Destinations

Christmas in Esfahan | Rob Penn | Iran, Esfahan, Esfahan

I woke up feeling a little peculiar. On any ordinary Christmas Day, I could have accounted for this quite simply - part hangover, part bated expectation at the day of wining, feasting and intense family rowing

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Fit for a Queen | Yvonne Van Dongen | Iran, Esfahan, Esfahan

Go to Esfahan and it’s as if the whole city were forever readying itself for an impromptu royal visit. Esfahan, often called the Florence of Iran, now boasts the country’s most famous and fabulous hotel, the Abassi

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Esfahan | Kamin Mohammadi | Iran, Esfahan, Esfahan

It was in Kathmandu that I was asked, by a retired English army major, which I thought the most beautiful, Samarkand or Esfahan. 'No contest,' I said to him, 'After all, as they say, "Esfahan is half the world".' The 16th century rhyme about the fabled Persian city may lose something in translation, but the sentiment still rings true.

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Welcome to Iran | Kamin Mohammadi | Iran, Tehran, Tehran

Meanwhile, our own memories of Iran spoke of a different country altogether, a graceful place with a poetic language, where the women are feisty and where every truck driver can quote 14th-century poet Hafez

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The Mural-Painters of Tehran | Tim Elliott | Iran, Tehran, Tehran

Even if you've never been to Tehran and are indifferent to public art, there's a good chance that you're familiar with the work of Taghi Hosseini

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