Shiraz Attractions

Shiraz Attractions

Aramgah-e Hafez

There is no better place to understand Hafez’s place in the nation’s psyche than at his tomb and the memorial garden within which it is set. Iranians have a saying that every home must have two things: first the Quran, then a collection of the works of Hafez. This 14th-century Iranian folk hero is loved and revered and almost every Iranian can quote his work, bending it to whichever social or political persuasion they subscribe.

Hafez died in middle age in 1389 and his tomb was placed here by Karim Khan in 1773. The marble is engraved with a long verse from the poet, and in 1935 the site was embellished with an octagonal pavilion, supported by eight stone columns beneath a tiled dome. Sunset is the most popular time of day for Iranians to gather at the garden to pay their respects; some come to perform the faal-e Hafez, a popular ritual in which a volume of Hafez’s works is opened randomly and the future interpreted therein. There’s a teahouse in the grounds where admirers sit to enjoy the recitations broadcast around the garden over a bowl of ash (noodle soup) or faludeh (a frozen sorbet made with thin starch noodles and rose water). The tomb is 2km from the town centre.

Aramgah-e Sa’di

One of Shiraz’s several shrines, housed in an open-sided colonnade built during the Pahlavi era, is dedicated to Sheikh Mohammed Shams-ed-Din, simply known as Sa’di – a poet who lived and died between 1207 and 1291. Set amid generous gardens of evergreens, bitter orange and roses, appropriate to a man who wrote so extensively of flowers, it is a tranquil place that makes a pleasant respite from the noise of the surrounding city.

The tomb is easily reached from the shrine of a fellow poet, Hafez. From Golestan Blvd, shuttle taxis travel southeast to Sa’di Sq, then walk about 1.3km uphill to the tomb.

Imamzadeh-ye Ali Ebn-e Hamze

Built in the 19th century over the tomb of Emir Ali, a nephew of Shah Cheragh who also died here while en route to Khorasan to help Imam Reza, this shrine is the latest of several earlier incarnations destroyed by earthquakes. Highlights include the Shirazi dome, dazzling Venetian mirror work, stained-glass windows and an intricate wooden door. Visitors are welcome (chadors for women are loaned at the door) and photography is permitted.

Bagh-e Eram

Famous for its tall cypress trees, this Unesco-listed garden, designed to complement a Qajar-era pool and palace (closed to the public), incorporates elements from an earlier Seljuk landscape. There’s a small museum of mineralogy in the grounds, but mostly the garden is known for its secret assignations among the rose buses. The gardens are easy enough to reach by taking any shuttle taxi (IR15,000) along Karim Khan-e Zand Blvd, alighting at Namazi Sq and then walking north across the river.

Darvazeh-ye Quran

The modern assembly of arches that form Shiraz’s ceremonial gateway until recently housed a revered antique Quran (since moved to the Pars Museum opposite the fort in the center of town) that travellers traditionally passed beneath before undertaking a journey. Now the main reason for visiting the gateway is to enjoy Khaju Garden and its teahouse, or to climb up to the city viewpoints on either side of the road.

Bagh-e Naranjestan

Named after the bitter oranges that line the central courtyard, this is Shiraz’s smallest but most lovely garden. Enclosing the delightful Naranjestan-e Ghavam Pavilion. It was laid out as part of a complex owned by one of Shiraz’s wealthiest Qajar-era families. The pavilion’s mirrored entrance hall opens onto rooms covered in a myriad of intricate tiles, inlaid wooden panels and stained-glass windows. Particularly noteworthy are the ceilings of the upstairs rooms, painted with European-style motifs, including Alpine churches and busty German frauleins.

Built for the wealthy and powerful Mohammad Ali Khan Qavam al-Molk between 1879 and 1886 as the buruni (public reception area) of his family home, the pavilion is connected to the Khan-e Zinat ol-Molk, which housed the family’s andaruni (private quarters), by an underground passage (not open to the public).

The basement of the pavilion houses an archaeological collection put together by Arthur Upham Pope, an American scholar who taught at the Asia Institute in Shiraz between 1969 and 1979. There is also an excellent selection of handicrafts for sale in the basement, including miniatures painted on camel bone and tiles inspired by antique designs.

Those looking to take part in the current craze for dressing up in Qajar-era costume can do so at the booth in the corner of the courtyard. Receiving the last rays of the day’s sun, the teahouse here is a good spot to enjoy the light fading over the garden wall; it also sells delicate tinctures of rose- and pomegranate-flavored jellies.

Masjed-e Nasir-al-Molk

One of the most elegant and most photographed pieces of architecture in southern Iran, the Pink Mosque was built at the end of the 19th century and its coloured tiling (an unusu-ally deep shade of blue) is exquisite. There are some particularly fine muqarnas in the small outer portal and in the northern iwan, but it is the stained glass, carved pillars and polychrome faience of the winter prayer hall that dazzle the eye when the sun streams in.

The mosque attracts most visitors early in the morning (9am to 11am is best) when the hall and its Persian carpets are illuminated with a kaleidoscope of patterned flecks of light. It makes for a magical experience – and an irresistible photograph.

A museum in the opposite prayer hall opens into the Gav Cha (Cow Well), where cows were used to raise water from the underground qanat. The structure has survived numerous earthquakes, due in part to its construction using flexible wood as struts within the walls – look for the wooden bricks in the iwan columns. The rose-pink floral tiles are a signature feature of Shiraz.

Aramgah-e Shah-e Cheragh

Sayyed Mir Ahmad, one of Imam Reza’s 17 brothers, was hunted down and killed by the caliphate on this site in AD 835 and his remains are housed in a dazzling shrine of mirrored tiles. A mausoleum was first erected over the tomb during the 12th century, but the courtyard and tile work represent relatively modern embellishments from the late-Qajar period and the Islamic Republic. The blue-tiled dome and dazzling gold-tipped minarets form a magnificent context for the Shiite rituals at this revered centre of pilgrimage.

The museum in the northwestern corner of the courtyard, next to the shrine, houses an interesting collection of shrine-related objects, including some highly prized old Qurans upstairs and an exquisite door decorated with silver, gold and lapis lazuli downstairs.

In the southeastern corner of the court-yard, the Bogh’e-ye Sayyed Mir Mohammed (Mausoleum of Sayyed Mir Mohammad) houses the tombs of two brothers of Mir Ahmad. The shrine has the typical Shirazi bulbous dome, intricate mirror work and four slender wooden pillars that boast near perfect proportions.

Visitors are welcome to enter the court-yard in the middle of the complex and to take discreet photographs (no large cameras or tripods), but entrance to the shrines was not permitted to non-Muslims at the time of writing. Women must wear chador within the whole shrine complex (available for free at the women’s entrance).

Madraseh-ye Khan

Imam Gholi Khan, governor of Fars, found-ed this serene theological college for around 100 students in 1615. Over the years the building has been extensively damaged by earthquakes, but thankfully the impressive portal at the entrance remains intact. With its unusual muqarnas inside the outer arch and some intricate mosaic tiling, it is a mas-terpiece of early design. The college (still in use) has a fine stone-walled inner courtyard decorated with the typical pink-and-yellow floral tiles of Shiraz.

Bagh-e Nazar

This formal garden encompasses an octagonal pavilion, which is now home to the Pars Museum. Karim Khan once received foreign dignitaries in the pavilion, which, with its stunning stalactite ceiling and delightful murals of lovers courting, scholars reading and horse-men hunting, is a highlight in its own right. Exhibits include Karim Khan Zand’s sword and some interesting old ceramics.

Bazar-e Vakil

The city’s ancient trading district is home to several bazaars dating from different periods. The finest and most famous of these is the Bazar-e Vakil, a cruciform structure commissioned by Karim Khan as part of his plan to make Shiraz into a great trading centre. The wide vault-ed brick avenues are masterpieces of Zand architecture, with the design ensuring the interior remains cool in summer and warm in winter. Today the bazaar is home to almost 200 stores selling carpets, handicrafts, spices and clothes.
The bazaar is best explored by wandering without concern for time or direction, and heading at whim along the atmospheric maze of lanes that lead off the main thoroughfares. With any luck, a ramble will lead to the tribal handicraft arcade of Sham-shirgarha Bazaar, the Seray-e Moshir and the nearby Seray-e Mehr Teahouse  – an atmospheric little place to pause for lunch.
Bazar-e Vakil continues on the north side of Karim Khan-e Zand Blvd but is of less immediate interest.

Masjed-e Vakil

Begun in Karim Khan’s time, this mosque next to the tribal arts arcade in the Bazar-e Vakil has an impressive tiled portal, a recessed entrance decorated with Shirazi rose-pink tiles, two vast iwans, a magnificent inner courtyard surrounded by beautifully tiled alcoves and porches, and a pleasingly proportioned 75m-by-36m vaulted prayer hall. The distinguishing feature of the mosque, however, is the forest of 48 diagonally fluted columns that support the prayer hall, displaying a hypnotic rhythm of verticals and arabesques.

Hammam-e Vakil

The vaulted central chamber of this Zand era bath-house features some fine plaster work and candy-twist columns. A series of costumed mannequins illustrate how Shiraz is would have relaxed by the fountain after taking a bath in the handsome heat room, which has a vaulted ceiling, pillars and a small (empty) pool.

Arg-e Karim Khan

Dominating the city centre, this burly fortress was built in the early Zand period and formed part of the royal court that Karim Khan hoped would rival Esfahan. The high walls feature ornamental brickwork and are punctuated by four attractive 14m-high circular towers. The southeastern tower has a noticeable lean, having subsided into the underground cistern that served as the Arg’s bathhouse.

Museum of Iranian Fine Arts

Set within a delightful old house around a warren of courtyards, corridors and painted rooms, this museum is home to both permanent and temporary fine-art exhibitions. The collection of old photographs may not mean much to foreign visitors but the house itself, with its lovingly restored details, makes a visit worthwhile.