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w e l c o m e t o
IRAN
We welcome all travelers who outlined Iran, the old land of Persia, as an undiscovered land for their mindful and adventurous journies. We will be proud to help you find your most desired places to see in Iran.
Friday, July 20, 2018
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Sunday, July 8, 2018
Top touristic destinations in Iran
Varzaneh
This desert town is off the beaten path and it is known for women wearing white chadors. You can see them on the street or meet them in the mosque. They are very kind and welcoming. However, it is the salt lake and sand dunes that are even more captivating. Walking bare foot in white salt surrounded by blue-white scenery and enjoying stunning sunset on the vast dunes is something that you should not skip in Iran. Girls, take off your hijab for a while and run down a dune in the evening breeze. Moreover, it is a perfect spot for stargazing.
All this you can do within the afternoon tour organized by Traditional Guesthouses in the town. The guest houses are nice and cozy, clean with tasty breakfast and helpful staff offering different kinds of tours.
- Rooms = 350.000 – 500.000 IRR /person/night with breakfast
- Afternoon tour (includes salt lake, sand dunes, stargazing) = 5 EUR/person (it all depends on how big your group is and how the tour is arranged etc.)
- Entrance fee (Salt lake, to be paid separately at the gate) = 50.000 IRR
Yazd Old Town
For most of the tourists, the most beautiful city in Iran is undoubtedly Yazd. I mean its old historical center, which is a labyrinth of narrow streets with arches. Some truly wonderful architectural masterpieces emerge between Yazdi houses built of clay and straw, such as the blue Jameh Mosque. Another intriguing things in Yazd are the chimney-looking windcatchers that work as brilliant air-conditioning, also the Water Museum which explains everything about the 90 km long underground canals (qanat). Then you will start to understand the hardships of life in a desert.
Make sure you have at least two nights for this city.
Pink Mosque, Shiraz
From outside the Pink Mosque (also known as Masjed Nasir-ol-Molk) looks nice but rather conventional. What draws hordes of visitors here is the interior that comes to life with the sunrise or even later, around 8.30 AM. As light shines through the colorful window panes, it reflects on the decorated Shirazi carpet, walls and arches turning the room into a fantasy world.
However, forget about enjoying this exciting play of colors alone. You will have to be very patient if you want a few nice photo shots, as there will be another at least 20-30 lovers of colors with you inside.
- Entrance fee = 150.000 IRR
Imam Square, Esfahan
Esfahan can be proud of its huge Imam Square (Naghsh-e Jahan) that is one of the largest in the world. It is 512 meters long and 163 meters wide. It is bordered by two-story arcades filled with shops and continuing into a bazaar, anchored by the Shah Mosque (Masjed-e Shah) and the Sheikh Lotfallah Mosque among other significant buildings. No wonder the square is UNESCO-listed. At night the lights go on, people gather around the fountain and the whole square becomes lively.
In every large city in Iran you will find a bazaar (Tehran, Tabriz, Esfahan, Kashan, Kerman, Shiraz), mostly with arched passageways. You should include into your itinerary at least one of them and buy some date, halva or saffron. I think the bazaar in Esfahan linked to this square is probably one of the most lively, stylish and appealing in Iran.
Persepolis and Necropolis
Maybe one of the very first things you have heard about Iran was its fabulous city of Persepolis with the ancient ruins, griffins, wall reliefs of men with curly beards and famous Persian kings´ tombs.
The distance between Persepolis and Necropolis (Naqsh-e Rustam) is about 12 km. I recommend visiting both.
Persepolis is a 2500-year-old complex of ruins of royal palaces (of Darius I., Xerxes I., Artaxerxes I., Artaxerxes III.), the Gate of Nations, treasury, throne hall and two tombs among other things. You need about 2 hours for this place.
Necropolis contains only tombs. Tombs of the most famous Persian kings, though (starting from the left Darius II., Artaxerxes I., Darius I., Xerxes I.). You need about half an hour for this spot.
- Entrance fee – Persepolis = 200.000 IRR
- Entrance fee – Necropolis = 200.000 IRR
Saturday, July 7, 2018
Persian foods
Many tourists complain about finding persian foods other than Kebabs and meat in every meal. Here I'm going to introduce you some popular persian foods which you can get in restaurants.
Gheyme
Ghorme-sabzi
Dizi or Abgoosht (Lamb Chickpea Soup)
Abgoosht is one
of the most traditional Iranian foods. It is also called Dizi,
which refers to the traditional stone crock pots it is served in. Serving
Abgoosht has a special custom. First the broth is poured in a bowl and served
with small pieces of bread soaked in it. Then the remaining ingredients such as
potatoes, beans, chickpeas and lamb are mashed up to a mashed-potato type
consistency and served separately alongside with the broth.
Mirza-ghasemi (Eggplant omelette)
Kashke-bademjan (Fried aubergine in garlic sauce)
Ash-reshteh
Halim (Wheat Porridge)
Kookoo Sabzi (Persian Herb Frittata)
Zereshk-polo (Barberry Rice with chicken)
Ash-e-doogh
Baghali-polo (Rice with Broad Beans and Lamb Shank)
Baghali Polo ba Mahiche is one of the most popular dishes in Iran, and is usually served at parties such as wedding ceremonies. The combination of rice with dills and broad beans is called Baghali Polo, and the fork tender lamb shanks which is served beside the rice is called Mahiche. These two parts served together make a sublime taste.
Koofteh Tabrizi (Meatball)
Koofteh Tabrizi (originates in Tabriz) is a super meatball stuffed with dried fruits and berries, also a variety of nuts. There are some other interesting fillings for this very traditional Azeri dish that are worth mentioning. One very common item is a peeled hard boiled egg that is placed inside the koofteh along with nuts and dried fruit. The yellow cooked yolk surrounded by a ring of white makes a pretty presentation when you cut the Koofteh, so you might give this a try if you like.
Sunday, July 1, 2018
Iran Visa information
All
foreign visitors require a visa to enter Iran except for citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Macedonia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Bolivia, Slovenia and Turkey. If
you plan to visit Iran for less than 30 days and would like to get a tourist
visa, the nationals of 50 countries holding an
ordinary passport, visiting mainland Iran can obtain their 30 days
tourist visa upon arrival. This list of countries not needing a
visa is subject to change, please check validity at your time of booking.
- The list of countries with visa on arrival
- The list of countries with visa on arrival
- ABC countries (American, British and Canadian) passport holders
According to the rules and regulations of Iran, visa procedure for the above passport holders is different with other nationalities. They need to be on a tour with an authorised guide and must apply for visa via a registered travel agency. Their tour guide must be with them from the entry point to Iran until the departure. This means that they can NOT travel independently. It is recommended to book their trips at least two months before their flight date. This is the minimum required time to apply and process their visas. American passport holders must travel on a private tour but British and Canadian nationals can travel as a group or join a fixed group tour with fixed itinerary.
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Monday, June 25, 2018
IRAN VISA TIPS
- Visa On Arrival (VOA)
Only provided in the mentioned airports above.
🔽 Travelers to Iran except US/UK/Canada citizens;
1. Don't need a return flight ticket for the visa
2. Don't need to apply for E-visa if you are going to fly to Iran. Visa on arrival is provided at the airports of these cities (Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, Mashhad, Bushehr, Kish & Kermanshah)
Visa On Arrival (VOA) or E-visa
- The only advantage of the code that you will get before head by E-visa is getting your visa in the airport sooner than the other travelers. VOA and tourist E-visa are the same. It means that you can arrive without code in an international airport and apply for the visa there; but if you have the code, it just goes quicker to get the visa.
- However, travel agencies will tell you it is "safer" to get the TOURIST visa before arriving.
E-visa
Where to apply? https://evisatraveller.mfa.ir/en/request/apply/
What’s the procedure?
1. Apply Iran E-visa (use different web browsers if it's not proceeding)
2. Important to change size of passport photo (approx. 50kb) passport copy (approx. 100kb) and photos for ladies must be with head-scarf
3. You will receive email partly Farsi and check that it´s not in spam mail folder
4. You get code to check your status of visa online and if it´s accepted you will get a visa at the ''Place of Issue'' which u have chosen before in the application form
Things that you should know before applying for visa:
- Persons who may have dual nationality should announce their nationality based on the travel documents/passport that they wish to carry.
- In case nationality printed on visa is incompatible with nationality printed on passport, visa will be null and void.
- An applicant may not be granted visa unless his/her passport is valid for at least six months.
- Please make sure the photo you wish to upload meets all the requirements. Photo Standard Guide
- Please make sure the passport copy you wish to upload meets all the requirements. Passport Copy Standard Guide
E-visa Tips
- It takes more than a couple of weeks until your visa status change to verified
Ø To give it a haste ; go to an embassy with your passport and ask them to submit your applications to the Ministry. Then in next days your application status will change to approved.
- Do not leave your E-visa status in “Waiting for Verification” mode. In this case if it's stuck it would be less probable to get a visa via other ways. First go to the embassy with your passport and cancel your application then try other ways.
- Do not apply via local hosts in any application forms, in this case you will be rejected. Give an official hotel address in Iran.
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