Stunning Shiraz!

We set off to Shiraz at 7:30 in the morning. The day before, we found out that New Year's is not celebrated at midnight like it is in our country, but at a different time each year. This year, it was celebrated at 13:58 (New Year's is when day and night are of equal length).

It was annoying that we had to spend Nouruz on the bus. However, it turned out later that it wasn't so bad, as most Iranians spend the New Year's at home or in the mosque. In addition, the mosques were so crowded that non-Muslims were not allowed to enter. The city is quite different from Isfahan or Tehran (at least the old town). There are narrow alleys and passages that were quite deserted. Our hostel is located in one of these alleys. It seems that we got the only private room (all other rooms were shared rooms), which we specifically booked.

So far, this room was the most beautifully prepared, and the courtyard with a small fountain and seating areas was also delightful.

We went straight to the city to visit the 'Karim Khan Citadel' fortress. The fortress was nothing special, but it cost €5 for admission (I will write a separate text about this later). Two young girls approached us there, wanting to take a picture with us. The father naturally kept a close eye on them and made sure we didn't get too close to them (I hadn't expected something like this in Iran). After picking some half-ripe oranges, we continued.

Next, we went to the Holy Shrine of 'Shah Cheragh', where non-Muslims are not allowed to enter the complex without a guide. After a few minutes of waiting and a short check, we entered. Unfortunately, photos are only allowed from the outside. Nevertheless, it is a very impressive shrine worth seeing. Our guide gave us the tip to come back in the evening to see the shrine illuminated.

After dinner, we walked around the city and were asked several times if we wanted to take a photo/selfie together. We were supposed to earn a few Toman for it, but because we are good people, we always willingly let ourselves be photographed ;)

The next morning, we took a taxi to Necropolis and Persepolis. This time, there was a police check on the way (speed cameras and checks are frequent on the expressways). The driver had to pay a fine because I wasn't wearing a seatbelt. Our fellow passenger, emphasis on passenger, was also not wearing a seatbelt, but that was not a problem.

Of course, I wanted to pay the fine for our driver (€2-€3!), but he absolutely refused. During this check, we noticed for the first time that women are worth less in Iran (at least from a state perspective?!), it's crazy...

However, we could not perceive this at all in public life. Women can do everything that men can do, at least as far as we can judge.

Again, the admission cost us €5 each (it's adding up slowly). In Necropolis, we were able to admire 4 old stone-cut tombs (similar to Petra in Jordan, but on a smaller scale). In Persepolis, a horde of Iranian tourists awaited us (shortly after New Year's, the ruins city is the destination for Iranians). Regardless, we were able to spend about 4 hours here, including a little sunburn and a slightly larger sunburn. Back in Shiraz, we climbed a small mountain and had a nice view of the city. After dinner and a short break at the hotel, we went to see the illuminated shrine again, and what awaited us was absolutely spectacular!

This time, another guide met us at the entrance. We introduced ourselves briefly ('Where are you from?' 'Bielefeld' 'Ah... Arminia Bielefeld'). After a little small talk about football and Ali Daei, we went inside again. The tour was much more informative this time. I asked again if it was possible to visit the tombs, but this was again denied.

However, he (Ali) offered to take us to the slightly smaller but identical burial site. The mosques I had seen so far did not stand out for their impressive interior. However, it was different with this shrine. Thousands of small mirrors in different colors formed mosaics that covered several rooms completely. There was a strange (respectful) atmosphere among the praying people. While Ali answered any of our questions, we were allowed to take photos.

Then we went back to the exit. Ali had already been off work for over 30 minutes but wanted to show and explain everything to us. We were warmly bid farewell with the following words: 'I invite you to come back to Iran again, with all of your friends and your whole family. Please tell them that we are not terrorists. We welcome everyone to Iran'...