I cannot recall how many times, during my various plane journeys from Europe to Asia and back, I looked down from the small airplane window and marveled about the vast and never-ending deserts that cover most of the Middle East. These huge amounts of sand bear no trace of civilization. I have often wondered about the feeling of being on an endless stretch of dry, sandy land. When this year I had the opportunity to visit Iran, I immediately included in my itinerary interesting cities and archeological sites like Persepolis, but you can bet one of my main goals was to go to an area of desert, hopefully one not touched by mass tourism. And to have a real Iran outback experience. You must know that when I travel abroad, especially in a country or area I have not visited before, I enjoy nature, I try local food, but most of all I love to meet local people and get to know about  their culture. I am so eager to learn about their life experiences but also to hear their point of view about the world and how they see the civilized world that seems so far from there, especially in a remote area of a country whose citizens have a hard time to be allowed to travel. After a few days inside Iran, I found myself in Yazd, one of the most ancient cities situated in the heart of the country. I was exploring my phone map on satellite mode, looking for an interesting desert to visit or a mountain to hike, when my attention was drawn to a specific point in the map, pretty far from cities, very close to high mountains and surrounded by desert and desolated land. I couldn’t believe it when, in the middle of nothing, a pin was indicating Hamid Rahmani Tours and Homestay. I searched this name on Google and the information I got – https://hamidrahmanitours.wordpress.com – indicated exactly the kind of experience I was looking for. After a quick phone exchange of information with Hamid, we fixed the pick-up time and location for the following day! We left Yazd at 3pm, shortly after Hamid picked me up from my hostel. The plan was to travel by car for about 350km south-east and get to his homestay, situated in a small village in the Kerman province, at 2000 meters above sea level. During the journey, Hamid stopped at one of the several Iranian natural beauties: the Bafq Desert. The Bafq desert is a sandy desert 120km south east of Yazd; it is impressive how nature created this enormous mass of sand that contrasts with the landscape, making it look like a big sandy island in the middle of rocky mountains. Hamid gave me free time to wander while he took a nap, so I took the opportunity and climbed to the top of the biggest mountain, enjoying the sound of the wind while observing a magic sunset that stained the whole area with colorful lights. Moments like these make me aware how small human being is if compared with this great planet. I then spent the night at Hamid Home Stay, and the morning after I climbed on the roof of his traditional house to admire the neighborhood around me: rows of houses traditionally built, some of them dating up to 500 years ago. The village is a mix of ancient houses and renovated dwellings, but in the end, all are built respecting the traditional architecture. What an explosion of energy I got from this morning view. The fresh and clean air made me hungry, or maybe it was the wonderful reviews I had read about the delicious food Hamid’s wife prepares for the guest. My expectation was fully satisfied, and during the following two days I had the pleasure to taste her local fresh food, each meals a different dish cooked with love and care. Hamid offered me several tours during my stay. I was to discover the real life of a village so far from ‘civilization’, I met local people, I was introduced to Islam religion inside a 200 years old mosque, I slept in an old but nicely renovated traditional house, I climbed rocky mountains reaching stunning views 3000 mt above sea level and I learned about how global warming is changing and devastating entire communities in this part of the globe that year by year sees its water disappear.  But the nicest experience I had in Iran was riding a motorbike in the desert along desolated lands and mountains through roads created somehow centuries ago. Maybe it’s because I am a motorbike lover, or perhaps because my heart expands in front of so much unlimited nature. During the way, I inhaled the smell of herbs that only grow at this altitude, and the dust I left behind me gave me that feeling that I was looking for.  I am going to miss Hamid family and I treasure so much the experience I gained during this tour. I am so glad I had the chance to experience a real Iran outback experience!

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If you ever pass by Shiraz, in Iran, make sure you don’t miss Persepolis. Persepolis is a palace for peace, a place where visitors from all walks of life, by looking at its splendid and glorious architecture, can imagine the world as it was long before Jesus Christ.  The area of Persepolis – a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, comprehends one of the biggest and most important archeological site in the whole world. It is impressive how a civilization could design and realize a complex like Persepolis more than 2500 years ago. This ancient village was provided with an efficient system of drainage, piped waterways and flood outlets. Each structure had a function: audience halls, private residences, guards rooms, treasure houses, with a series of fortifications higher than ten meters protecting the area.  Concept and Location Persepolis is located near Marvdasht village, 50 km northeast of Shiraz. The palace, located on a promontory projecting into the plain from a rocky hill at the foot of the northwest corner of the Mountain of Mercy, a holy mountain at that time, presents what may be the most awesome ruins of the ancient world. According to the testimony of Achaemenid documents (the Achaemenid Empire, also called the First Persian Empire, was based in Western Asia and founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC), the original name of the then new Achaemenid capital was Parseh. This was also the name of the nearby settlement and of the people inhabiting it.  The name Persepolis is a Greek word meaning “City of the Persians”, and this is the appellation widely known and accepted in the West. However, in Iran the site is known as Takht-e Jamshid (the Throne of Jamshid), after king Jamshid, whose behests were carried out by demons. The name possibly derived from the popular belief in the supernatural origin of the structures. Construction and Functions By the time Darius the Great – the fourth king of the Persian Achaemenid Empire- undertook the construction of Persepolis in around 518 BC, the Persepolis palace was one of the Achaemenian buildings used for official ceremonies associated with the greatest national, royal, and religious Iranian festival of Nouruz, a symbol of the empire’s sovereignty over its far-flung dominions. Persepolis was conceived as a magnificent showcase of Achaemenid achievements, a fabulous repository of the most spectacular architectural and artistic achievements anywhere in the ancient world.  With the power and wealth which had been accumulated in the country by that time, it should not surprise us that these ambitious goals were fully achieved. Persepolis was a great center of terrestrial power, providing an effective setting for invocation and worship. The city glorified the divinely-sanctioned dynasty, and was pervaded with the peculiar virtue of royal authority believed to be conferred by the power of Ahura Mazda (the name for the God of Zoroastrianism, the old Iranian religion), located at the very birthplace of the empire. Persepolis was its holy center, as are Mecca, Jerusalem, and the Vatican of their respective religious system today.  Architecture and Art The architecture and art of Persepolis reveals an eclectic synthesis of forms gathered from all parts the Achamenid empire. However, it is astonishing that the resulting blend of so many styles and influences was original and coherent despite its eclecticism. From the intermingling of ideas and fashions, and under the supervision and planning of Persian masters, there emerged the so-called Achaemenid style, highly cosmopolitan and diverse on the one hand, and harmonious and concordant on the other. Mud-bricks supplied by Babylonians, cedar roof beams from Lebanon, precious materials from India and Egypt, gold from Sardis, and stone quarried nearby but carved by Lydians and Ionians, all united in a single passionate endeavor to create the magnificent complex of structures that was Persepolis. Conclusion Back in my school times I, like many, had the chance to study the origin of our cultures and the history of the Persian and Achaemenid empires. It has been my long-time dream to visit and see with my own eyes, at least once in my lifetime, the sculptures and buildings that nowadays can only be found in Persepolis. Being in person at a site that I had often seen in pictures has allowed me to better understand the heritage of a huge ancient civilization, and to feel the great vibrations behind it.  To see a video of persepolis click HERE  To read about my visit to the Vakil Mosque in Shiraz, click HERE. I hope this article of mine has drawn the readers’ interest, and that it will motivate people to plan a trip to Iran and a visit to such a gorgeous and unbelievable city of arts: Persepolis.  

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