Water, Earth, Wind and Fire

Many philosophies have used set of classical elements, as the elements the universe is built and made of: Water, Earth, Wind or Air and Fire
for all Iranian Fire is a holy element, while the other are so important for life as well. we have a ceremony called Charshanbeh Souri, which happens annually in the last Wednesday of our calender year (beginning of April)
Buddhism, Zoroastrian, Hinduism and Chinese have many quotes on these element.
below pictures are from a park in north of Tehran, called Water and Fire Park. it's a unique park in Iran, nice design and beautiful location. it can be named one of Tehran's potentials to be visited with tourists and travelers. take a look:

Water and Fire Park entrance, Tehran

Water. Children playing above water works

Fire torches in the night (Fire Dance, Musical)

Park Theater (open area)

Side view
view to south

How to get there?
well, the address... it's located in the crossing of Africa highway (Jordan street) and Hemmat highway. you should enter from Africa (Jordan street), just the second exit when you pass the Hemmat bridge from South to North. There are facilities like parking area, buffet, children playground, horse riding field etc.

Ghaemshahr, Veresk in Mazandaran

Have read a lot about north of Iran? The reason you may have heard about of Iran’s north region is simple: it’s the greenest area in Iran, and there are many beautiful sceneries like waterfalls in Gorgan (Ziarat village), crowded jungles in Gilan, Tea and Rice farms, mountain Albroz, Caspian Sea, sea side, orange gardens and more…
Whether you like it or not(!), I’m gonna post some more pics of this area, this time: Ghaem Shahr (or Qaem Shahr, whatever!), Veresk, Pol Sefid and Savad Kooh (below picture).


Actually it was a business trip to ghaemshahr. But I couldn’t miss the opportunity to take couple of pictures and drop few lines. Ghaemshahr is one of the biggest cities in Province Mazandaran, 20 KM to Sari, the capital of Mazandaran. Ghaemshahr has a major University called Ghaem shahr Azad University, serving 12000 students (as I’ve heard, not accurate) the students are mostly from Tehran and other cities and it seems it has changed the cultural figure of the city so far. actually the city may differ a lot from other cities in the provice Mazandaran, regarding its immigrants population of Turks, Kurds etc.


In the way to Ghaemshahr, you will see Veresk Bridge, which is old as World War II, built by a Duetch engineer for the train railway, when Reza Shah Pahlavi was ruling Iran. I’ve heard when the first train passed the bridge, the engineer forced to stand beneath the bridge to show he’s confident about the construction!


Savad Kooh and Pol Sefid (Pol Sepid) are two other near counties in the way to Ghaemshahr. Savad Kouh has an altitude of 3500 Meter from the sea level and very beautiful view. Of course these cities are in the way to north from Tehran, if you chose Firouzkooh road (below picture)

Naqsh e Rostam in Persepolis, Shiraz

Shiraz, was the center of Persian Empire for a long time. Among many places you have to visit in Shiraz in Fars province in Iran, you must try Persepolis first. Persepolis was the ceremonial capital of the Persian Empire during the Achaemenid dynasty (Hakhamaneshian). just about 10 km to the north from Persepolis, there is Naqshe Rostam (the picture of Rostam or Rustam, an epic hero in ancient Persia/Iran)

The below paragraphs is my uncle's review, Pouyan Kazemian, who lives for couple of decades in Australia, when he came back to Iran after a long time. you may find it amazing, I attach some pictures to give you a clearer idea:

Naqshe Rostam (Rostam’s Drawings translated loosely) is an ancient site in Mid-Southern Iran, which cannot be expressed through words. A crude description of the place would be “a series of tombs of Persian kings, surrounded by sculptures, all of which are carved into a cliff edge”. It is located at the heart of one of the most scared locations in Iran, less than an hour away from Perspolis and Centre of Shiraz .

No one knows the real name of this place; hence the name Naqshe Rostam as it was concluded by those who first laid eyes on this site thousands of years ago, that only a mythical Persian character would be powerful enough to build it (type Rostam in google.com for more info). For people that come here today, the real name of the place is irrelevant, as the sheer size of the cliff face and the carvings are enough to make anyone feel humble and insignificant when standing beside them. As if this isn’t enough history to move just about anybody, one of the first ever Zartosht temples is also situated opposite the cliff edge, just to remind everyone not to take things for granted as they walk on hallowed ground, the same place where many Persian kings once stood and admired their creation.

To Iranians, Naqshe Rostam is symbol of pride and patriotism, a sign of who they were and how great they can be in the future if they dare to try. To a foreigner, it is difficult to comprehend how great mankind was in the past and what they can achieve during their time on earth, if they are willing to do so. Despite these subjective and objective points of view, Everyone who come to this site agrees that Naqshe Rostam is most certainly a symbol of hope and inspiration. After all if our ancestors were capable of creating something as astonishing as this more than two thousand years ago, there is no reason why any one of us today should ever believe that we cannot accomplish feats just as stunning in the future.

the last picture I think is for Apadana stairs, near the Naqsh e Rostam.

Tehran again...!

yes I want to write about Tehran again!! why? because I haven't traveled to other cities of Iran for a long time. but it won't change the fact, Tehran is a travel destination if you plan to visit Iran also. well, I'm planning to go to north west of Iran during coming week, to Sarein (Sar'ein) city near Ardebil. maybe I come back with something different later, huh? :)
btw, Tehran again! I want to give you samples of diversity of climate in Tehran. yup! you can see snow, showers and hell hot sun in Tehran during the year. look below:
winter from my back window, the high rising you see, is Sa'di Tower in Shahrak-e-Gharb. that was the toughest winter I've ever seen in Tehran, 18 degrees below zero! so Tehran can be cold and tough! it would be from December till February, not lasting more:

Tehran can be foggy! look at the Milad Tower hiding in the fog:

Tehran can be green and live! look at these two pictures, Hormozan avenue:

and Tehran can be Hot as hell! up to 42 degrees (centigrades) in July and August. of course it's not humid like many other places, but it's hot! actually, I didn't have any picture with a feeling of 40 degree day!

Traveling to Tehran?

Tehran with its unique scenic and structure in Iran have been a popular tourist spot for foreigners. To be honest, as a person living in Tehran, I prefer to skip from the city for any period of time and relax outside!! but I've seen so many foreigners enjoying being in Tehran. Huge city, comparable with London or Mumbai and the different type of culture people have here may be among the attractions. Tehran Tourism is much interesting for historians, archaeologists but not for nature lovers, certainly!
The Tehran Tourism enfolds the secret chambers of Iran's culture, the main attractions that makes Tehran Tourism, an abode of treasure are:
* National Jewels treasury: A throne, 200 years old, encrusted with precious stones all over the world, is the pivot of all attraction. A gem studded globe, world's largest pink diamond and other unique pieces comprises the unusual collection of this historical museum.
* Golestan palace: The Rose Garden of the Qajar era is the oldest historical monument of Tehran. It belongs to a group of royal buildings that reflects the history of Iran.
* Tehran bazaar: This shopping mall since its foundation consists of shops that sells strangest of antique pieces collected from all around the country. The economical set up on Tehran has much of its credit attributed to this 'bazaar' popularly called the city within a city.
* National Museum of Tehran: The museum stands upright showcasing the rich heritage of Iran with a spectacular collection of ceramics, sculptures belonging to the 4rth and 5th century BC.
* more places like Sa'd Abad Palace, Contemporary Museum, Cinema House, Mellat Park, Pardisan jungle park, Chitgar park and complex, Water sport complex, Tochal sport complex and Ski resort and to many other places...

this is a picture of Milad Tower, which I've taken from my own apartment when it was still under construction:

Peaceful Iran

peaceful Iran, I don't know why I chose this title in these days! maybe because I could capture this image in our home's balcony in Tehran:

yes, believe or not, this is Tehran! few days ago. I have traveled to many places: inside Iran, Europe, Arab countries, South East Asia and Mediterranean. and I believe Iran, my country is one of the safe and peaceful places on the planet. Iranian are hospitable and gentle. I'm tired of thinking about politics and what it had done to our face in the world... I'm exhausted.

Amlash, Chamkhaleh and other beautiful areas of Gilan!

I've seen many beautiful views and nature scenes around the world. there are more beautiful deserts than what Iran has, there are more spectacular Jungles, Sea sides or mountains in the world. but Iran has something that distinguishes it from others: it has all these together! I don't think more than 30 countries in the world have the same advantage of serving their visitors simultaneously with Ski fields, high mountains covered by snow and ice 12 months, crowded Jungles with all seasons fog, sea shores and diving areas, deserts and wild rivers! did I mentioned the lakes (salty and sweat) ?! :)

on the Iranian new year's holidays (Nowrouz, 10 April) I traveled to north of Iran, Gilan province. below you see some pictures of fabulous sceneries in Amlash, Chamkhaleh and city of Langeroud:

Amlash, Yeilagh altitudes - Jungle in the fog

Chamkhaleh, near Langehroud - Rasht City

small Village in the way to Blourdekan region

these virgin places can be a very spectacular holiday destination for those who love to travel to Iran. the only problem is lack of professional touristic facilities like 4 or 5 star hotels and public transportation! you need to rent a car with a good driver who knows the region.

Roudbarak, Kelardasht

Kelardasht is one the most gifted places in Iran (North of Iran), with beautiful mountains (Alborz Mountains) and magnificent scenes of jungle, lakes and rivers.
Kelardasht is a large valley in the Alborz Mountains of northern Iran in Chalous county, Mazandaran province. It's 30km south of Abbasabad city (on the Caspian Sea) and west of Marzanabad city (on Chalous Road).

Mystic view of Roudbarak river

In Iran some people call Kelardasht the paradise of Iran. which the views and peace in it confirms this title.
Originally Kelardasht is a farming area, in recent years much of its land was sold in small lots to build numerous villas which are occupied by summer visitors trying to escape the heat and polution of Tehran and points further south. Arabs from the Gulf states can also be seen there during the summer months.

Kelardasht, Roudbarak

Its attractions mainly consist of its natural beauty and cooler climate. But picnicing and mountain climbing in the area surrounding Roud Barak is also popular, as well as in the lush Abbasabad Forest nearby.
The Kelardasht area has enclaves of Kurmanji-speaking Iranian Kurds, which mostly live in the north east of Iran, near Gorgan city and in north Khorasan province.

Kelardasht from the mountain of Alborz

one of my friends has a beautiful peace of land in Kelardasht, Roudbarak, you can see it here.

Parking Parvaneh - Tehran

there a parking in center of Tehran, in Ferdosi and Jomhouri streets junction, called Parvaneh Parking. this parking in Fridays turns in to a fabulous bazaar for antiques, textiles, wood crafts and anything you can imagine! when I say anything, I really mean it! but don't forget if you went to this bazaar, don't trust any claims against being old, antique and Italian made!! the prices also can be so prone. but it worths a look for sure. here are some pictures, but sorry for bad quality. I took them with my mobile camera and also it was so dark over there to take good pictures:

Iranian Metal antiques

chortkeh, traditional Iranian calculator

old guns! sundries at parking parvaneh old money

Tileh, Taw, Achate Old man selling textile old style type machine

I believe every city and every single place in a city has its own mysterious soul. when you are in Parking Parvaneh, you will enjoy a chaotic spirit!