Shiraz's Mosques, Gardens, and Poets
Begin this tour at the Nasir-ol-Molk Mosque (Pink Mosque). It was originally built by order of Mirza Hasan Ali Nasir-ol-Molk, one of the lords of the Qajar Dynasty. The overall construction took about 12 years to complete. Admire the stunning interiors here, a magnificent masterpiece of design with stunning colors. This is a space where light and worship intertwine. The mosque comes to life with the early morning sunrise, and colors dance throughout the day like whirling dervishes inside, reflecting all over the ground, walls, arches, and towering spires.
Visit the Eram Garden, a historic Persian garden known for its beautiful aromatic myrtles, flowers, fruit trees, and towering cypress, one of which is said to be 3,000 years old.
Continue your exploration of Shiraz at Narenjestan e Ghavam (Qavam House), laid out in the 19th century during the Qajar Dynasty. The house today is a museum and open to the public. There is a beautiful garden here, with fountains, date palms, and towering plants.
Proceed to the Holy Shrine of Shāh Chérāgh, an important pilgrimage site in the city. These tombs became celebrated pilgrimage centers in the 14th century when Queen Tashi Khatun erected a mosque and theological school in the vicinity. Ahmad (Shah-e-Cheragh) came to Shiraz at the beginning of the third Islamic century, approximately 900 AD, and died there. During the rule of Atabeg Abū Sa'id Zangi of the Zengid dynasty in the 1130s AD, the chief minister to the monarch, Amir-Muqarrab-al-din Badr-al-din, built the tomb chamber, the dome, and a colonnaded porch.
End your day at the garden tombs of Saadi and Hafez, two of the most outstanding poets in Iran, and get a feel for Persian literature here. Hafez was a great poet who impressed everyone with his mastery. His poems have given us a special feeling, and the peaceful vibes at his tomb are truly outstanding. Saadi was also a poet, philosopher, and mystic. For seven previous centuries, he had traveled to different countries and cities, noting all his experiences in verses and rhyme prose contained in two books, Boustan and Golestan. These two books will give you lots of inspiration and information, and you can pay homage to both of these great poets.
