Renowned for its Persian lyrics, roses, cypresses
and nightingales, Shiraz is the capital of the
southern province of Fars and a former national
capital. Little is known of Shiraz's pre-Islamic
past except that the Sassanian king Ardashir I
(A.D. 212-241) held court there. Shiraz’s
modern history is closely associated with the
Zand Dynasty and its founder Karim Khan Zand.
The most famous relic of this era is the impressive Vakil Mosque on the city’s old Zand Avenue.
Another Shiraz landmark of the Zand period is
the Arg-e-Karim Khan, which in the middle of the
town, resembles a medieval fortress. Shiraz is
renowned for its many beautiful gardens, including
the Eram, Narenjestan and Afif-Abad, each with
a richly decorated pavilion set among graceful
cypress trees. Shiraz is also the birth place
of the nation’s two greatest poets, Saadi
and Hafez, who are also buried there in two beautiful
mausoleums, and who devoted so much of their poetry
to the idolization of the city.
Religious activity
in Shiraz centers on the glittering Shah Cheragh
Shrine, King of Light Shrine, where the remains
of Seyyed Amir Ahmad, the brother of the eight
Shia Imam is buried. Nasir-ol-Molk of Qajar period
is another mosque not to be missed. The province
of Fars has a lot more to offer than its capital
Shiraz. Some of Iran’s and, indeed, the
world’s most important archaeological sites
are located all over the province. |
