Persepolis is, I think, one of the wonders of the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire (550-330 BC), founded by Cyrus the Great but largely built by Darius 1. The city, acting as a major centre for the empire, housed a palace complex and citadel designed to serve as the focal point for governance and ceremonial activities. It was sacked and destroyed by Alexander the Great in 330 BC, legend would have it at the suggestion of Thais, the mistress of General Ptolemy in revenge for the destruction of Greek sanctuaries in Athens.
Its use has never been clarified – it is thought not to have been a city per se, but a seasonal celebratory palace for Nowruz (new year), as evidenced by the numerous friezes showing tributes being brought to the Emperor. The only reason we still have such remarkable ruins (now very much restored) is that the fire only destroyed the wooden buildings and not the stone, although charring is still visible in places.
Friday 23rd April
First thing we did was to find some food – had what appears to be typical Iranian breakfast – mashed up fried eggs and bread and tea. We then visited the bazaar – a very old one with domed ceilings and not terribly tourist-orientated – I bought a pretty bit of Iranian material. The smell of spices pervaded the whole bazaar and there were magnificent women in petticoated skirts (like bustles) embroidered caps (gold and silver) and veils, the whole costume extremely colourful. As it’s Friday a lot of things were shut (including the tourist office!) so not much to do. Found (I did this time!) another hotel very close and pleasant, and after a short rest walked a long way to Hafez’s tomb (fairly hot too).
It is in a beautiful garden, surrounded by orange groves, cypresses, petunias, pansies and roses, not yet out. We had one of our spinach-sandwich lunches then a long rest and then ventured into a teahouse we had seen earlier, covered in kilims, saddlebags and wonderful murals depicting battles of yore (Rostum was pointed out to me). Lots of youngish men smoking water pipes, different from those in Turkey – quite a pleasant atmosphere. Discovering buses to Kerman and transport to Persepolis difficult, but we had nice chelo kebabs and rice and I won a rubber of bridge.
Saturday 24th April
Got up very early and went on a guided package tour of Persepolis, complete with red plush-seated Mercedes bus and American tourists (very typical, doing the world). Our guide was rather aggressive towards some of them and his English odd, but he was quite sweet and showed us around well. The friezes were even better than I’d expected, in perfect condition and the detail so wonderful, even touching in places. The double-head lions, eagles (homas) from the pillar-heads were also in good condition. Amazing to think it’s all so old. [Below are my photos but my mother’s are much better – a selection above or click the link]
Back in Shiraz we took our luggage a long way to the bus area and found a bus leaving for Tehran at seven and dumped our luggage there before returning to the bazaar. I bought some lovely turquoise prayer beads. We were tired and it was very hot, so our energy ran out and we did nothing until the bus left – an amazing bus: the cheapest and inhabited by the poorest of the poor, who said communal prayers at prayer time and took turns to sleep in the gangways! We have had our blanket so felt all cosy in that
Sunday 25th April
Arrived in Tehran by 11 am – very quick journey and not too uncomfortable either. [I’m surprised to read this as I recall a 16-hour bus journey where, every time the bus stopped, all the men dashed out to use the communal loos, so by the time I managed to push my way to the door, they were unspeakable, with the result I didn’t pee for the whole journey – and I’m sure it was this one! The final stint from the bus station to the hotel was agony.]
Booked into the Kabir again without too much trouble and then went up to Brian‘s house – no one there, then to the office where we just caught him. He took us back to his house and on the way we met a rather odd archaeologist (from Cambridge) called Pete, but he was amusing company. Later on, an American girl, Jane, came round and Brian took us all out for dinner – a posh Persian place complete with music and dancing. My food was badly chosen otherwise I think it would’ve been good.
Monday 26th April
Spent the morning lazing about the Amir Kabir and finding out about buses to Mashad. We also went to the bazaar, but it wasn’t very fruitful. When we got to the Levant tour terminal at 2:30, no one knew anything about a bus to Mashad, and only at 3pm did a bus appear (when it was due to depart!). We left it about 4pm in the end, but no one seemed to mind so neither did we.
Very friendly sixth-former was sitting in front of us and chatted to us a lot of the time. Scenery rather spectacular – lots of houses with domes, ruined caravanserais, castles, watchtowers. Salt desert too. People on the bus quite jolly and we had supper at one ‘Golden Hotel’ before falling asleep.
Tuesday 27th April
Arrived in Mashad quite early, after fording several overflowing rivers– it had been raining heavily everywhere and great clouds ominously overhead. Our friend of last night took us to a hotel very dirty, but we weren’t to find out until later when we actually moved into our room. Met several travellers there including a mad German Jew, born in England complete with immense immersion heater for his coffee. We met him the next day and he was repeating the exact words he said to us to two lots of people! and didn’t even recognise us. We walked up to the shrine of the 8th Imam, a vast complex with gold dome, familiar tiles and mosaics, but all rather dilapidated. The bazaar, also falling to bits was closed, so we were taken to a turquoise factory– rather heavy scenes and a very pushy man – but it was too expensive. By this time it was pouring so we abandoned sightseeing in Masahd until we found the hotel – rather smart – for a farewell meal.
Wednesday 28th April
Got up at 5 am, went in a taxi with an Australian couple to the bus station. Couldn’t get on until 8, so we went to a tea shop and had a marvellous time talking to Afghanis all going home. Then we stopped by a bakery and bought delicious hot crisp bread (J took a cine of them doing it). The bus was very hot. We passed through several flooded villages where houses have been completely washed away. We got to the border, very unorganised, and spent a long time on the Iranian side, before climbing into the most dilapidated Mercedes minibus I’ve ever seen, at least 20 years old, could see the ground underneath, windows boarded up, radiator open! It chugged to the Afghan side – even more chaotic and spent at least four hours there. Some poor Indians had to go back all the way to Mashad – no visas.
We had a pretty lousy goat and bread lunch but some good tea during our wait and, when we finally set off again, discovered our health certificates needed stamping, so a kind Afghani dashed off to do it for us. The trip was pleasant – the Afghanis, especially the older ones, were charming and it made up for the slowness of the bus.
Vicky's Big Adventure 