Iran at maximum speed! Ancient cities, islands, deserts and Ancient Persia!

Group gathering in Tehran. Transfer to Isfahan. Underground city. We arrive in Iran at night or early in the morning (see the Flights section). If you arrive at night or a day earlier, it makes sense to check into a hotel that is located 5 minutes on foot from the airport via an overpass. At 6:00 am we leave Imam Khomeini Airport towards Isfahan. The road takes about 4 hours, but we will extend the pleasure and stop by the village of Nushabad to see a real underground city, which was discovered completely by accident! The underground city, which has a history of one and a half thousand years and was built in Sasanian Iran, was used by the population as a refuge and escape from enemies during the turbulent years of military raids. The underground passages were accidentally discovered by one of the residents, who was going to dig a well in the yard of his house and… failed! Since the real entrance to the underground city was never discovered, an underground reservoir located next to the dungeon is used to enter it. Day in Isfahan Let's start the day with a visit to Maidan-e-Emam Square of Isfahan, which was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site back in 1979. We are primarily interested in the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, located on the eastern side of the square. Next, let's immerse ourselves in culture and take a look at the Imam Mosque (formerly known as Masjid-i Shah, Shah Mosque) - a true masterpiece of Persian architecture. This elegant mosque, with blue tile mosaics and perfect proportions, forms a visually stunning monument, crowning the main square of Isfahan. But the most important thing is why we go to this square - this is a real Eastern Bazaar - this will be one of the most vivid impressions of our trip! You will see masters who create real works of art right in front of you - minting, creating dishes, carving, creating masterpieces from ceramics! In the evening we will walk along the embankment and visit a very interesting place… In the evening, under one of the old bridges, the residents of Isfahan gather and… sing! It is impossible to describe, you need to be there and we will definitely be there! * If you arrive earlier, please let us know - it is possible to organize an individual program around Tehran.

In the morning after breakfast we will look at the oldest hotel in Isfahan, there is something to see there and we will go to the ancient city of Yazd, along the way we will turn off the highway and visit the abandoned adobe city. Many have heard about the mountain village of Gamsutl in Dagestan, the ancient city of Machu Picchu in Peru, and we found something similar in Iran! Multi-storey city made of adobe! We'll walk through the narrow streets, passages, and look into the abandoned hammam and mosque. In the evening we will arrive in the city of Yazd, which itself, with its adobe houses and wind catchers (Badgirs), is a living fossil. Our task is simply to get lost in the maze of adobe streets, accidentally come across some cafe on the roof, order a hookah, tea and just enjoy the atmosphere of the old city! We chose a hotel with the appropriate atmosphere, in the old town.

Yazd is the most authentic city in Iran! We specifically want to stay here so that you can feel Persia from the inside… We will visit the ancient temple of the Zoroastrians, where the fire has been burning for several thousand years… We will visit the Tower of Silence - this is where the Zoroastrians brought their dead and left them for the vultures, we will visit the local bazaar (not a market, namely the Bazaar, as part of oriental culture!) And in the evening you will have the opportunity to walk around the old city… Without a group and a guide - this is a special wish of our participants from previous races.

After breakfast, we check out of the hotel and set off to explore ancient Persian culture! The first thing that awaits us is the ancient necropolises of Nakshe Rustam! Majestic tombs carved into the rocks! We won’t linger too long; we’ll go to the main attraction of Iran - the city of Persepolis, which was destroyed by Alexander the Great! There will be a lot of historical information here, we will walk until closing, and then we will go to the ancient city of Shiraz - the capital of the Persian kings and poets. Without checking into a hotel, we will visit one of the most beautiful mosques in Shiraz - the Mirror Mosque or the Shah Cherakh Mausoleum! The mosque is operational, let's go in and look at the interior decoration and luxury decoration! By the way, girls will be allowed in a little further than men, women are allowed to visit the female half of the mosque… We almost forgot… Since our tour involves not just learning about cultural values, but also tasting local dishes, we will stop at Rustam on the way to Naqshe to a nice cafe, we’ll try chicken in pomegranate juice, stuffed with nuts, berries and I don’t know what, but it’s very tasty! Checked! In the evening we will arrive in Shiraz and check into a hotel.

Breakfast. Early departure so we could be at the Pink Mosque by 8:30. This place must be visited in the morning, when the sun's rays, breaking through the stained glass windows, paint a real picture! It's hard to describe, it needs to be seen! Sit on the carpet, lean against a column and just immerse yourself. The second location will be the Vakil baths or hammam. Now it is a museum that very accurately conveys the atmosphere of the hammam and what kind of business the local merchants and artisans decided there. But the main attraction of the day will be the real Iranian Grand Canyon! We will walk along the Canyon, stop at beautiful viewpoints and, if possible, we will visit the Qashqai people, who inspired Nissan to create the Qashqai car… The Qashqai people still lead a nomadic lifestyle, live in tents, engage in cattle breeding, and if you're lucky, you can also buy souvenirs… But we don’t promise, nomads are nomads to roam… Let’s make a small digression from the dry description of the program and tell how we had a meeting with the Qashqai people on behalf of the guide: - “Wait, wait! Here they! - I shouted, seeing the nomads’ tent. Our minibus stopped and we poured out into the road in a friendly crowd, 300 meters from the road there was an army tent, guard dogs were barking and the bustle was visible. The whole friendly company went to the Qashqais, our Iranian escorts were clearly there. they were hanging out, they were not used to moving off the beaten and fenced tourist paths… :) But it was clear that they were interested in themselves. A young guy met us, a dialogue ensued, while the girls squeezed the young goats, we were invited into the tent where the head of the family was, an elderly man, eighty years old. They put the kettle on and we sat down on the ground covered with homespun carpets. We asked questions, the Iranians translated… We were most interested in everyday life, family issues… The young guy admitted that he was not married… Girls do not want to marry someone like him - a nomadic cattle breeder. The Qashqai people are settling down more and more, getting used to civilization, but we were lucky and met “the last of the Magicans.” The decoration of the tent is very ascetic - army boxes, parcels, carpets… They treated us to cheese that could be called “eye-plucking”, it was so sour and hard! We responded with chocolate. We said goodbye to our family and trekking along the canyon awaited us!" Return to Shiraz.

Early in the morning we leave for the airport and fly to the very south of Iran - to the coast of the Persian Gulf, where it is always warm! After arrival, we will have breakfast and a transfer from the airport to the ferry will await us. And now we are sailing through the strait to the island of Qeshm. Without checking into a hotel, we will immediately go to the Chakhku Canyon. Here the words from the song “…and the world cracked in half!” come to mind. A narrow fault and bizarre water erosions leave very funny figures and even an experienced sculptor can envy Nature’s imagination! After Chakhku we go to the inhabited part of the island and on the way we stop at another canyon, “Valley of Stars”. If Chahku is sandstone, then the Valley of Stars canyon is formed in clay rock! Hotel accommodation, free time and evening dinner at a restaurant on the shore; those who wish can swim in the waters of the Persian Gulf or shop in very cool shopping centers, where, thanks to the free economic zone, prices are low! *-if we have time, we’ll stop by the shipyard and see how wooden ships are built!

Wake up early, have breakfast and head to the island of Hormoz! This is a real Paradise for a geologist and… a gourmet! The island of Hormoz is often called the “edible island”, because it consists of salt and ocher, which was previously exported on an industrial scale to many countries of the world as a spice! You can still buy red bread on the island with the addition of… hmm… Spices, not the dirt of the pasture? The trip around the island will take place on a local three-wheeled vehicle, somewhat reminiscent of a Thai tuk-tuk. We will visit beautiful viewpoints, see colorful salt caves, “red beach”, salt walls, try local cuisine and in the evening we will take a ferry to Bandar Abbas and check into a hotel. Evening dinner. In the evening, those who wish can even do some shopping in very cool shopping centers (there are no such centers in Moscow!), where, due to the fact that Qeshm is a free economic zone, prices are very low!

Road to Kerman. Breakfast, check out from the hotel and a long but beautiful road awaits us to the desert province of Kerman. Along the way we will stop at an atmospheric place and eat street food. Upon arrival, we will check into a hotel and in the evening you can take a walk around the old city.