51 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Iran - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in Iran

Shah Cheragh

Mirrors and glass shards cover every inch of this arrestingly beautiful mosque.

Badab-e Surt

Iran's colorful terraces are a rare geological masterpiece.

Fars Province, Iran

The Ruins of Persepolis

The palace of the King of Kings, burned by Alexander the Great.

Nasir al-Mulk Mosque

A spectacular rainbow of stained glass makes the "Pink Mosque" one of the most beautiful in Iran.

Yakhchāls

Ancient structures used to make and preserve ice in the deserts of Persia.

Roudbar Alamout, Iran

Alamut Castle

This ruined fortress was the stronghold for a persecuted medieval leader and his infamous Assassins.

Nushabad Underground City

A 1,500-year-old, 3-story subterranean city where ancient Persians took refuge in times of war.

Zoroastrian Towers of Silence

Putrefaction plateaus in Iran, where the dead were sent for decontamination before going to their final resting place.

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Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Iran

Yakhchāls

Ancient structures used to make and preserve ice in the deserts of Persia.

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Reasons why everyone needs to travel to Iran	1 December 17, 2019	290	December 17, 2019
Yakhchāls	4 March 20, 2020	1403	March 20, 2020
Khalid Nabi Cemetery	1 June 11, 2019	1157	June 11, 2019

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Stories About Iran

For 17 days in Scotland's remote Cairngorms mountains, British traveler Elise Wortley retraced the journey of early-20th-century writer Nan Shepherd.

Returning to the Valley of the Assassins in the Footsteps of Explorer Freya Stark

British adventurer Elise Wortley is about to retrace a historic journey through Iran.

Geologist and guide Lior Enmar among Malcham's delicate salt structures.

The Friendly Rivalry—Between Israel and Iran—Over the World’s Longest Salt Cave

Spectacular Malcham Cave, at more than six miles, currently holds the title.

August 11, 2021

Striking from above, Hormuz Island rewards a closer look.

A Glimpse of Iran's 'Rainbow Island' From Above

It's easy to see why the island attracts artists and geology lovers.

November 13, 2020

At the port of Sharafkhaneh in 2015, an abandoned ship is stuck in solidified salt.

The Ghost Towns of Lake Urmia, Once West Asia's Largest Lake

Ships, farms, and hotels were left high and dry when 90 percent of the water disappeared.

by Solmaz Daryani

September 11, 2020

The Neanderthal premolar unearthed in Wezmeh Cave.

An Iranian Cave, a Neanderthal Tooth, And an Ice-Age Murder Mystery

Lions, cave bears, and leopards, oh my!

by Isaac Schultz

August 27, 2019

A worker picks roses as butterflies dance over the fields.

Every Spring, an Idyllic Iranian Town Turns Fields of Roses Into Rose Water

By distilling their harvest of pink roses, locals make a fragrant ingredient.

by Shervin Abdolhamidi

In an image from James Skinner's book on life in India, a surgeon works on the leg of a patient as he takes opium.

Centuries of Persian Manuscripts, Now at Your Fingertips

A deep, cosmopolitan archive appears online for the first time.

by Jonathan Carey

William E. Whitehouse, surrounded by images of pistachios.

America's Pistachio Industry Came From a Single Seed

A "plant explorer" helped establish the crop in California.

February 11, 2019

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