Travel to Iran

Day 10 Estahban - Persepolis - Tehran

We left for Persepolis and a few kilometers before reaching Shiraz we saw the Lake Maharlu (Daryache-ye-Namak). It is a salt lake 31 kilometers long and 11 kilometers wide. It is believed that it was formed about 20,000 years ago, and began to accumulate salt about 1,000 ago. It has a company that is dedicated to extracting salt, which is used both for industrial use and for human consumption. On the westernmost shore of the lake we observe that the water has a reddish color. This is due to a class of algae that reproduce in waters with a high salinity.

(in 239 km.) Naqsh-e Rostam: It is a cliff face that contains four Achaemenid real tombs. One of these, according to the inscriptions it presents, would be the tomb of Darius I (522-486 BC). The other three tombs were those of Xerxes I (486-465 BC), Artaxerxes I (465-424 BC) and Darius II (423-404 BC), but there is no inscription that allows it to identify with certainty. There are also seven large bas-reliefs on the rock of Naqsh-e Rustam, under the tombs, sculptures commissioned by the Sassanid kings. The tombs are known locally as the "Persian crossings" by the shape of the facades of the tombs. The entrance to each tomb is at the center of each cross, which opens onto a small chamber, where the king lies in a sarcophagus. The tombs were sacked after the conquest of the Achaemenid Empire by Alexander the Great.

(in 10 km.) Persepolis: 17 years ago, during my visit to the Louvre in Paris, and more specifically to the department of Oriental Antiquities where samples of Mesopotamia and Iran are exhibited, I fell in love with a place. There I contemplated one of the capitals of the palace of Persepolis and since then dreamed of visiting Persepolis. Now, at the doors of the complex, "the dream comes true". Although the whole complex is quite ruined, one can imagine what the palace was like before it was destroyed by Alexander the Great's troops in 330 BC. After climbing the staircase of Persepolis, we find ourselves on a terrace located 14 meters high and with dimensions of 450 by 300 meters on which all the buildings are located.

The first thing we find is the spectacular Gate of All Nations or Xerxes door, built by Xerxes I, son of Darius in 475 BC. The entrance, guarded by two colossal bulls, measures 5.5 m high. The roof was supported by four columns of 18.3 meters high, symbolizing palm trees, and whose sculpted cusps represented stylized palm leaves.In the western entrance there are two exits: one to the south, which opens onto the Apadana's courtyard, and another towards the east, that opens onto The Processional Way. The latter is guarded by a pair of colossal statues representing winged bull-men, or lammasus. These protective figures are also present on the capitals of the Tripylon columns.

Behind the Hall of 32 Columnss one climbs up to the tomb of Artaxerxes III, dug in the rock of Kuh-e Ramat. In addition to the views over the whole complex, the sepulcher stands out for sculptures in colonnades that represent the facades of the palace, highlighted with engravings. In the upper part the king is represented on a pedestal at three levels. We continue through the Hundred-Columns Palace, also called Throne Room, the largest of the palaces of Persepolis (70x70 meters). Only the bases of the columns and the uprights of the doors remain. Two colossal bulls are the bases of the main columns, 18 meters, that supported the roof of the portico of the entrance. The palace is decorated with numerous reliefs in a remarkable state of conservation, representing bulls, lions, flowers and acorns.

Darius I built the Apadana palace on the western side of platform. It was used for official audiences. The work began in 518 BC and Xerxes I completed it 30 years later. The palace had a grand hall (60x60 metres) with seventy-two columns, thirteen of which still stand on the enormous platform. Each column is 19 metres high with a square Taurus (bull) and plinth. Two grand Persepolitan stairways were built, symmetrical to each other and connected to the stone foundations. The reliefs on the staircases allow one to observe the people from across the empire in their traditional dress, and even the king himself, "down to the smallest detail". Tachara or Palace of Darius the Great (40x30 metres) is connected to the south court by a double reversed stairway. Under the reign of Artaxerxes III, a new stairway was added to the northwest of the Tachara which is connected to the main hall through a new doorway. On walls of these stairways, there are sculptured representations of figures such as servants, attendants and soldiers dressed in Median and Persian costumes, as well as gift-bearing delegations flanking carved inscriptions. Is the oldest of the palace structures on the Terrace.

(in 65 km.) Shiraz: We arrived at the Shiraz airport to fly to Tehran with a local company called Aseman. We can not visit anything in this city, so we already have an excuse to visit this country again in the future.

Tehran: After landing at the domestic airport, we suffered the worst experience of our trip. If the people of Iran are extremely friendly, it is shocking how unpleasant taxi drivers can be at the airport. We arrived at the hotel after midnight and we have to get up early to go to the airport, so we have no possibility of visiting anything of the capital of Iran.