Golestan Palace in Tehran is one of Iran’s royal palaces, registered in the list of national monuments of Iran, and is open to the public. In all countries with a glorious history of civilization and governance, kings and their entourages have built extraordinary architectural works, and many of these palaces and palaces are still standing. Many palaces have been turned into museums, galleries, hotels, restaurants, or other cultural and recreational uses that need to be restored and protected with better supervision and financial facilities. For this reason, parts of Golestan Palace are open to visitors today as museums. Stay with us to learn more about this beautiful and fantastic palace.

When we talk about Iran Traditional Hotels, what do you imagine?

Old architecture, walls made of mud and straw, wooden windows with colorful glasses, Iranian traditional music, water fountains, Iranian food and handicrafts, getting familiar with the rich Iranian culture. It has always been attractive and enjoyable for tourists who travel to Iran.

Many of the Iran traditional hotels and boutique hotels in Iran that have now become tourist accommodations in the past were houses or caravanserais that have been renovated and repurposed. For example, the Abbasi Hotel in Isfahan was once a caravanserai and is now known as the largest and most beautiful Iran traditional hotels and even the Middle East.

What is a caravanserai? What was the purpose of the caravanserais in the past?

In the past, Iranian caravanserais were resting places for groups and people who reached this place after a long walk, put their horses in the stables of the caravanserais, and rested after drinking water and eating Iranian food.
In the past, travel was not as common as it is today, and due to the difficulties of the road, travel was limited to business trips, and the most important concern for businessmen was accommodation on the way. Iranian caravanserais were also built with the same goals.
Due to its good geographical location, Iran has always been at the center of main and communication routes. One of these important highways was the Silk Road; This road was a series of interconnected roads that connected East, West and South Asia together and to North Africa and Eastern Europe; The route that was considered the biggest and main commercial route in the world.
After the industrial revolution and the emergence of motorized transport, Persian caravanserais also lost their initial prosperity. Many of them were abandoned and gradually turned into ruins. The use of some Iranian caravanserais was also changed, and today they have turned into restaurants, traditional hotels and accommodation for tourists.

Introducing the Nooshabad underground city

Nooshabad underground city, a journey into the depths of Iran’s history!

In this article, we’ll describe one of the most amazing cities in the world, the underground city of Nooshabad. We’ll share interesting and exciting information with you about this ancient place, which is a relic of the Sassanid era and holds a history of 1500 years, and the story of the discovery. The underground city of Oui or the Nooshabad underground city is an underground and ancient city under the urban texture of the new city of Nooshabad. Nooshabad is one of the cities of Aran and Bidgol county in Isfahan province. This city, which is known as one of the capitals of the Sassanids in the Anushirvan period, is located 5 km north of Kashan city (the city of ancient Sialk hill) and 3 km northwest of Aran and Bidgol city. Although the history of the creation and use of these buildings goes back to the Sassanid era and the beginning of Islam, but based on the evidence, it was utilized in later periods, until the Safavid period.

Zigurat of Choga Zanbil

The ziggurat is an ancient temple of the Elamites, based on a four-story square plan with a temple top and an estimated height of more than 50 m, surrounded by numerous buildings, temples and palaces, and protected by three walls. The ziggurat consists of a huge mud brick structure, reinforced by wooden beams with an external coating in fired brick, which also allowed its connection with the outside. Each floor of the ziggurat was used for specific functions: at the top of the building was the temple proper, the “sanctum sanctorum”, with an altar and statues dedicated to the patron deity, to which only the priest-king had access. On the middle floors there used to be schools and along the stairs were the priests’ rooms. In the lower part, there were warehouses to store the goods that would be used in case of need, and archives to keep the clay tablets on which the contracts or the quantities of goods delivered to the temple were recorded.

This sacred place gathered cults and deities from all the provinces of the kingdom. Several palaces were built to the east, next to a monumental entrance gate, also called the royal gate, with a large courtyard. The ashes of the royal family were also found in a palace intended for royal funerary worship. In 1979, Chogha Zanbil became the first Iranian site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage.

If you are passionate about mountains, anthropology, historical landscapes and the fascinating culture of the Middle East, SITO Travel will help you organize your trip to Iran. Contact us because our experience is born and developed in this field.

Varzaneh

The hidden gem in the geographic center of Iran. It is a small city located on the edge of the Dasht-e Kavir desert, and it contains architectural elements and the typical landscape of the desert region of Iran. Varzaneh is a curious destination for those who like to explore popular places and rural culture. In this city ancient traditions are preserved that have disappeared in the modern part of the country. It is a good starting point to explore different tourist attractions, such as the ruins of an old caravanserai, volcanic mountains, sand dunes, and a salt lake.

Uraman

It is situated in a valley oriented from east to west, on a steep slope overlooking the northern part of the Takht Mountains, south of Marivan. Most of the houses in this village are stone and stair-shaped like Palangan and Masuleh. The beams cover the ceilings, the uneven stone blocks form the walls, and it could be said that the material used in the construction of the houses is that provided by the surrounding nature. The peculiar style of this village makes the roof of the lower house the courtyard of the upper house.

The climate of this region in spring and summer is mild and pleasant, but very cold in winter. Uraman village is one of the attractive rural areas of Kurdistan which, in addition to its panoramic views, has an invaluable tourist capacity thanks to the annual organization of a wonderful ancient Peer Shahriar ceremony.

Takht-e Soleiman

The archaeological site of Takht-e Soleiman, in northwestern Iran, is situated in a valley in the middle of a region of volcanic mountains. The site includes the main Zoroastrian shrine, partially rebuilt during the Ilkhani period (13th century), and a temple dedicated to Anahita from the Sassanid period (6th and 7th centuries). The architecture of the Temple of Fire, as well as that of the meeting rooms of kings and other palaces, significantly influenced architectural development during the Islamic period, which took place after the dissolution of the Sassanid rule in the 7th century AD. C. Takht-e Soleiman is also associated with beliefs much older than Zoroastrianism, as well as with important biblical figures and legends.

The site consists of an oval platform that rises about 60m above the surrounding valley. It has a small limestone artesian well, which has formed a 120 m deep lake. From there, small streams carry water to the surrounding lands. The Sassanids occupied the site from the 5th century onwards, building the royal sanctuary there. The sanctuary was surrounded by a stone wall 13 meters high, 38 towers and two entrances to the north and south. The main building is the Zoroastrian Fire Temple or Azargoshnasb, which is located on the north shore of the lake. This brick-built temple has a square plan typical of Sassanid fire temples. This architectural criterion of the Sassanids became an exemplary model for the construction of other places of worship in the Islamic period. To the east of the temple, there is another square hall reserved for the “eternal fire.” To the east is the Anahita temple and the royal residences are located to the west of the temples.

Shushtar

One of the cities of the Khuzestan province, southwest of Iran on the banks of the Karun River. As it is surrounded by fertile plains, it has been an agricultural center since ancient times. The name Shushtar means better than Susa, the capital of the Elamites. After the Arab invasion of Susa, the Elamites established this new city, where it had a more pleasant climate and fertile lands. On the other hand, some historians believe that the root of the word Shushtar is six gates, since the city has six entrances, while another group believes that it originally means king’s city. According to them, Shushtar was the first settlement of the first humans and, as some objects found in the Pebdeh cave show, the antiquity of the city dates back to ten thousand years ago.

Shahr-e Sukhteh  (Burnt City)

This place is located 50 km from Zabul city. It is one of the largest urban settlements with more than 5,000 years old and occupies an area of ​​about 150 hectares, located on a hill 12-18 meters high. Excavations in this area have uncovered many ancient objects, such as: ceramics, old metal, wood, stone objects that show the antiquity of the civilization of this area.

Archaeologists divided the city into four parts:

Central area with an area of ​​20 hectares whose objects date back to 2700 years before Christ.

The East Zone, of 18 hectares and with an area of ​​16 hectares, corresponds to the second level of occupation of this city.

The northwest area, where metal and stone objects have been found that indicate industrialization.

The last zone includes a 25-hectare cemetery.

The burned city has unique characteristics that distinguish it from other historical monuments in Iran. This city, despite its advance, lacked a temple or shrine, a wall, a fence, a moat, and even a defense system. The houses were made of clay and lime and were equipped. Archaeologists estimate that this city was inhabited for 1500 years.