Iran is a country in Middle East. The country was formerly called Persia and its official language is Persian.
Regions
Iran has 31 provinces and several regions with different climates.
| Sistan and Baluchistan A region south of Iran on the country's border Pakistan. |
| Caspian Iran Also called northern Iran, it is a region on the Caspian Sea. The region is divided into three provinces, Gilan, Mazandaran and Golestan. Here is mainly a forested and cold region compared to southern and central Iran. |
| Central Iran This region is considered the heart of Iran. Important cultural Iranian cities Shiraz, Esfahan and the capital, Tehran are located in this region. |
| Khorasan This region is located in northeastern Iran. Previously it was a single province but psote was divided into three provinces Razavi Khorasan, North Khorasan and South Khorasan. |
| Gulf region This region is on the Persian Gulf and contains two provinces, Boshehre and Hormozgana. |
| Iranian Azerbaijan This region is the northernmost part of Iran. It is on the border of the countries Armenia and Azerbaijan. |
| Western Iran This region is mainly mountainous and contains provinces such as Iranian Kurdistan. |
Cities
Nine major cities in Iran are:
- Tehran (in Persian تهران) - The capital and the most progressive city of Iran.
- Esfahano (in Persian اصفهان) - The former capital of Iran and one of the most favorite and famous cities of Iran. This city is full of cultural and historical sites of Safavid dynasty.
- Shiraz (in Persian شیراز) - The capital of Iran during Zand dynasty and an important cultural city. In addition, this city is the birthplace of the Baha'i faith and is considered a holy city by Bahá'ís.
- Tabriz (in Persian تبریز) - A famous and ancient city that was once the capital of Iran. One of the most progressive cities of Iran with beautiful cultural places.
- Yazdo (in Persian یزد) - A desert city with a special architecture for the desert climate.
- Kerman (in Persian کرمان) - Famous historical, desert and cultural city.
- Hamedano (in Persian همدان) - One of the oldest cities of Iran (over 3000 years old) with many cultural sites.
- Mashhad (in Persian مشهد) - A large and religious city of Iran, in which there are many Islamic buildings and mosques.
- Ahvazo (in Persian اهواز) - A large Iranian city in southern Iran. Around this city there are important historical cultural places like Choga Zanbil (temple of Elamana time).
Esperanto cities
Other destinations
- Pasargado (in Persian پاسارگارد) - The capital of the Achaemenid empire in which is the tomb of Cyrus, the king who founded Iran.
- Susa (in Persian شوش) - Located 200km north of the city of Ahvaz. It is one of the most ancient Iranian cities. In this city are the temple of Choga Zanbil (from Elamanite time), the palace of Darius, the tomb of the Jewish prophet Daniel and the palace of Artaxerxes II.
- Persepolis (in Persian پرسپولیس) - The remains of a large urban-looking place that was built 2500 years ago. Probably after the attack of Alexander the Great this place was destroyed.
- Keshm (in Persian جزیرهی قشم) - The largest island of Iran and the Persian Gulf. This island has many natural places to visit such as Hara forest.
- Kish Island (in Persian جزیرهی کیش) - An important tourist island of Iran with many hotels etc.
- Alamut (in Persian الموت) - Castle near the city Kazvino. This castle is considered the home of Assassins (Who inspired computer games Assassin's Creed and Prince of Persia).
- Dizin (in Persian دیزین) - A place near Tehran for skiing.
Understand
Terrain
History
Ethnic groups
Climate
Enter
Iranian tourist visa is for 30 days and is extendable. The visa must be obtained before traveling to Iran and is valid for up to 90 days after receipt. Approved Iranian travel agencies can arrange a visa for all non-Iranian nations (Except the holders of the passport of Israel and Afghanistan).
To apply for and receive your visa, you must contact an approved Iranian travel agency or go to an Iranian consulate. After receiving your personal information, they will send everything to the ministry of foreign affairs. They will confirm your visa and send to an Iranian consulate around you. The travel agency will give you a number by which you can get your visa from the consulting room. But be aware this number is only valid for a consultancy to which you have applied for the visa. This number is only about the acceptance of your visa by the ministry of foreign affairs and is in no way your visa. There is also a new law to get a visa from Iran. You can apply for an electronic visa. You can apply for a visa electronically in the website of Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and receive that confirmation number online. Then you will be able to decide whether to get a visa at an embassy or other places. As a traveler, if you want an emergency visa, you can pay 50% more money to get the visa in one day at the embassy or consulting room. This means that if the visa costs 50 Euros, you have to pay 75 Euros to get it on the same day. Either way if you don’t want to pay more money, you can wait 4 to 7 working Iranian days to get your visa (Expect that weekend in Iran is Thursday and Friday).
Depending on your nation, you may need to go to an Iranian counseling center in your country for them to take your fingerprints. British and Americans will do that when they arrive.
When the agency gives you the confirmation number, you must get a visa application from the consultancy and follow the necessary things from the application form (You will either go to a consultancy in person to receive this or if possible you will be able to receive this on the website of Iranian embassy of your country). You will then need to provide your application form, passport and visa number which you received to the consultation office. The consultant will issue your visa in 1 to 5 days.
You may also need to give a letter of recommendation from your embassy if you are not applying from your home country. In addition, a copy of your flight tickets (to and from Iran), student card etc. may be required.
Enire avie
All international flights to Tehran will go to the airport Imam Khomeini International Airport, which is 37km away from Tehran. But other airports are also located in other cities like Esfahano and Shiraz and Mashhad with international flights. Dubai has flights to many destinations in Iran such as Tehran, Esfahano, Shiraz, Kerman, Laro, Mashhad, Tabriz, Kish island, Bandar Abbas, Mouthpiece, Zahedano, Kerman Shah and Chabahar. That is why it is worth considering Dubai to fly to Iran. Flights to Iran are made by Iran Air, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Iran Aseman Airlines, Mahan Air and a few others. Iranian flights often cost less and you can find flights that cost $ 100 ~ $ 250 depending on your destination.
Iran Air and Mahan Air connect Tehran to major European cities as well as other destinations in Asia and the Middle East. There are European airlines that have flights to Tehran such as Lufthansa, KLM, Alitalia, Turkish Airlines, Austrian Airlines and Aeroflot. Also keep in mind that there are always flights to the capital Armenia, Yerevan.
Qatar Airways has several flights from Iran to Doha, from which one can travel directly to United States.
If you do not plan to stay in Tehran and want to fly to other cities in Iran, you need to change the airport. Because domestic flights from Iran often take place at another Tehran airport, Mehrabad, which is 40km away from Imam Khomeini International Airport. You can go from Imam Khomeini to Mehrabad by subway, regular taxi and online taxi services. Online taxi services are often faster and more expensive compared to regular taxis. Snapp and Tapsi are two famous taxi services in Iran. Note that Uber does not operate in Iran. It is best to consider at least 3-4 hours between two flights. But be aware that major Iranian cities often have direct flights from Istanbul, Doha and Dubai. So this way you can avoid changing the plane.
There are sanctions that do not allow Iran to buy new aircraft. So planes of Iranian companies are often old and can be a bit dangerous compared to new ones. And note that due to sanctions there is no direct flight from Canada and United States to Iran. But you can travel through Europe or countries around Iran.
There are weekly flights from Sulamaniya in Iraqi Kurdistan al Health in Iranian Kurdistan and from Arbil al Urmia.
