11 Days Iran Luxury TourThe land of “One Thousand and One Nights”

Introduction

Duration 11 days – 11 nights

Group Size 15 to 25 persons

Transport Chartered bus, Flight

Includes

Not Includes

Accommodations 5* hotels (10 nights), 4* hotel (1 night), traditional house (1 night)

Meals 11 breakfasts, 1 Dinner

Accommodations Insurance All site entries

2tour leaders Local guide Translator

All domestic transportations

International Transport Personal Shopping

All things not mentioned in Includes

A very Lux 11-day Iran tour with high class servicesIran historical sites seeing, an introduction to Iranian history, culture, architecture and customs

Day 0 – From Amsterdam to Tehran

Flight to Iran (directly or through Turkey)

Transfer to hotel

Free Time

Day 1 – Tehran / plan

Transfer to hotel

Bagh-e Melli (The National Garden)

National museum of Iran

Glassware and Ceramic Museum

Golestan Palace

Imam mosque of Tehran

Zoorkhaneh (ancient sports place)

Day 1 – Tehran / gallery - intro

4* Ferdowsi international hotelWith 22000 square meters of floor space Ferdowsi Grand Hotel was first opened. Renovations and improvements have brought pleasant and modern changes yet we have also the touch of Persian heritage as well. This six story high hotel has 220 rooms, suites, and royal suites and restaurants. We offer traditional and modern Iranian cuisine and well as international cuisine and a buffet.

http://www.ferdowsihotel.com/Home/en

National museum of Iran

National Museum of Iran, aging more than 70 years, containing 300,000 museum objects in an area more than 20,000 square meters, is not only the largest museum of History and Archaeology of the country, but ranks as one of the few most prestigious museums of the world in regard to grand volume, diversity and quality of its huge monuments.

http://www.nationalmuseumofiran.ir/

Glassware and Ceramic Museum of Iran

The premises that have been turned into museum where glass and clay works are on display were built about 90 years ago upon orders of Ahmad Qavam (Qavam-ol-Saltaneh) for his personal lodging (residence and working office). The building is situated in a garden with a span of 7000 square meters and was used by Qavam himself till the year 1953. Later, the building were sold to the Egyptians as the new premises for the embassy of Egypt and remained in their possession for seven years.

http://www.glasswaremuseum.ir/

Day 1 – Tehran / gallery - intro

Zoorkhaneh (ancient sport place)

Pahlevani and zoorkhaneh rituals is the name inscribed by UNESCO for varzesh-e pahlavani or varzesh-e bastany, a traditional Iranian system of athletics originally used to train warriors.It combines martial arts, calisthenics, strength training and music. Recognized by UNESCO as among the world's longest-running forms of such training, it fuses elements of pre-Islamic Persian culture (particularly Zoroastrianism, Mithraism and Gnosticism) with the spirituality of Shia Islam and Sufism. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pahlevani_and_zoorkhaneh_rituals

Golestan Palace

The Golestan Palace, literally the Roseland Palace, is the former royal Qajar complex in Iran's capital city, Tehran.The oldest of the historic monuments in Tehran, a world heritage, the Golestan Palace belongs to a group of royal buildings that were once enclosed within the mud-thatched walls of Tehran’s Historic Arg (citadel).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golestan_Palacehttp://www.golestanpalace.ir/en/virtual-visit/pictures.html

Day 1 – Tehran / gallery - intro

Domestic flight to Shiraz

Karim-Khan castle

Eram garden

Bazaar of Shiraz

Hafezieh (tomb of Hafez)

Qur’an gate

Day 2 – Shiraz / plan

Eram Garden

Eram Garden (Persian: Bāq e Eram) is a historic Persian garden in Shiraz, Iran.The garden, and the building within it, are located at the northern shore of the Khoshk River in the Fars province.Both the building and the garden were built during the middle of nineteenth century by the Ilkhanate or a paramount chief of the Qashqai tribes of Pars.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eram_Garden

Karim khan Castle

The Karim Khan Castle (Persian: Arg-e Karim Khan) is a citadel located in the north-east of Shiraz, southern Iran. 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.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arg_of_Karim_Khan

Day 2 – Shiraz / gallery - intro

Hafezieh (Tomb of Hafez)

The Tomb of Hafez and its associated memorial hall, the Hāfezieh, are two memorial structures erected in the northern edge of Shiraz, Iran, in memory of the celebrated Persian poet Hafez. The open pavilion structures are situated in the Musalla Gardens on the north bank of a seasonal river and house the marble tomb of Hafez. The present buildings, built in 1935 and designed by the French architect and archaeologist André Godard, are at the site of previous structures, the most well-known of which was built in 1773. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_Hafez

Bazaar of ShirazVakil Bazaar (Persian: Bazaar-e Vakil) is the main bazaar of Shiraz, Iran, located in the historical center of the city.It is thought that the market originally was established by the Buwayhids in the 11th century AD, and was completed mainly by the Atabaks of Fars, and only was renamed after Karim Khan Zand in the 18th century.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vakil_Bazaar

Day 2 – Shiraz / gallery - intro

Shiraz 5* Hotel

Shiraz Hotel is a five star hotel which is located in the city of Shiraz, the birthplace of Persian culture and art. This hotel, with 40000 m² area in 14 floors, is situated in neighborhood of the holy Quran gate and it is close to touristic places in Shiraz.The hotel welcomes the guests with luxurious rooms, several restaurants and coffee shops, laundry services, travel agency, conference rooms and ball room, sport complex and game net.

http://www.shiraz-hotel.com/

Hammam-e Vakil (Vakil Bath)

Vakil Bath is an old public bath in Shiraz, Iran. It was a part of the royal district constructed during Karim Khan Zand's reign, which includes Arg of Karim Khan, Vakil Bazaar, Vakil Mosque and many administrative buildings.The monument is inscribed with the number 917 on the list of national works of Iran.

http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vakilhammam

Day 2 – Shiraz / gallery - intro

Sa’dieh (Tomb of great Sa’di)

Persepolis

Pasargadae

Xerxes Tomb

Day 3 – Shiraz & Pasargadae / plan

Sa’dieh (Tomb of great Sa’di)

Abū-Muhammad Muslih al-Dīn bin Abdallāh Shīrāzī, Saadi Shirazi, better known by his pen-name Saʿdī 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 been quoted in western sources as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saadi_Shirazi

Day 3 – Shiraz & Pasargadae / gallery - intro

Persepolis (Takht-e Jamshid)

Persepolis (Old Persian: Pārśa, New Persian: Takht-e Jamshid or Pārseh), literally 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.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persepolis

Day 3 – Shiraz & Pasargadae / gallery - intro

Pasargadae (Cyrus the Great’s Tomb)

The Tomb of Cyrus is the burial place of Cyrus the Great of Persia. The tomb is located in Iran, at the Pasargadae World Heritage Site in Fars Province. It has six broad steps leading to the edifice of the King, the chamber of which measures 3.17m long by 2.11m wide by 2.11m high and has a low and narrow entrance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_Cyrus

Cube of Zoroaster

The Ka'ba-ye Zartosht (alt: Kaba-ye Zardusht, Kaba-ye Zardosht), 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.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ka'ba-ye_Zartosht

Day 3 – Shiraz & Pasargadae / gallery - intro

Zein o din Caravansary

Hiking in desert

Cameleer

Sar-e Yazd Castle

Day 4 – The Desert / plan

Zeinoddin Caravansary

The Zein-o-Din Caravanserai is located in Zein-o-din, Yazd, Iran. The caravanserai dates to the 16th century and is situated on the ancient Silk Road. It is one of 999 such inns that were built during the reign of Shah Abbas I to provide facilities to travelers. Of these, Zeinodin is one of two caravanserais built with circular towers. After its refurbishment, it has operated as an inn. A similarly built caravanserai near Esfahan is in ruins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeinodin_Caravanserai

Sar-e Yazd Castle

A Sassanid castle in Mehriz region. This historical building registered as an Iranian national works with number 1084 at 1975.

http://www.tishineh.com/touritem/2469/saryazd-castle

Day 4 – The Desert / gallery - intro

Dowlat-Abad garden

Yazd historical town

Jame’ mosque

Alexander prison

Bahram fire temple

Amirchakmaq Sq.

Ancient cistern

Bazaar

Day 5 – Yazd / plan

Alexander Prison

This 15th-century domed school is known as Alexander's Prison because of a reference to this apparently dastardly place in a Hafez poem.The story goes that during the reign of Alexander the Macedonian, a number of Iranian elite resisting his domination went on an uprising in Rey (Near Tehran). He had them arrested, and on his way through Yazd imprisoned them in a dungeon which refers to a deep well in the courtyard of this building. http://www.tishineh.com/touritem/872/Yazd-Alexander's-Prison-(Zendan-e-Eskandar)

Dowlat-abad GardenDowlatabad Garden is one of the 9 gardens listed as world heritage sites under the common title of Persian Garden. This garden was created in the mid-18th century for the Karim Khan Zand, then the regent of Iran. To create this garden and to supply its water a 65 kilometer (40 miles) long chain of qanats (underground water channels) were dug from Mehriz to Yazd.http://www.iranreview.org/content/Documents/Dowlatabad_Garden.htm

Day 5 – Yazd / gallery - intro

Bahram Fire Temple

A fire temple in Zoroastrianism is the place of worship for Zoroastrians, often called dar-e mehr (Persian) or agiyari (Gujarati).In the Zoroastrian religion, fire, together with clean water, are agents of ritual purity. Clean, white "ash for the purification ceremonies is regarded as the basis of ritual life," which "are essentially the rites proper to the tending of a domestic fire, for the temple [fire] is that of the hearth fire raised to a new solemnity".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_temple

Jame (main) Mosque of Yazd

مسجد جامع یزد به شیوه یک ایوان در دل کویر می باشد و در طی حدود سال و سه دوره بنا شده است. پایه های اصلی مسجد را ساسانیان و ۱۰۰

بنای فعلی مسجد، از لحاظ شیوه معماری متعلق به دو دوره موسوم به آذری دانسته اند. بنای گنبد خانه متعلق به دوره ایلخانی و سر در رفیع مسجد را متعلق به زمان شاهرخ و دوره تیموری دانسته اند. این بنا از لحاظ خوابیدگی گنبد، سردر رفیع وبلند و همچنین کاشیکاری زیبا و منحصربه فرد، .شهرت دارد

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jame_Mosque_of_Yazd

Day 5 – Yazd / gallery - intro

Amir Chakmaq Sq. Complex

The Amir Chakhmaq Complex (Persian: Majmūʿa Meydân Amir Čaqmaq; also Romanized Chakhmaq, Chakmaq, Chakhmagh, Chakmak) is a prominent structure in Yazd, Iran, noted for its symmetrical sunken alcoves. It is a mosque located on a square of the same name. It also contains a caravanserai, a tekyeh, a bathhouse, a cold water well, and a confectionery. At night, the building is lit up after twilight hours after sun set with orange lighting in the arched alcoves which makes it a spectacle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amir_Chakhmaq_Complex

Day 5 – Yazd / gallery - intro

Na’in wind traps

Zayandehrood river

Sio-se pol (33 bridges)

Khajoo bridge

Go for walk and recreation

Day 6 – Isfahan / plan

Khajoo bridge

Khaju Bridge (Persian: Pol-e Khāju) is arguably the finest bridge in the province of Isfahan, Iran. It was built by the Persian Safavid king, Shah Abbas II around 1650, on the foundations of an older bridge. Serving as both a bridge, and a dam (or a weir), it links the Khaju quarter on the north bank with the Zoroastrian quarter across the Zayandeh River.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khaju_Bridge

Sio-se pol (33 bridges)

Siosepol or Siose Bridge (which means 33 Bridge or the Bridge of 33 Arches), also called the Allah-Verdi Khan Bridge, is one of the eleven bridges of Isfahan, Iran and the longest bridge on Zayandeh River with the total length of 297.76 metres (976.9 ft). It is highly ranked as being one of the most famous examples of Safavid bridge design.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siosepol

Day 6 – Isfahan / gallery - intro

Naqshe Jahan Sq.

Imam Mosque

Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque

Aali-qapoo edifice

Chehel Sotoon (40 Columns)

Vank Cathedral

Crafts Bazaar

Day 7 – Isfahan / plan

Aali-Qapu edifice

Ali Qapu (Persian: Āli Qāpu , from Ottoman Turkish: Âli Qapı, meaning "High Porte") is a grand palace in Isfahan, Iran. It is located on the western side of the Naqsh e Jahan Square, opposite to Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, and had been originally designed as a vast portal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Qapu

Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque

Sheikh Lutfollah Mosque (Persian: Masjed-e Sheikh Lotf-ollāh) is one of the architectural masterpieces of Safavid Iranian architecture, standing on the eastern side of Naghsh-i Jahan Square, Isfahan, Iran.Construction of the mosque started in 1603 and was finished in 1619. It was built by the chief architect Shaykh Bahai, during the reigh of Shah Abbas I of the Safavid dynasty.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheikh_Lotfollah_Mosque

Day 7 – Isfahan / gallery - intro

Imam (shah) Mosque

The "Shah Mosque" also known as "Imam Mosque" named after the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran and "Jaame' Abbasi Mosque", is a mosque in Isfahan, Iran, standing in south side of Naghsh-e Jahan Square. Built during the Safavid period, ordered by the first Shah Abbas of Persia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imam_Mosque_Isfahan

Day 7 – Isfahan / gallery - intro

Chehel Sotoon (40 Columns)

Chehel Sotoun (“Forty Columns”) is a pavilion in the middle of a park at the far end of a long pool, in Isfahan, Iran, built by Shah Abbas II to be used for his entertainment and receptions. In this palace, Shah Abbas II and his successors would receive dignitaries and ambassadors, either on the terrace or in one of the stately reception halls.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chehel_Sotoun

Vank Cathedral

Holy Savior Cathedral (Persian: Kelisa-ye Vank or Amenapergich), also known as Vank Cathedral and The Church of the Saintly Sisters, is a cathedral in Isfahan, Iran. Vank means "monastery" or "convent" in the Armenian language.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vank_Cathedral

Day 7 – Isfahan / gallery - intro

Day 7 – Isfahan / gallery - intro

Abbasi Hotel – 5*

The Abbasi Hotel (formerly known as the Shah Abbas Hotel) is a hotel located in Isfahan, Iran. This complex was built at the time of king Sultan Husayn of Safavid about 300 years ago. It was built as a caravansary to provide lodging for passengers. The structure has been renovated since the 1950s by André Godard to fight and prevent degradation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbasi_Hotel

Go to Kashan

Sialk Historical Hill

Abbasi Historical House

Aameri Historical House

Fin Garden

Residence in a beautiful historical House

Soiree, Live music and conversation about the trip

Day 8 – Kashan / plan

Sialk Historical Hill

Tepe Sialk is a large ancient archeological site (a tepe or Persian tappeh, "hill" or "mound") in a suburb of the city of Kashan, Isfahan Province, in central Iran, close to Fin Garden. The culture that inhabited this area has been linked to the Zayandeh River Culture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tepe_Sialk

Fin Garden

Fin Garden, or Bagh-e Fin, located in Kashan, Iran, is a historical Persian garden. It contains Kashan's Fin Bath, where Amir Kabir, the Qajarid chancellor, was murdered by an assassin sent by King Nasereddin Shah in 1852. Completed in 1590, the Fin Garden is the oldest extant garden in Iran.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fin_Garden

Day 8 – Kashan / gallery - intro

Aameri House

The Āmeri House (Persian: Khāneh-ye 'Āmerihā), is a historic house in Kashan, in Isfahan Province, in Iran.It was built during the Zand era for Agha 'Āmeri, the governor of Kashan, who was responsible for maintaining the security of the route between Tehran and Kerman.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ameri_House

Abbasi House

The Abbasi House (Persian: Khāneh-ye 'Abbāsihā) is a large traditional historical house located in Kashan, Isfahan Province, Iran.Built during the late 18th century, the house is a beautiful example of Kashan's residential architecture. Other such notable houses, such as the Tabātabāei House, are located nearby.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbasi_House

Day 8 – Kashan / gallery - intro

Residence in Irani House (traditional house)

The Iranian House aging more than 250 years, is located in the Kooshk-e-Safi quarter, one of the oldest quarters of Kashan. The 1000m² house, which is constructed on the “flower bed ditch” model, is in fact the exterior part of an immense house which lost its interior part and other annexes over time. After seven successive years of strengthening, restoring and remodeling, this house has emerged as one of the rare traditional residences which have been restored according to scientific and technical principles.

http://www.khane.ir/en

Day 8 – Kashan / gallery - intro

Modern Tehran

Milad Tower

Galleries in Tower

Day 9 – Back to Tehran / plan

TehranTehran (Persian: Tehrān) is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With a population of around 8.3 million and surpassing 14 million in the wider metropolitan area, Tehran is Iran's largest city and urban area, and the largest city in Western Asia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran

Milad TowerMilad Tower (Persian: Borj e Milād), also known as Tehran Tower, is a multi-purpose Iranian concrete tower built in 2007 in between the Shahrak-e Gharb and Gisha districts of Tehran. It stands at 435 m (1,427 ft) from base to the tip of the antenna. The head consists of a large pod with 12 floors, the roof of which is at 315 m (1,033 ft). Below this is a staircase and elevators to reach the area.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milad_Tower

Day 9 – Back to Tehran / gallery - intro

Sa’d abad palaces

Bazaar of Tehran

Tehran Mountains

Day 10 – Tehran Today / plan

Day 10 – Tehran Today / gallery - intro

Sa’d Abad Palaces

The Saadabad Palace is a palace built by the Pahlavi dynasty of Iran in the Shemiran area of Tehran and currently official residence of the President of Iran.The complex was first inhabited by Qajar monarchs and royal family in the 19th century. After an expansion of the compounds, Reza Shah lived there in the 1920s. And his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi moved there in the 1970s.

http://www.sadmu.com/?Lang=En

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa'dabad_Palace

Day 10 – Tehran Today / gallery - intro

Esteghlal Hotel – 5*

The five star Persian Esteghlal International Hotel is located in the down foot of the Alborz mountain range with 90,000 m2 area, having two towers each with 15 floors, a total of 552 luxurious rooms and suites, not only is the biggest and the most glorious hotel in the capital city, but also from various aspects is exclusive in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

http://esteghlalhotel.com/