Visit Kashan

Ancient desert city of windcatchers.

The largest covered bazaar in the world, a Blue Mosque and the carpet-weaving capital of Persia.

A whole town of trulli — conical drystone houses found nowhere else, white and strange in the Puglian sun

One of the world’s largest squares, framed by the tiled masterpieces of Safavid Isfahan.

Visit Isfahan, a historic city in central Iran. Explore Naqsh-e Jahan Square (a UNESCO World Heritage site with Shah Mosque, Ali Qapu Palace, and Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque), stroll across the Si-o-se-pol bridge (a 33-arch Safavid-era bridge over the Zayandeh River), and admire the intricate tilework at the Jameh Mosque of Isfahan (one of Iran's oldest mosques dating back to the 8th century).

Visit Shiraz, the cultural capital of Iran. Explore the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque (Pink Mosque) with its stunning stained-glass windows and morning light displays, wander through the historic Eram Garden (Persian garden with cypress trees and pavilions), see the tomb of Hafez (14th-century poet in a tranquil garden setting), and sample local dishes like kalam polo (cabbage rice) and faloodeh (rosewater sorbet).

The shrine of Imam Reza, the largest mosque complex in the world by area, and twenty million pilgrims a year.

A bazaar city on the edge of the Lut desert, with the Ganjali Khan bathhouse and the Rayen citadel nearby.