Motorcycle Expedition in Iran

Departure from Germany - If we fly with Iran Air, the ladies must wear a headscarf on the plane. On any other airline, it must only be worn after landing. In Tehran, the capital of Iran, we will be picked up from Imam Khomeini International Airport.

Today we can explore the city. Tehran is a city that one can fall in love with at first sight. The city is especially very large, with between 10 and 12 million people. You can lose an endless amount of time traveling from one place to another. The large bazaar is located in the south of the city. However, if you want to shop a little more and end up in a trendy teahouse, you must go to the north of the city. Here, at the first slopes of the Alborz mountains with its snow-capped peaks, about four thousand meters high, the elite of Iran lives. In summer, it is much cooler here than in the south of the city, where dust from the desert-like surroundings seems to seep into every pore. To avoid losing too much time, we can participate in an excursion today. This way, we can visit the former palaces of Shah Reza Pahlavi, who was overthrown in 1979, and his almost equally famous wife Farah Diba. Of course, you find these in the north of the city. The palaces are located in an extensive park, and the various buildings today house several museums. The special one is the White Palace, the former summer residence of the Shah. A bit further away is another palace, the Niyavaran Palace. Here you can visit Sahebqerameh, the work palace of the Shah. Beautiful rooms, with many beautiful paintings and features like a dentist's office, an English pub, and a golden phone. In the waiting room, pictures of special visitors: Mao Zedong, Hitler, Queen Elizabeth II, Richard Nixon, and Kemal Atatürk - quite a special company. If we still have time, we can visit the National Museum with art treasures from the long history of Persia and Iran. The Golestan Palace, near the bazaar, is also worth a visit, as well as the bustling Imam Khomeini Mosque, the most important in the city.

The first day on the motorcycle. We ride out of the hectic hustle and bustle of the city towards Qom. This place briefly reminds us of the more recent history of the country, closely related to the Iranian revolution of 1979. The revolution was set in motion by the return of Ayatollah Khomeini, who had been banned for 20 years. He was the one who overthrew Shah Reza Pahlavi and managed to conquer the country on his own. Soon, comrades of the revolution were excluded who had different ideas, and the Islamic state was founded, as we still know it. Imam Khomeini, as he is called today, had his headquarters in Qom, the city that is bursting with many Qur'an schools. We continue along the main road - not on the highway, but on a provincial road heading south towards the interesting desert town of Kashan. Kashan is known as one of the more religious places in the country, but you don't notice it. The small bazaar is friendly and you can visit some merchant houses from the Qajar era, at the end of the 19th century, and dine in an old, renovated bathhouse in the evening.

Today we drive through the desert into the mountains. We will take as many remote roads as possible today. We will have a lunch break in the earthen village of Abyaneh and return to the main road just before Isfahan. Isfahan is perhaps the city in Iran that fascinates the imagination the most. Isfahan is the most beautiful of all Iranian cities, which is why we will stay here for two nights. Isfahan not only has mosques but is also a vibrant city that has plenty of time. In the evening, we stroll on one of the monumental bridges over the shallow Zayandaneh River. Here you see young people walking. Flirting is very subtle, but it still happens! The teahouses on the bridges, with their baroque decor full of knick-knacks, are also worth seeing. In Isfahan, we can also go souvenir hunting at the large bazaar, the Bazar-e Bozorgh, which has its main entrance on the north side of the Imam Square. More modern shops are mainly located along Chahar Bagh Abbasi Street. Nearby is also the Abbasi Hotel, full of antiquated splendor, with a beautiful quiet courtyard where we can enjoy a cup of tea. Impressive is the Imam Square, which houses Shah Abbas's palace, the Ali Qapu Palace, which can today be visited as a museum. On the opposite side of the square stands the so-called Women's Mosque. The square itself is planted and has several pools with fountains. On the south side of the square is the most beautiful monument of Isfahan: The impressive Imam Mosque. Through a richly decorated entrance with mosaics, which is at a 45-degree angle from the square, one enters a classic courtyard surrounded by four so-called iwans, flat and vaulted niches. Everything is covered with beautiful blue tiles. In short, there is so much to see.

We leave Isfahan and head south. Again leaving the hilly area, we slowly return to the desert region. If the government allows it, we try to conduct our ride almost exclusively off the main roads and for a large part over unpaved roads. This already sounds promising for a picnic by the roadside, because there are no restaurants in the small villages we pass through. Yazd is a vibrant desert city and, according to UNESCO, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. In the old town, you can still find traditional houses with so-called badgirs, wind towers, high structures on the houses that suck any wind into the houses. The air inside the house is channeled through a water tank and cools further. So, a traditional air conditioning system. In the old town, we also find beautiful old bathhouses. Some can still be used as bathhouses, while others have been converted into restaurants.

Shortly after Yazd, we turn east. We continue into the desert area. This is not a desert like the Sahara. The vegetation is very low and there is no fine sand. But there is the desert climate. We drive to the village of Banq, from where the road gets worse. We alternate between paved and unpaved roads. At the end of the day, we arrive in the small town of Rafsanjan. The accommodation is simple.

It is intended to take a route directly from Rafsanjan that passes by the city of Kerman, as this takes us to an area with many small hills.

Today we continue to Shiraz, the former capital of the province of Pars, or Persia, indicating that we have arrived in the heart of Persian culture. Well-known poets, such as Hafez or Saadi, are visited here in their mausoleums by Iranians from all over the country. More religious Iranians come for the second most important shrine in the country: The Shah-e Cheragh Mausoleum. Unlike Mashad, here you can reach the shrine as an outsider, which is located in a typically Iranian mirror mosaics. The atmosphere of worship that hangs here within the walls and that one can also experience up close is something special. However, there is much more to visit in Shiraz: a fortress, gardens, mosques, but perhaps we should mainly stroll around (or over) the bazaar here. Shiraz benefits from its location amidst the vast mountains. Nomads from the mountains come here to shop and also sell their own homemade goods. For those with an eye for it, there are beautiful authentic carpets and other utensils to be found.

Today we make a day trip with our motorcycles to the approximately 30km distant Persepolis. The site is protected by UNESCO and looks like a Greek or Roman settlement with large columns. Persepolis means in Greek: City of the Persians.

Today we leave Shiraz and drive along beautiful routes through the mountains southwest towards the Persian Gulf. Before we arrive at our accommodation in a small village in the mountains with a host family, we must drive around a very high ridge. Today's overnight stay with the host family will be very simple but a unique experience. After arrival, we will visit the Jashak salt stock, a part made of salt crystals.

After breakfast with the locals, we leave the village; today's ride takes us through narrow mountain roads and over the main road towards the coast. We drive along the Persian Gulf, where we are rewarded with picturesque views. The overnight stay is in the coastal town of Bushehr, from where you can even glance towards Saudi Arabia. Bushehr is the most important port city in the country and is also the capital of Bushehr province. Bushehr was founded in the Elamite period; in 1736, Nadir Shah established the present city. During the Anglo-Persian War of 1856 - 1857, it was occupied by the British for some time. In 1915, it was also occupied by the United Kingdom between August 8 and October 16.

In the morning, we drive through the Helleh National Park, which is located directly on the coast. During the day, the ride goes back into the mountains until we reach the small town of Kazerun.

We continue deeper into the mountains and turn off several times onto side roads to cross beautiful passes on narrow roads. The views are spectacular!

We continue through the high regions of the mountains and beautiful winding roads; the routes are at least as beautiful as the previous day. Lordegan is a small place; our hotel only has basic facilities.

Today we can expect many winding, unpaved roads between Lordegan and Chelgerd. Chelgerd is a small village located on a mountain. There are no hotels here; we will spend the night in a nomad tent.

The last day in the mountains has arrived; we drive the last winding roads until we return to the flat landscape in Aligudarz.

Today we have a very long stage ahead to our destination Behistun. Therefore, we will drive a large part of the day along the main road. If time allows, we will cross one or the other field path to make the ride a little more exciting. Behistun is an ancient caravanserai that has been transformed into a beautiful hotel.

We return to the busier parts of the country. There are more roads and thus more route options. The plan is especially to take narrow roads and some unpaved tracks. Hamadan is located in a green, mountainous area at 1,850 m above sea level, at the foot of the 3,574 m high Alwand Mountain. The city was founded by the Medes and was the capital of the Median Empire. The city was destroyed by the Arabs in 642. After the conquest of Persia by the Arab Empire, the city lost its significant influence.

A long stage back to Tehran lies ahead of us today; we will have no choice but to drive a large part on the highway. In the late afternoon, we will reach Tehran. Welcome back to the ever-busy traffic of the capital. We have one last free evening in the city, and we can visit the bazaar, relax in a teahouse, or simply enjoy the kindness and hospitality of the Iranians.

Today we head to the airport and back home. We look back on a unique experience that we hope to remember for a long time: to experience Iran by motorcycle!