The Reza Abbasi Museum is located in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Its name comes from Reza Abbasi, a renowned artist of the Safavid dynasty. It first opened in 1977, then underwent four successive closures and reopenings, and finally reopened to the public for the fifth time in 2000. The Reza Abbasi Museum collects...
Golestan Palace is located south of Khomeini Square in central Tehran. It was the royal palace of the Qajar Dynasty, which preceded Iran’s Pahlavi Dynasty, and dates back over 200 years. Tehran was established as the new capital of Iran during that dynasty, having previously been Isfahan. Although not large in size, Golestan Palace differs significantly from the palaces of the Pahlavi era, which were filled with modern European styles—it boasts a rich Islamic architectural flavor. The exterior walls are adorned with vibrant colored glazed tiles, while the interior features traditional Iranian glass mosaic craftsmanship, creating a luxurious and exquisite atmosphere. The palace consists of seven main buildings, large and small. Of course, its scale cannot compare to our Forbidden City, but it has its own unique charm. Now renamed as a museum, the entire complex offers an elegant and tranquil environment, surrounded by lush greenery and home to playful swans. Glazed mosaics, geometric and floral patterns, and arched architectural forms are all typical features of Islamic architecture. The curtain hanging in the distance by the pond serves to protect the open glass mosaic palace below, which faces directly outdoors.
The Motahari Mosque is located east of Baharestan Square and was built in 1890. Originally named “Masjed-e Masjedi Si-Pa-Sarollah” and also known as the “Commander-in-Chief Mosque,” it is the largest and most important mosque in Tehran. It functions both as a mosque and a seminary. The mosque features eight interconnected minarets. In terms of architectural style…
Shatt al-Arab is a river in southeastern Iraq, formed by the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers at the town of Al-Qurnah. It flows southeast, passing through the Iraqi port of Basra and the Iranian port of Abadan, before emptying into the Persian Gulf, covering a total distance of about 193 kilometers. The eastern bank of the latter half of its waterway forms the border between Iraq…
The Euphrates River is the largest river in Southwest Asia and a renowned waterway in the Middle East, stretching approximately 2,800 kilometers in length. Together with the Tigris River to its east, it defines the region of Mesopotamia. It originates from the Anti-Taurus Mountains in the Eastern Anatolian Plateau of eastern Turkey. Its source is called the Karasu River. Flowing westward, it merges with the Murat River north of Birecik, and then...
The National Museum of Iraq was established in the 1920s as the country's first museum and houses the most extensive collection of artifacts. It was recognized by UNESCO as the eleventh largest museum in the world, with an original collection of nearly 300,000 precious relics showcasing the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia. In 2003, after U.S. forces entered Baghdad,…
Introduction to Attractions Located in the southwestern part of Asia and the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, Syria and Jordan to the west, and Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the south, with the Persian Gulf to the southeast. The Euphrates and Tigris rivers flow from the northwest to the southeast across the country. It has a coastline of 60 kilometers. Except for the mountainous areas in the northeast, it has a tropical…
Attraction Introduction One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World — “The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (circa 600 BC)” When it comes to Babylonian civilization, the first thing that sparks fascination and imagination is undoubtedly the “Hanging Gardens.” It is hailed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World...
Naqsh-e Jahan Square (Meidan Emam, Esfahan) was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. The square preserves a variety of Islamic-style buildings dating from the 11th to the 19th century. Naqsh-e Jahan Square is located in the city center of Isfahan, the capital of Isfahan Province in central Iran...
Like the Colossus of Rhodes, archaeologists have yet to uncover any ruins of the Hanging Gardens. In fact, many ancient authors who mentioned the gardens in their works only knew of them through hearsay and never saw them firsthand. So, are the Hanging Gardens purely a legend? The Hanging Gardens were located east of the Euphra…
Erbil Citadel is located in the old city of Erbil, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Its history dates back to the 5th millennium BCE, possibly even earlier. It was first mentioned in historical records during the Third Dynasty of Ur and played a significant role during the Neo-Assyrian period. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014. Erbil Citadel is…
Erbil is the fourth-largest city in Iraq, located approximately 80 kilometers east of Mosul, and is also the capital of the Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq. At the same time, Erbil is a very ancient city, with human settlements dating back to the 24th century BC. Erbil is a beautiful city, and its most famous attraction...
Baghdad is located in the central part of the Mesopotamian Plain and is the capital of Iraq, as well as the capital of Baghdad Governorate. It is the largest city in Iraq and serves as the country’s economic and cultural center. Historically, Baghdad was the political, religious, economic, commercial, academic, and transportation hub of Islamic civilization. In the Middle East, Baghdad is...
The ancient city of Samarra is the site of a powerful Islamic capital that showcases architectural and artistic innovation developed there and spread to other parts of the Islamic world and beyond. The Great Mosque and its Spiral Minaret from the 9th century AD are among the many outstanding architectural wonders of the site...
Attraction Introduction A city in Tashkent Region, eastern Uzbekistan. Located at the northern foot of the Kuramin Mountains on the left bank of the Angren River, a tributary of the Syr Darya. Population: 114,000 (1985). Established as a city in 1951. It hosts large mining and metallurgical companies producing copper, zinc, lead, sulfuric acid, chemical fertilizers, and more. There are also carpet manufacturing complexes, thermal power plants...
Introduction Tashkent is the capital of the Republic of Uzbekistan and a major economic and cultural center in Central Asia. In terms of population, it is the largest city in Central Asia and the fourth-largest in the CIS, after Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Kyiv. It covers an area of 260 square kilometers and has a population of about 2.5 million. Uzbeks,...
The Tashkent Earthquake Memorial, also known as the Monument to Courage, was erected by the local people to commemorate the victims of the devastating Tashkent earthquake on April 26, 1966. Locals often come here to pay their respects to those who lost their lives, and it has become a “must-do” ritual—especially for newlyweds who visit to lay flowers. The earthquake memorial was built in 1976…
Tashkent Independence Square is the most important square in Uzbekistan, a symbol of freedom and independence, as well as a place of hope where the ideals of a generation became reality and key moments in history unfolded. Covering an area of 12 hectares, Tashkent Independence Square is a source of pride for the Uzbek people, embodying their…
Established in the 19th century, Amir Timur Square is a garden-style plaza built to commemorate Amir Timur (Tamerlane), the great strategist, military leader, and statesman in Uzbekistan's history. During the Soviet era, the square was known as "Revolution Square." Uzbekistan was once the heartland of the former Timurid Empire, and this white…
Tashkent Zoo is a zoo that combines culture, education, and research. Established in 1924, it initially covered only 3 hectares. By 1997, it had expanded to 227 hectares, making it the largest zoo in Central Asia. Currently, the zoo is home to 349 species of animals for visitors to observe, with a total of over 3,000 animals.