Photos from Northern Iran

We’re in Esfahan for one more night, before heading south to Shiraz, our final stop in Iran. I can tell you we are getting excited for Thailand. I’m not sure we could find a more stark contrast between two countries: from an Islamic theocracy to the sex tourism capital of the world. Ta da! Anyway, I thought I would put up some shots from the last couple of weeks. The heat here can be overbearing, and we’ve been hitting the pavement to do a lot of sightseeing and just walking around. Generally we can’t get more than about 100m without meeting someone new who is curious about where we are from or just wants to practice their English. It’s been a unique experience, but that in itself can get very tiring. Two days ago, it took us something like four hours to get across Esfahan’s main Imam Square to get…Continue Reading

Takht-e-Soleiman, the ancient Zoroastrian religious centre

The Unesco World Heritage site Takht-e-Soleiman is 42 kilometers northeast from a small town called Takab in Iran.  It was the spiritual centre of the ancient state religion called Zoroastrianism. This 1500-year old site must have been remarkable in its heyday, because the fortifying walls that still stand are very impressive.  It is truly a remarkable location with its height, the view and the lake in the middle.  The site is actually 20-meters higher than the surrounding area. The height of the site is primarily due to the deposition of lake sediment! It is still possible to walk through what use to be the Fire temple.  Back in the day, the temple contained an eternal flame which was “provided thanks to a natural volcanic gas channelled through ceramic pipes” (Iran 2008, Lonely Planet).  The site also honours the elements of wind and water.  Seeing as the site has such a…Continue Reading

Is this taxi going the right way?

Road lines are more like abstract paintings for drivers to admire. People simply do not pay any attention to them. What would be a three lane road back home becomes a five lane, or six lane road here.  This is an observation quickly made seconds after stepping into a vehicle in Iran. Following the advice of our Iran Lonely Planet travel guide, Chris and I decided to hire a taxi to take us from a city called Zanjan to an archaeological site called Takht-e-Soleiman for a couple hours and then on to a small city called Bijar. We found a driver and agreed with his cost of $50 US dollars for the trip. When we came into the mountainous part of the drive our taxi driver started cutting corners.  He would drive in the wrong lane on blind corners, on winding mountain roads that were marked with solid double lines. …Continue Reading