When I said in my previous post that I would write about Shiraz, it was not totally accurate. The city of Shiraz lacks great sights, in my opinion, and the most remarkable attractions are the shrines of Shah Cheragh, mostly off-limits to non-Muslims, and the mausoleum of Hafez, a great Persian poet that has a national hero status but who did not mean much to me. I focused mainly on eating faloodeh (frozen corn starch noodles with syrup and lime juice, sounds horrible but it is delicious) and would have tried the famous local wine if it had not been totally illegal.
So why do travelers come to Shiraz? The answer is simple: Persepolis.For those who do not know, Persepolis was the Greek name given by Alexander the Great to this ancient capital of the Persian Empire when he conquered it in 330 BC. It is located about 70 km away from the modern city of Shiraz and its ruined remains are the most famous sight in Iran. Not far from Persepolis stand the tombs of Naqsh-e Rustam, carved in the rock for Achaemenid kings, and where I stopped first.

After this interesting taster, I finally drove my bike to Persepolis. This was supposed to be one of the highlights of my trip and, unsurprisingly, it did not disappoint me. The complex is accessed by the Gate of All Nations, built with massive stone pillars and sculptures of bulls and 'lamassus', Assyrian protective deities with lion's bodies, eagle's wings and human heads. This is a detail from one of the colossal wings.

Persepolis is impressive both at long and short distances. When regarded as a whole, it appears as a very complex construction with different areas, layouts and styles, and its many standing pillars and gates make it a memorable sight. Notice the fine details of the reliefs under the stairs.

This was probably the most fascinating aspect of the ruins, how elaborate the reliefs were and the level of detail in depicting life at that time. Religious ceremonies, royal affairs, seasonal celebrations, the way people dressed... they are an invaluable source of information for historians and a very nice way to spend an afternoon for any curious traveler. And they state clearly that Persians did have beards.

Persepolis and Shiraz could easily be the southernmost places I visit during this trip and the temperatures started getting a bit too high. The maximum I saw on my bike thermometer was 43.5 degrees and I heard that the Persian Gulf is much hotter... so that was enough to take a decision and start driving north, to the desert city of Yazd, in search of some Zoroastrian wisdom.