Iran

Ziggurats, Biblical tombs, Arab Iranians, pollution and homoerotic poetry; find out why Khuzestan is Iran’s most unusual region…

In Lorestan, and despite its truly awful sounding name, Khorramabad might just be Iran’s hidden gem.

Mashhad is the holiest city in Iran, home to the jewel-encrusted, gold-plated Holy Shrine of Imam Reza.

After a train journey through the Alborz Mountains, I ended up in lush Gorgan in northeastern Iran.

The surprisingly beautiful state of Gilan in Iran is completely green – full of lush paddyfields, thick forests and misty canyons.

Perched about 300 metres above the small town of Kaleybar in northwestern Iran is deserted and mysterious Babak Castle.

Kandovan is a remarkable, rock-hewn town within a couple of hours drive of Tabriz, in the northwest of Iran.

Tabriz, fabled to have been the historical site of the Garden of Eden, was my first stop on a trip to Iran in 2005.

After my earlier contributions, I wrote a surprising piece about being expat and Muslim in Iran for fellow blogger Diary of a Serial Expat!