About Shiraz
Poets,Roses,and the Heritage of Empire
Shiraz (Alt .1540 m) (900 km from Tehran), The cradle of royal civilisation of the world and of Persian History, it holds splendour and the magnificent ruins of Persepolis and Passargade(550-330 B.C). The illustrious 1000-year-old city of Shiraz is a cultural centre and home to thefamous mystic poets Saadi and Hafez. Shiraz offers you exquisite mosques,sacred shrines,tombs, lush rose gardens and, a short drive away, Takht-e Jamshid(which the Greeks called ‘Persepolis’) – the world famous archaeological site founded by DariusI and Xerxes in the 5th and 6th Centuries B.C. and razed by Alexander the Great over twohundred years later.Shiraz is one of the most pleasant cities in Iran, with its relaxed, cultivatedand generous inhabitants, wide tree lined avenues, and a multitude of monuments, gardens and mosques.Shiraz (Sheraz) Persian: شیراز‎ Shiraz, Persian pronunciation: [ʃiːˈrɒːz]) is the fifth most populous city of Iran and the capital ofFars Province. In 2009 the population of the city was 1,455,073. Shiraz is located in the southwest of Iran on the
Roodkhaneye Khoshk (Dry river) seasonal river. It has a moderate climate and has been a regional trade center for over a thousand years. It is regarded as one of the oldest provinces of ancient Persia.

History of Shiraz
The city of Shiraz, Iran is more than 4000 years old.
Shiraz lies in Fars Province, a central area for Persian civilisation. The massive ruins of the Persian Empire's grand palace Persepolis, about 2500 years old,Read more

Shiraz climate
Shiraz’s climate has distinct seasons, and is overall classed as a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSh), though it is only a little short of a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa). Summers are hot, with a July average high of 37.8 °C (100.0 °F). Winters are cool, with average low temperatures below freezing in December and January.Read more

Shiraz Get in / Around
By plane
By bus
By Train.Read more

Shiraz Historical Sites
Persepolis

Persepolis literal meaning "city of Persians", was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (ca. 550–330 BC). Persepolis is situated 70 km northeast of city of Shiraz in the Fars Province in Iran. The earliest remains of Persepolis date from around 515 BC. It exemplifies the Achaemenid style of architecture. UNESCO declared the citadel of Persepolis a World Heritage Site in 1979.Read more

Pasargadae, Marvdasht

This palace is 600 meters to the northeast of the Koorush shrine. The area of this palace is 2,620 square meters and includes a large hall (with eight columns) in the middle and four terraces in four directions and two rooms in the corners. To the east of the palace is Pasargadae, composed of a large hall with eight columns.Read more

Koorush Kabir (Cyrus) Tomb

On the Shiraz - Esfahan Road and in the Morqab plains, this rectangular monument is built on a six-storey platform. On the top floor, which is 3 m. high, there are two tombs, one belonging to Koorush, and the other to his wife Kassandan mother of Kamboujieh. These two graves are interconnected by a meter long and 35 cm. wide corridor.Red more
 

Naqsh-e-Rostam Engraving,

In the same direction as the historical site of Naghsh-e-Rajab and at the termination of the Haji-Abad Mountain, there are many historical ruins belonging to the Achaemanian, Elamite and Sassanian periods.Read more

Naqsh e Rajab

Naqsh e Rajab relief complex is situated 2 km distance from east of Takht e Jamshid in the slope of kuh e Rahmat and dates back to Sassanid period (3-7 AD century). Here there are four relieves from Ardeshir Babakan, Kartir and Shapur I.Read more

Narenjestan Garden of Shiraz

Narenjestan or Qavam Garden of Shiraz dates back to Qajar era and is located on the eastern side of the end of Lotfali Khan Zand Avenue. Due to abundance of sour orange  trees it is called Narenjestan. Narenjestan building has been a place where ordinary people went for administrative purposes and public meetings as well as meetings among Qajar dignitaries and nobles were held there.Read more

Vakil Bazaar

Vakil Bazaar is the main bazaar of Shiraz and is located in the historical center of the city in Darb’e Shahzadeh near the Vakil Mosque. It displays a beautiful architecture with wide corridors and high ceilings along with openings which allow air circulation and penetration of light.Read more

Vakil Bathroom(Hamam e Vakil)

Vakil Bathroom is situated the west of Vakil mosque in Shiraz. This bathroom belongs to Zandiyeh period (18 AD century). This bathroom enjoys from the most advanced architectural techniques of its time.Read more

Eram Garden(Bagh-e Eram)

With its beautiful flowers and decorative plants as well as its amazing edifice, it is now also known as the Botanical Garden of Shiraz University, and is in the heart of the city of Shiraz .Read more

Qur'an Gate

The Quran Gateway is the entrance to Shiraz, the capital of Fars province in southern Iran and is one of the most beautiful and historical monuments in the country.It is located near the gorge of Allah-o-Akbar and is flanked by the Baba Kuhi and Chehel Maqam mountains.Read more

Izadkhvast

Izadkhvast (Persian: ايزدخواست‎, also Romanized as izadkhvast and izad Khvast; also known as izad Khast, Yazd-e Khast, Yazd-e Khvast, and Yezd-i-Khast; also known as Samīrum) is a city in the Central District of Abadeh County, Fars Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 7,366, in 1,803 families. Read more

Izadkhast Fortress

The Fortress of Izadkhast is located in the Fars Province of Iran, roughly 135 km south of Isfahan. This historical complex has been situated on a natural base along with unique characteristics. The complex contains the castle of Izadkhast, one caravanserai and the Safavid-period bridge.Read more

Azarakhsh Fire Temple

The Azarakhsh Fire Temple is located at the foot of the mountains in Fars province approximately 5 kilometers southeast of Darab city. Some scholars believe that the Azarakhsh Fire Temple was initially a temple of Aryan Mehr worshipers and was converted to fire temple in the Sassanid era.Read more

Karim Khan Citadel

The Arg of Karim Khan or Karim Khani Citadel is a citadel located in the northeast of Shiraz. It was built as part of a complex during the Zand dynasty and is named after Karim Khan, and served as his living quarters. In shape it resembles a medieval fortress. At times, the citadel was used as a prison. Today, it is a museum operated by Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization.Read more

Band'e Amir

The Amir Dam is an example of the magnificent water engineering works achieved by the old Persian engineers and the only remaining dam from the Buyid dynasty. It is fully functional and provides a small reservoir habitat for fishes. It is located 40 kilometers north east of Shiraz and 15 kilometers south of Marvdasht.Read more

The Museum of Fars Dignitaries

The Museum of Fars Dignitaries was originally launched as a temporary exhibition a few years ago in Zinat-ol-Molk House in Shiraz. It is at one side of Narenjestan e Qavam (Orangery) that used to be the court of Shiraz supreme judge in 19th century.Read more

Sarvestan Palace

The Sassanid Palace at Sarvestan(kakh-eh Sassani-ye Sarvestan) is a Sassanid-era building in the Iranian province of Sarvestan, some 90 km southeast from the city of Shiraz. The palace was built in the 5th century AD, and was either a gubernatorial residence or a Zoroastrian fire temple.Read more

Baq-e-Eilkhani Edifice

It dates back to the time of Mohammad Qoli-Khan, a leader of the Qashqei tribe. The garden in which it is located (about 6,000 sq.m.) dates back to the Qajar period.more

Pars Museum

Pars Museum is a relatively small yet magnificent building constructed inside Nazar garden during late 18th century when Karim Khan Zand was in power in Shiraz, his capital city.It’s part of a royal project where several buildings were built for the administration of Zand court and the public use of Shirazi people.Read more

Coronation of Ardeshir Babakan shiraz

This rather large monument is made of stone and has three domes with many rooms. The ornaments and carvings on top of the interior doorways are similar to those in Takht-e-Jamshid.Read more

Ka'ba-ye Zartosht

The Ka'ba-ye Zartosht,meaning the "Cube of Zoroaster," is a 5th century B.C.E. Achaemenid-era tower-like construction at Naqsh-e Rustam, an archaeological site just northwest of Persepolis, Iran. This enigmatic structure is one of many surviving examples of the Achaemenid architectural design.Read more

Baq-e-Nazar Pavilion (Kolah Farangi)

A pavilion that is located in Baq Nazar, a beautiful garden with tall and ancient trees, dates back to the Karim Khan period. There is a charming pavilion built by Karim Khan, known as Kolah Farangi. The ceramic work on the exterior of this building is quite unique. There are paintings by well known artists of the Zand period on the walls.Read more

Abunasr Palace ( Takht-e-Abunasr )

Six kilometers east of Shiraz, on top of a hill, ia a relic of an edifice made of brick and stone. As a result of archeological excavations, these remains have been estimated to date back to the Parthian period but it was also used in the Sassanian period. Probably in the pre-Islamic era Takhat-e-Soleiman or the palace of Abunasr was located where the present city of Shiraz is today. This palace has been registered in the list of National Heritage monuments.

Naqsh-e-Shapour Engraving, Kazeroon

It has remained as a part of a thriving city. The ruins of Shapour exists in the Chogan Valley, a few kilometers away from Kazeroon. In the Chogan Valley, on the precipice of the mountain and on both sides of a river, many carvings can be distinguished: Two men on their horses standing face to face and a third person bending on his knees stretching his hands as though begging for forgiveness.Read more

Ghal'eh Dokhtar

Ghal'eh Dokhtar" or the Maiden's Castle, is a castle made by Ardeshir I, in present Day Fars, Iran, in 209 AD. It is located on a mountain slope near the Firouzabad-Shiraz road.This structure was built by Ardashir I.Read more

Gor City

Gor City is located 50 kilometers east of Meymand and 6 kilometers north of Firouzabad in Fars province. As Iran’s first round city it’s considered an ancient wonder. Historically the City is traced back to the Achaemenid Dynasty. Gor has a diameter of 2 kilometers and is surrounded by brick wall and a moat 50 meters across.Read more

Natural History and Technology Museum

This museum is a new double storeyed building which consists of two sections. The natural history section was inagurated in 1974 and the technology section was inagurated in 1986. by the Shiraz University.

Afif Abad Military Museum, Shiraz

The Golshan garden, also known as Afif Abad Garden has a beautiful building that was converted to a museum in 1988. This museum has a collection of military artifacts in the ground floor and on first floor there are beautiful reception halls and rooms decorated with paintings, which are worth seeing.Read more

Narenjestan Museum

Built in 1881, this magnificent building located in a beautiful citrus garden which dates back to the Qajar period. It was restored in 1967. This museum contains some of the objects relevant to 3000 years ago and also it’s photographic and slide archives on ancient monuments of Iran is considered to be one of the best in the country.Read more

The Tomb of Hafez

The tomb of Hafez is located Shiraz and was built in the age of Pahlavi I (20 century). Hafez Shirazi, one of the most famous poets of Iran and the world, had been living in 8 H / 14 AD century.Read more

Hafez

Khwaja Shams-ud-Din Muhammad Hafez-e Shirazi (Persian: خواجه شمس‌‌الدین محمد حافظ شیرازی‎), known by his pen name Hafez (حافظ; also Hafiz; 1325/26–1389/90), was a Persian poet. His collected works are regarded as a pinnacle of Persian literature and are to be found in the homes of most people in Iran and Afghanistan, who learn his poems by heart and use them as proverbs and sayings to this day. His life and poems have been the subject of much analysis, commentary and interpretation, influencing post-fourteenth century Persian writing more than any other author.Read more

Saadi, The Eminent Iranian Poet

Abu-Muhammad Muslih al-Din bin Abdallah Shirazi, Saadi Shirazi
(Persian: ابومحمد مصلح الدین بن عبدالله شیرازی‎) better known by his pen-name as Saʿdi (Persian: سعدی‎) or simply Saadi, was one of the major Persian poets of the medieval period. He is not only famous in Persian-speaking countries, but has also been quoted in western sources. He is recognized for the quality of his writings and for the depth of his social and moral thoughts. Saadi is widely recognized as one of the most prominent and greatest poets of the classical literary tradition.Read more

The Tomb of Saadi

Saadi's resting place is situated the northeast of Shiraz. It's building which is extracted from chehel sotoon of Isfahan, was finished in 1953. Saadi is one of the most famous poets of 7H / 13AD century.Read more

Pars Museum, Shiraz

The Kolah Farangi pavilion located in the midst of the Nazar Garden in Shiraz, was converted to a museum in 1852 and was restored in 1901. In this museum eleven paintings by Aqa Sadeq, a well known artist of that time, is on display. The building is composed of a central hall with a dome and four alcoves. In the eastern side, Karim Khan Zand was originally buried. Valuable objects can also be seen in this museum. Read more

Shiraz Religiouse Attractions
Shah Cheragh

Also known as the Shrine of the lord of the light.
The remains of Sayyed Mir Ahmad (a brother of Imam Reza) who died in Shiraz in AD835 are houses at this famous Mausoleum.A mausoleum was first erected over the grave in the mid 14th century and it has been an important Shiite place of pilgrimage ever since.Read more

Imamzadeh Shah Mir Ali Hamzeh

This Imamzadeh is located near the Qoran Gate of Shiraz. It is known that the original structure is of the Azododoleh-ye-Daylami period and was repaired and reconstructed in Teimoorian, Safavid, Zandieh and Qajar eras.

Haft Tanan Mourning Place

Karim Khan Zand built a beautiful edifice in a garden at the foot of the Chehel Maqam Mountain. There are seven tombs in this place that is for which the present name stands for, meaning Seven Bodies.Read more

Chehel Tanan Mausoleum
At the south of Haft Tanan Blvd. and to the east of Jahan Nama Garden, the Chehel Tanan Mourning Place exists, related to the Karim Khan Zand period. In this place 40 tomb stones can be observed. These belong to 40 gnotics.

Bibi Dokhtaran Mausoleum
This square building is situated in Sebaq, Shiraz. The dome is placed at the center of structure. It is said that Om-e-Abdollah is buried there.This placed is registered as a National Heritage Site.     

Abesh Khatoon (Qiamat Khatoon) Mausoleum
In Shiraz, near the Qasab Khaneh Gate there is a semi-ruined structure known as "Abesh Khatoon". Abesh Khatoon was the queen of the last king of the Atabakan of Fars,i.e., Menko Teimoorqa Aan, the 11th son of Holakoo Khan Mongol.The inscriptions of this building belongs to the Safavid era. This place is registered as a National Heritage Site.

Vakil Mosque

It is one of the most valuable monuments dating back to Zandieh period. It’s construction was completed in 1773 AD. The said premises with an area of 3600 sq.m. have been furnished with large stones. Its nocturnal area or Shabestan (night prayer hall) with an area of 2700 sq.m. contains 48 simillar tall pillars of stone with a beautiful ceiling and a marble altar that is considered to be one of the master pieces of the Zandieh era.Read more

No (Shohada) Mosque
In the old times it was called the Atabak Mosque. It’s construction work began in 598 AH. by Atabak Sa'd-ebne-Zangi and was completed in 615 AH. This very large mosque has a ceiling that is 40 m. high and 25 m. wide supported by 12 lower sections. Its building has been recently restored.

Nasirol Molk Mosque

This mosque is situated at the end of the Lotfali Khan-e-Zand Street. Nasirol Molk who was one of the elite of Shiraz, is the founder of this mosque. This mosque is unique for its tile work and architecture. The construction work of mosque began in 1293 AH. and was finally terminated in 1305 AH., by Mohammad Hassan Me'mar and Mohammad Reza Kashi Paz Shirazi .Read more

Atiq Jame' Mosque

This mosque was built in celebration of the conquest of Shiraz by Saffarid Amroleiss in the year 276 AH and was completed in 281 AH. It has been restored many times. The height of the building and its various nocturnal areas (Shabestans) with beautiful tile work on the ceilings, gives a unique charm to this place.Read more

Shiraz Suveniers
Monabat or Marquetry and Khatam
Monabat or Marquetry is carving on wood. It is very similar to moarraq. The most important pre-requisite substance is wood such as pine, cypress, walnut & betel with religious designs.
some other substances are ivory & bone.Read more

Wood Work
One of the most intricate styles of woodwoork is moarraq, or marquetry. Initially influenced by artisans from India, a particular Persian style of marquetry developed through the centuries. A number of woods are often used, such as betel, walnut, cypress and pine, with the inlaid pieces made from animal bones, shells, bronze, silver and gold.Read more

Kilim
Kilims are hand knitted or woven from wool, cotton and silk and Herbal Colors with some differences with carpets. All Kilims can be washed with Tea and Walnut Shell to give them a warmer color with an older and antique look. Kilims have various designs originated from villages and tribes travelling in Shiraz.

Handmade Glass
Glass works are all hand made crafts with a deep root in Iranian ancient culture and art history. With a sign of handy art work, spirit of Herbal colors and the eternity of ancient passion, today they represent one of the finest glassmaking firms in Asia.

Carpets and Rugs
There are six types of rugs in Fars province including: Rural, Khamseh, Qashqa'i Mamasani, Bulvardi & Shirazi rugs.Qahqa'i people weave a kind of rug (Tork-e Shirazi) which is called Mak-eye Shirazi is Western (foreign) Markets.These Persian rugs have the common Orange desgins with dark colors such as: dark blue & dark red.