Iran (IMNA) - Despite the upside-down relations between Iran and the West, growing number of travelers are eager to explore this astonishing country teeming with natural and historical wonders. Let's get familiar with some attractions in Iran.
Choqa Zanbil, Susa & Shushtar
Even if you don’t normally seek out ancient ruins, these three World Heritage sites will make you reconsider. Its great bulk, semidesert isolation and fascinating backstory make the Choqa Zanbil Ziggurat, which dates back a mere 34 centuries, one of the most impressive historical sites in a region full of them. Now excavated, some of the bricks look as if they came out of the kiln last week. Susa (Shush) is a fabulous ruin of a place with a castle, acropolis and palace remnants, while Shushtar impressively rounds things out.
Skiing the Alborz Mountains
Think Iran and skiing is hardly the first thing that springs to mind. But Iran has more than 20 ski fields and most of the action is conveniently concentrated around Tehran. The Dizin and Shemshak resorts are the pick, with steep downhills and plenty of untracked powder to keep skiers of all levels interested. Chalets and ski passes are inexpensive compared with Western countries, and the slopes are relatively liberal, beloved as they are by Tehran's upper middle class.
Desert Oases
The welcome is rarely warmer than in the vast, empty silence of Iran’s two great deserts. Garmeh is the oasis village of your dreams, with a crumbling castle, swaying date palms and the sound of spring water. It’s the sort of place you come for one night and stay four. Nearby Farahzad and tiny Toudeshk Cho, between Esfahan and Na’in, also offer memorable desert-style family homestays; think beds on the floor, basic bathrooms, fresh, delicious home-cooked food and endless horizons just outside your door.
Source: Lonelyplanet
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