Soltaniyeh, Iran - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Soltaniyeh, Iran

Weather: Mostly sunny in the morning, thunderstorms in the afternoon, 59/84F.

Route: From Bisotun 362 km NNE on route 48 and route 47.

Significance: It was the capital of the Mongol founded Ilkhanid dynasty in the 14th century. It is most famous for the mausoleum of Olyaytu built in the early 14th century.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

The mausoleum of Olyaytu (from whc.unesco.org)

Interior of the mausoleum of Olyaytu (from whc.unesco.org)

Bisotun, Iran - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Bisotun, Iran

Weather: Mostly sunny, 65/99F.

Route: From Tchogha Zanbil 424 km NNE on route 5 and route 35.

Significance: Bisotun is along an ancient trading route. It is best known due to a bas relief inscription telling the story of Darius I, the king of the Persian Empire in 521 BC.  There are texts here in Elamite text and Babylonian.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

Bas relief of the story of Darius I (from whc.unesco.org)

Text in Elemite (from whc.unesco.org)

Tchogha Zanbil, Iran - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Tchogha Zanbil, Iran

Weather: Mostly sunny, 76/115F.

Route: From Susa 42 km SE on route 37.

Significance: Founded in 1250 BC as a religious center for the Elamites. There are remains of a large ziggurat there.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

The ziggarut of Tchogha Zanbil (from whc.unesco.org)

Inscription in Elamite, which is a language isolate - it has no known connection to another language (from whc.unesco.org)

Susa, Iran - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Susa, Iran

Weather: Mainly sunny, 86/112F.

Route: From Tehran 681 km SW on route 5.

Significance: Susa was founded as early as the 5th century BC. It is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible Book of Esther. It was the capital of the Elamites and Achaemenid Empire.  It lasted until the 13th century when it was invaded by the Mongols.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

Shush Castle (from whc.unesco.org)

Entrance to the once great Apadana Hall (from whc.unesco.org)

Tehran, Iran

 Place: Tehran, Iran

Weather: Mostly sunny, 81/103F.

Route: From Isfahan 445 km north on route 7.

Population: 12,893,706

Places to visit: Golestan Palace (UNESCO World Heritage Site), The National Jewelry Treasury, National Museum of Iran, Niavaran Historical Cultural Complex, Sadabaad Palace, Moghadam Museum, Azadi Tower, Glassware and Ceramic Museum of Iran, Negarestan Garden, Jamshidieh Stone Garden, Carpet Museum of Iran, Mellat Park, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, National Botanical Garden, Time Museum.

Images:

Metropolis of Tehran with mountain backdrop (from theculturetrip.com)

Mosalla Mosque (from theculturetrip.com)

Isfahan, Iran

 Place: Isfahan, Iran

Weather: Mainly sunny, 70/104F.

Route: From Persepolis 424 km north on route 65.

Population: 1,961,260

Places to visit: Vank Cathedral, Isfahan Music Museum, Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Khaju Bridge, Shah Mosque, Jameh Mosque (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Ali Qapu Palace, Chehel Sotoun, Hasht Behesht Palace, Masjid-i-Shah, Meiden Imam (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Atashgah, Bedkhem Church, Hamam-e Ali Gholi Agha, Museum of Islamic Heritage.

Images:

Imam Square (from heartmybackpack.com)

Shah Mosque (from iranthisway.com)

Persepolis, Iran - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Persepolis, Iran

Weather: Mainly sunny, 66/104F.

Route: From Pasargadae 80 km SW on route 65.

Significance: Persepolis was the capital of Achaemenid empire after Pasargadae, it was founded in 518 BC. It was destroyed by Alexander the Great in 330 BC.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Video:

Images:

The ruins of Persepolis (from whc.unesco.org)

Entrance to hall of 100 columns (from whc.unesco.org)

Pasargadae, Iran - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Pasargadae, Iran

Weather: Sunny skies, 61/97F.

Route: From Yazd 315 km SSW on 78 and 65.

Significance: Founded by Cyrus II the Great in the 6th century BC, it was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire. The tomb of Cyrus is still standing.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

Tomb of Cyrus II the Great (from whc.unesco.org)

Inscription in old Persian on a column from the time of Cyrus (from whc.unesco.org)

Yazd, Iran - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Yazd, Iran

Weather: Mainly sunny, 81/110F.

Route: From Bagh-e Shahzadeh 393 km NW on AH2.

Population: 529,273

Places to visit: Towers of silence, Jameh Mosque of Yazd, Dolat-Abad Garden, Zoroastrian Fire Temple, Kharanagh, Water Museum, Museum of Zoroastrians History and Culture, Alexander's Prison, Sadri Garden, Hazireh Mosque, Seyed Rokn Addin Mausoleum.

Images:

Jameh Mosque and old town (from whc.unesco.org)

Brick ceiling of Yazdi-Bandi (from whc.unesco.org)

Bagh-e Shahzadeh (Persian Qanat), Iran - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Bagh-e Shahzadeh, Iran

Weather: Mainly sunny, 69/99F.

Route: From Bam 166 km NW on 84.

Significance: Persian Qanats are water capture and distribution centers that are common in Iran. The water is distributed by a network of underground tunnels.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

Bagh-e Shahzadeh Qanat (from whc.unesco.org)

Bam, Iran - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Bam, Iran

Weather: Sunny, 84/107F.

Route: From Shahr-e Sukhteh 466 km WSW on 99 and 84.

Significance: Bam was initially founded in the 6th century BC. It was an important stop on the Silk Road. Most of the remaining architecture is from the 7th to 11th centuries. 

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Video:

Images:

The citadel is the crown of old Bam (from whc.unesco.org)

Courtyard from citadel (from whc.unesco.org)

Shahr-i Sokhta, Iran - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Shahr-i Sokhta, Iran

Weather: Sunny and windy, 89/113F.

Route: From Karachi 1,312 km NNW.

Significance: Shahr-i Sokhta was an important trading city during the Bronze age - from 3200 BC to 1800 BC.  There have been a huge number of artifacts found here that have greatly contributed to our understanding of the 3rd millennium BC.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

Ruins of Shahr-i Sokhta (from whc.unesco.org)

A cemetery (from whc.unesco.org)

Karachi, Pakistan

 Place: Karachi, Pakistan

Weather: Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms, 82/90F.

Route: From Thatta 107 km west on NH5.

Population: 14,910,352

Places to visit: PAF Museum, Mazar-E-Quaid, Empress Market, Mohatta Palace Museum, Quaid-e-Azam House Museum, TDF Ghar, Pakistan Maritime Museum, Tooba Mosque, National Museum of Pakistan, Chaukhandi Tombs.

Images:

Central Karachi (from davidsbeenhere.com)

Mazar-e-Quaid, mausoleum of founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah (from atlasobscura.com)

Thatta, Pakistan - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Thatta, Pakistan

Weather: Thunderstorms, 81/92F.

Route: From Mohenjodaro 380 km south on N-55.

Population: 220,000

Significance: Thatta was the capital of three successive dynasties from the 14th to 18th centuries. The Makli necropolis has many buildings from that time period.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

The Makli necropolis (from whc.unesco.org)

Shah Jahan Mosque (from whc.unesco.org)

Moenjodaro, Pakistan - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Moenjodaro, Pakistan

Weather: Thunderstorms throughout the day, 81/89F.

Route: From Jam 1,431 km SSE.

Significance: In 2500BC there were 5 major civilizations - Egypt, Mesopotamia, Minoan Crete, Caral-Supe and the Indus Valley - with its capital here.  The architecture, sewer system and street plan look very modern - although it lay beneath the sands for over 3,000 years until it was rediscovered in the 1920's.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Video:

Images:

This stupa was actually built in 500BC on top of the original city (from whc.unesco.org)

The main bath (from whc.unesco.org)

Jam, Afghanistan - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Jam, Afghanistan

Weather: Mainly sunny, 51/86F.

Route: From Nisa 972 km SE.

Significance: The main architectural structure remaining is a 65 meter high minaret that was built in the 12th century.  There are also ruins of castles and towers in the area. The minaret is in danger of collapsing from erosion, some blocks even fell in a recent earthquake.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

The minaret with mountains in the background (from whc.unesco.org)

Close up inscription of the tower including Arabic lettering in blue tiles (from whc.unesco.org)

Nisa, Turkmenistan - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Nisa, Turkmenistan 

Weather: Sunny, 78/104F.

Route: From Merv 408 km west on M37.

Significance: For 500 years from 3rd century BC to 3rd century CE, Nisa was the capital of the Parthian Empire. It is now just outside the city center of Turkmenistan capital of Ashgabat.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Image:

The ruins of Nisa (from whc.unesco.org)

Merv, Turkmenistan - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Merv, Turkmenistan

Weather: Mainly sunny, 75/104F.

Route: From Itchan Kala 656 km south.

Significance: Merv has been an important oasis city for 4,000 years. It is now just ruins, with some visible buildings as old as the bronze age.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

The fortress of Kyz Qala in the background (from theguardian.com)

Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar (from theguardian.com)