Preliminary Day by Day Itinerary

October 30                   DEPART U.S.A.
Friday
Meet your traveling companions tonight at New York’s JFK airport for our Turkish Airlines flight (TK002) departing at 6:45 PM. Meals enroute. Alternate departure available from Chicago. See Airfare and Upgrades for more information.

October 31                   ISTANBUL
Saturday
Arrive in Istanbul at 11:45 AM. Day rooms will be provided at the Istanbul Airport Hotel. Continue our Turkish Airlines flight to Tehran departing at 8:20 PM.

November  1                  ARRIVAL TEHRAN
Sunday
We arrive at 12:50 AM. Khosh amadid (welcome) to Iran! We’ll be greeted at the airport, transferred to the comfortable Laleh Hotel, the former Intercontinental. We have a late breakfast before heading out for a tour of Tehran. This sprawling city became Iran’s capital in the 18th century under Agha Mohammad Khan, the founder of the Qajar Dynasty. Tehran (meaning warm slope) is located south of the impressive snow-capped Alborz Mountains and the city is known for its large museums, art centers and palaces.

We begin with the National Archaeological Museum, the country’s foremost museum established in 1937.  A good introduction to Iran, the museum is divided into two parts: Prehistoric and Pre-Islamic periods.  See a stone capital of a winged lion from Susa and the sixth century BC audience hall relief of Darius the Great from the Treasury at Persepolis. We are then guided through the Glass and Ceramics Museum, which was once an extraordinarily beautiful private residence during the Qajar period, and later was used as the Egyptian Embassy. Here you can find glass and ceramic artifacts dating back to the second and first millennia BC. We return to the hotel for dinner. Time permitting, we visit a shopping center and have the opportunity to purchase a manteau or other appropriate attire.

 *****Laleh Hotel

November 2 TEHRAN-HAMADAN
Monday
We'll get an early start today for the drive to Hamadan (236 miles - 5 hrs). Hamadan is one of the oldest continually inhabited towns in the world.  At one time it was the summer capital of the Achaemenians when Susa (Shush) was their winter capital.   The afternoon sightseeing in Hamadan will include Tepe Ecbatana (an archaeological site dating back to 700-500 B.C.), Avecena tomb, Stone Lion, the Tombs of Esther and Mordecai, a major Jewish pilgrimage center; the 12^th-century Alavyan Tomb Tower, Treasure Valley and the Ganj-Nameh inscriptions by Darius and his son Xerxes.

***Bu-Ali/Azadi Hotel

November  3                  HAMADAN-KERMANSHAH
Tuesday
Drive to Kermanshah (111 miles – 2.5 hrs), stopping en-route at Tuyserkan, to visit the tomb of Habakkuk-e-Nabi another Biblical prophet. Also see the Temple of Anahita, built in 200 B.C during the Hellenistic occupation of western Iran, at Kangavar. Anahita, the goddess of water and fertility, was worshipped in ancient Persia along with Ahura-Mazda; also visit the site of the relief and inscriptions of Darius the Great at Bisotoun, which depicts Darius facing the nine rebel kings whom the Achaemenid ruler suppressed when he came to power; on to Kermanshah and visit the several important Sassanian reliefs at Tagh-e-Bostan (some inside a grotto), depicting royal hunting scenes and the investiture of the Sassanian kings, including the gigantic equestrian statue of Khosrow II (AD 591-628), mounted on this favorite charger Shabdiz.

***Azadegan Hotel

November  4                  KERMANSHAH-AHWAZ
Wednesday        
Drive to Ahwaz (341 miles), via Pol-e-Dokhtar, and visit remains of Sassanian Bridge over Kashkan River; continue to Ahwaz. In the afternoon we may enjoy a visit to an Arabic bazaar.

**** Fajr Hotel.

November  5                  AHWAZ-EXCURSION
Thursday                  SUSA
Full day excursion to Chogha-Zanbil UNESCO World Heritage site, to see the ziggurat built around 1250 B.C. by the Elamite king Untash-Gal. Also visit Haft-Tappeh (Elamite Necropolis), Susa and the remains of the Achaemenian palaces, plus the nearby Tomb of Biblical Prophet Daniel. The Achaemenid Apadana Palace at Susa and Shushar dates back to the 3rd century AD.

Susa (Soush or Shush) is one of the oldest cities in the world. Excavations have established that people were living at the Acropolis in 5000 BCE, and have shown the existence of urban structures about the year 4000 BCE. It is reasonable that the town, situated on a strip of land between the rivers Karkheh (Choaspes) and Dez (Eulaeus), was already the political center of Elam in the fourth millennium BCE.  

Susa was the favorite residence of the Persian king Darius.  The scene of the Biblical book of Esther is set in Susa, where king Ahasuerus (Xerxes) resided.   We also visit water mills and a suspension bridge.  Return to Ahwaz (150 miles).

**** Fajr Hotel

November  6                  AHWAZ-SHIRAZ
Friday
Drive to Shiraz (348 miles), en-route visit the single Sassanian Relief at Sarab-e-Bahram above a spring, and on to Bishapour (built in honor of "Ardevisur Anahita," the female guardian angel of waters), remains of the Sassanian city built by Shapur 1^st (241-273 A.D.), the second Sassanian king. The building complex includes a central chamber, a large courtyard which had been covered with impressive mosaics, plus the remains of a temple dedicated to Anahita, the goddess of water and fertility; on either side of a narrow gorge, there are also six Sassanian rock-reliefs at Tang-e-Chogan, commemorating Shapur’s victories over the Romans and other adversaries. Picnic lunch. Continue to Shiraz for dinner at Homa Hotel.

***** Homa Hotel

November  7                  SHIRAZ
Saturday
Full day city tour of Shiraz, the present-day capital of the Fars Province, the heartland of Iran which gave its name to the Persian language: Farsi. Shiraz is a city of historic monuments, poets and philosophers, warriors, kings and orchards. It was capital of the Zand Dynasty (1747-1779) and one of the most important cities of the medieval Islamic world. Shiraz is situated in a plain surrounded by two mountain ranges. The city is well known for its mild climate and friendly people. We visit some of the famous gardens of this city of “roses and nightingales”, including the residential citadel of Karim Khan of the Zand Dynasty in the heart of the city, the Eram Garden, the tomb of Iran’s greatest lyric poets, Hafez and Sa'adi, the Pars Museum; the pink tiled 19^th-century Nasir-ol-Molk Mosque, the Arg-e-Karim Khan (18^th-century citadel), the Madrassa Khan (Theological School), to have interaction with teachers and students, the Old or Atigh Mosque, and the Holy Shrine of Shah-e-Cheragh (not open to non-Moslems and can only be seen from outside), the Qajar period Narenjestan Garden/House, the Vakil Complex (Bathhouse & Mosque), the Vakil Bazaar of Shiraz with its blue tiled dome roof, It is considered by many to be the most beautiful bazaar in the world. The bazaars take travelers completely away from the outside world and immerse them in an age-old rhythm of life. Here the atmosphere is full of the market cries of vendors, the hammering of the coppersmiths, the activities of carpet weavers, silversmiths and cloth printers, the grilling of kabobs and the preparation of spices.

***** Homa Hotel

November  8                  SHIRAZ-PERSEPOLIS
Sunday                   NAGHSH-é-ROSTAM
Get ready for a truly wonderful day! After breakfast, we drive about 35 miles to Takht-e Jamshid or as the Greeks called it, Persepolis for a full day excursion, a ruined capital of ancient Iran. It is one of the greatest artistic legacies of the ancient world and perhaps one of the most beautiful and spectacular archaeological sites surviving today. In the 6th century BC, the Achaemenian King Darius I, created Persepolis as a palatial precinct for an empire which eventually became larger and more efficiently ruled than any other in the ancient world. He erected the monument on a mountain slope called Rahmat above a plain he considered holy. Persepolis was reserved only for ritual celebrations. In the spring of each new year, the dynamic ruler and his court gathered at Persepolis to receive the tribute of subject nations and to reestablish universal order for the coming year. Step back in time as we enter through the Gate of All Nations. The arrival of the erstwhile delegations was announced by trumpeters who stood at the top of the staircase in front of the Gate of Nations. They were then led to the Hundred Column Palace to the presence of the king. Superb bas reliefs depict the flow of ritual processions that once passed through the palaces and audience halls of the Achaemenian Kings. We’ll explore the Gate of Xerxes, the Apadana Palace, the Treasury, the Harem and the private palaces of the different rulers. Persepolis was completed by Xerxes and Artaxerxes I who ruled Persia in the 5th century BC. The palaces were used by the Achaemenid kings up until they were destroyed by Alexander the Great in 330 BC as revenge for the sacking of Athens during the Persian Wars with the Greeks. After lunch at the pleasant and nearby Laneh Tavous Restaurant,, visit Naghsh-é-Rostam, which contains the rock carved chambers of four Achaemenian tombs, believed to be those of Darius the Great, Xerxes, Artaxerxes and Darius II. See Ka’be-Zardosht (fire temple/sanctuary), and Royal Tombs (also Achaemenid); plus seven magnificent Sassanian rock-reliefs (including Shapur the First’s famous victory over Roman Emperor Valerian); and Naghsh-e-Rajab, a nearby grotto with several more Sassanid reliefs. The ornamental facades are rock reliefs from the Sassanian dynasty depicting various scenes of imperial conquests as well as a probable fire temple from Achaemenian times.Return to Shiraz (62 miles).

***** Homa Hotel

November  9                  SHIRAZ-PASARGAD
Monday                   ABARQUH-YAZD
Following breakfast, we drive to Yazd (280 miles) via Pasargad to see the tomb of Cyrus the Great, the remains of the First Persian Empire Capital, site of his simple but imposing tomb and the remains of three of his palaces. After a picnic lunch at the site, drive through Abarquh to see a 4000-year-old Cyprus tree, a 1000-year-old mosque and a 19th century ice reservoir. Continue to Yazd and, time-permitting, visit the Zoroastrian Towers of Silence (where the bodies of the deceased were placed, according to their religious beliefs). While a majority of the population is Muslim, there is a large minority of both Jews and Zoroastrians. Our guide will explain the Zoroastrian religion, which at one time was the state creed but faded away after the Arab conquest.  Zoroastrians are followers of the prophet Zarathushtra (Zoroaster in Greek), who was born in the 7th century BC in what is now a part of Afghanistan.  The religion is monotheistic and dualistic, and it influenced Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  Zoroastrians revere fire as a symbol of God and keep eternal flames burning at their temples.  Today there are 400,000 Zoroastrians left in the world of which about 60,000 live in and around Yazd.  Others have established a prosperous life in the Bombay (Mumbai) area of India, where they are known as Parsees (Persians).    Dinner at Moshir Garden/Laleh Golshan Hotel

**** Moshir Garden/Laleh Golshan Hotel

November  10                  YAZD-NA’IN
Tuesday                  ISFAHAN
Half-day visit in Yazd, which is the second oldest city in the world according to UNESCO, from the architectural viewpoint. First we visit the Dowlat Abad Garden and a traditional confectionery. We see the Fire Temple, Amir Chakhmagh Square, and the Water Museum. We won’t want to miss the Water Museum and learn about Qanats, an advanced technology system first developed about 1000 BC to bring mountain water through underground conduits to the plains. It rivals the Roman system of Aqueducts. Today there are about 22,000 qanats that provide 75% of Iran’s fresh water.

Masters of power technology, in the 7th century BC, Persian engineers also developed an advanced wind-power machine, the windmill, invented by the Babylonians.

Next we see the magnificent 14^th century Friday Mosque, Alexander Prison and the Mausoleum dedicated to the Twelve Imams. After lunch at Hamam-e-Khan Restaurant (converted bathhouse), enroute to Isfahan, we visit the early Islamic period Friday Mosque and a private house at Na’in (also Naeen) and Jameh Mosque. Na’in, a desert city  famous for its special carpet and textile called ABA (special costume worn by religious people).  Here you will first visit the 1000-year-old Mosque, then to an old traditional workshop where aba is made, and finally to a famous family who make magnificent carpets  with the desert oriented colors always reminding us of the hot dunes. Continue to Isfahan (186 miles) for dinner at the exotic Abbasi Hotel, which was built in the 1960’s on the site of a 17th century caravanserai.

***** Abbasi Hotel 

November 11                  ISFAHAN
Wednesday        
Full day tour of the beautiful city of Isfahan, the 17^th century capital of the Safavids, referred to as Nesf-e-Jahan (Half of the World) in Safavid sources.

Isfahan is perhaps the most beautiful of all Iranian cities.  It is located 250 miles south of Tehran at an elevation of nearly a mile.   With historical buildings, bridges and eye-catching sites, Isfahan is one of the most significant tourist attractions in Iran.  It dates back 2500 years and was the capital of Iran during three historical periods.  The golden age of Isfahan was in the Safavid era from 1505 to 1736 and much of the art and architecture you will be seeing will be from this period.  Shah Abbas I mastered one of the world’s grandest experiments in city planning in 1598.   Mosques, palaces, bazaars and public parks were built over the next thirty years. 

We visit the famous bridges of Shahrestan/Khaju/Sio-seh-pol, constructed by Shah Abbas II in 1650. It is essentially a bridge superimposed upon a dam, 436 feet long and supported by twenty-four stone arches. Continue to the Armenian Quarter with several churches, including the important Cathedral of Vank. Begun in 1606 at the time of arrival of Armenian immigrants to Isfahan, it was completed between 1655 and 1664 under the supervision of Arch-bishop David, with the encouragement of the Savid rulers. It is the historic focal point of the Armenian Christian Church in Iran. The dome and walls have colorful paintings representing the story of Creation. We pause for lunch at a popular Armenian restaurant. Following lunch we visit one of the world’s grandest squares - the Meidan-e Naghsh-e Jahan - to see the Ali Qapu Palace (with its enchanting music rooms and balcony overlooking the Maidan, from where the Safavid Kings watched polo games), Sheikh Lotfollah and Imam Mosques. Naghsh-e Jahan complex, central focus of Isfahan is a royal square, 1674 feet by 540 feet and enclosed by double-storied arcades. The square drew merchants and ambassadors to the Safavid court for centuries. It’s unmatched in elegance and spaciousness anywhere in the world! It is seven times the size of the Piazza San Marco in Venice, and puts the grandeur of the surrounding palaces and mosques into appropriate proportions. On the north side is the entrance to the Royal Qaysariyyeh Bazaar. On the east side is the Lotfollah Mosque. Two of the Islamic world’s greatest mosques are the Sheikh Lotfollah and the Shah – with magnificent architecture and tilework. Constructed between 1603 and 1617, it served as a private chapel for the Imperial family. You’ll see exquisite 17th century Persian tile work on the domed ceiling. On the west side is the Ali Qapu Palace. To the south is the Shah Mosque, dedicated to Shah Abbas the Great. To many it is also considered to be the most beautiful mosque in the world. We finish with a visit to the Qeisarieh Bazaar with hundreds of shops displaying the arts and handicrafts for which Isfahan is world-famous.

*****  Abbasi Hotel 

November  12 ISFAHAN
Thursday
We have another full day sightseeing of Isfahan to visit the magnificent Friday Mosque, with the famous Uljaitu Mihrab (Prayer Niche) of the Il-Khanid period. The Friday Mosque is considered a museum of a thousand years of Persian religious architecture and is truly one of the world’s greatest mosques. Also visit the Harun-e-Velayat Shrine and the Ali Minaret. From here we drive to the Chehel Sotun Palace, built by Shah Abbas II in the 17^th century; its wooden columns reflected in the surface of the pool give rise to its name ‘The Palace of Forty Coulmns’. The final stop of the day is at the Hasht Behesht pavilion built in 1670 by Shah Solayman and known as the Pavilion of Eight Paradises or the Palace of Nightingales. This small but intricate building is set amongst tree-lined alleys, a reflecting pool and water rills.

***** Abbasi Hotel 

November  13                  ISFAHAN-NATANZ
Friday                      KASHAN-TEHRAN
Today we enjoy a leisurely coach ride to Tehran with an en route stop at the charming town of Natanz to visit a beautiful Islamic Complex of Friday Mosque, Monastery and Tomb of Sheikh Abdol Samad Isfahani. We will also enjoy a tea break under the shade of a beautiful and old plain tree just outside the complex. on to Kashan  to visit the historical garden of Fin which was first planted during the Safavid period and kept alive with water from the nearby Suleymanieye Spring/Qanat. This beautiful walled Persian Garden was expanded by the Zand and Qajar monarchs, with many open pavilions added. A museum on the site displays artifacts from nearby Teppe Sialk, which is one of the most important archaeological sites in Iran, dating back to 4000-5000 B.C. We will also visit some of the many restored merchant houses in Kashan such as the Borujerdi and Taba-Tabai House, with its beautiful stucco dome and inlaid mirror work and very fine examples of the “Badgirs” or wind-catchers. Kashan city whose name in Persian is  equivalent to ceramic and it has given its name to ceramic in the Persian language.  Kashan is the epitome of everything grand from old Persia: mosques, caravansaries, gardens and homes.  Here you will see the beautiful Fin Garden. We continue our drive to Tehran (289 miles) and, time-permitting, stop by the Mausoleum of Imam Khomeini for a photo opportunity.

*****Laleh Hotel

November 14                   TEHRAN – ISTANBUL
Saturday                   U.S.A.
We rise early this morning and are transferred to the airport for our 4:30 AM flight to Istanbul (TK1275) arriving at 6:30 AM. We’ll have plenty of time to explore the duty-free shops before our connecting flight to JFK (TK001) departs at 12:20 PM. Arrive in New York at 4:45 PM with plenty of time for flights to your home city. Welcome home! Note: Flight schedules always subject to change.