and transferred to this city and from all nations such as Iranians, Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Elamites and Assyrians, people came to cooperate in the construction of the Achaemenid palaces.

Abyaneh

One of the most charming and ancient towns in the country is located in the province of Isfahan, 40 km from Natanz. This village, considered one of the highest on the outskirts of Dasht-e Kavir (Great Salt Desert), is built at different levels on the slope of the Karkas Mountains.

In the past, the town used to be called Viuna or Vianeh whose meanings are willow and willow zone, respectively.

The historical monuments of the town of Abyaneh consist of 11 ancient mosques, Zoroastrian temples, three castles and a spectacular cemetery. Among the mosques, the oldest belongs to the Seljuk era, year 477 in the lunar calendar, whose altar has been carved with Kufic script.

Regarding the language, the locals speak Persian with a dialect of its own originating from the Pahlavi language, the language of the Sassanid empire.

The town is characterized by the reddish hue of the houses in a tiered structure and the traditional clothing with colorful patterns of its inhabitants.

Ardabil

Ardebil, capital of the province of the same name, whose prominent archaeological sites and pleasant, cool climate during spring and summer attract many tourists annually, is located in northwestern Iran. The language spoken in Ardebil is Azeri from the Oghuz branch. Ardebil contains 8 hot springs and the Sabalan stratovolcano with a height of 4848 meters of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range is located in this province. Among the tourist charms of this province we can mention: the mausoleum of Sheikh Safi Al Din, the church of Santa Maria, the caravanserai Shah Abbasi, Shorabil Lake, Khosro Castle, Dokhtar Castle, and the lovely vaulted bazaar.

Hamadan (Hegmataneh)

Hamedan, the first capital of the Medes, was founded in the 7th century BC. by order of the first king of Iran, Deioces. The Medes called this city Hegmataneh, while the Greeks called it Ecbatana, which means meeting place, where they met and chose Deioces as the first king of Media. The minority of the population of Hamedan was made up of Christians and Jews for the reason that the tomb of Esther and Mordechai, two Jewish characters whose tomb is the most important pilgrimage site for Jews in the country, is located in this city.

Among the Hamedan handicrafts, one can refer to pottery dating back seven centuries. The cities of Hamedan and Lalejin are the centers of pottery made in Iran.

Initially, the western borders of the independent Median principalities did not extend much beyond the western borders of the Hamedan plain. Its original territory of communication, as the Assyrians knew it during the period between the last third of the 9th century and the beginning of the 7th century BC., was very delimited by the north and the northwest. The Medes had no choice but to expand their territory to the southwest and occupied the Zagros valley.

This city is famous for the great scholars who were born and raised in it, such as Baba Taher, Mirzadeh Eshqi and Avicenna.

Kashan

One of the oldest and most beautiful cities in Iran is thousands of years old. The Sialk Hills, about 3 kilometers west of Kashan, claim that this region was one of the first settlements of humans in Prehistoric times when they built houses using clay and mud. As Kashan has a desert climate and very hot summers, its houses are built in a special way to make it easy to cool or heat the rooms depending on the season. Kashan is an oasis in the Kavir desert where high quality rose water gushes and its carpets and handicrafts are known all over the world. Among the historical monuments of this city we can mention: Mir Emad Mosque, Jomeh Mosque, Agha Bozorg Mosque and Sultan Amir Ahmad Bathhouse.

During the Seljuk dynasty the city was known for its carpets, fabrics and glazed terracotta tiles with metallic reflections, the famous Kashi. Preserved by the Mongols (13th century) and the Tamerlane army (14th century), Kashan benefited from the Safavid kings (1503-1722), who stimulated its commercial and artisan development. Shah Abbas II (1642-1666) chose this city as the Safavid capital. However, the Afghan invasion in the early 18th century and earthquakes prevented its prosperity.

Masouleh

A mountain village on the rocky slopes in the southwest of Guilan province, 60 km from the town of Rasht. The peculiar style of this village, belonging to the Zandie era, makes the roof of the lower house the courtyard of the upper house and the front areas of the houses and roofs are used as sidewalks. The mild and pleasant climate, the pristine nature and wonderful panoramic views, as well as its unique architecture attract thousands of tourists annually. The highlights of this village are its yellow houses falling down the hillside, a not very high waterfall, the narrow streets and stone steps and a green mosque. This ancient town has an area of ​​10,000 square meters and is 1,050 meters above sea level. Here, some ceramic works and other metal tools belonging to the 5th-8th centuries AD have been discovered. C, which attest that there was an iron furnace at Masuleh that used to be the center of metallurgy. There are many souvenir shops and locals that rent traditional clothes to take pictures. Masuleh is the place where you can discover postcard images in every corner.