Persepolis Recreated

[pezhetairoi]

That's the closest to praise I've ever heard the Persian Cataphract come. XD You go, PC.

[Frodge]

BTW how viable is tourism in Iran 'cos i'd give my own mother to go to Persepolis and Pasargadae

[Rodion Romanovich]

I don't know, but I think the chances are probably bigger than the likelihood of getting the 3d models and textures used for the reconstruction in the documentary for download and playing around with on your computer...

[The Persian Cataphract]

BTW how viable is tourism in Iran 'cos i'd give my own mother to go to Persepolis and Pasargadae

It depends on; If you look for culture, you have chosen a most exquisite destination of all places in Asia, and you will find cultural sites almost abundant (Though poorly administered; Especially sites that predate the Islamic advent receive very poor funding, even if some of these are registered in the Iran Heritage Foundation, or even UNESCO). You would most probably enjoy your stay, as the locals are usually warm, friendly and hospitable (The biggest jackpot would obviously be if you met with a few Qâshqâï nomads, or the Bakhtîyâr-Lûr natives and manage to bargain for some of their very high-quality produce).

Just a word of warning, stay out of Tehran. It is probably one of the most racist places in this whole planet, and the traffic has done more harm to the civilians than the totalitarian Islamic regime (Which speaks for itself). Do not expect any nightlife of worth, and the idea of snatching a hot Iranian woman... Not going to happen, lest you could live with the risk of having religious militia chopping your dick off. Other than that, you'll for sure enjoy the great food, the ridiculously low prices (Bring enough cash, because if you are in this for the souvenirs, you're in heaven... That means you should go to Isfahan, where the metal-works are absolutely topnotch), and of course high quality goods, including rugs, carpetry, tapestries, wood-cutting. Forget replicas, this is stuff that will give you memories for life.

Make sure to confer with a reliable travelling agency thoroughly, because you won't want to fly in one of those gnarly, accident-prone Tupolev aircraft. Also, lest you want to enjoy the simplicity of a rural Kurdish village, when you are in the cities, be somewhat street-smart; Don't flaunt around with valuables. Don't flash around with the camera too blatantly; Many of my colleagues got interrogated by militia for taking pictures, and in most times, it was because of a half-assed fluency in Persian that got them out. At the historical sites though, take as many pictures as you'd like. Many museums also offer excellent exhibitions, and even though the best one is in Tehran, you can't really miss out the "Bâstân Museum of Tehran".

Also, other than Persepolis, or Pasargadae and Naqsh-î Rustam, which is nearby the Persepolis complex, I'd also like to recommend the Dêzhbâr castle, a Parthian-style fortress, remarkably intact, built during the reign of Sassanian King of Kings Shâpûr I... Unfortunately, the Bam citadel was ruined in an earthquake four years ago, because I know that site used to be particularly popular amongst tourists. That adobe fortification was quite something...

Oh well, enough of the scare tactics, I truly do hope that you'd consider a trip. If you know what you are looking for, you'll find it.

[Astibus]

Don't flash around with the camera too blatantly; Many of my colleagues got interrogated by militia for taking pictures

Youre not fuckin around with that advice....a Canadian jorunalist of Iranian descent(Zahra Kazemi RIP)was murdered(beat to death)while in Iranian custody,for taking pictures,she was accused of being a spy.

I was wondering,what are the coastal areas like in Iran?Have you visited any of the beaches along the Persian gulf/Indian ocean coast or those along the Caspian?

[macsen rufus]

A total war game based on Persia/Assyria/Babylon/Ancient Egypt/the Hittites etc would be absolutely incredible (and I do realise Persia was a late comer to this group).
So sad it will never happen.

Maybe not for RTW, but MTW .....

[Obelics]

Spectacular and very inquietant, i just can feel how could have felt a tribute taker, walking along that big escalier of the persepolis terrasse. I think he would felt like an insect...

Pity that i cant understand much of spoken english. anyway the images are wonderful.

[kambiz]

Thank you Astibus for providing the links

Pity that i cant understand much of spoken english. anyway the images are wonderful.

I can't understanf much of the voice just like you (Perhaps even worst ) But still enjoyed the scenes

[The Celt]

....and the idea of snatching a hot Iranian woman... Not going to happen, lest you could live with the risk of having religious militia chopping your dick off....

Now that's a real spirit breaker...... Kambiz you poor bastard...

[kambiz]

Now that's a real spirit breaker...... Kambiz you poor bastard...

lolzj yeah ,I'm that poor bastard
But let me remind you ,TPC means that in iran there's no Night Club or disco ,No BAR and beer :Sad: and can not pick up lady in fornt of public ! There things are forbidden due to fu**** islamic rules But Iran is a young country ,Which means nearlly 2/3 of the population are around 30 or younger. they can't not to have Girl Friend ,Not to date ,Not enjoy their life. We here learnt how to do these stuffs Young iranians should be careful though ,as specially after Ahmmadi Nejad and his extremists friends came out from their caves and took the power ,the restrictions have been increased BTW ,things are out of people's control we can just hope the situation will get better !

[The Celt]

I agree. If only that peculiar pattern in Iranian history would run full circle once more. If only some sort of "Cyrus" or "Adrashir" like figure would sound the battle horns and overthrow the foreigners from the decaying palaces and office buildings.

To put it more simply, an Iran run by Iranians, would be a slice of heaven in this world.

[marodeur]

Just a word of warning, stay out of Tehran. It is probably one of the most racist places in this whole planet, and the traffic has done more harm to the civilians than the totalitarian Islamic regime (Which speaks for itself). Do not expect any nightlife of worth, and the idea of snatching a hot Iranian woman... Not going to happen, lest you could live with the risk of having religious militia chopping your dick off.
(...)
Make sure to confer with a reliable travelling agency thoroughly, because you won't want to fly in one of those gnarly, accident-prone Tupolev aircraft. Also, lest you want to enjoy the simplicity of a rural Kurdish village, when you are in the cities, be somewhat street-smart; Don't flaunt around with valuables. Don't flash around with the camera too blatantly; Many of my colleagues got interrogated by militia for taking pictures, and in most times, it was because of a half-assed fluency in Persian that got them out".

You should write traveling guides. Somehow I suddenly can hardly resist the urge to visit Teheran...

[HFox]

A friend of mine went three years ago, UK white english, no language skills.

He only had praise for the people and country. He was lucky to see the sites before the recent bad earthquake and said it was amazing.

Iran is also on my list of places to go to.