Day 1.
Traditional Iranian breakfast of jam, eggs & bread in the hotel courtyard. Also got to have carrot jam again for the first time since my Afghanistan trip
.
I then met up with my guide Ali to see the sights of Shiraz. First stop was
Eram (heaven in Persian) garden.
Qavam House, built in 1879.
A lush green place with lots of people enjoying the park.
Next stop was
Qur'an gate. The gate was built ~1000 years ago and had a copy of the Qur'an at the top of the gate to bless travellers as they entered/exited Shiraz.
We then went to
Arg of Karim Khan, a Citadel built in the 18th century.
Some beautiful windows.
Inside was a small orchard of fruit trees & ponds.
Bath for the king.
We then headed into central Shiraz and got to meet the travel agent I had been organising my trip with
.
Then to the currency exchange to get some more rials. Apparently the rial had dropped ~10% in the last few days so people were rushing to cash in their dollars & euro's at the better rate.
We then went for a walk around the streets of Shiraz.
At
Nasir al-Mulk Mosque.
At Vakil Bath, an old public bath in Shiraz.
We then went for a wander around
Vakil Bazaar, the main bazaar in Shiraz, established in the 11th century.
Fabrics.
Was a great place to explore and take in the atmosphere of the place.
Rugs & smile
.
More rugs
.
Shopping.
The people were very friendly and welcoming
.
More shopping
.
We then went for lunch at a local restaurant.
They was a three-piece band playing traditional Persian music.
Great lunch of chicken and lamb kebab.
We then went to
Shah Cheragh. The interior of the shrine was covered in mirrored tiles, and was a sight to behold
.
Some local school girls having lunch while visiting the shrine.
We then visited the tomb of
Hafez, a celebrated Persian poet from the 14th century.
At the mausoleum of
Saadi, another famous poet. The mausoleum is also featured on the 100,000 rial note.
After resting for a bit back at the hotel, I went for a walk around central Shiraz again.
White Shoes.
Soldiers.
A mural memorialising martyrs from the Iran-Iraq war.
Some Shirazi's enjoying the evening. For dinner I had some beef kebab at a local restaurant for 150,000 rials.
Phone booth.
End of prayers.
