13. April 2026
Everything around us glowed in golden-red tones, endlessly stretching under the watchful eye of a giant star called the Sun. A third of Iran’s territory is silent and uninhabited. Vast salt marshes rule here.
After sunset, twilight engulfed us — the red desert slowly faded and disappeared into darkness. We were approaching the city of Nain, still a few hours away from Yazd. We decided to stay there for the night. Another reason was the hotel — very old, built in a traditional style.
11. March 2026
Mashhad is the second largest city in Iran and the main producer of Pepsi in the country. Modern, well kept, and sacred to many believers. Its name means “place of martyrdom.” The city is built around religious tourism. Every year millions of pilgrims come here, many traveling the entire distance on foot.
21. February 2026
A white SUV was slowly descending along the road of the Zagros mountain range. Green meadows stretched all around, and a distant lake shimmered in reflection. We were already approaching it when I suddenly noticed stretched black tents. As we drove closer to one of them, we saw a slightly plump woman in a sky-blue dress and a dark headscarf. She was holding a long wooden spoon and calling the children to lunch. The kids were joyfully playing around a large tent.
11. February 2026
The road eventually delivers us to the silent plains of Pasargadae and the tomb of Cyrus the Great. Or, as any local would pointedly correct you, Kurush. In Iran, "Cyrus" is a Hellenized ghost; to the people here, he remains Kurush—a name synonymous with the sun. Shrouded in the mythos of a royal heir raised by shepherds to escape a death sentence, Kurush’s ascent was more than a conquest; it was a social revolution.
cultural guides · 18. January 2026
The next trip was Shiraz. It was written about by Yesenin in his Persian Motifs, and sung by Hafez.
The city lies in Fars Province, the historical homeland of the Persians and the Persian language. This is where Iranian statehood was born.
Postcard · 15. October 2018
Когда преодолевала каждый новый километр в бывшей Персии, представление о ней все больше менялось. Сначала показалось, что здесь абсолютно нечего смотреть - старая страна, прикрывающиеся черным хиджабом.
02. June 2015
Потому, что я с севера, что ли, Что луна там огромней в сто раз, Как бы ни был красив Шираз, Он не лучше рязанских раздолий. Потому, что я с севера, что ли. «Шаганэ ты моя, Шаганэ…» Сергей Есенин