Thursday, October 31, 2013

Top 10 cities you must visit in Iran: 8-Tehran

Tehran (Persian: تهران‎), sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With a population of around 8.3 million and surpassing 14 million in the wider metropolitan area, Tehran is Iran's largest city and urban area, and one of the largest cities in Western Asia.
In the 20th and 21st centuries, Tehran has been the subject of mass migration of people from all around Iran. The city is home to many historic mosques, churches, synagogues and Zoroastrian fire temples. However, modern structures, notably Azadi (Freedom) Tower and the Milad Tower, have come to symbolise the city. Tehran is ranked 29th in the world by the population of its metropolitan area. Throughout Iran's history, the capital has been moved many times, and Tehran is the 32nd national capital of Iranalthough it has been Iran's capital for about 220 years. Although a variety of unofficial languages are spoken, notably Azeri Turkish, roughly 98% of the population understand or speak Persian. The majority of people in Tehran identify themselves as Persians. In pre-Islamic and early Islamic times, Tehran was an unimportant village and part of the area of present-day Tehran was occupied by Ray (which in the Avesta occurs in the form of Ragha), now a part of the city of Tehran, which took over its role after the destruction of Ray by the Mongols in the early 13th century.

History

An important historical city in the area of modern-day Tehran, now absorbed by it, is known as Ray, which is etymologically connected to the Old Persianand Avestan Ragha. The city was a major area of the Iranian speaking Medes and Achaemenids.
In the Zoroastrian Avesta, Videvdad, i, 15, Ragha is mentioned as the twelfth sacred place created by Ahura-Mazda. In the Old Persian inscriptions (Behistun 2, 10–18), Ragha appears as a province. From Ragha, Darius the Great sent reinforcements to his father Hystaspes (Vishtaspa), who was putting down the rebellion in Parthia (Behistun 3, 1–10).
The Damavand mountain located near the city also appears in the Shahnameh as the place where Freydun bounds the dragon-fiend Zahhak. Damavand is important in Persian mythological and legendary events. Kayūmarṯ, the Zoroastrian prototype of human beings and the first king in the Shahnameh, was said to have resided in Damāvand. In these legends, the foundation of the city of Damavand was attributed to him. Arash, the archer who sacrificed his body by giving all his strength to the arrow that demarcatedIran and Turan, shot his arrow from Mount Damāvand. This Persian legend was celebrated every year in the Tiregan festival. A popular feast is reported to have been held in the city of Damavand on 7 Šawwāl 1230, or in Gregorian calendar, 31 August 1815. During the alleged feast the people celebrated the anniversary of Zahhak's death. In the Zoroastrian legends, the tyrant Zahhak is to finally be killed by the Iranian hero Garšāsp before the final days.
In some Middle Persian texts, Ray (Ragha) is given as the birthplace of Zoroaster although modern historians generally place the birth of Zoraster in Khorasan. In one Persian tradition, the legendary king Manūčehr was born in Damavand.
During the Sassanid era, Yazdegerd III in 641 issued from Ray his last appeal to the nation before fleeing to Khorasan.[11] The sanctuary of Bibi Shahr-Banu situated in modern Tehran spur and accessible only to women is associated with the memory of the daughter of Yazdegerd who, according to tradition, became the wife of al-Husayn b. Ali, the third Shi'ite Imam.[11] Ray was the fief of the Parthian Mihran family and Siyavakhsh the son of Mihran the son of Bahram Chobin resisted the Arab invasion.[11] Because of this resistance, when the Arabs captured Ray, they ordered the town to be destroyed and ordered Farrukhan b. Zaynabi b. Kula to rebuild the town.[11]
In the 10th century, Ray is described in detail in the work of Islamic geographers. Despite the interest of Baghdad displayed in Ray, the number of Arabs there was insignificant, and the population consisted of Persians of all classes. The Ghuzz Turks laid Ray to waste in 1035 and in 1042, but the city recovered during the Saljuqid and Khwarazmian era. The Mongols laid Ray to complete waste and according to Islamic historians of the era, virtually all of its inhabitants were massacared. The city is mentioned in later Safavid chronicles as an unimportant city.
The origin of the name Tehran is unknown. Tehran was well known as a village in the 9th century, but was less well-known than the city of Rhages (Ray) which was flourishing nearby in the early era. Najm al-Din Razi known as Dayya gives the population of Ray as 500,000 before the Mongol invasion. In the 13th century, following the destruction of Ray by Mongols, many of its inhabitants escaped to Tehran. In some sources of the early era, the city is mentioned as "Rhages's Tehran". The city is later mentioned in Hamdollah Mostowfi's Nuz'hat al-Qulub (written in 1340) as a famous village.

Tehran map in 1857

Ahmad Shah's Pavilion in Niavaran palace

Sa'dabad palace, the White House is where Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Farah Pahlavi lived

A street in Tehran during the 1930s

The original Parliament Building built in the 1920s

The "Big Three": From left to right: Joseph StalinFranklin D. Roosevelt, and Sir Winston Churchill on the portico of the Soviet Embassy during theTehran Conference of 1943

source: en.wikipedia.org

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Restaurants in Hamadan

Restaurants in Hamadan

  1. Chaykhuneh Baharestan
    • HamadanIran 
    • Restaurants › Breakfast

    This atmospheric, if decidedly down-market 100% male teahouse is charmingly adorned with metalwork, sepia photos and Quranic murals. It’s ideal for a greasy fried-egg breakfast, cheap abgusht (aka dizi) lunch or a puff on the qalyan, and is populated by photogenically haggard old white-beards.

  2. Delta Sofrakhane Sonati
    • Hamadan, Iran 
    • Restaurants › Middle eastern

    Tea (IR5000) comes in ceramic Lalejin pots, women can smoke qalyan on carpeted bed-seats without undue attention and the chicken ‘biriyani’ comes on a flaming plate. Don’t miss the scrumptious kashka bademjan (IR12,000), eggplant paste with yoghurt, mint and roasted red peppers.

  3. Hezaroyek Shab
    • Hamadan, Iran 
    • Restaurants › European

    This cosy if slightly garish restaurant is quite a trek from the centre (IR5000 dar baste taxi) but there’s a wide Irano-European menu and owner Pari Bakhtiyari speaks fluent English. Call ahead.

  4. Kaktus
    • Hamadan, Iran 
    • Restaurants › Middle eastern

    Down easy-to-miss stairs, Kaktus remains one of Hamadan’s most popular middle-class kabab restaurants. It’s tastefully lit if not imaginatively decorated.

Kaghazi Pizza-Coffee
  • Hamadan, Iran 
  • Restaurants › Café

Pine furniture and a few African masks bring some character to this gently stylish two-room café whose pizzas are refreshingly crispy and thin-crusted.
Source:http://www.lonelyplanet.com


Wednesday, October 9, 2013

List of good hotels in Hamedan

Alisadr Hotel****
Tel :
Address : ., Hamedan, N/A, Iran
Email : N/A
Azadi Hotel****
Tel :+98 811 825001-5
Address : Eram blvd ., Hamedan, N/A, Iran
Email : N/A
Babataher Hotel****
Tel : +98 811 247180-4
Address : Baba Taher Sq., Hamedan, N/A, Iran
Email : N/A
Bo Ali Hotel****
Tel : +98 811 8252822-3 ,6250788
Address : Bo Ali Ave., Hamedan, N/A, Iran
Email : Buali_hotel@hotmail.com
Enghelab Hotel****
Tel : +98 811 52001-4
Address : Eram Blvd., Hamedan, N/A, Iran
Email : N/A
Hegmataneh Hotel**
Tel : +98 811 247471
Address : Shahid Rajaei Blvd., Hamedan, N/A, Iran
Email : N/A
Hamedan Guest House**
Tel :+98 811 427471-4
Address : Hamedan, N/A, Iran
Email : N/A
Ordibehesht Guest*
Tel :
Address : Hamedan, N/A, Iran
Email : N/A
Pas Hotel*
Tel : +98 811 223447, 223464
Address : Emam Khomeini Sq., Hamedan, N/A, Iran
Email : N/A
Yas Hotel**
Tel :
Address : Hamedan, N/A, Iran
Email : N/A
source: uppersia.com

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Top 10 cities you most visit in Iran: 9-Hamedan

Hello again guys it's been a long time since i haven't post i'm really sorry because of that i have a lot of work i can't come here much i hope you'll enjoy this post.
Hamedan is one of the oldest cities in Western Iran, and some believe the world.

how to travel to Hamedan:
you can travel to hamedan by bus, planes and cars there are no trains to Hamedan right now and there are daily flights to Hamedan from Tehran(capital) .

Places you must see:
  • Avicenna (Abu Ali Sina) Ibn Sina mausoleum
  • Ali Sadr Cave – about 100km north of Hamedan lies this fascinating cave the world's largest water cave , best toured by pedal boat
  • Baba Tahir Mausleum
  • Gonbad-e Alavian
  • Ganjnameh, is an ancient inscription which has been carved in granite, is composed of two sections. One on the left ordered by Darius I and the other on the right was ordered by Xerxes I .
  • Hamadan Stone Lion
  • Shrine of Esther and Mordechai
  • Estakhr e Abbas Abad (an over-the-hill lake with a magnificent view to the city.
  • Nazari House
  • Hamadan Museum of Natural History, It has a considerable taxidermic collection of animals and insects. The museum also has an aquarium and live fish tanks.
  • Excavated Ancient Ekbatana City
  • Ester & Mordekhai tomb, . Believed to house the remains of the biblical Queen Esther and her uncle Mordechai, it is the most important pilgrimage site for Jews in the country.
  • Mohammadi House
source: wikitravel.org
to be continued ... .

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Top 10 cities you most visit in Iran:9-hamedan

Hamadān or Hamedān (Persian: همدان, Old Persian: Haŋgmatana, Ecbatana) is the capital city of Hamadan Province of Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 473,149, in 127,812 families.[1]
Hamedan is believed to be among the oldest Iranian cities and one of the oldest in the world. It is possible that it was occupied by the Assyrians in 1100 BCE; the Ancient Greek historian, Herodotus, states that it was the capital of the Medes, around 700 BCE.
Hamedan has a green mountainous area in the foothills of the 3,574-meter Alvand Mountain, in the midwest part of Iran. The city is 1,850 meters above sea level.
The special nature of this old city and its historic sites attract tourists during the summer to this city, located approximately 360 kilometres (224 miles) southwest of Tehran.
The main symbols of this city are the Ganjnameh inscription, the Avicennamonument and the Baba Taher monument. People of the city identify their mother tongue as Persian.

History

16th century map of Hamedan
The Ganjnameh, a cuneiform inscription in Hamadan
According to Clifford Edmund Bosworth, "Hamadan is very old city. It may conceivably, but improbably, be mentioned in cuneiform texts from ca. 1100 BC, the time of Assyrian King Tiglath-pilesar I, but is certainly mentioned by Herodotus (i.98) who says that the king of Media Diokes built the city of Agbatana or Ekbatana in the 7th century BC." [5]
Hamadan was established by the Medesand was the capital of the Median empire. It then became one of several capital cities of the Achaemenid Dynasty.
Hamadan is mentioned in the biblical book of Ezra as the place where a scroll was found giving the Jews permission from King Darius to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. (Ezra 6:2). Its ancient name of Ecbatana is used in the Ezra text. Because it was a mile above sea level, it was a good place to preserve leather documents. During the Parthian era, Ctesiphon was the capital of the country, and Hamadan the summer capital and residence of the Parthian rulers. After the Parthians, the Sassanids constructed their summer palaces in Hamadan. In the year 633 the battle of Nahavand took place and Hamadan fell into the hands of the Muslim Arabs.
During the Buwayhids, the city suffered much damage. In the 11th century, the Seljuks shifted their capital from Baghdad to Hamadan. The city of Hamadan, its fortunes following the rise and fall of regional powers, was completely destroyed during the Timurid invasion. During the Safavid era the city thrived. Thereafter, in the 18th century, Hamadan was surrendered to the Ottomans, but due to the courage and chivalry of Nader Shah Afshar, Hamadan was cleared of invaders and, as a result of a peace treaty between Iran and the Ottomans, it was returned to Iran. Hamadan stands on the Silk Road, and even in recent centuries the city enjoyed strong commerce and trade as a result of its location on the main road network in the western region of Persia and Iran.
During World War I, the city was the scene of heavy fighting between Russian and Turko-German forces. It was occupied by both armies, and finally by the British, before it was returned to control of the Iranian government at the end of the war in 1918.
Climate data for Hamedan
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)17.0
(62.6)
19.0
(66.2)
25.0
(77)
28.0
(82.4)
33.0
(91.4)
39.0
(102.2)
40.6
(105.1)
39.4
(102.9)
36.4
(97.5)
30.0
(86)
23.0
(73.4)
18.8
(65.8)
40.6
(105.1)
Average high °C (°F)2.0
(35.6)
4.3
(39.7)
11.5
(52.7)
18.1
(64.6)
23.9
(75)
30.9
(87.6)
34.9
(94.8)
34.2
(93.6)
29.8
(85.6)
21.9
(71.4)
13.7
(56.7)
5.9
(42.6)
19.26
(66.66)
Daily mean °C (°F)−4.6
(23.7)
−2.2
(28)
4.5
(40.1)
10.4
(50.7)
15.5
(59.9)
21.3
(70.3)
25.3
(77.5)
24.3
(75.7)
19.0
(66.2)
12.1
(53.8)
5.3
(41.5)
−0.9
(30.4)
10.83
(51.48)
Average low °C (°F)−10.5
(13.1)
−8.2
(17.2)
−2.1
(28.2)
2.7
(36.9)
6.4
(43.5)
9.8
(49.6)
13.9
(57)
12.8
(55)
7.0
(44.6)
2.5
(36.5)
−2.1
(28.2)
−6.6
(20.1)
2.13
(35.83)
Record low °C (°F)−34
(−29)
−33.0
(−27.4)
−21
(−6)
−12.0
(10.4)
−3.0
(26.6)
2.0
(35.6)
7.0
(44.6)
4.0
(39.2)
−4.0
(24.8)
−7.0
(19.4)
−14.5
(5.9)
−29
(−20)
−34
(−29)
Precipitation mm (inches)46.3
(1.823)
43.6
(1.717)
49.4
(1.945)
49.8
(1.961)
37.8
(1.488)
3.7
(0.146)
2.0
(0.079)
1.8
(0.071)
0.8
(0.031)
20.7
(0.815)
26.9
(1.059)
40.9
(1.61)
323.7
(12.745)
Avg. rainy days11.611.112.412.19.52.01.31.61.05.66.810.185.1
Avg. snowy days8.88.24.20.6000000.20.96.929.8
 % humidity76736456503631313448617352.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours131.8137.1174.5199.6258.5341.8342.7322.2295.6234.3183.1135.32,756.5
Source: NOAA (1961-1990) [6]
Source:en.wikipedia.org

Friday, September 20, 2013

Top 10 cities you must visit in iran 9-Hamdan.

Hamedan is a very old city located north west of iran:


This city was the capital of the Ancient Median empire(9th century BC) the Median empire was famous because of destroying the Assyrian empire; it was also famous because of being the spring capital of the Acheamenids.
the name of the city was Hagmatana which the Greeks called it ikbatan; this city has a famous scroll belonging to the Acheamenid emperors Xrexes and Darius I and also because of the graves of famous poets.





To be continued... .

Monday, September 16, 2013

Rasht travel guide

Get in

By Air

There are a few daily flights from Tehran. Most of these depart either early in the morning or late afternoon. Seeing the Alborz mountains from the air is quite an experience. There is a direct flight to Dubai

By Bus

Like everywhere in Iran Rasht is well connected with Tehran and neighboring towns by bus

By Shared Taxi

Shared taxis (Savaris) plow the Caspian coast so getting to Rasht from anywhere in that area. A good choice for a trip from Tehran would be a shared taxi or bus to Chalus, a spectacular route through the Alborz mountains and then a savari from Chalus to Rasht.
Places you most see in Rasht:
  • The Shahrdari .Rasht’s most identifiable landmark, its colonial style tempered by a token mini-dome topping a distinctive whitewashed tower. It looks great when floodlit at night.
  • The Jelveh Building . A heritage building' is Rasht’s first private high-rise and identifiable landmark, erected circa 1931, with its distinctive French-Russian architectural.
  • Rasht Museum is small, but well presented in a 1930s house. Its mannequin displays illustrate Gilaki lifestyle, amid a selection of 3000-year-old terracotta riton drinking horns in the shape of bulls, rams and deer. Supping from such vessels supposedly endowed the drinker with the powers and skills of the animal depicted.
  • Golsar
  • Shahre-yaran
  • Manzariyeh
  • Tarditional Bazaar
  • Guilan Rural Heritage MuseumSaravan- Shaft road, before police station, 18th km of Rasht- Qazvin freeway ( +98131 ) 6690970[1]In the heart of the forest nature of Saravan, Six full homesteads complete with rice barns are already ‘active’ in 150 hectares of woodland. On open days, local crafts (thatching, mat-making, cloth-weaving) are displayed and there are tight-rope walking mini-shows.  edit
  • Mirza Kouchak Khan Tomb
  • Mirza Kouchak Khan House The horseman statue is Kuchuk Khan, the Jangali leader of 'Soviet Iran'. A steady flow of well-wishers visit his mausoleum on Manzariyeh St, sheltered by a contemporary brick gazebo with intricate wooden roof.
  • Danaye Ali is topped with a faceted pyramid of blue tiling.
  • National Library
  • Sabz-e Meydan
  • 'Park-e Shahr

Do

Firstly you must go & see the area named as Golsar in the north of the city, it's the most modernized section of the city, you can find the youth roaming over there, beautiful shops & restaurants, & other occasions make you find yourself in a European country in the middle of an Asian civilization.
Golsar pronaunced golsâr (Persian: گلسار) is a suburb of Rasht, the capital of the northern Iranian province of Guilan. Golsar used to be a very small neighborhood so that a chain gate had been put at the entrance before 1979. A few security guards were always monitoring and taking care of this gate. During the past couple of decades the demand for living in Golsar raised so that the area of this neighborhood started to grow rapidly. This area of Rasht is now the most expensive place in the city to purchase a house or apartment. Golsar is filled with many shops, restaurants, boutiques and coffee shops, and is the most popular place for teenagers and young adults to meet and socialize with peers. This crowd is due to an opportunity for young girls and guys to meet each other and exchange their phone numbers for either long-term or short-term relationships.
  • Masouleh historical village is a spectacular little village built on such a steep slope that the roads inside the village lie on the roofs of the houses below. A walk around town is very pleasant.
  • Bandar-e-Anzali is Iran's main Caspian port. You will see fish markets and large ships from the other countries around the Caspian. For IR 200,000 per hour for an entire boat you can go on a motorboat ride through the harbor and into the large lagoon. The boat drivers often suggest that since you are in "Lagoonland" women should be allowed to remove their headscarves. It is a good opportunity since after wearing the scarf for long a breeze through the hair on a motorboat is most welcome!
  • Golestan National Park. As a vast, unspoiled and intact natural reserve situated both in the south-east of the scenic Caspian Sea and 70 km away from historic city of Gonbad-Ghabous, Golestan Natural Park constitutes one of the richest and most significant habitat and sanctuary of variant types of vegetation and wildlife. Over 150 species of mountain birds as well as brown bears, tigers, wild cats, deers, mountain goats, foxes and coyotes are among the beautiful and rare inhabitants of this 10,000 ha long splendid natural park.

Eat

Rasht and the surrounding towns of the Caspian province are a great place to try still-warm, walnut-filled koloocheh cookies. Look for stores selling cookies with round patterns embossed on them.
Bijan's (Gaz square) restaurant is a surprise. After having kebab for dinner all the time all over Iran this place will be welcome with wonderful italian dishes. Pasta, pizzas and meat dishes all cheap and exquisitely done.
You can buy some kind of DOOGHs, the traditional drink of the area... but [Sara] is the most famous Doogh in Iran.

Sleep

Mid-range

The hotel Ordibehesht (off Shohada square) is a centrally located hotel offering twin rooms with bathroom for around IR 110,000 per night. The building is reminiscent of a palace in a horror movie but the rooms are all right. The reception can arrange fairly cheap taxi tours all over the area.

Budget

There are a cluster of cheap, centrally-located mosaferkhanehs clustered just south of Shahrdari Square, off Emam Khomeini Street. As with other such establishments, many of them suffer noise and cleanliness problems.
  • Until now Caravan Guest House (signposted as Karavan Gesting House) has been the most popular with travellers, because of its cheap rooms--singles (IR 47,000), doubles (from IR 50,000) and triples (from IR 80,000)--available both with, and without private bathrooms.
That's it this is everything you most know about Rasht soon i will start the other cities.
Source:wikitravel.org