Iran: Historical and Contemporary
About the tour
Iran is a beautiful, gracious and cultured land that extends a warm welcome to travellers. Starting in Tehran, visit many of the capital’s superb museums to see some of the treasures of the Peacock Throne. Fly to Shiraz, known as the “City of Roses, Nightingales and Poetry” and visit its exquisite teahouses and gardens. At Persepolis, there is the vast and awesome ruined city that was the pride of ancient Persia, the largest empire that the world had then seen.
Travel to Isfahan, an ancient city known as “Half the World.” This elegant blue tiled city is a beautiful sight against under the clear desert skies. On to Yazd, the birthplace of Zoroastrianism, where many still practice this ancient religion. Throughout the tour John Tidmarsh will give a series of illuminating talks examining aspects of contemporary Iran and bringing the past back to life.
Download our brochure Iran: Historical and Contemporary
Your tour leader
Dr John Tidmarsh
Dr John Tidmarsh {MBBS FRACP; BA [Hons] MA (Hons) PhD) is a co-director of the University of Sydney’s excavations at Pella in Jordan and is also co-director of the ANU/University of Melbourne excavations at Jebel Khalid in Syria. He has previously excavated in Greece and Cyprus. His main areas of interest are the archaeology of Alexander the Great’s conquests, the Hellenistic Period in the Near East and Asia, and the Islamic world.
Between 1983 -1995 he was tutor and then part-time lecturer in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Sydney where he still lectures in select courses. He is currently Honorary Research Associate in the Department of Classics and Ancient History and President of the Near Eastern Archaeology Foundation of that University.
Dr John Tidmarsh is currently an endocrinologist in private practice and a visiting endocrinologist at Lidcombe-Bankstown Hospital. He trained at Royal North shore Hospital where he was Senior Medical Registrar in 1979.
He has led tours for the University of Sydney, Art Gallery of NSW, and other institutions to Iran (some 20 tours), Oman, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, and Greece. He travels widely in the Middle East.
Need more information?
- Tel: (Toll Free) 1-8777-398-764
- Mon-Fri: 9am-5pm
Itinerary at a glance
- 2 October (Mon) Tehran: Arrive and transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon visit Golestan Palace and the Jewels Museum (Treasures of the Peacock Throne). Welcome dinner in the evening
- 3 October (Tues) Tehran: Visit the Reza Abbasi Museum. Visit the Archaeological Museum
- 4 October (Wed) Tehran / Shiraz: Morning flight to Shiraz and transfer to the hotel. Visit the Bagh-i-Eram Garden, including the rose and botanical gardens, and the garden and tomb of the poet and mystic, Hafiz. Visit a tea house on a hillside above Koran Gate with lovely city views
- 5 October( Thurs) Shiraz / Persepolis / Shiraz: Explore the Nasir Al-Molk Vakil Bazzar. Visit Persepolis and the royal tombs of Naghsh-E-Rostam. Dinner at a Sufi restaurant
- 6 October (Fri) Shiraz: Visit the Arg-e-Karim Khan Citadel, Naranjestan Palace and the Khan Madrassa. Walk past the Armenian Church, Fire Temple, the synagogue and New Church of Simon the Zealot School Complex. Dinner at Haft Khan
- 7 October (Sat) Shiraz / Yazd: Visit the ancient capital of Pasargadae. Picnic lunch under trees by the tomb of Cyrus the Great. Drive to Yazd
- 8 October (Sun) Yazd: Visit the Towers of Silence, the modern Fire Temple, the old city and the Yazd Mosque. Walk to the famous sweetmeat shop of Haj Khalife Ali Rabar and the Water Museum
- 9 October (Mon) Yazd / Isfahan: Drive to Isfahan, visiting Meibod andt its ceramics workshops and Zilu Museum. Visit the camel wool workshops of Mohammadiyeh. Stop in the town of Na'in and visit the Jameh Mosque and the Museum of the Persian House
- 10 October (Tues) Isfahan: Visit the Royal Square and Sheik Lotfalla Mosque. Visit the Ali-Qapu Palace and Khaju and Si-o-Se Bridges. Enjoy tea and sweets in a teahouse in the Maidan. In the evening visit the House of Strength
- 11 October (Wed) Isfahan: Visit the Forty Columns Palace and Eighth Heaven Palace. Visit the 'Shaking Minarets' and contineu into the Armenian Quarter, including visits to merchant houses, Vank Cathedral and the graveyard. Tour Isfahan by night
- 12 October (Thurs) Isfahan: Full day at leisure to explore the Grand Bazaar
- 13 October (Fri) Isfahan / Kashan: Drive to Natanz. Visit the wonderful tiled entrance to the Old Khaneghah and the Tomb of Sheikh Abdol-Samad Isfahani. Continue via the village of Abyaneh to Kashan. Visit the Fin Garden
- 14 October (Sat) Kashan / Tehran: Visit the village of Ghamsar and see the rose distillation process. Return to Kashan and visit the velvet workshop and the old merchant’s houses. Drive to Tehran via the Mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini and the Martyr’s Cemetery. Check into your hote and enjoy a farewell dinner in the evening
- 15 October (Sun) Tehran: Depart for the airport or extend in Tehran
Extension 15 – 17 October 2017
- 15 October (Sun) Tehran: Visit the House of the Artists, North Tehran and Niavaram Palace. Visit the Carpet Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art
- 16 October (Mon) Tehran: Full day at leisure
- 17 October (Tues) Tehran: Depart for the airport
Tour cost
Ground only USD $5,845 pp sharing (not including international flights and transfers)