Welcome to Enchanting Journeys

 

Beyond Politics, discover Civilisation

 

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller” - Ibn Battuta

 

The Middle East is a grand epic, a cradle of civilisations & a beautiful, complicated land that is home to some of the planet's most hospitable people. From the gravitas of the Sahara to the blue tiles of Isfahan, this is a region for discerning travellers, for those looking for the story behind the headline & where the bridges between ancient & modern civilisations are everywhere evident. Quite simply extraordinary, one of the world's most fascinating & rewarding travel destinations.

 

The word is out: as far as off-the-beaten-path destinations go & if you fancy travelling somewhere neither East nor West, and exotic & fascinating yet perfectly comfortable then, Iran might just be the most rewarding destination on Earth. More than ever, intrepid travellers are making their way to the Islamic Republic of Iran and there’s little wonder why. Come……experience Persia with us& prepare to be charmed…..

 

In the Middle East, history is not something you read about in books. It was here that some of the most significant civilisations of antiquity rose & fell.  Here, it is a story written on the stones that litter the region, from the flagstones of old Roman roads to the building blocks of ancient Egypt & the delicately carved tombs & temples from Petra to Persepolis. This is where humankind first built cities & learned to write and it was from here that 3 great monotheistic religions Judaism, Christianity & Islam all arose.

 

Left behind is an astonishing open-air Museum of ancient cities & historic buildings, the stones of which still resonate with the sounds of the faithful. The ruins of the once similarly epic cities of history - Petra, Persepolis, Ephesus, Palmyra, Baalbek, Leptis Magna & the bounty of ancient Egypt, also mark the passage of centuries in a region where the ancient world lives & breathes. Wherever you find yourself, the past is always present because here, perhaps more than anywhere else on earth, history is the heart & soul of the land.

 

The Middle East is quite simply extraordinary, one of the world's most fascinating & rewarding travel destinations. Its cities read like a roll-call of historical heavyweights: Jerusalem, Beirut, Cairo, İstanbul, Isfahan, Damascus & Baghdad. Aside from ranking among the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth, these ancient-modern metropolises are places to take the pulse of a region. It is here too, that you find the stirring, aspirational architecture that so distinguishes the 3 faiths.

 

Above all else, however, your most enduring memory of the Middle East is likely to be its people. At some point on your visit to the region, you will be sitting alongside the more secular charms of bazaars & coffee shops or looking lost in a labyrinth of narrow lanes embodying all the mystery & storytelling magic of a land that gave us The Thousand & One Nights, when someone will strike up a conversation & within minutes, invite you home to meet their family & share a meal. Or someone will simply approach & say with unmistakable warmth, ‘Welcome’. Their gracious welcome, many kindnesses & boundless hospitality speak of an altogether more civilised age. These spontaneous, disarming & utterly genuine words of welcome can occur anywhere across the region. And when they do, they can suddenly (& forever) change the way you see the Middle East.

 

From the gravitas of the Sahara to the blue tiles of Isfahan, this is a region for discerning travellers, for those looking for the story behind the headline, and where the bridges between ancient & modern civilisations are everywhere evident.

 

Let us talk about the Islamic Republic Iran now & leave your preconceptions at home. If you believe what the media tells you & decide not to visit, you would be missing out on the journey of a lifetime.

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Ancient Civilisation | Beauty of Islam | Redefining Hospitality

Little understood & seldom visited by Western tourists, Iran can seem opaque & enigmatic. Many preconceptions are based on its confusion with the Arab world, a fact lost on many in the West & a mistake many in Iran, with its over 2,500 years of Persian history, would probably take issue with.

 

An essential stop on the Silk Road, the Persian Empire stretched from Greece to India & brought its famously tolerant culture - including early medicine - to a world mired in comparative medieval backwardness. Today's Iran is still a place of bustling bazaars, glorious architecture & mountain villages with a young, friendly & open population. As long as you are not too attached to that glass of wine (curiously, Shiraz was invented here), a visit will take you beyond the rhetoric into one of the world's truly great cultures.

 

If you are drawn to places where echoes of ancient civilisations resonate down through the ages, Iran could be your thing. Some of history's biggest names - Cyrus & Darius, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan - all left their mark here & the cities they conquered or over which they ruled are among the finest in a region rich with such storied ruins.

 

Formerly known as Persia, Iran illustrates its strength of spirit & unique historical & natural delights. Littered with a diverse, eye-catching array of ancient temples & artworks, mosques, fortresses & striking monuments, each of which reflects its own intriguing history. With a warm, but not overbearing climate, you can bask in the sunshine & take in the multitude of different atmospheres this country has to offer.

 

Iran is a treasure house for some of the most beautiful architecture on the planet. Seemingly at every turn, Islam's historical commitment to aesthetic beauty & exquisite architecture reigns supreme. The sublime, turquoise-tiled domes & minarets of Esfahan’s Naqsh-e Jahan (Imam) Square gets so many appreciative gasps of wonder, and rightly so, but there are utterly magnificent rivals elsewhere, in Yazd & Shiraz among others. And it is not just the mosques - the palaces (especially in Tehran), gardens (everywhere, but Kashan really shines) & artfully conceived bridges and other public buildings all lend grace & beauty to cities across the country.

 

A journey to Iran is a chance to peel away the layers of a country with a serious image problem. Beyond the stereotypes you will experience a country desperate to be seen for what it is, rather than what it is perceived to be. Whether you’re travelling in cities like Esfahan or Tabriz, in the Zagros Mountains of   central Iran or the deserts around Kerman, the real Iran will be revealed.

 

And before you come to Iran, you might be thinking the main reasons to visit the Islamic Republic are because it is a bit adventurous & there is a lot to see from the years when Persia was a great world power. At some levels you would be right. Culturally & historically linked to Central Asia, Iran is full of incredible highlights

 

For those who have grown up on an endless diet of images depicting Iran as a dark, dangerous place full of fundamentalist fanatics, discovering the real Iran is the most wonderful surprise. Before long you are asking yourself: how can somewhere supposedly depicted as so bad be so good? Sure, not every Iranian you meet is going to invite you around to dinner.

 

If you make your travel decisions based on what your friends & family say, you will probably never make it to Iran. This is a country whose politics are impossible to escape. Independent travel is easy &, through the people you meet, rewarding & sometimes sobering. A journey to Iran will change the way you see this part of the world.

 

Iran's greatest attraction could just be its people. The Iranians, a nation made up of numerous ethnic groups and influenced over thousands of years by Greek, Arab, Turkic and Mongol occupiers, are endlessly welcoming.

 

Offers to sit down for tea will be an everyday occurrence, and if you spend any time at all with Iranians, you will often find yourself invited to share a meal in someone's home. Say yes whenever you can & through it, experience first-hand, Iranian culture, ancient, sophisticated & warm. It is these experiences that will live longest in the memory.

 

Walking around beautiful, romantic & hospitable Shiraz, the sublime, turquoise-tiled domes & minarets of Isfahan’s Naqsh-e Jahan (Imam) Square, the awesome power & beauty of the Achaemenid’s ancient capital at Persepolis, the mud-brick alleys and rooftops in Yazd & the wonderfully immense Elamite ziggurat at Choqa Zanbil will put you in the footsteps of some of history’s most outstanding figures & will carry you all the way back to the glory days of Ancient Persia. And certainly, you won’t find yourself crowded out of any sights. Which is fun in a way.

 

Authentic Iranian culture & tradition is kept alive in the many scenic local villages & the city bazaars. And hikers are spoilt for choice with Iran`s stunning mountains, valleys & the Middle East`s highest peak, Mount Damavand. History lovers can soak in the legends of ancient temples & imposing fortresses, dating from early civilisations such as the Safavids & the Sassasians. Art enthusiasts can admire the innovative mosque designs & ancient mountain relief paintings.

 

Boasting gorgeous landscapes and rich tapestry of ancient cultures & religions, Iran is highly welcoming and easy on the wallet (though you can only use cash), offering plenty of bang for your buck. Stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea & from Turkey to Pakistan, it encompasses spectacular desert-scapes even more desolate than the American Southwest, snow-capped peaks, fertile valleys & lush forests.

 

Its treasure chest of attractions include ancient Persian monuments, lavish Qajar mansions, Silk Road caravanserais, world-renowned museums & art galleries in the bustling capital of Tehran, and the splendid Safavid gardens in Esfahan that encircle some of the world’s most hauntingly beautiful mosques, adorned with mesmerizing turquoise tile-work.

 

Much like its 3000-year-old qanats, an ingenious network of irrigation tunnels, Persia’s sense of heritage runs deep, boasting a richness on par with the greatest of civilizations. Wandering the ruins of majestic Persepolis, one of history’s greatest capitals, it is hard not be impressed with the wealth and glory of the once-mighty Persian Empire. In Shiraz, City of Poets and heartland of Persian culture & sophistication, visitors from near & far pay their respects to the ornate tomb of Hafez (whose lines are often held in greater honour than those of the Qur’an), while in Yazd, home to one of the Middle East’s best-preserved medieval bazaars, a flame said to have burned for 1500 years flickers on in the Zoroastrian Fire Temple.

 

Mingling with pilgrims in sacred Mashhad’s Haram complex, you will marvel at the dazzling, tiled Tomb of Imam Reza, resting place of Shi’a Islam’s eighth Imam. And while soaking up the grandeur of Imam Square & admiring its iconic, blue-domed Shah Mosque, you will begin to appreciate the old rhyme, “Isfahan is half the world,” then join local Isfahanis for an evening promenade past the magically lit bridges spanning the Zayandeh River.

 

Iran is a remarkable travel destination in myriad ways, and chief among these is the fact that preconceptions of a stern, inhospitable destination are invariably shattered.

 

Even considering Iran’s abundance of worthy sights, travellers, particularly from the US, are most impressed with the warmth of Persian hospitality. No one’s pretending that the country’s current leadership can’t be shockingly hard-fisted in matters of civic law, but the most likely result of a Western visitor making an Iran trip remains an endless stream of tea invites. Doubtless among the most welcoming people on earth, Iranians are lauded even by their most bitter enemies as superior hosts. In chatting with curious locals, often keen for a glimpse of the outside world, foreigners in Iran are guaranteed endless cups of tea, spontaneous gifts, home invitations and even impromptu guide services.

 

It’s somewhere with issues, sure, and flashpoint travel advisories should be heeded, but street-level Iran is largely a separate entity to news-headline Iran, and it makes for a truly soul-stirring place to visit.

 

The highlights, together with the atmospheric teahouses, bustling bazaars, deserts punctuated by historic oases & rugged mountain ranges, gives Iran more than its fair share of fantastic places to see. But to think of Iran only in terms of ‘sights’ is to miss the real story.

 

History, great food & idyllic scenery are just the beginning……. Take the plunge now & yep….Islamic Republic of Iran is waiting. A warm welcome, historical secrets, an artistic paradise & of course hospitable Persians  await you and The Journeys is ready to take you on well, a journey (or journeys) of discovery.

 

 Come…be inspired & discover the World with us

 

We are in the process of updating our Offerings of experiential journeys to Iran. Please contact us in the interim if you want to explore options & we will be happy to offer suggestions based on your personal preferences……