Life in Shiraz
Life has it's own pace in Shiraz
Shiraz is an ancient city and current capital of Fars Province and the history of this city goes back to 2000 BC. My first day in Shiraz brought me to an open square in front of the Vakil Mosque, close to Vakil Bazaar and life in Shiraz started to unfold in front of eyes.
There was a hot water kettle in front of a shop to make tea or coffee, sitting on a coal stove and two bags of coal were sitting next to it. Few yards away, I saw four middle aged men playing something. My curiosity brought me over to them to have a look. They were playing an ancient game of backgammon.
One large mural of two guys sitting on a hill was created on a wall. It depicted a scene from the Iran-Iraq War where one of the soldiers is writing a letter. While walking in Shiraz, I passed beside the Arg of Karim Khan and locals gathered beside it and everyone seemed to be having a good time. I came across a hotel name known as ‘Tungestan’ which roughly translates as ‘the narrow place’.
Lunch in a Village
Following day, I took a tour to go to Persepolis and Naqshe Rustam and this house was the place, where I had lunch. This house was built with mud which are still popular in the remote villages of Iran. We all sat around a Persian rug and meal was brought to us by two ladies (mum & daughter). The food was great and I felt warmer after having a freezing day in rain and sleet.
After my tour, I went to visit the holy shrine of Syed Alauddin Hussain. Along the way, I saw these walls decorated with colourful tiles. Glazed Persian tiles are renown in the world. in Iran is where this art was mastered.
Traditional House converted into a Hotel
After coming back to hotel, I went to the roof of the hotel to have a drink and enjoy the view of Shiraz. In the distance I could see the dome of the shrine of Imamzadeh Bibi Khadija (locally known as Bibi Dokhtaran).The hotel I was staying in was a traditional house, more than 100 years old and this is where first newspaper of Shiraz was published. It was the site of the literature Association of Shiraz.
I had my lunch at a pizza shop at the Lotf Ali Khan Zand Street. One soldier got his food and he offered me to join him which I politely declined. On one side of the street, a cool way of parking was in action. Basically, it was managed by a lift which will move the cars according to their space timings.
I was going to take bus from Shiraz to Yazd in the evening. The bus station was very well maintained and it was surrounded by green spaces.
