Yazd

Top Attractions to Visit in Yazd

In every corner of Yazd, an attraction is waiting to surprise you. And it will be very difficult to make one of them superior to the other; But the most significant of them are:

1. Yazd Grand Mosque

Yazd Grand Mosque or Jameh Mosque is one of the famous buildings in this city. In addition to religious features, it also displays architectural and historical features. You can see its tall and blue minarets from most parts of the city. The locals have great respect for this place.

2. Fahadan Neighborhood

A little beyond Yazd Grand Mosque, you see an alley that draws you to it. By taking every step a spectacular building or house shows up. Lari House, Alexander Prison, the tomb of the Twelve Imams, and so on are what you will find out in this Alley. The Allies are narrow and the mud walls are tall. Walking through these allies is really something.

3. Amir Chakhmaq Complex

Amir Chakhmaq Complex is one of the most famous tourist places in Yazd. And it is one of the historical squares of the country, which shines like a jewel in the old part of the city. This square, which has many attractions such as a bazaar, a mosque, and so on is a great option for walking around. Especially during the night, which offers a very beautiful view.

The most attractive part of this square is its three-story building, which catches the eye of any tourist before any other thing.

4. Saheb Al-Zaman Zurkhaneh

One of the places where you can watch the sport of Zurkhaneh and watch this world-registered ritual is Saheb Al-Zaman Zurkhaneh in Yazd. You can find it easily near Amir Chakhmaq Square.

5. Dowlat Abad Garden

Dowlat Abad Garden is a relic of the Afshari and Zandi eras. The green space, fruit trees, and beautiful flowers in the garden area have created a unique atmosphere. This garden includes the entrance mansion, porch and windcatcher building, Behesht Ain mansion and the Hall of Mirrors, Tehrani mansion, traditional reservoir, and Nasser Garden. The garden also has a high windcatcher, which is the tallest wind tower in the world.

Dowlat Abad Garden is also one of the night destinations in Yazd.

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6. Yazd Fire Temple

Yazd Fire Temple is the place of keeping the Zoroastrian sacred fire. This fire temple dates back to the Pahlavi era. However, its fire has been lit for more than 1,500 years. In fact, the fire in the Zoroastrian fire temple of Yazd is one of the three ancient and sacred fires of the Zoroastrian followers of the Sassanid period. And it is still bright and blazing.

7. Khan Complex

Khan complex is one of the most beautiful historical complexes in Yazd. Yazd Khan Complex includes Khan Bazaar, Khan Bath, Khan Square, and School. It is a relic of the Qajar period. Located in the historical context of the city, this complex exhibits traditional and beautiful architecture to take in. Many parts of Khan Complex such as bazaars are still active and full of vibrant people.

Today, they turned te khan Bath into a traditional restaurant and teahouse. And many tourists love this place now.

8. Rostam Giv Ab Anbar

An Anbar is the same as a water reservoir. Rostam Giv Reservior belongs to the Qajar period around the year 1942. This reservoir has played an important role in providing water to the people in the past. The reservoir, as its name implies, was a place to store water. Water storage, especially in desert areas such as Yazd, has been very important.

9. Shesh Badgir Ab Anbar

Literally, Shesh Badgir means six wind towers. Therefore, they call it so because this Ab Anbar, a water reservoir, has six wind towers. This beauty dates back 180 years ago. This building is a relic from the Qajar era. This reservoir has 6 windcatchers, 3 of which are old and the other 3 are new.

10. Alexander’s Prison

Alexander’s Prison or Ziaieh School is eight centuries old. In 1234, Zia al-Din Hussein Razi built this school. Then in 1306, his sons completed it.

In this building, there is a well with a diameter of two meters in the middle of the yard, which leads to a crypt five meters deep. The dome of this building is 18 meters high, but unfortunately, a large part of its decorations have been lost. Some attribute the building to the time of Alexander the Great’s invasion, which was used as a prison and later they changed its use.

11. Yazd Clock Square

Also known as Vaqt-0l-Sa’at Square, is the oldest and first urban clock in Iran. Yazd Clock Tower is a brick building in the shape of a rectangular cube that has a clock on top of it. This watch is made by, Abu Bakr who was a watchmaker in Yazd during the Qajar period.

12. Yazd Old Town

In the Old Town, there are some of these structures left to watch and marvel at. You can see great defense strategies in their engineering. The Old town has been on Iran’s National Heritage list since 1973.

13. Davazdah Imam Tomb

The tomb of the Davazdah Imam (Twelve Imams), built during the Seljuk period, is the oldest building in Yazd. It is also the second most historic dome in Iran. The importance of the tomb is its architecture. Curiously, it is a brick dome, which is one of the masterpieces of Seljuk art. You can find it easily, next to Alexander’s Prison.

14. Naaji Garden and Mansion

This garden is a heritage of the Qajar period in this city. There is a spectacular mansion in Naji garden. Najafabad qanat on its way passes by this lush garden. Naji mansion has various sections to mesmerize you. In the past, people lived in this place. But fortunately, today, it is open for the public to visit and enjoy this beauty queen.

15. Malek-ol-Tojjar Historical House

Malek-ol-Tojjar Historical House is about 120 years old. This house has several rooms, each of which has its own unique features. You can see spectacular paintings, by Shirazi artists, on the walls and ceilings of most rooms. It took them 10 years to draw and paint them.

Today, this building is a hotel for tourists. And most importantly, it is the world’s first adobe hotel.

Top Museums to Visit in Yazd

1. Museum of Mirrors and Lighting

Yazd Mirror and Lighting Museum is the only specialized museum related to light in Iran. In this museum, you can see all kinds of tallow lamps, candles, oil burners, and electrical objects. The objects of the museum are made of pottery, glass, brass, copper, and bronze. The building of this museum is a mansion in the middle of the garden. The mansion dates back to the first Pahlavi period.

2. Lariha House Museum

The Lari House is one of the historical monuments and sights of Yazd. It welcomes many tourists from all over Iran and the world every year. The Lari House consists of 6 houses with special architecture for desert houses. You can find this beauty in the Fahadan neighborhood while exploring the old streets of the city. This house which is a museum now dates back to the Qajar period.

3. Yazd Water Museum

In Kolahduzha House, they set up a Water Museum where you can find various equipment for digging qanats, tools and instruments for measuring water volume, lighting equipment in qanats, and documents for buying and selling water and water distribution documents, etc.

4. Tehraniha House Museum

This old house dates back to the Qajar period, about 200 years ago. Today, it carries the title of the first museum hotel in the historical context of Yazd. They also call it “Fahadan Museum Hotel“.

5. Markar Museum

Markar complex is one of the most influential places in the contemporary history of Yazd. This complex is close to Markar Square and has been hosting the Markar Museum since 2012.

They also call it, the Museum of Zoroastrian History and Culture. So as the name indicates, it is an ideal place to learn about Zoroastrian history and rituals.

6. Yazd Car Museum

Classic Car Museum(Iran tourism places) is one of the most interesting places in Yazd. It is an exciting destination for car lovers. Creatively, they are exhibiting handmade cars along with historically certified cars in this museum. The International Council of Museums (ICOM), 2017, introduced this museum as the most creative and innovative museum in Iran.

7. Stone Museum

Yazd Stone Museum is one of the most attractive places in Yazd, especially for those interested in certain types of stones. It is a specialized museum in the field of precious stones, of course. The museum collection includes 70 showcases and more than 150 specimens, among which you can see a variety of stones.

Natural Attractions to Visit in Yazd

1. Haft-e Tir Park

Haft-e Tir Park, with an area of ​​5.5 hectares, is one of the sights of Yazd. It is one of the oldest parks in the city. Most of the park trees are elm and pine. The park was originally a large, fruit-bearing garden that later became modern with the addition of trees.

2. Haftsang Desert Camp

Haftsang Desert Camp or Haftsang Nature Park is one of the most exciting sights of Yazd and is located in the northeast of the city. They opened it in 2017. Haftsang recreational services include safari, zip line, four-wheeled motorcycle, beach volleyball, and paragliding.

3. Quran Gate Desert

This desert is so close to the Quran Gate at the entrance of Yazd. The Quran Gate desert has good facilities for accommodation and entertainment. The most spectacular part of the Quran Gate desert is a wetland that has been created from the release of water from the Yazd wastewater treatment plant.

Here you can see all kinds of birds and reeds. Moreover, this wetland is a drinking place for desert animals. The length of this wetland is about 3 km and its maximum width is 1 km.

4. Abarkooh Ancient Cypress Tree

This tree is one of the oldest living organisms in the world. The perimeter of the trunk of this tree on the surrounding ground is 11.5 meters. The height of the tree is 25 to 28 meters. According to Russian scientist Alexandrov, the cypress is more than 4,000 years old.

Some legends also attribute the planting of this tree to Zarathustra or the son of Noah.

5. Shir Kuh Mountain

Shir Kuh is located in the south of Yazd city. This peak is one of the most prominent peaks in the world. The height of this mountain is 4075 meters and one day is enough to climb its peak. There are also springs of refreshing water on top of this mountain.

6. Nasrabad’s Nabati Cave

About 90 kilometers away from Yazd city there is Nabati Cave. In this cave, you can see beautiful natural columns of stalagmite and stalactite, as well as cauliflower crystals.

7. Bafgh Desert

Bafgh desert is one of the most amazing deserts of Iran and Yazd. They also call it the Dar Anjīr desert. In addition, this desert is one of the largest deserts in Iran with an area of ​​approximately 750 square kilometers.

You can spend at least one night away from the crowds of the city in absolute silence and tranquility in the Bafgh desert and visit the unique sand dunes, swamps, and salt marshes of the desert.

Top Iran Tourism Places Around Yazd

1. Dakhmeh Zartoshtian or the Tower of Silence

15 km southeast of Yazd, there is The Tower of Silence. This building was a crypt or a Zoroastrian court. Zoroastrians, according to their religion and tradition, placed their dead in caves so that the vultures prey on them. Then they threw the remaining bones of the corpses into the big hole in the middle of the crypt. You can find this tower on a mountain in the Safaieh region of Yazd.

2. Kharānaq Village

Kharānaq village is located 85 km from Yazd. This village is more than 1000 years old. Inside the village, there is an old castle that until 20 years ago, people lived in it. To go on, there is a 17th-century minaret here. And a renovated caravanserai on the outskirts of the village offers you a nice stay for a reasonable fee.

3. Ashkezar Water Mill

A watermill was a machine used to grind wheat and other grains that worked at the speed and pressure of water. Ashkezar water mill is one of the largest mills in Iran belonging to the Safavid period.

The interior work, geometric patterns around the walls, the brickwork of the main mill area, and the courtyard of the Ashkezar water mill, have a unique delicacy. Above all, they built this mill in the heart of the desert which is an odd and unusual thing in the world.

4. Gonbad Aali or Aali Dome

The Aali Dome, also known as the Dome of Aali, is one of the buildings that has survived from the Seljuk period. Today, this building is the healthiest remaining building of that time. The structure of the dome is excellent, of stone and mortar. This dome was in fact the grave of Amir Amid al-Din Shams al-Dawlah Deylami.

5. Kharānaq Manar Jonban

Kharānaq Manar Jonban is one of the most spectacular minarets in the world. This structure is entirely made of clay. This moving minaret with its extraordinary architecture belongs to the Sassanid period. It is older than the famous minaret of Isfahan. You can move this three floors minaret by your hand pressure.

7. Zarach Qanat

Zarach Qanat in Yazd province is the longest qanat in the world. Anyway, it is 100 km. Other features of the Zarach qanat include the square shape of the mouth of its wells. Other counterparts have an elliptical or circular mouth. The history of digging such wells dates back to Zoroastrian times in Iran.