Taking off-the-beaten-track travel to all new and dizzy heights, visitors to Iran are treated to one of the world’s most fascinating and undiscovered arrays of historical artefacts and points of interest, all clinging to that protracted and enchanting tendril that is the three-millennia long course of Persian society.
At its forefront is mighty Persepolis, the ancient capital of the Achaemenids and one of the most awesome UNESCO sites in the entire of the Arabic world. Then there are the sprawling palaces of Isfahan, shrouded by the Zagros Mountains and loaded with breath-taking mosques and medieval bazaars. And let’s not forget the terracotta fortresses of Bushehr, the adobe domes of desert Yazd, and the elegant gardens of Shiraz; all prime recommendations of any Iran tourist guide.
The capital city Tehran is surely worth a check too, with its twisting webs of highways and beating economic centre. Or maybe a jaunt to the wild backcountry is what you’re after; perhaps for some skiing in Shemshak or Dizin, desert trekking in the Dasht-e Kavir, or beachcombing on Kish Island in the Gulf.