Shiraz, Iran--a jewel of a city

Don and our guide, Magid, at the Pink Mosque

Some of the most beautiful places in Shiraz are best seen at night, like Hafez Tomb.  Hafez, who lived in the 14th century, is still a much loved Persian poet whose poems are memorized even today by Iranians.  Our guide told us that if Iranian homes have only 2 books, they will be the Koran and Hafez' poems.

Hafez tomb at night

His tomb was originally simple, but was turned into a garden and shrine in the 18th century.  At night, it is a lovely spot where Iranians gather to enjoy the peacefulness and charm of the garden.  A popular way to use Hafez' poetry today is to simply open the book of poems to any page and read the verse on that page--there is only one per page--and use that as your guide for the day.  My verse, loosely translated, said if you want to be happy, be happy today, not tomorrow.  If you must wait until tomorrow to be happy, make a promise to God that you will be happy tomorrow so that you must then do what you promised.  Sounds like a good plan to me.
Today, we visited the spectacular Pink Mosque, built about 150 years ago during the Qajar dynasty.  In the morning, the stained glass windows of the prayer room catch the sun, streaming brilliant colors onto the carpets that cover the floor.  This is the time when all the tourists arrive so they can enjoy the colorful sunlit room.  The tiled walls and ceiling are incredibly beautiful, so I'll just add some photos that don't do them justice, but give you an idea of their beauty.

sunlight through stained glass windows at
the Pink Mosque

 

tiled wall of Pink Mosque

courtyard of the Pink Mosque

The Naranjestan Palace is another Qajar era gem, with its mirrored rooms and balconies and pretty garden.  See the photos below.  But, its mirrored rooms don't compare to the Ali Ibn Hamzeh shrine, whose mosque is completely covered with tiny mirrors (again, my photos don't give you even a close image of how incredible it is).  When Muslims pray, they should not look at images of themselves, so the mirrors are very small so that they don't reflect the worshipers faces or bodies.

mirrored terrace, Naranjestan Palace

There was a group of kindergardners at the mosque on a field trip.  They were remarkably well-behaved, most sitting on the carpeted floor enjoying snacks and talking quietly.  Another group of them lined up in front of the mihrab (the niche in a mosque that shows the direction of Mecca) and recited many verses from the Koran in unison.

kindergardners in Hamzeh mosque

In the Botanic Gardens, there are shaded walkways, a Pahlavi era (the last shah) palace and a huge rose garden.  This was an old garden long left to ruin and restored by the last shah's last wife, Farah Diba (who still lives in Paris).  After the revolution, the ayatollahs gave it to the University of Shiraz, so students can enter free of charge.  There were lots of students studying in the garden today.  One group who spoke pretty good English wanted us to sit and chat with them.  One was an engineering student; the rest were in vet school.

Don and students at Botanic Gardens

Shiraz has lots of tourists, so we aren't the oddity here that we were in Tabriz and other cities we've visited.  Most of the tourists are European, but there are American groups as well.  Because this is a big tourist destination, people haven't come up to us to talk as much as in other places.