Athens and Iran (OZ, TK and QR business)

[RooFlyer]

Returning to Kerman, we stopped first at the famous Shahzadeh Persian Garden at the town of Mahan. Built 1850 and extensively remodelled 1870.







Views of the nearby mountains:



Vendor had fairly usual wares, including an abundance of pomegranates. Pomegranate juice has been a staple throughout the trip.



Nearby, the mausoleum of Shah Nematollah-e-Vali who ruled in the 14th century.





Lunch in the town, some sort of fried pastry and pomegranate juice, more fresh pistachios and bananas left over from yesterday.

 

[RooFlyer]

We returned to Kerman, for a look through the bazaar. A wind-catch tower, with a statue commemorating local artisans, in this case copper-workers.



Obligatory visit to the hammam. One of these figures is not a prop:



Nice tile-work:





The bazaar was a bit quiet early on:





We had a self catering picnic for lunch tomorrow, so this was a primary stock-up place (as well as the stall selling dates etc):



Of course there was a mosque to visit. By this time we had figured out the mosques here. The central square is for socialising and mucking around (if you are young); praying is done in the carpeted alcoves off to the sides. Lots of people passing through the square on their way to some-one else, or just hanging around and talking. So I knew if I waited long enough, some-one would sidle up for a chat. And they did. They would have a little English and I had a (very) little Iranian and moistly they wanted to know 1. Where was I from? and 2. How did I like Iran? A response of man iran rarh doost diran! (I love Iran!) usually broke the ice

 

[RooFlyer]

To be honest, the tour so far had been a just a bit pedestrian. Very interesting, and a steep learning curve of all things Iranian, but other that Rayan citadel, no top-notch attractions. That was all about to change, as this day we reached fabled Shiraz.



Minor interest for me today as, on the map, just above the '6h' we cross a major plate boundary - where the Arabian plate to the SW has ploughed into the Eurasian Plate to the NW (cause of Iran's horrible history of earthquakes).

I hasten to add that the tour is best organised this way, as there is a lot to absorb to get the most out of the country and the long drive days are best 'front ended' so we were able to best enjoy Shiraz and Isfahan in the second week.

This was another long drive day, so I thought a bit more on our road experience would be in order. Our driver was great, and at no time did I feel unsafe, which is more than could be said for some of the drivers around us

Road worker in one of the towns. Not only no barriers, but he's not even facing the traffic!!



Typical highway-scape; divided highway, two lanes each way:



Here, the highway has narrowed to undivided, one lane each way. The tanker decided to over-take, on a hill, at a bend:



... and just squeezes back in front of on-coming cars:



We often took a byo picnic lunch in a park in a town; inevitably well kept and pleasant. Mickey showing a good Revolutionary fist! Red Riding Hood obviousy didn't get the memo:





Fig orchards appeared:



A road-side stall. Whole figs (on the left) are mostly dried to a hard yet pliable consistency. You can either put them in a glass of water overnight and wake to juicy figs for breakfast, or you can chew them as is. Very sweet, but a nice treat for on-the-road.

 

[RooFlyer]

An hour or so out of Shiraz we turned off the highway to visit the Sarvestan 'Palace', stuck out in the middle of no-where. Built in the 5th century, its function is unknown - a hunting lodge, or a Zoroastrian fire-temple. Brick domes atop square stone bases.



Brilliantly lit in the setting sun:





Squinchs again allowing the transition from square room to round dome:






Sunset approaching Shiraz:

 

[RooFlyer]

Shiraz, current population about 2 million, is over 4,000 years old. It pre-dates the cities of Persepolis and Pasargarde but serviced then as they evolved. It grew in importance after the Arab invasion (abt 700 AD) and was spared destruction by the Mongols and Tamerlane when the cities decided to pay tributes. The 13th and 14th century poets Saadi and Hafez flourished here, writing of love and wine.

It fell on hard times and was sacked during the 17th and 18th centuries, but regained its importance during the mid-late 18th century when it became the capital of Persia for a generation r so, before the capital was moved to Tehran. Wine was produced here up to the time of the revolution and grapes are still grown in abundance.

Today, its known as the 'city of poets and nightingales' and numerous gardens flourish. It benefits economically from tourism, as Persepolis is only an hour away.

We arrived at the Park Saadi Hotel, a 4 star job and pretty comfortable.











Most of us went straight out to dinner at a trendy restaurant Haft Khan (their traditional Iranian area, known as Minus One ... in the basement ...), rated as one of the best in Shiraz and notable throughout Iran.

Unfortunately we couldn't secure a table until much later, so we took one of the traditional areas where you sit and eat from a raised platform. Great in theory fbut for most of us, with non supple bodies and groaning joints, it was uncomfortable and we didn't linger.

I didn't like to photograph people directly, so didn't get a decent overall shot. but areas for couples, small and large groups (we were about 8, a large group and had a circular, curtained-off area).



With the smaller areas at least you could hang your legs over the edge!



So here we are, tucking in. The two ladies shown were by far the most comfortable.



Flags were brought out for each nationality



I had a chicken dish, with a thick, black walnut based sauce. It was extremely rich and I didn't finish it. Plus rice, of course.



It was a shame we couldn't have eaten at a non-traditional table; most of us were just wishing the meal to come to an end so we could straighten out!

Still less than A$20 for the meal at this fancy place.

 

[RooFlyer]

First stop the next day was the Narenjestan Garden. The central pool was under-going a rebuild but the garden itself was intact and very fragrant, full of Seville orange trees.



The garden and pavilion was built about 1880 by the merchant Qvam family. At this time western fashion was pervading Iran, and especially the colour pink. Also, 'mirror work' became popular. Story we were told was that a consignment of mirrors from Europe were smashed, so, making a virtue of this, they constructed ceilings and panels of thousands of mirrored pieces set at various angles, for a massive glittering effect.

Some tile-work from the entry portico:
















Atop the pavilion are the symbols of the previous Shah dynasty, the lion and the sun. Can you see the angels with their bare upper torsos (gasp!). This in "hard-line" Islamic Iran.

 

[RooFlyer]

Inside the pavilion, lots of mirror-work which unfortunately doesn't come up well in pics. Imagine a room where every surface in 3D consists of mirror-ball like stuff! Two ceilings:





As I mentioned above, in this period, Iran, and I guess the merchants who built this place, were heavily influenced by all things European - it was the fashion. So, in another room, which is beautifully painted on the walls and ceilings, we get scenes which look to have come from Germany (except for the head scarves ):







The next pic is looking at an angle across the ceiling, with rounded bearers exposed and richly painted:




Some nice fräuleins:









Again, you have to remind yourself that you are in post revolutionary Iran, and not some Bavarian pub.

 

[RooFlyer]

As the saying goes ... and now for something special....

Next stop was the Nasir-ol-Molk mosque, built in the 1880s and known as the 'pink mosque'. Fashion also extended to mosques.

The outside is colourful, but not arresting:


The tile work in the courtyard area is stunning (but not the greatest highlight )

 

[RooFlyer]

Although the tile work was beautiful, the highlight of the Nasir-ol-Molk mosque is in one of the side prayer galleries. Stained glass windows interact with the carpet to create a dazzling effect:





There was a photo shoot on:



It was a little disappointing that we visited late morning, as the optimal time is early morning, where the light streams in at a low angle and the coloured effects are broader.

A couple of the ceiling areas:

 

[OZDUCK]

Those colours are just amazing.

 

[RooFlyer]

I imagine many here have visited the British Museum. What do you remember of it? What were the stand-outs?

For me, from my first visit 20+ years ago I remembered the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles, and some weird bas-reliefs from "Mesopotamia and Persia". On return visits, I always went back to those bas-reliefs but I couldn't get my head around which empire they came from. That is, , until my last visit, a couple of years ago when I finally stopped and read the explanations in full and understood where Persepolis was.

Sometime, I would have to visit, I decided. Hmmmm ... Iran - tricky.

Now is the hour . We choofed off in our bus for the hour drive from Shiraz to Persepolis. Declared World Heritage in 1979.



OK, you know you are in for a bit of history, right?

Cyrus the Great founded the first Persian Empire - the Archaemenid Empire - from abt 550BC, which brought together numerous disparate empires such as the Babylonian (most of Iraq), Median (Eastern Turkey/northern Iraq) and Lydian (Western Turkey) empires. Its likely he chose the site of Persepolis as the ceremonial capital of his Archaemenid Empire but it was his grandson, Darius I who built Persepolis, after adding extending the empire to Athens, Egypt and the Indus River (Pakistan-India border today).

Persepolis, unlike many cities and monuments we visited, is at the base of a range of hills/mountains (most have been stuck out in the middle of the desert (today). This assisted in its preservation, as in the thousand or two years, it was abandoned, rock and scree were washed down the dry gullies and partially covered the derelict city, preserving especially the bas-reliefs on the up-slope side.

One thing I wasn't expecting was that Persepolis is built on a vast built-up podium/platform, which confronts you when you walk in from the car-park (end of the tourist season so blessedly, only a couple of other groups here!






You ascend to the platform the same was as kings and emperors did in the past, via the Stairs of All Nations, of a pair of double staircases, which you may just be able to make out beginning just to the right of the pair of figures. They go up left and right, then double back so their tops meet at the platform.

At the top of the stairs is the Gate of All Nations. The Stairs and Gate were built by Darius' son and successor Xerxes I, and like much of the city, were designed to receive Kings and Emperors from around the Archaemenid Empire as they paid homage to Xerxes and his successors.

The gate was guarded by two massive Lamassu - body of a bull, head of a man. The gate and some columns have been re-built, so what's standing has been re-erected and only a fraction of what was there originally.







One reconstruction of the stairs and gate:

 

[RooFlyer]

From the Gate of All Nations (also called the Propylaea) we turned right and approached the Apadana, or Audience Hall.





The Apadana had massive 20m high columns and walls and was where Xerxes received the Kings and Emperors of his empire, with their gifts etc. and gave gifts in return. Its built on its own platform, reached by staircases on the north and east side.



Today there are a few columns surviving and some walls and gates have been re-built. the roofing in the pic below covers the eastern stairs, which is the best preserved part of the complex.







Bas reliefs of the Emperor in doorways. he carries a fly-whisk and is of course shaded from the sun:





and remembering that the official religion was Zoroastrianism, here's our mate Faravahar again

 

[RooFlyer]

We walked anticlockwise around the Apadana to the north side steps, which now have a shelter built over them. This was probably the highlight of the visit - the north side of the complex was partially covered by scree washed down from the hills behind and was preserved from the elements and archaeological looting over the centuries. Unfortunately in pictures its pretty bland - the bas reliefs are carved from grey/brown limestone and the contrasts aren't great, but its what the bas reliefs were depicting, as well as the carvings themselves that was amazing.

On the sides of the northern stairwell are very many figures and overall the depiction is of various leaders and dignitaries of the conquered lands being led in friendship to Persepolis by the Archaemenidians and bearing their gifts.

The 'Bull Killing Lion' is a symbol found all around the palace and represents the spring equinox defeating winter. The dark eyes of the lion are produced by people rubbing that area, giving it a dark polish.



Each group of dignitaries is separated by a cypress tree in the carvings, and the first figure in each group is a Persian chamberlain who holds the hand of the first foreign dignitary, in friendship.


The pointy-hatted group top right are from Kazakhstan and bring clothes of various types; top left are from modern day Iraq and bring a bison, and weapons (as gifts); bottom left, people from Bactria (steppes of central Asia) bring a distinctive Bactrian camel.






This shot joins onto the right of the one 3 above. the front of the Kazakhstan group (pointy hats) who present a horse; in front of them, Syrians wearing turbans, with rams; the flower motifs are lotuses.

 

[amaroo]

just wishing the meal to come to an end so we could straighten out!

Laughing out loud .... I avoid these things like the plague. Pretty sure the last time I crossed my legs was grade 2

 

[RooFlyer]

A couple of final figures - soldiers going up the steps, and part of the "eternal army".





Many gates decorated with more bas reliefs



Looking up to the tomb of Artaxerxes II



More Zoroastrian symbology there:



And a great view of Persepolis; the Apadana under cover in the centre; to the left is the One Hundred Column Palace and Treasury with bases of many columns obvious and more palaces in the foreground and to the right. Its a much bigger site than I have illustrated.



A griffin (or easgle?) capital. Wooden beams lay between the heads.



Persepolis was burned by Alexander the Great, supposedly in retaliation for the Persians burning the Acropolis!

 

[boomy]

Great TR RF.

Enjoying the read with some baklava my Iranian friend brought from recent trip

many Persian cities are serviced by qanats

Wouldn’t it be nice

 

[RooFlyer]

Possibly bought in Yazd like this tin

 

[RooFlyer]

We left Persepolis after a couple of hours and I was well contented, not realising there was more to come. About 10 minutes drive away there is a cliff face, the site of more Royal tombs at the Naqsh-e-Rostam necropolis. We drove past on the main highway north the following day:



There are four tombs (one is to the right of this shot, and being renovated). Note the size of the people in the foreground:



The Achaemenid dynasty tombs are mildly interesting - they are of Darius I (c. 522-486 BC), Xerxes I (c. 486-465 BC), Artaxerxes I (c. 465-424 BC), and Darius II (c. 423-404 BC) but are relatively plain and all similar. The Kings were placed in sarcophagi in the tombs, but the tombs were looted at the conquest of Alexander the Great.

The best feature of the site is the bas reliefs beneath the tombs, which illustrate various victories and accessions of some of the Sassanid Kings. They trailed the Achaemenid dynasty by about 500 years and ruled from 224 - 654 AD.

The bas relief below shows the investiture of King Narseh who ruled for about 10 years up to 302AD. The King is second from the right with the big hat; the voluptuous figure on the right is goddess Anahita, associated with associated with fertility and wisdom.


This carving (dated at abt 262 AD) shows Shapir I's victory over the Roman Emperor Valerian (ruled 253-260AD). Obviously the Persian king is on the horse and Emperor Valerian is on his knee, pleading for his life after the battle of Edessa. He was the first Roman Emperor to be captured as a prisoner of war, causing consternation in the Roman Empire. The standing figure is Emperor Marcus Julius Philipus (AKA Philp the Arab ) who Shapir also defeated.






Next up is King Bahram III (ruled 293 AD) in battle (left in both images), mounted on a horse and using a spear.



The next one also shows a mounted battle, this time king Hormozd II left killing and knocking over his opponent. Cut abt 305AD



Lastly, the investiture of the first Sassanid King, Ardashir. Not sure why there is an equal also on a horse. Carved abt 235 AD.


Lastly, also at this site is a structure known as Zoroaster's Cube or Kabah.



Although built in the Achaemenid period, Shapir I used it to proclaim his greatness. In three languages (Parthian, Persian and Greek) he gave his genealogy, the extent of his empire and his victories over various Roman Emperors .

If you've struggled through all this, well done; now just think how well you'll do at the quiz night when the topic is kings of the ancient Persian empire

 

[RooFlyer]

Back in Shiraz, there were a couple of sites visited, with the last one being the Hamza ibn-'Ali ibn-Ahmad shrine. He was an 11th century figure and founder of the Druze sect. I looked that up but its waaaaay too complicated for me!

Its a mosque as well as a shrine, with the usual courtyard and dome. The courtyard was paved with memorials to people going back centuries, same as you find in Christian churches.





This was a rare place where the ladies had to cover up more than the headscarf ( an extra body wrap which was available at the entrance) and also there were separate men and women entrances to the shrine area.

Inside the shrine was simply stunning and something quite unexpected. All the walls and ceilings were composed of umpteen hundreds of thousands of pieces of mirror pieces put together in intricate patterns and lit with white and green light. Photos cannot begin to capture the effect, but here's a try. The grilled enclosure is over the spot where the body is buried, some depth below. All the other surfaces are mirror-work.




This is what the mirror-work looks like up close:



More areas of the shrine:






Wow factor : 99% !

 

[JohnM]

That was the one that blew me away, too...