The Archaeology Channel Tours: Iran
The Archaeology Channel Tours: Iran
October 18 - Novemeber 2
Part: A: October 17 - 24; Part B: October 25 - November 1
A wonderful display of ancient and medieval antiquities, including some of the most iconic objects of Ancient Persia.
A multilingual cuneiform inscription and rock relief authored by Darius the Great, on a cliff 100 meters up a cliff from an ancient road connecting the capitals of Babylonia and Media. The inscription is to cuneiform what the Rosetta Stone is to Egyptian hieroglyphs: the document most crucial in the decipherment of a previously lost script.
The best preserved zuggurat in the world, built by the King of Elam about 1250 BC. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The ceremonial capital of the Persian Empire, built in the fifth and sixth centuries BC during the reigns of Darius I and Xerxes I and destroyed by the Macedonian army under Alexander the Great in 330 BC. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This neoclassical building in Yazd houses a flame that is said to have been burning continuously since AD 470. It is cherished by followers of Zoroastrianism, a Persian religion that could be 3000 years old. Fire is a primary symbol of Zoroastrianism
One of the oldest mosques still standing in Iran, this structure dates back to AD 771. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In a suburb of Kashan sits the Tepe Sialk ziggurat, constructed around 3000 BC, which is about 400 years earlier than the Great Pyramid of Khufu in Egypt. The culture that built this was part of or related to the civilization of Elam.
An educational tour designed and organized by Archaeological Legacy Institute (ALI)
In partnership with Pars Tourist Agency, Shiraz, Iran.
A tour led by archaeologist and ALI Executive Director Dr. Richard Pettigrew.
This 16-day tour, divisible into two equal parts, will lead you through the heartland of ancient and medieval Persia and stop at the most important and iconic places in Persian history. Every night you will stay in a fourstar hotel in one of six key cities.
Part A of the journey begins in Tehran with a series of museum visits, followed by a flight to Kermanshah in the Zagros Mountains. From that city you see the Gajnameh and the Bisotun World Heritage site, featuring highly significant rock inscriptions ordered by Persian kings Darius and Xerxes; and Taq-e Bostan, with some of the finest examples of rock sculpture from the Persian Sassanid Empire. Day 5, on the way to Ahvaz at the edge of the Mesopotamian lowlands, brings you to ancient Susa, capital of the Elamite and Persian empires. You’ll visit Shushtar (the location of the Bridge of Valerian, built by captured Roman soldiers) and the world’s best-preserved ziggurat, Chogha Zanbil. Then, driving southeast toward Shiraz, you visit the Sassanid capital of Bishapur and the nearby dramatic historical sculptures and reliefs. From Shiraz, you venture out on Day 8 to Persepolis and other ancient Persian sites.
Part B begins in Shiraz on Day 9 with spectacular medieval mosques, tombs (including the tomb of the great poet Hafez) and ornate gardens. On Day 10 you drive to the wonderfully preserved medieval city of Yazd, with the Sassanid Saryazd Fortress, Zeinodin Caravansarai, the dramatic Jame’ Mosque, and the Zoroastrian Fire Temple and Towers of Silence. On Day 12 you continue north to Isfahan, said by many to be Iran’s most beautiful city, with its Safavid palaces, mosques, old bazaar, and even an ornate Armenian Christian church. Day 15 takes you through Kashan and its fine old houses as well as the 5000 year old ziggurat of Tepe Sialk, on your way back to Tehran. Your last full day leads you through Tehran with stops at the ancient Silk Road city of Rey and the modern Milad Tower, the sixth-tallest telecommunications tower in the world.
Total Price(double occupancy): $3395 to 3750 for entire tour (single supplement $580), depending on number of participants. Part A only: $2395 to 2550 (single supplement $315); Part B only: $2365 to 2520 (single supplement $315).
Registration fee: $2000 (entire tour) or $1500 (Part A or Part B) to ALI by registration deadline of July 17. This amount is included in the total price above. Taking reservations now!
Costs not included: Iran visa; air fare to Tehran or Shiraz.
Dates: Part A: October 17 - 24; Part B: October 25 - November 1 (not counting travel days to and from Iran)
Select a Year you'd like to take a tour on: