Iran Map

 

 

            Middle East Map

latest picture: May 6, 2016

• click a picture to see details

183  A thrill of anticipation on our second

North Asia Tour 2016: A golden sparkling

mosque in the bleak desert landscape

between Bandar Abbas and Kerman

184  Springtime in Iran: One of the high

growing desert candles (Eremurus

persicus) with dense white bells

growing on hills next to the road

185  The golden dome against the dark

mountain backdrop is a special eye

catcher along the road #86 to Kerman

186  Kuh-e Jupar (13615ft [4'150m]),

the highest mountain in the same-named

nature reserve, about 30mi [50km]

(beeline) south-southeast of Kerman

187  A tall figure consisting of round

stones in a wire netting along the road

Kerman - Bam at the junction to Rayen

188  South of the citadel of Rayen an

Islamic cemetery with head shots from

different personalities

189  Part of the adobe bricks wall of the

ancient fortress-citadel "Arg- e Rayen"

with the backdrop of 14763ft. [4'500m]

high Kuh-e Hazar. Rayen lies 62mi

[100km] south-southeast of Kerman …..

190  ….. Emil inside the desert castle.

Abandoned for about 150 years it

has been restored in 1996 …..

191  ….. the exact age of the site is

unknown, but one guesses that it is

over 1'000 years old. It comprises

nearly 5 acres [20’000m˛]

192  Especially well preserved (or already

restored?) part of the medieval mud brick

city of "Arg-e Rayen", lying on an altitude

of about 7'200 ft. [2'200m] …..

193  ….. Liliana on an exploring tour

through the narrow passages in the

citadel of Rayen

194  Emil and our LandCruiser are standing

next to the 33 ft [10m] tall adobe brick wall

of the "Arg-e Rayen" citadel – one of the

impressive ones in Iran

195  Unique beautiful natural setting

of a mosque discovered from the hilltop

of the “Arg-e Rayen” citadel

196  The shrine of Imamzadeh Shirkhoda

in the centre of the village of Rayen

197  A group of school girls spotted

us and approach us happily

Lovely mountain sceneries delight us in the Kerman Province around every corner

198  Somewhat east of Mahan (foothills

of Kuh-e Palvar mountains) – about

25mi [40km] before Kerman

199  East of the railway station of Rayen

200  Once more the Kuh-e Jupar massif

201  At the Hotel Akhavan in Kerman

we meet the "Red Camel Team":

Heinze (with the long beard) with

his friends Pierre and Kari

202  Camper breakfast behind the Akhavan

hotel in Kerman: Robert and Melanie, Helga

and Ulli and Ellen and Perry at Perry’s

Mercedes truck "Innovan"

203  Emil is talking with Robert and

Melanie at the Akhavan hotel camping in

Kerman. They are on tour to India with

their dog 'Cosmo' in a Volkswagen Bus

204  A description of “Nowruz” – the

traditional Iranian New Year custom,

which is always on March 21st

(2019 = 1398) …..

205  …. table setting with the 7 different

above mentioned items whose names all

start with the letter "س" (pronounced

"seen") of the Persian alphabet

206  Picture from a part of the traditional

way of life of Iranian people: Smoking

shisha + drinking tea

Visit of the Dash-e Lut desert: It's situated for the most part in the province of Kerman,

measures about 20'000 sq.mi [51'800km˛] and is therefore after Dasht-e Kavir the second largest desert in Iran.

According to Wikipedia it's worldwide on place 25. It's one of the hottest deserts of the world and is a Unesco´s World Heritage site

207  The Dasht-e Lut desert in the

Kerman province is known for its

"Kaluts" (sand castles) …..

208  ….. our LandCruiser is looking

for the hardest sand track to penetrate

deeper into the widespread desert …..

209  ….. after about 1Ľmi [2km] more

and more of the fascinating sandstone

formations appear

210  It is a beautiful feeling to cruise

around the emptiness of the Dasht-e Lut

Desert and discover again and again

new sandstone castles …..

211  ..... some are as high as

10 storeys making our LandCruiser

looking tiny …..

212  ..... others on the other hand

form entire lines in the rugged

and surreal rock landscape

213  The magic diverse appearance

of the Kaluts in the Dasht-e Lut Desert

in its unreal beauty

214  In the shadow of a sandstone structure

we set our table for lunch. Now in April

temperatures are still comfortable

215  Millions of years old sediments

formed the Kaluts in the Dasht-e Lut Desert

– one of the world’s hottest deserts

216  Tiled portal of the bazaar at the

Ganjali Khan complex in Kerman. Above

rises the medieval wind catcher (tower)

217  The bronze statue of Ganj Ali Khan

with a flowing robe in a corner of the

Ganjali Khan complex in Kerman

218  Two Iranian women are relaxing at

a pond at the Jame Mosque in Kerman,

930 yards east-northeasterly of the

Ganjali Khan complex

219  At the marketplace (bazaar) in

Kerman there is a constant

hustle and bustle

220  The attractively vaulted arcade of

the bazaar at Ganjali Khan Square in

Kerman. This kind of archways can be

found in most Iranian bazaars

221  Display of chadors, the traditional,

conservative, full-length, Iranian women’s

garment. Chador is derived from "cador",

the Persian world for tent

222  Iranian students in black coats

leave the gate of “Bag-e Shahzadeh”

– the Princes’ Garden – about 25mi

[40km] from Kerman …..

223  ….. water cascades flowing in

different levels and skirted by stately

trees are part of the historic Persian

garden belonging to the Unesco World

Heritage Sites (view to Southeast) …..

224  ….. Liliana in a section of the

“Bag-e Shahzadeh” Garden, which

was built in 1873 (view to Northeast)

225  In the flower variety in the Princes’

Garden, this delicate yellow-red spider

flower (Grevillea) sticks out especially,

probably transplanted from Oceania

226  The “Bag-e Shahzadeh” – the

Princes’ Garden, a 13˝ acres [55'000m˛]

large rectangle – is a wonderful relaxing

oases in the heart of the Iranian desert

227  Beautiful pansies (violets) (Viola)

belong to the blooming flowers in the

“Bag-e Shahzadeh” Persian garden

228  White garden petunia

(Petunia hybrida)

229  Orange-colored gerbera, also

called daisies (Gerbera hybrida)

230  White rambling rose (Rosa helenae)

231  The shrine of Shah Nematollah Vali

in Mahan with its beautiful turquoise

dome and four 138ft. [42m] tall minarets,

about 25mi [40km] from Kerman

232  A picture of Iran’s rulers: Ayatollah

Ruhollah Khomeini (left; 11.2.1979-

3.6.1989) and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

(right; 4.6.1989-.....)

233  The wide courtyard of the Shah

Nematollah Vali shrine in Mahan with its

lovely central pool surrounded by flowers

234  A green oases on the way to Shadad

in the middle of the Iranian desert

Dasht-e Lut – a fertile place with water

resources and lush vegetation …..

235  ….. a smaller oasis in a different

inhospitable environment

(between Kerman and Nay Band)

236  Adapted to nature: Place of prayer

in the nowhere along the road #91 to

Nay Band - Deyhuk - Mashhad

237  The beautiful Nay Band village on a

hilltop with date palms remembers us to

oases in Oman. It sits about ⅓ of the

way between Kerman and Mashhad

238  Our LandCruiser on tour at the

traditional village of Nay Band

239  The attractive architecture of the

about 1'000 years old village with its

date palms, which fruits are a basic

food resource for the inhabitants

240  We come across a peculiar landscape

pattern looking like a “washboard”. It's not

clear whether this was caused during road

construction to prevent landslides

241  The road towards Mashhad runs

through desert hills sprinkled with

green bushes

242  Road sign to our last destination in

Iran: The city of Mashhad, also called

"Iran’s spiritual capital" near the border

of Turkmenistan

243  Modern Mashhad: The city with

3m people once was a major oasis

along the ancient Silk Road. Here the

Bayt ol-Moqaddas Square

244  Covered souk in Mashhad: The

two storey Bazaar Reza measures

875 yards [800m] in length and 33 yards

[30m] in width. It's always an attraction

with its colors and exotic odors

245  The bigger the choice the harder

it is to choose: The display on nuts,

dried fruit and sweets – they are

omnipresent in Iran

246  The Imam Reza Shrine complex in

Mashhad. Non-Muslims are not permitted

inside the mausoleum of Imam Reza,

Islam’s eighth Shiite Imam

247  An impressing huge copy of the

Quran at the southwestern entrance

Bab Ol-Javad of the Imam Reza

Shrine complex in Mashhad

248  One of the 7 courtyards at the

Imam Reza Shrine complex in Mashhad

249  Two of the three golden minarets

of the Razavi Holy Shrine within the

huge Imam Reza Shrine complex

250  Mashhad has been introduced by 47

states/countries as the “Cultural Capital of

Islamic World” for 2017 and launched at a

ceremony at the Imam Reza Shrine complex

251  Islamic respectively Iranian pictures

of academics and personages on a huge

wall, constructed north of Bayt ol-

Moqaddas Square (close to Bab Ol-Reza)

Elaborately decorated towers and minarets are part of the charming sight of the Reza Shrine complex in Mashhad.

There are currently 8 minarets between 98 and 133ft. [30 and 40m] high, while 6 more with a height of 397ft. [121m] are being built.

The Imam Reza mausoleum is visited by 12 millions of Iranian and foreign pilgrims respectively tourists every year

252

253

254

255  The floodlit Imam Reza Shrine

complex in Mashhad at night. It's the

heart of Shiitic Iran and considered the

world’s largest mosque in terms of size

(6'443'890 sq.ft. [598'657m˛]

256  One of the three golden

minarets and the golden dome of

the Razavi Holy Shrine within the

Imam Reza Shrine complex .....

257  ….. and another picture by night

of the center of religious pilgrimage

258  The lights glitter beautifully in

nocturnal Mashhad (Bayt ol-Moqaddas

Square). It is a safe city at any time for

discovery tours

259  The sun is rising on our last camping

night in the Iranian desert where we spent

26 days and drove 1'366mi [2'199km]

260  May 6th, 2016: We leave Iran at

Bajgiran and drive from Mashhad until

Ashgabat in Turkmenistan through a

landscape dominated by desert hills

Next website of our 2nd Central and North Asia trip 2016 to Russia:

Turkmenistan – from Iran border at Bajgiran to Uzbekistan border near Khiva – May 6th to 10th, 2016

More websites from Iran:

Iran - Teil 1: Fährhafen Bandar Abbas-Shiraz-Persepolis-Pasargad (zwischen Persepolis und Yazd)

Iran - Teil 2: Pasargad (exkl.)-Yazd-Esfahan – Mai 2013

Iran - Teil 3: Esfahan (exkl.)-Chelgerd-Hamadan-Sanandaj-Orumiyeh – Mai 2013

The African trip 2013-16:

CapeVerde: Santiago/Praia part 1 – November18th to December 13th, 2013

CapeVerde: Fogo – Dezember13th to 23rd, 2013

CapeVerde: Brava – December 23rd to 26th, 2013

Cape Verde: Santiago/Praia part 2 – December 26th, 2013 to February 28th, 2014

Cape Verde: Săo Nicolau – February 28th to March 13th, 2014

Cape Verde: Săo Vicente/Mindelo part 1 – March 13th to 20th, 2014

Cape Verde: Santo Antăo/Eastern side part 1 – March 20th to April 7th, 2014

Cape Verde: Santo Antăo/Western side part 2 – April 7th to 10th, 2014

Cape Verde: Săo Vicente/Mindelo part 2 – April 10th to 29th, 2014

Namibia Part 1 – from Walvis Bay to Windhoek

Angola Part 1 – September 26th to October 4th, 2014

Angola Part 2 – October 4th to 22nd, 2014

Namibia Part 2 – from Windhoek to the Angolan border, back again and on to South Africa

South Africa Part 1 – from Namibia border to Capetown – January 22nd to February 23rd, 2015

3rd Major Repair of our LandCruiser FJ60 - 1982  (due to two broken sideshafts)

South Africa Part 2 – from Capetown to Tsitsikamma National Park – February 24th to March 13th, 2015

South Africa Part 3 – from Addo National Park to the Lesotho border – March 13th to April 7th, 2015

Lesotho – April 7th to 15th, 2015

South Africa Part 4 – from the Lesotho to the Swaziland border – April 15th to 23rd, 2015

Swaziland – April 23rd to 28th, 2015

South Africa Part 5 – from the Swaziland to the Botswana border  – April 28th to May 15th, 2015

Botswana

Zimbabwe

Mozambique

Malawi

Armed Robbery in Malawi on July 31st/August 1st, 2015

Tanzania

Kenya

Ethiopia Part 1 – from Kenya to Djibouti – October 25th to November 18th, 2015

Djibouti – October 18th to 27th, 2015

Ethiopia Part 2 –  from Djibouti to Sudan – November 27th to December 9th, 2015

Sudan – December 9th, 2015 to January 8th, 2016