Views from Iran

August 3, 2015

Views from Iran

82 images

A recent tour allowed Cheri Hunter to see modern Iran at a turning point in the country’s history, exploring marvels from antiquity to present times along the way.

Ceiling in a pavilion in the Bagh-e Fin (garden) in Kashan, illustrating the story of Khosrow and Shirin

The Tabatabayis merchant’s house in Kashan

Some of our group at the Tabatabayis merchant’s house in Kashan

Skylights on the rooftop of the Sultan Amir Ahmad Bathhouse in Kashan

The Agha Bozorg Mosque in Kashan

The village baker in Abeyaneh baking taftoon flatbread in a Tandoor oven

A bakery patron sings for us as he waits for his taftun bread in Abeyaneh

Silk velvet on the loom at the Manoucherhri House guesthouse

Loom weights on the brocade loom at the Manoucherhri House Hotel

The interior garden at Manouchehri House Hotel, converted from an old merchant’s house

Dome of an old hamam in Yazd

Zoroastrian Towers of Silence for “sky burials” (on hilltops) and cooling wind towers for underground reservoirs (foreground) outside of Yazd

A huge motorized grinding stone in a henna mill in Yazd

New production Yazd ikat

The super-tall façade of the Jameh Mosque in Yazd

The tiled mihrab of the Jameh Mosque in Yazd

Mosaic technique tile decoration on the Jameh Mosque in Yazd

Alleyways in the Old Town in Yazd

An Imam crossing the street in Kashan wears a traditional probably hand-woven robe in Yazd

A roadside mosque along the highway

Camels from a local caravanserai graze along the main highway

One of the last of the hand-weavers, working in underground caves in Kashan

One of the underground weavers in Kashan

Tour Leader Vedat Karadag tries on a camelhair robe, some of the last to be woven

University-level art students drawing the Chehel Sotoun pavilion from the garden, Esfahan

A lion of Iran, from the pavilion of the Chehel Sotoun Museum, Esfahan

Friendly Esfahan schoolgirls in Naqsh-e Jahan (Imam) Square

Painted ceiling in the Chehel Sotoun pavilion in Esfahan, built by Shah Abbas II

Kufic script in a Qur’an, displayed in the Chehel Sotoun pavilion in Esfahan

Stone lions at the corners of the pool at the Chehel Sotoun pavilion

Masjed-e Imam “Blue” Mosque of Esfahan

Silver entry door to the Masjed-e Imam “Blue” Mosque of Esfahan

The interior dome of the Masjed-e Imam “Blue” Mosque of Esfahan

Inside the Masjed-e Imam “Blue” Mosque of Esfahan

Selfies are a world phenomenon!

Iranian schoolgirls and their teachers share “fruit leather” at the Masjed-e Imam “Blue” Mosque of Esfahan

Main entry of Esfahan’s Masjed-e Imam Mosque in Naqsh-e Jahan (Imam Square)

The courtyard of Esfahan’s Masjed-e Imam Mosque

Tilework above the doorway of the early 17th century Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Esfahan

The “peacock” dome of the Lotfollah Mosque in Naqsh-e Jahan (Imam Square) in Esfahan

The oldest part of the Masjedeh Jomeh (Friday mosque), Esfahan

Inlaid mosaic tiles in Esfahan’s Masjedeh Jomeh

Detail of Mihrab, Masjedeh Jomeh in Esfahan

Ceiling pattern, Masjedeh Jomeh

Ceiling pattern, Masjedeh Jomeh

The courtyard of the Masjedeh Jomeh (Friday mosque), Esfahan

One of the interior prayer spaces, Masjedeh Jomeh

Façade, one quadrant of the Masjedeh Jomeh

Arches, one quadrant of the Masjedeh Jomeh

Painted ceiling dome, interior of the 17th c. Armenian Vank Cathedral, Esfahan

17th c. Allah-Verdi Khan Bridge in Esfahan fords a full river for the first time in four years

A couple of friendly Esfahan university students

Exhuberant shoes of a couple of otherwise conservatively dressed Esfahan students

The ruined city of Izadkhast is part of a complex which includes a ruined caravanserai, constructed and occupied during different periods from the Sassanids to the Qajars

Full moonrise on the road to Shiraz

The Nasīr al-Mulk or “Pink” Mosque in Shiraz

Glazed dome tiles in the 19th c. Nasīr al-Mulk or “Pink” Mosque in Shiraz, built in the 19th c. under the Qajars

Glazed tiles in the 19th c. Nasīr al-Mulk or “Pink” Mosque in Shiraz, built in the 19th c. under the Qajars

The Nasīr al-Mulk or “Pink” Mosque in Shiraz

Exterior niche tiles, Nasīr al-Mulk or “Pink” Mosque in Shiraz, built in the 19th c. under the Qajars

Mirrored interior of the Ali Ibn Hamza shrine in Shiraz

Outside the Shiraz Bazaar

Vedat finds a dealer of old textiles in the Shiraz Bazaar

Q’ashq’ai goats are no longer herded for days on foot to high summer pastures, but driven in large double-decker livestock trucks

The Zoroastrian Fire Temple in Firuzabad

Aerial shot of Persepolis (from the National Museum of Iran, Tehran)

Persepolis

Persepolis

Persepolis

Persepolis

Tombs of Darius and Xerxes, south of Shiraz

An Imam enjoying the ruins Persepolis

Iranian Schoolgirls on a field trip to Persepolis

A kite (raptor bird) at the tombs of Darius and Xerxes

Azadi “Freedom” Tower of Tehran

Schoolboys visiting the National Museum of Iran

Nuts and dried fruits, Tehran Bazaar

Iranian pictorial carpet in the Carpet Museum of Iran, Tehran

Foyer of the Carpet Museum of Iran, Tehran

Vedat and the dealer examine a flatweave

Sealing a carpet deal over tea in the Tehran Bazaar

View of Tehran from our hotel, as the sun sets

‘It was late February and the world was chilly and white. With snow-covered mountains to our right, and dry flats of salt desert stretching to infinity on our left, we rode south through Iran . . . Persia . . . a place that had been on my bucket list for many years. A major source of carpet and textile art, here was an opportunity to see this world of many civilizations at a very interesting time in its history: banished by the West, but trying to reconnect.’

In February 2015 Cheri Hunter took a tour of Iran. Here is a selection of photos taken during that trip.

Read the full feature in HALI 185 p. 78 – 81, available to view for free online. 

 A 12 day HALI Tour to Iran will take place in October 2016 in association with Martin Randall Travel. To register your interest please contact Rachel Meek on [email protected] or +44 (0)207 657 1220