highlights of iran

Susa

“Susa, where the whispering echoes of ancient empires meander through the resilient ruins and sun-drenched landscapes, invites the soul to wander through a timeless tapestry of history, culture, and undying human endeavors.”

 

The land of ancient iranian empire.

Susa: A Tapestry of Ancient Splendor and Rich Cultural Heritage

Enveloped in the iridescent embrace of the Zagros Mountains and the fertile Khuzestan plains, the city of Susa in Iran unfolds itself as a magnificent panorama of ancient civilizations and enduring legacies. Susa, or Shush, the antique gem of the Southwest of Iran, extends an invitation to embark upon a journey, where each stone whispers tales from the annals of millennia, eloquently speaking of empires risen and fallen upon this sacred soil.

Susa’s epochal significance is inherently entwined with its status as one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities, its origins stretching seamlessly into the depths of antiquity, reportedly since approximately 4200 BCE. The city witnessed the comings and goings of notable empires such as the Elamites, Persians, and Parthians, which endowed Susa with an incredibly rich and complex cultural, historical, and architectural landscape. It served as a prominent political and cultural center, where rulers, artisans, and ordinary folks wrote the history of the land in a silent yet profoundly articulate language of art, architecture, and societal norms.

How to get to Shiraz by Air, Bus , car or train.

By plane

  • Shiraz International Airport (IATASYZ) has regular flights to all major and some smaller cities in Iran. There are International flights to IstanbulDubaiSharjahKuwaitDoha: Turkish Airlines operating daily direct flight from Istanbul to Shiraz and vice versa; Qatar Airways flies 4 times a week (on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays) from Doha to Shiraz and vice versa; Air Arabia operates Daily Flight between Sharjah (UAE) and Shiraz; Iran Aseman Airlines Flies once a week (on Fridays) from Shiraz to Muscat and vice versa; several daily flights are available between Shiraz and Dubai operating by Iran Air, Iran Aseman Airlines and Fly Dubai; there are some weekly Flights between Shiraz and Kuwait City; BoraJet is planning to fly between Istanbul and Shiraz and Fly Baghdad will operate a weekly flight (on Tuesdays) between Najaf (Iraq) and Shiraz soon; there are some charter weekly flights between Antalya (with an hour stop in Adana) and Shiraz operating by Freebird Airlines. These charter flights usually operated from mid-March until late September.

As the metro have not reached the Dastgheib roundabout there is a shuttle bus running from Namazi to the airport. Number is 110 and runs about every 15th minutes. Number 120 (minibus with yellow stripe and approximately 10 seats, located at the outside of the Namazi roundabout/first platform of the bus station) also runs from Namazi on the main street through Shiraz to the airport. Price is 10000 Real.

By bus

Shiraz is well connected to most parts of the country by bus. The main Karandish bus terminal is 4 km from the city center. Buses to Yazd take 6 hours; to Isfahan it is 7 hours. Prices vary as there are different companies and different types of buses. A standard bus to Yazd may cost IRR220,000. There are two kinds of VIP buses: one with 24 seats (IRR350,000), one with 36 seats (IRR250,000). To Isfahan IRR360,000 for a VIP bus. Information: Jan 2017

By car

Motorways connect the city to IsfahanKermanBushehrAhvaz and Yasouj, and Bandar-e Abbas is reachable by highway.

By train

Shiraz Train station has recently been finished and there are Trains to Tehran but not to Esfahan (Oct 2015). However, the bus journey is shorter (2hrs less), so that might be recommended. There is a connecting bus from the train station to GhasroDasht bus and metro station. Price in Aug. 2015 was 10,000 rial for single ticket.

How to get around Shiraz or travel to other destinations from shiraz

There is a tourist information on the main boulevard a bit west of the palace. They speak English and can give helpful tips and have English maps. 

For non-Iranian visitors, taxis are probably the most convenient mean of transport. There is not a lot of room for haggling as prices are more or less fixed. Ask locals who take taxis about what the price should be and agree with the driver before you get into the car.

If an unmarked car stops while you are hailing a taxi, don’t be alarmed. Many taxis in Shiraz are unmarked and also as a means to supplement their income, is not uncommon to find private car owners touting themselves as taxis. 

However it is always good to find a taxi through a reputable “telephone taxi” agency. For a set fee, drivers of these agencies will take passengers to their destination, drive them around town and also wait for them while they shop or run errands. All hotels and local residents will have a phone number of one these agencies. There are also taxis driven by women that specifically cater to women passengers.

The city also has a reasonable bus service.

Shiraz metro is operating with a single line between Shahid Dastgheyb (next to airport) and Ehsan stations. Single ticket costs 5000 rials and a train every 15 minutesTab Content

  • Pasargad was a Persian capital built by Cyrus the Great in the 6th century BC. Around 500 BC, Darius I built a new capital at Persepolis 50 km away. Both are now listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List and both are near Shiraz.
 
Persepolis (Takht-e-Jamshid)
  • Takht-e-Jamshid (Persepolis) – The centre of the great Persian Empire, ceremonial capital of the Achaemenians and the showpiece of Achaemenian art, Persepolis (Capital of Persia in Greek) is a historic site in Fars Province, 60 km to the northeast of Shiraz. Iranians call it Takht-e Jamshid (The throne of Jamshid), Jamshid being the first, probably mythical, ruler of Iran. This magnificent court was the summer residence of the Achaemenian emperors and their official reception quarters. It must be by some strange accident of history that Persepolis was never mentioned in foreign records, for it was here that representatives of all the varied peoples of the empire gathered to pay homage, and bring tribute, to the King of Kings, probably each spring, at the time of the ancient Now Ruz festival. Although set on fire and destroyed by Alexander in a gesture symbolizing the destruction of Persian imperial power, its still impressive ruins permit a fairly complete reconstruction of its original appearance. Entrance fee 200,000 rial (not including optional guide or museum entrance)
  • Naqsh-e Rustam – an ancient necropolis 12 km northwest of Persepolis, with a group of ancient Iranian rock reliefs cut into the cliff, from both the Achaemenid and Sassanid periods. Entrance fee 200,000 rial.
  • Palace of Apadana
  • Varzaneh desert is the closest desert town to Shiraz. It is easily reachable from Shiraz-Abadeh-Ramsheh Road.
  • Firouzabad
  • Palace of Ardashir – The Palace ruins of Sassanid king Ardashir I. As of September 2014, entrance is 150000 Rial per person for foreign tourists. To get there, there are several options. You can either hire a taxi from anywhere in Shiraz, take a shared taxi from the front of the Kar Andish Bus Terminal in the east of the city or go by bus. Local minibuses leave from the so called Ali Ibn Hamze Terminal, which is a smaller terminal south of the bigger Kar Andish domestic bus terminal, right next to the river. Ask for minibuses to Mavdasht or Persepolis. One ride is 22000 Rial per person [May 2016]. From Mavdasht, taxis take you to Persepolis in 10 minutes. Don’t pay more than a maximum of 60000 Rials. To get back to Shiraz, take a taxi from Persepolis to Mavdasht Terminal, which is a hardly visible spot next to the street near the southern exit of Mavdasht. If you ask locals for ‘bus Shiraz’, they’ll point you. From there, minibuses leave again when they are full for 15000 Rial per person. On the way to Persepolis, you pass the Qur’an gate(city gate). You can ask the driver to drop you off at ‘Darvazeh ye Qur’an’ to visit that after coming back from Persepolis.
  • Ghalat village – Located 30 km northwest of Shiraz, Ghalat village is an ancient village popular with locals escaping the city. It has restaurants, stylish coffee houses, ruin mosque and church, river and picnic area, waterfalls and mountain hike. It’s particularly beautiful in autumn when all the maples turn red. To reach Ghalat, take the metro to Ghasr-e Dasht station, walk 5 minutes to the Qasr Dasht bus station and take bus number 50 (one hour ride, bus every 30 minutes, 8000 rials). Otherwise hire a taxi from Shiraz for 600,000 rials return which usually allows 1 hour stay.

What to eat and where to find good food in Shiraz.

Local foods

  • Kebab with rice – like elsewhere in Iran, kebab with rice is a common fare, though Shiraz does offer a local variation on the national dish.
  • Shirazi Salad – A delicious and famous salad available throughout Iran, made with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and a simple lemon juice and olive oil dressing.
  • Kalam polo – A traditional food found only in Shiraz. Some delivery food restaurants serve this food but it can be hard to find in normal restaurants. It is a dish made of Rice, meat balls, chopped cabbage and some other vegetables and spices.
  • Ash shirazi – It is a kind of soup made of vegetables and meat. It is served all over the city early in the morning. People eat this for breakfast. But please note that it’s only served really early in the morning (from roughly 5 to 7 a.m).
  • Masghati Halva – a great dessert and snack.
  • Nokhod(Chickpea) Cookie – delicious cookie made of chickpeas, known as one of Shiraz’s souvenirs.
  • Shirazi Paloodeh – Paloodeh is an ice cream made of rice starch, which takes the form of noodles. It is flavored with “sharbat” (sugar water), which can be of different flavors. Shirazian paloodeh is the best paloodeh in Iran especially when mixed with Bahar-e-Naranj liquor.

Restaurants

Almost all of these places have Live music playing

  • Haft khan, buffet and classic restaurant, Iranian and international cuisine
  • Kohan , classic Iranian and international cuisine
  • Qavam, traditional Iranian cuisine, Ferdowsi St.
  • Bel passi, Italian Restaurant
  • Brentin,
  • Hedayat, a cafe – restaurant in Hedayat street presenting light meals
  • Lotus Restaurant, on the 13th floor of Pars International Hotel
  • Kaktoos Restaurant
  • Sharzeh Restaurant, a classic old restaurant located just outside the Vakil bazaar
  • Soofi Restaurant, traditional restaurant located at Sattarkhan St.
  • Ojagh Bashi , a branch of Turkish meals, Sattarkhan St.
  • Hammam-e-Vakil (Vakil Bath), classic old style restaurant
  • Shandiz Restaurant
  • Gambron SeaFood Restaurant, serving famous food from the whole of Persian gulf
  • Dragon, Chinese Food
  • Zeytoon , Classic restaurant, Iranian restaurant.
  • Shater abbas , Traditional Iranian restaurant , located in khak shenasi St. and another one in Chamran ave.

Fast Food

You can find at least one fast food parlor in every Street of Shiraz.

  • Zaver, Italian Pizzas
  • Sand, Fast food in a place with different interior design
  • Rabo
  • Soofi”*
  • Avishan, A clean, healthy and budget fast food located in Be’sat st.

Cafes

You can find coffee shops at shopping centres and on the main streets. Some are big and some are small.

  • Abizh Cafe is an awesome hangout spot with a nice selection, decent prices. Very friendly, English speaking staff, English menu, decent prices and free Wi-Fi. Open from 8 AM to 11:00 PM.That is a great Restaurant Cafe in Shiraz

They have many different plates for breakfast and egg with cafe latte and nice special tea there They have also great design and make a great mood and atmosfer there

  • Royal Cafe Address:Vakil Bazaar, Between Vakil bath and vakil mosque. At this place you can enjoy hot and cold drinks and traditional Shiraz dishes. There is also free wifi in the area and you can sit outside the café under the umbrella and enjoy the beautiful view at the market entrance.English speaking staff,open from 9:00AM to11:00PM. for reservation you can call or send message to this number +989011309503
  • Nikan cafe is an awesome hangout spot with a nice selection, decent prices. Very friendly, English speaking staff, English menu, decent prices and free Wi-Fi. Open from 12 PM to 11:00 PM. They have some food for lunch like pasta , a eggplant chicken crepe , Meat Mushroom and … . it is locate in Hedayat street next to 8 lane. Try their herbal drinks , Soft drink.

 

  • Ferdowsi is an awesome hangout spot with a nice selection, decent prices. Very friendly, English speaking staff, English menu, decent prices and free Wi-Fi. Open from 9 AM to 11:00 PM . they serve a breakfast until 11.they have a cozy atmosphere With tasty foods and drinks, , and friendly english-speaking staff, with homemade menu ,healthy & light food. Mostly you can see young locals.

We suggest cake of the day with cream and strawberries, again delicious. the penne with mushrooms and chicken in a creamy sauce and the cheesecake.

  • Cafe Inn ,Ma’ali-Abad Blv

 

  • Screwchi’s Nespresso Bar, Offers good variety of coffees, teas, and other hot and cold drinks, along with high quality snacks and one of a kind pastas and salads from around the world. Breakfast and brunch menu is also so popular and it has a lounge section for smoking and outdoor sitting and enjoying the beautiful weather of the city. The café has modern design and is placed in luxury side of the city. Location, photos and additional information are provided on Trip Advisor

Food Gardens

There are a lot of gardens out of Shiraz, most have been remodeled as restaurants. Most have live music playing in the evenings and offer great view.

  • Nakhlestan Garden
  • Padra Garden, relatively new
  • Darband Garden
  • Silvia Garden

Drink

For more information on typical drinks in Iran, see Iran#Drink

  • Distill’s – Shiraz have many kind of aromatic spirits

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By plane

  • Shiraz International Airport (IATA: SYZ) has regular flights to all major and some smaller cities in Iran. There are International flights to IstanbulDubaiSharjahKuwaitDoha: Turkish Airlines operating daily direct flight from Istanbul to Shiraz and vice versa; Qatar Airways flies 4 times a week (on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays) from Doha to Shiraz and vice versa; Air Arabia operates Daily Flight between Sharjah (UAE) and Shiraz; Iran Aseman Airlines Flies once a week (on Fridays) from Shiraz to Muscat and vice versa; several daily flights are available between Shiraz and Dubai operating by Iran Air, Iran Aseman Airlines and Fly Dubai; there are some weekly Flights between Shiraz and Kuwait City; BoraJet is planning to fly between Istanbul and Shiraz and Fly Baghdad will operate a weekly flight (on Tuesdays) between Najaf (Iraq) and Shiraz soon; there are some charter weekly flights between Antalya (with an hour stop in Adana) and Shiraz operating by Freebird Airlines. These charter flights usually operated from mid-March until late September.

As the metro have not reached the Dastgheib roundabout there is a shuttle bus running from Namazi to the airport. Number is 110 and runs about every 15th minutes. Number 120 (minibus with yellow stripe and approximately 10 seats, located at the outside of the Namazi roundabout/first platform of the bus station) also runs from Namazi on the main street through Shiraz to the airport. Price is 10000 Real.

By bus

Shiraz is well connected to most parts of the country by bus. The main Karandish bus terminal is 4 km from the city center. Buses to Yazd take 6 hours; to Isfahan it is 7 hours. Prices vary as there are different companies and different types of buses. A standard bus to Yazd may cost IRR220,000. There are two kinds of VIP buses: one with 24 seats (IRR350,000), one with 36 seats (IRR250,000). To Isfahan IRR360,000 for a VIP bus. Information: Jan 2017

By car

Motorways connect the city to IsfahanKermanBushehrAhvaz and Yasouj, and Bandar-e Abbas is reachable by highway.

By train

Shiraz Train station has recently been finished and there are Trains to Tehran but not to Esfahan (Oct 2015). However, the bus journey is shorter (2hrs less), so that might be recommended. There is a connecting bus from the train station to GhasroDasht bus and metro station. Price in Aug. 2015 was 10,000 rial for single ticket.

Any questions? call us any time 24/7 at: 0098 – 914257008  – Email: info@IranTravelingCenter.com

Why to visit Susa?

Visitors are bestowed with the magnificent spectacle of the ruins of the ancient city, where remnants of splendid palaces and administrative buildings demonstrate the city’s erstwhile grandeur. The exquisite Apadana Palace, once an epitome of the majestic Achaemenid architecture with its opulent columns and intricately detailed reliefs, beckons travelers to lose themselves in the regal aura of ancient Persian kings.

The Susa Museum, another bastion of ancient artifacts, heralds a journey through time, with its splendid collection, featuring an array of objects that span the diverse epochs and civilizations that have graced the region. Each artifact, from the Elamite ziggurats to the Achaemenid statues, narrates a distinctive chapter of a multi-faceted history, allowing visitors to weave through the corridors of time, exploring the societal evolution and technological advancements of bygone eras.

Equally enchanting is the Tomb of Daniel, a sacred relic not only for its spiritual significance but also for its embodiment of the seamless confluence of different religious beliefs. Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike venerate this sacred space, illustrating the vibrant tapestry of religious and cultural symbiosis that Susa symbolizes.

One cannot neglect the significance of Susa in the vibrant tapestry of global history and culture, having been a focal point for trade, intellectual exchange, and political machinations for centuries. The city emerges not merely as a locale of ancient ruins but as a vibrant testimonial to the resilience and persistence of human civilizations, their cultures, and their undying quest for expression, meaning, and connectivity.

Enthralling not only for its historical wealth but also for its modern vibrancy, Susa entwines the allure of antiquity with the pulse of contemporary life. The warm and hospitable residents, engaged in traditional crafts, agricultural pursuits, and modern professions, embody a living connection between the ancient and the present, thus enriching the visitor experience with a profound understanding of temporal continuity.

The visitor, while meandering through the meadows and palm groves that embroider the city, will find not only physical structures of a bygone era but also the undying spirit of human civilization — a narrative that has survived the tumults and triumphs of history, resonating through the ages and perpetually whispering tales of glory, tragedy, and enduring hope.

Susa, with its enchanting historical sites, vibrant culture, and compelling tales of erstwhile empires, unveils itself not just as a destination but as a timeless journey, where past and present converse in harmonious symphony, awaiting to be explored, understood, and cherished by those who traverse its ancient pathways.

Explore Iran, take a daily walking tour or a join us on a multi day travel package with us.

The City Maps

A few places places to stay.

Shushtar Traditional Hotel(Sarabi Hotel) , Shushtar

Sarabi Traditional Hotel, شوشتر،، Shushtar, Khuzestan Province, Iran

Tabib Traditional Hotel , Shushtar

Khuzestan Province, Shushtar, Imam Khomeini St, Tabib Traditional Hotel, Iran

Emarat Pedari Traditional Hotel, Shushtar

Khuzestan Province, Shushtar, خیابان عبدالله بانو, Emarat Pedari Traditional Hotel, Iran

Afzal Traditional house, Shushtar

Khuzestan Province, Shushtar, سنگفرش، Afzal Traditional House, Iran

A few places worth a visit.

Archological sites

Persepolis& Necropolic

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Bazaars

Shiraz Zand bazaar

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Gardens

Eram Gardens

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Poets

Hafiz and Saadi mausoleums

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Mosques

Nasire Al- molk colorful mosque

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Make a hotel, car or transfer reservation in iran

Booking hotline 24/7: 0098 – 1234 – 5678 – Email: info@IranTravelingCenter.com

other services

outdoor experienceS

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snorkeling
Iran-deserts
Desert walks
iran hking trips
sea tour

spa & wellness

RELAXING WITH a massage or sauna

A relaxing massage would be a good way to end a day of travel.

connect with us

HOW TO GET in touch

our staff

Whatever toys may need, we are here for you. Just ket us know if you have any question.

Hassan Abdolahi
Tour manager
(305) 343 6873
Pari Abdolahi
Information Desk
(305) 321 7897