Visiting Shiraz

After visiting Tehran, I took a flight south to Shiraz. I expected the city to be much hotter than Tehran, but since I visited in May the temperatures weren’t much different. I’m sure that would change considerably in the middle of summer! These are day and night views of Shiraz that I photographed from my hotel.

Shiraz has a special reputation within Iran as a city of gardens, poetry, and a more relaxed way of life. That character became increasingly obvious as I explored the city.

One of the people most closely associated with Shiraz is Hafez, the great Persian poet who lived here during the 14th century. More than six centuries after his death, his poetry remains enormously popular throughout Iran. I met Iranians who could recite his work from memory, and references to his poetry seemed to appear everywhere around Shiraz.

Another famous landmark is the Quran Gate at the entrance to Shiraz. Earlier versions of the gate contained a Quran in a chamber above the roadway. Travelers passing beneath it were traditionally believed to receive a blessing before beginning their journey.

I was told a more humorous local version of the story as well. People in Shiraz have a joking reputation among other Iranians for enjoying a relaxed lifestyle, so the story goes that placing the Quran above the road saved travelers from having to perform the blessing themselves every time they left the city. Whether taken seriously or not, it was one of those local stories that made the landmark much more memorable to me.

One of the most important religious sites I visited in Shiraz was Shah Cheragh. The shrine complex contains the tombs of Ahmad ibn Musa and Muhammad ibn Musa, brothers associated with the family of Imam Reza, and it remains an important pilgrimage site for Shia Muslims.

The interior was spectacular. Countless pieces of mirrored glass covered the walls and ceilings, reflecting light throughout the shrine. Some of the palaces I visited in Tehran used similarly elaborate decoration but didn’t allow photography inside, so I was glad I could photograph the style here.

I also spent some time talking with people inside about Islam and their personal beliefs. One thing that continued to surprise me throughout Iran was how willing people were to approach a foreign traveler, start a conversation, and openly discuss subjects like religion and everyday life.

Shiraz is also famous for its Persian gardens. The Qavam House, also known as Narenjestan-e Qavam, is surrounded by an elaborate garden filled with trees, flowers, water, and traditional Persian architecture. Places like this helped give Shiraz a completely different atmosphere from what I had imagined before visiting Iran.

Poetry seemed to be woven into the city itself. Verses from famous Persian poets could be found decorating buildings and gardens, another reminder of how important literature is to the identity of Shiraz.

With all the gardens came plenty of flowers and wildlife. I visited during spring, which was an especially good time to see Shiraz at its greenest. The combination of flowers, fountains, shade trees, and traditional architecture made the gardens some of my favorite places in the city.

Bread is an important part of meals throughout Iran, and in Shiraz I had a chance to try some almost immediately after it came out of the oven. The guys working at this bakery were more than happy to have their photos taken and show me how they prepared and baked the bread in a traditional oven. Fresh bread doesn’t get much fresher than this.

Another major religious site in Shiraz is the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque. Inside I photographed this portrait of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. There was Persian calligraphy alongside the portrait, although I couldn’t independently read the inscription myself.

The Nasir al-Mulk Mosque dates to the late 19th century and is one of the most beautiful buildings I visited in Shiraz. Its courtyard is surrounded by elaborate tilework, arches, and traditional Persian Islamic architecture.

The interior architecture was even more impressive. Instead of simple rounded ceilings, the surfaces were broken into countless geometric forms, arches, and decorative patterns covered with intricate designs. It was the kind of architecture where the closer I looked, the more details I noticed.

While visiting the mosque, I also learned more about Shia prayer traditions. Shia Muslims commonly place their forehead on a small piece of natural material, often a clay tablet known as a turbah, during prostration. It was one of many small religious and cultural details I learned simply by spending time talking with people during my trip through Iran.

Eventually I returned to the person whose presence seemed to follow me throughout Shiraz: Hafez. His tomb sits within a beautiful garden in the city, and Iranians still come here to pay their respects, read his poetry, and spend time around the memorial.

Hafez died in Shiraz around 1390, but more than six centuries later his tomb remains one of the city’s most beloved places. Seeing how many people still visited made it obvious that he wasn’t simply a historical figure whose poetry survived in books. His work remains part of Iranian culture today.

Poetry even found its way into fortune telling. Along the streets I encountered people selling fortunes based on verses attributed to Hafez. I was told the fortunes aren’t always positive either and can sometimes be brutally harsh. Naturally, I had to try one.

I left my fate up to a little bird that selected a card for me. The poem was quite long, but the interpretation basically suggested that I was at a major crossroads in my life and should focus on myself rather than worrying about external things.

That fortune actually felt strangely appropriate. I had quit my job of eight years only two weeks before traveling to Shiraz and had plenty of major life changes ahead of me. Whether the bird knew something or simply chose a convenient poem, I’ll never know.

By the end of my visit, Shiraz had become inseparable in my mind from gardens, roses, and poetry. I had expected to see historic mosques and Persian architecture, but it was the personality of the city and the people I met that made Shiraz one of the most memorable places from my trip through Iran.