General Information About Shiraz
Shiraz is located in the northern part of Fars province as its capital. It is surrounded by several mountains (Derak, Baba kohi, Bamo, Cehel Magham) all of which belong to Zagros mountain range, and it is constructed along a seasonal river called ‘Rud-E-Khoshk’ (seasonal river), and it has located 1486 M above sea, Shiraz has semi-arid climate, and it has quite bearable summers despite the intolerable summers in the southern part of Iran except in August. Before the Arabs invasion in a thousand and four hundred years ago, this area was called Pars. Shiraz has the historical name ‘Tizaris’, according to Elamite cuneiforms (from 4000 years ago) discovered in 1979 in the southeast of current Shiraz. Most tourists know Shiraz only as a cultural and historical destination, but in fact, Shiraz is the city of lofty cedars, love and lovers, eye-catching gardens, welcoming people, romantic literature, poets, etc. Shiraz was the political and commercial capital during ‘Zand’ dynasty (1751 to 1794), and it has played a great role in Persian history since Achaemenids. Extreme sports like zip-line, glider, slack-line, rock climbing, etc. are popular among the new generation in Shiraz, and Shiraz has good facilities for extreme sports. Shiraz is also an option for those who are interested in literature, poems because ‘Tizaris’ has been the homeland of two great poets in the world of literature: Sa’adi and Hafez. Their poems are among the most popular poems in Persian. Each person with any background takes his/her own different meaning from their poems. That is what makes them special. Note: the best time to travel to Shiraz is, ‘Farvardin’ and ‘Ordibehesht’ (late March to late May) Some famous tourist attractions in Shiraz:
- Nasir-al-Molk mosque (pink mosque): located in Lotf-Ali-Khan street, also known as colored mosque. Its history dates back to Qajar dynasty, and its construction had lasted for twelve years. Tourists can watch a masterpiece of pane art in Nasir-al-Molk mosque (pink mosque).
Crucial note: best time to visit the pink mosque is 10 AM to 12 AM.
- Eram garden
- Hafeziye
- Arg-e-Karimkhan
- Shah-e-Cheragh holy shrine
- Vakil complex:
- Vakil bath
- Vakil bazaa
III. Vakil mosque
- Naranjestan-e-Qavam
- Sa’adi tomb
- Jame-e-Atigh mosque
- Qoran gate
- Khaneh-Zinat-al-Moluk
- Afif-Abad garden
- Khan school
- Sara-Ye-Moshir
- Delgosha garden
Very important historical sites (VIHS) in Fars province:
- Persepolis (Takht-e-Jamshid)
- Pasargade
- Naghsh-E-Rajab
- Naghsh-E-Rostam
- Ardashir palace
- Bishapur ancient city
- Sassanid palace
- Qaleh Dokhtar
- Gur historical city
- Istakhr historical city
Shiraz’s Local foods and drinks: Besides all beauties, there is another reason making Shiraz a special destination for tourists and that is its local food. Tourists can easily find traditional restaurants with good customer service adjacent to historical and cultural sites. (Less than a 5-minute walk away) Some local foods:
- Kalam-Polo: do not miss the fortune to test Kalam-Polo, highly recommended.
- Yatimak
- Do-Piyaze alu
- Yakhni Adas-Kalam
- Dampokht
- Eshkene
- ….
Note: Salad-Shirazi is one of the most popular desserts, especially for launch. There is a sweet delicious edible called ‘Falude’ or ‘Palude’. It is icy, and local people prefer to eat it in the afternoon. Transportation: Airport: Shiraz international airport (Shahid Dastgheib) has flight to 8 international airports around the Middle East and every domestic airport in Iran. Railroad: Shiraz’s railroad is connected to cross-country rail network, and each day it has two departures to Tehran. Bus: via Shiraz intercity terminals tourists can access every province and city. In Shiraz: Shiraz utilizes metro, bus, taxi, bicycle, minibus services as transportation systems. All of them are frequently used, but the most convenient one is taxi. Taxis are divided into several kinds, like: telephone ‘taxi agency’, share taxi, private taxi, snap, maxim, etc. Snap is the most economical and safest among them. Snap operates exactly like Uber.