SCUBA DIVING AND CULTURE

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Details

1° day: ITALY – TEHRAN

Departure, arrival, airport (IKA) in Tehran, meet & assist services at airport and transfer to hotel, overnight Tehran. Tehran is a living and growing capital city and as in the recent two centuries, the most important events in the history of the whole country take place here. Tehran with its numerous museums has the most important collection of recent and remote Persian art and culture.

2° day: TEHRAN – QESHM

After breakfast, visit to the National Museum of Iran, including prehistoric, historic and Islamic sections. This museum has a marvellous collection including ceramics, potteries, stone figures and carvings dating from around the 5th millennium BC. A visit to Ceramic & Glassware Museum (or Abgineh Museum) followed by visiting Bazar di Tehran. If you have time, you can visi also The Jewelry museum. Drive to airport for the flight of Tehran – Qeshm. Overnight Qeshm.

3° day: QESHM – QESHM

Qeshm Island that is free duty zone. The western part of the island is a designated UNESCO Geopark. The extremely relaxed pace and incredible landscapes can be a welcome relief from the opulence of tourist attractions in the main cities. After breakfast, We first visit Chahkouh Valley where million years of erosion have created spectacular views, particularly the cavities. Stars Valley is the second site and a must-see in Qeshm. This area was carved out by wind and rain approximately 2 million years ago. In places, the valley is 15m below the surface of the plateau it has eroded from and is adorned with oddly shaped arches, columns and passageways. Its name seems to be derived from the legend that the valley was formed from falling stars. The salt caves are the last place we plan to see.

4° day: QESHM – HENGAM – QESHM

After breakfast we go in Hengam Island we enjoy various activities. First is scuba diving. Then, we visit coral belts and finally we go on an exploration to find, and if we are lucky, to see the lovely dolphins of Persian Gulf. Then, we return to the Qeshm Island.

5° day: QESHM – SHIRAZ

After breakfast, Drive to airport for the flight of Qeshm – Shiraz. City tour of Shiraz including a visit to Narenjestan or Orange Garden built in 1879-1886 as a reception hall for visitors and was used as the governor’s residence during the late Qajar period. On to Nasir-ol-Molk Mosque, The mausoleum of the famous Iranian poet Hafez, bazaar Vakil and Arg of Karim khan are among the other visits. Overnight Shiraz.

6° day: SHIRAZ – PERSEPOLIS – NECROPOLIS – PASARGADAE – YAZD

Drive to Yazd stop for sightseeing in Marvdasht ; Persepolis (Takht-e Jamshid) UNESCO World Heritage site, Necropolis (Naghsh-e-Rostam), Pasargad. A visit to the ruins of the ancient city of Persepolis is one of the highlights of any trip to Iran. Persepolis is the best preserved of Persia’s ruined cities and the finest legacy of the great Achaemenid Empire which ruled Persia between 559 and 330 BC. The most impressive features of the ruins are the splendid bas-reliefs, which adorn many of the staircases and palaces on the site and provide a rich treasure house of ancient history. At Necropolis you will find the tomb of the three powerful Achaemenian Kings carved into huge rocks overlooking one of the oldest Zoroastrian fire temples. A visit of the Pasargad, The Tomb of Cyrus is the burial place of  Cyrus the great of Persia. Overnight yazd.

7° day: YAZD – NAIN – ISFAHAN

Yazd is still home to Iran’s largest community of Zoroastrians, and the best place to visit an Atashkadeh (House of Eternal Fire) and the Towers of Silence, the Zoroastrian burial grounds. Although the temple is modern (built in the 1940s), the sacred fire has been burning since 470 AD. Yazd is also an ancient city with its unique desert architecture and its “Badgirs”, the wind towers designed to catch and circulate the merest breath of wind. The mosques of Yazd are like no others and the magnificent Jame Mosque dominates the old city. Its remarkably high, tiled entrance, flanked with two magnificent minarets and adorned with an inscription from the 15th century, is simply superb. This city has always been a great weaving canter, known for its silks and other fabrics even before Marco Polo passed through along one of the Silk Routes in the late 13th century. This day, group will visit Jame Mosque of Yazd, Fire Temple, Towers of Silence, Mir-Chakhmaq Complex, old district of city and wind towers. After visits of yazd, En route to Isfahan, stop for sightseeing in Nain including Jame Mosque. Overnight Isfahan.

8° day: ISFAHAN – ISFAHAN

Isfahan is Iran’s masterpiece, the jewel of ancient Persia and one of the finest cities in theIslamic world. The exquisite blue mosaic tiles of Isfahan’s Islamic buildings, its expansive bazaar and the city’s gorgeous bridges demand as much of your time as you can spare. The history of the city dates back to 2700 years ago. It was the capital of Iran in a number of the post-Islamic periods, but its golden age was during the Safavid dynasty in 17th century. Isfahan with numerous monuments for which it is world-famous has the greatest attractions for tourists. It is really a museum in the open air.
Full day tour of Isfahan magnificent buildings; some of the greatest examples of Islamic architecture including the Royal (Naqsh-e-Jahan) square (UNESCO World Heritage Site), the Imam & Sheikh Lotfullah mosques, Ali-Qapu Palace & free time for Bazaar spanning 5 km. A visit to the Armenian quarter to visit Vank Cathedral, built between 1606 and 1655. ChehelSotun Palace (forty column) with its beautiful frescos located in a pretty garden is our next stop. Shah Abbas II originally built it as a pleasure pavilion and reception hall. Evening panoramic tour of Isfahan including Si-o-Se &Khaju bridges. Overnight Isfahan.

9° day: ISFAHAN – KASHAN – TEHRAN

Drive to Tehran. stop for sightseeing in Kashan. Kashan, this attractive small oasis city was once a favourite of Shah Abbas I who beautified it and asked to be buried here. Kashan is also home to some of the best traditional houses such as Brujerdi House (a Samovar merchant), as well as beautiful gardens such as Fin Garden. Overnight Tehran.

10° day: TEHRAN – ITALY

Transfer to airport for departure.