Iran Persia Tehran Esfahan Persepolis Yazd Shiraz Silk Road Complete Guide 2026
Browse more guides: Iran travel | Asia destinations Iran (Persia) Complete Guide 2026: Tehran, Esfahan, Persepolis, Yazd, Shiraz and the Silk Road Heritage TL;DR I planned my Iran trip around five anchor cities covering 2,500 years of Persian civilization: Tehran for Golestan Palace (UNESCO 2013) and the Treasury of Crown Jewels with the 182-carat Darya-ye Noor pink diamond; Esfahan for the Safavid complex around Naqsh-e Jahan Square (UNESCO 1979), the world's second-largest plaza at 89,000 m²; Persepolis (UNESCO 1979) founded by Darius the Great in 518 BCE and burnt by Alexander in January 330 BCE, plus Naqsh-e Rostam and Cyrus the Great's tomb at Pasargadae (UNESCO 2004) from 559 BCE; Yazd (UNESCO 2017) for the Atash Behram fire temple with its 1,500-year flame and the Towers of Silence abandoned in 1978; and Shiraz for the Hafez Tomb (rebuilt 1935), Eram Gardens (UNESCO 2011), the Nasir al-Mulk Pink Mosque (1888) and Vakil Mosque (1773) with its 48 spiral columns. Iran ...