With its ancient culture, diverse climatical conditions and a hard working and hospitable people, Iran is a fascinating place to visit. Today it is opening its doors to tourism and many projects have made headway in the past decade.
One can visit Iran and enjoy beach side resorts, go snow skiing or mountaineering in some of the world's most beautiful scenery, travel through vast desert areas or wander through lush green vegetation.
The Iranian plateau is one of the oldest centres of ancient civilisation in Asia, and consequently its archaeological finds have been rich and varied. Culturally, the country is rich in historical monuments and traditional pastimes.
Tehran, the country's capital was first chronicled in the 10th century and was describe as a small village with farms, gardens and orchards where the people lived in cave-like dwellings. Today it is a busting city of 9 million inhabitants, which covers around 20,000 square kilometers.
The most densely populated province, Tehran's geographical setting, on the slopes of the Alborz Range allows it diverse terrain, with magnificent mountains as a backdrop and lush plains and valleys with rivers criss crossing the region. The commercial hub of the country, Tehran is the base for large and small technological and industrial establishments.
The oldest historical monuments of Tehran date back hundreds of years and amongst the most important are the Gloestan Palace and Museum., The Imam Khomeini Mosque and the old bazar. Important shrines dot the area and amongst its many museums, paying tribute to its ancient past, are the carpet museum and National Iranian Museum.
The Teheran of today combines perfectly the old and the new - wide boulevards, modern streets and central squares offer a bright and airy atmosphere. Its modern highrise buildings are architecturally beautiful and enhance the designs of the city's historical edifices.

Good shopping facilities and excellent restaurants offer a diversion from discovering the cultural roots of this fascinating city.
Isfahan Province, located in the centre of Iran and 414 kilometers south of Teheran, is a region rich in Iranian and Islamic art and history.
Considering of plains and mountains, Isfahan enjoys three climatical conditions - dry, semi - dry and humid with the largest part of the region enjoying a temperate climate.
With a history stretching back more than 2,500 year, Isfahan has been the capital of Iran during three historical periods.
Isfahan's tourist attraction centre around its ancient monuments and magnificent carpets, can be seen everywhere, from the traditional bazars to modern boutiques in the city's leading hotels. Isfahan's carpets are considered the best in the world for their color and design.
As one of the most important tourist centres in Iran, no visit to the country would be complete without a trip to Isfahan where the ancient past is carefully nurtured as a living ligancy for future generations.
Shiraz is the centre of the Fars province and is considered the political - culture centre of ancient Iran. Situated in the south west of the country, near the Gulf, Shiraz boasts many relics of great historical significance which form the core of any visit to the region.
The monuments can be roughly divided into two groups, The Pre - Islamic Movement and the monuments of the Islamic Period.
Among the former are the old city of Fassa and Takht - e - Jamshid (Persepolis). Amongst the latter, The Darvanzeh Quran and the tombs of Sa'di and Hafez are of great historical importance and are visited by thousands of people each year.
The ancient Jameh Mosque of Shiraz belongs to the saffari period and was built in 281 of the Hejira. Shiraz's monuments, each belonging to various periods in its exciting history tell a living story of its great and ancient past.
And, while historically and culturally great, Shiraz can also boast a fine sophistication with elegant shopping facilities and a cuisine which carefully blends local specialties with international influences.