Shiraz!

March 25

We landed in Shiraz at about 7:30 am,

Sunrise as we disembark in Shiraz

Iran Air (even though we were actually on a FlyDubai flight)

and wound our way around security and found our guide Ali. He was so warm and welcoming! We loaded our luggage on the minibus and headed off to see some sights. The first stop was the Holy Shrine of Ahmad Ebn-e Mousa Al Kazem which commemorates some of the most important imams of Shia Muslims.

As we were leaving the airport

Tile work and intricate architecture often seen at the mosque doorways.

This entire room was tiled in mirrors!

The mosque from the courtyard and obligatory fountain.

Then we went to the Nasir al Molk Mosque where the light through the stained glass was amazing.

Mosque from the courtyard

Wooden blocks between the stone which provide some “flexibility” for earthquakes, etc.

Another intricate doorway.

The winter side of the Nasir al Molk mosque

Patterns upon patterns

One of numerous windows

I believe we then visited Naranjestan gardens. They are owned and tended by Shiraz University.

naranj is what they call these sour oranges. They are everywhere. They were also everywhere in Morocco.

The gardens and house at Naranjastan

After visiting a fort called The Citadel

Tower at the citadel

Gardens at the citadel

we stopped for a favorite Iranian treat called falooda. It is made with frozen rice noodles, rose water and lime. We had ours with ice cream. I liked the ice cream with the lime, but could do without the falooda (it’s a texture thing). Then we went and visited the tomb of Hafez, a Muslim Sufi mystic poet especially revered by the Iranian people.

Some of our group with Persians who requested a photo with us at the tomb of Hafez gardens.

The tomb of Hafez

The dome over the tomb of Hafez

Another Persian & American photo op in the gardens at the tomb

This man wanted a picture with us, but didn’t want us to be too close.

Because it is Nowruz, the Persian New Year, and schools and business close for all or part of the 13 days it is celebrated there were crowds and crowds of people, mostly families everywhere we went. The last day is nature day and everyone goes and spends the day outdoors. This was the only day we had rain, but families were out in their tents and shelters anyway. This is an ancient springtime celebration with no real current religious ties as it dates back to before any of the current monotheistic religions began. It is Zoroastrian in origin and is still a holy day for them. According to Ali, there was an effort to reduce this celebration in favor of more time during a religious holiday (Eid al Fitr), but public outcry kept it in tact. Families use this holiday time to camp and visit their national historic sites.

We stopped at a carpet shop where they served us tea and we negotiated our purchases. It was beautiful to see and learn about the different styles, symbols, and sizes of the carpets. (Yes, I bought one.)

This is my Persian rug. It’s about 1 meter by 2. The 3 diamonds represent tents surrounded by animals and plants for the community and each corner is guarded by soldiers.

Young people in particular, often encouraged by older family members would approach and ask where we were from. The obvious pleasure and warm welcome that infused their faces when we said we were Americans was certainly the antithesis of what I had expected. To a one, they engaged us in conversation in sometimes very broken English, wished us to feel welcome and wanted pictures taken with us. I have never felt more welcome anywhere else I have visited.