SHIRAZ

SHIRAZ  16 JULY 2010

Why did I want to go to Shiraz ?

There was the ancient ruins of the city of the historical Persepolis there. 

Also Shiraz was the city of  two famous poet.. Hafez and Saadi .

They still had continued to appeal the soul of people  of today..

Iranians have a habit of  sleeping in outside  in summer. I saw a lot of tents in much more altitude places than the city  while the bus was arriving to the bus terminal of Shiraz .

 Probably the higest places were a little cold than the city center in summer.  Someone was returning to their home while someone was picking  bed, pillow, sheet etc.  

When the bus arrived to the station of the city it  was 6am.  I  waited for the time to pass ,beceause I knew I would not be able to check in early morning.  I must  leave my bag in the room of hotel. I charged my phone by the charger device in the station. At the next hour, i felt the weather slowly warming up. It was very normal in summer,  i had been in the southern Iran then.

I got in a taxi that was passing from the road.. Driver took me to Hotel Esteghlal for 2000 toman. Hotel was quite old, there were  the bath, toilet in the hallway shared by tourists, but the room was cozy. After bargain hotel owner accepted to take 10 dollars per night for the room. Emloyee of Esteghlal Mr.Reza GHADERY was very kind, helpful to me .. Thanks Mr. Reza .. 

 After the check in  the hotel, ı went out to visit the grave of famous Iran poets.. They were from Shiraz.. One of them is Hafez, other of them Saadi. Both of their grave were in seperated and close gardens each other. I took a photo of Hafez's  information plate . 

“The master of Persian Ghazal was born in Shiraz in 727 A.H. Though composing mystical lyric poems, he founded the Shiraz literary school and elevated the Persian Ghazal to an insurmountable climax of perfection. His magical style is believed to have set the norms and astonishing and to the stylistic standards of Persian poetic discourse.

His poetry is like an incessantly sprouting spring and is sympatetic with all who read his poems,  seeing their own images in his brillant mirror a point which has been considered the secret of his eternal fame and powerful presence in Persian literary tradition. His death has been estimated at 792 A.H. in his birth place Shiraz.

Ask for blessing when in visit my grave you come, since it will become the pilgrimage place of all the free worlds spirited”

Hafez was born   the most probably  dates of 1320 or 1325 ,  was dead early 1389.

 I think, The dates   on the plate are  related to  lunar calendar "Hegira -AH"

His main name is Shamseddin Mohammad.. His name is known shortly as Hafez

Hafez's monument tomb  was in a the middle of the  well-groomed garden. His tomb consisted of open space  that above eight pillar six slice dome. Almost all of visitors were İranian.. Hafez is known very well   as a  poet by the public of Iran. People read his book spontaneaously in every moment to interpret their situations ,   like a fortune teller,   .  His book is the most read book after Qur'an in Iran.

Visitors were touching  on the marble of Hafez by hands. I touched it  too with some expectations ..

I don't know whether i take something or not from him

I left Hafez's tomb to go to Saadi tomb. Saadi is also known as Saadi of Shiraz. He was a major Persian poet of the medieval period.

His tomb was away 3km from Hafez's tomb. His tomb was in the middle of the garden similarly with Hafez's. I saw the same behaviours of people here too .. People were touching  on the Saadi marble with their hands.. I was not sure whether I take a meaningful things with that touch. Whereas a couple verses  can affect your soul through all the life..

I quoted this information write of Saadi  from his tomb signboard:

“Abu Mohammad Sharaf- oddin Mosleheben Abduula, known as Sa'di of Shiraz, the renowned Iranian poet,was born in 606 A.H.  In an  "all-theologist Clan"

He grew up in Shiraz, and founded the literary school of Shiraz, by creating Invaluable  works such as Boostan ( Garden) and Golestan(Rose Garden) as well as odes and lyric Ghazals.

He adopted his nom de plume (Sa'di) after the ruler Atabak Sa'd -e Zengi. Sa'di had great reputation both in his life time and after death. This great Iranian, theologist, scholar and poet died in the year 690 A.H. and was buried in his own hamlet.”

He lived between dates of 1210 and 1290.

in the garden,  I could see the hills  that surrounded the city of Shiraz.   

I came back the city center to visit Shah-Cheragh mosque.

Thousands mirrors and glass  cover every inch of this  beautiful mosque.  ... Visiting the Shah Cheragh mosque in Shiraz could be a good experience to see different ambiance in term of  Iran. İf you consider the perceptions of western people toward Iran.. its shinning lights can make you to think more about Iran..

Reflected lights from chandelier over the mirrors and glass were occurring an amazing light cascade into mosque..

Shia Iranians  were touching on the verse writings and were praying in the mosque.

some guys tried to speak me to guide while I was seing around , ı don't know why they saw me as a western guy, they were yelling  me that :

hey Mister ! hey mister!

  The Karim Khan Castle is a citadel located in the downtown Shiraz. It seem an elegant building with their ornaments of corner towers  reliefs unlike a citadel.

I wanted to complete the places that require to visit of Shiraz district in the first day.

It  was afternoon .. I went to bus terminal that was departure station of buses going to  Persepolis  . Minibuses were very old. I waited that the car should fill with passengers to depart  together with other tourists. Persepolis is an ancient capital of Achaemenian dynasty in Persia. Iranian say about it 

"Takht-e Jamshīd"   “Throne of Jamshīd,”

 Jamshīd being a character in Persian mythology.

Persepolis ruins were around 50 km far from Shiraz. I went there via Mardesh town that after this town i boarded a taxi to go Persepolis.  As all prices, transportation charges for passengers were really cheap in Iran.  I paid 500 toman(50 cents) both for midibuse and taxi.. Good deal..

Apadana palace was built on the artificial ground that raised from basis ground up to 13m.   Dimension  of the terrace area length 473 m,  height 13m, widht 86m..

The palace had splendid columns that their heights were 20m. Majority of the columns had been devastated .. However  , You can see a few columns today that  remained..

you can walk up the wide staircase to the  upper  terrace.  The side walls of the wide staircase were decorated with some  war scenes with the relief. Probably King Darius wanted to scare  his rivals and others with the scenes..

According to the google, Alexander the Great reached to Persepolis in 330 B.C. and burned the palace of the empire. After three months, he destroyed  the palace complex . He is said to have been affected by the splendor of this palace.. Honestly, it is not possible not to be  affected if you take into account the conditions back then. 

in front of the palace, they had settled a few  bull relief on the stones  gate that had amazing beauty.

When you lift your head, you will see King grave monuments on the rock wall ..I climbed to the  hill while the sun was burning all over soil of bare plain and the rock grave of Kings.   The rock wall are decorated with the reliefs. Ondoubtedly each  one of  them has a different story if you want to learn them.. Entrance of the grave room  was closed to visitors. 

I  took a photo   just from front view. I was seing all Persepolis ruins from there. 

The relief of the winged man was surprising to me , i would have  encountered him in Zarathustra temple in Yazd. Zarathustra  faith had some ideas that were monotheism, heaven, hell, resurrection ..

According to some guesses, these ideas were transfered to the Jews  when Cyrus the Great liberated the Jews in Babillon from  Persians. 

You must pay attention to this point..

The wild cat image on the rock..I was in front of a relief that depicted  a wild cat  bitting a deer.. A perfect relief  that was drawn on the rock .  You would have seen  the wild and mighty expression of the wild cat on its face.. 

I completed visiting   Persepolis and came back to Shiraz. In the Hotel ,  Mr Reza Ghadery offered the tea me as a treat within his all  delicacy. Regardless of how much tea and water  I drank I was stil feeling thirsty. I saw the western tourists in the hotel . their pale skins had been burned by the sun..

Mr Reza Ghadery was booked  a ticket for me to the bus for the next day  through his phone. I will have boarded the bus  to go to Yazd tomorrow at 8 am . Mr Reza said to me that he would wake me up  early.. I thanked Mr  Reza and I slept like a top...