Kerman

Kerman Province is the largest province in Iran in terms of area, located in the southeast of the country and the historic city center of Kerman is the 10th most populous in Iran. This desert city was founded in the 3rd century BC. by the first Sassanid monarch Ardashir I, it was one of the obligatory stops on the Silk Road, since it served as a perfect communication hub with the Indian subcontinent. Marco Polo passed through this city in 1271 and recorded the quality of the goods that were sold in the bazaars. Its economy is based on the cultivation of pistachios, the making of carpets and the extraction of minerals.

The northern part of the city is in a desert area, but the southern part has a more moderate climate. Many of the attractions of Kerman can be found in the city itself, but the landscape that surrounds the city is also captivating, with patches of desert and large mountains, which appear snowed for much of the year. Kerman has more than 600 historical monuments of which 6 are registered with UNESCO: Lut Desert, Garden of Prince Mahan, Bam, Meymand village, Ganjali Khan Ensemble and Qanat.

Kermanshah

This historic city, dating from the 4th century BC. is surrounded by the Zagros mountains, on the border of Iranian Kurdistan and Iraq, and with the Behistun as the highest peak it becomes one of the most picturesque cities in the country. Due to its pleasant and temperate climate, Kermanshah was the second capital during Sassanid times. Some pieces of stones discovered in the Kermanshah caves are estimated to be 200,000 years old, belonging to the primary human beings.

This city serves as a base to know the prodigious reliefs of Behistun, remaining from the Achaemenid period, registered as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2006. From an economic point of view, Kermanshah is an important commercial center in the west of the country, focused on agriculture and industry. The region is an important producer of wheat, vegetables and fruits, and also contains agri-food factories (sugar, oil, flour), cement and textiles.

Bojnurd

Bojnurd is the capital of the North Khorasan province in northeastern Iran. The city of Bojnurd is located north of the Alborz mountain range and south of the Kappe Daq Mountains. In the northwest area, present-day Bojnurd, there is a hill that has been home to several historical works. The history of this city dates back to the Sassanid period. Then the city became home to various mystical and scientific figures. Due to the emergence of many towns around this city, Bojnurd is one of the main tourist destinations in Iran.

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.