IRAN: EMPIRES OF EVERLASTING FIRES

To many Westerners the word “Persia” evokes a distant land remote in time, the home of ancient monuments and striking works of art: carpets, tiles, fine ceramics, miniatures and metal work. Indeed, Iran is a world both ancient and contemporary, linking the heartland of Asia and the cradle of Western civilization, a bridge between East and West.

The prehistoric past of Iran is far older than the earliest Iranian dynasty, the Achaemenid. There is evidence of settled human habitation in Iran as long ago as the ninth millennium B.C. During the third and second millennia B.C., western Iran was ruled by the Elamite dynasties from the great capital cities of Susa and Anshan.  It was the kings of the Achaemenid dynasty, founded by Cyrus the Great, who brought all of Iran under a single ruler for the first time.  Following the Achaemenids, the Parthians and Sassanians ruled over the Iranian plateau until the conquest by Arabs, who brought Islam in the seventh century. 

Waves of invaders throughout the country's long history – the Greeks accompanying Alexander, Arab armies, the Turkish tribes that forced their way westward from Central Asia, and finally the Mongols – all left their mark upon the people of Persia, creating a vibrant tapestry that at its core, however, is indelibly Persian.  As you will find, Iran's history remains visible in the country's many intriguing and important archaeological sites, its ancient and historical monuments, and its cities, which possess some of the world's most magnificent examples of Islamic art and architecture.

Join Far Horizons for an exciting 17-day tour of Iran, with an emphasis on the archaeology, architecture, and art of this fascinating country.

ITINERARY: (B) breakfast, (L) lunch, (D) dinner

Day 1: Depart New York’s JFK Airport on an overnight flight to Tehran.

Day 2: Arrive in Tehran in the late evening. Transfer to Laleh Hotel our home for two nights.

Day 3: Meet after breakfast to begin our sightseeing with a visit to the National Museum, or the Museum of Ancient Iran, the country’s archaeological museum. After lunch we will view the collection at the Abguineh Glass and Ceramics Museum, impressive not only for its exhibits but for the building itself, which was built as a private residence for a prominent Persian family and later housed the Egyptian Embassy. Gather this evening for our welcome dinner party. (B/L/D)

Day 4: Today's drive takes us to Hamadan, a major stop on the ancient royal road to Baghdad.  View the Alavyan Tomb Tower, a twelfth-century structure regarded as the finest example of Seljuq art in Iran. Explore the remains of the ancient city of Ecbatana and see the latest excavations at Tappé-yé-Mosalla and Tappé-é-Hekmatané.  Visit the Tomb of Esther and Mordechai of Biblical fame as well as the Tomb of Avicenna or Ibn Sina, a world-renowned astronomer and physician of the tenth century.  Overnight in the Hotel Buali in Hamadan for two nights. (B/L/D)

Day 5: This morning, we travel to Ganjnamé, where the area's oldest Achaemenid rock carving is located. Engraved on two stone panels, the inscriptions record the achievements of Darius I and his son Xerxes and the extent of their empires. Drive 30 miles south of the city to Nush-é Jan to see the remains of a Median fire temple built 28 centuries ago. Time permitting, stop at the purported tomb of the Biblical prophet Habakkuk. (B/L/D)

Day 6: An early departure to Kermanshah takes us, en route, to the ruins of the 2000-year-old Parthian city of Kangavar, where the remains of a temple dedicated to Anahita, the water goddess, are to be found. We then view the incredible Achaemenid bas-reliefs at Bisotun, or Behistan, one of the most famous Near Eastern archaeological sites. The trilingual inscriptions found here, carved in 522 B.C. in Old Persian, Elamite, and Akkadian, served as the key to the decipherment of the cuneiform script in the mid-nineteenth century. The relief above the inscription shows Darius the Great facing nine rebel kings—the rulers suppressed by Darius when he came to power. Ahuramazda floats above them in a feathered winged disk that advertises his celestial character.  Then on to the sensational site the Sassanian kings chose for their rock reliefs at Tagh-é Bostan, where a sacred spring emerges from a mountain cliff and empties into a large reflecting pool. Here, in what was once a royal hunting park, see spectacular carvings, including a gigantic equestrian statue of King Khosrow II mounted on his favorite charger, Shabdiz. Both horse and rider are arrayed in full battle armor. Two cosmic celestial gods—Ahuramazda and Mithra—also are portrayed at this site. Mithra is haloed with the rays of the sun as we see him depicted at Nemrut Dag in southeastern Turkey. He offers a bundle of sacred twigs to King
Ardashir II as part of the rites of royal investiture. Overnight in the Azadegan Hotel in Kermanshah. (B/L/D)

Day 7: Today’s all-day journey to Ahvaz takes us to Sar Pol é Zahab where we will see the Annubanini relief, one of the earliest rock-cut reliefs in Iran. This scene, an early prototype for the Behistun relief, depicts the victorious Lullubi king trampling his conquered enemy in the company of the goddess Inanna (Ishtar/Venus).  Also visit the rock cut tomb at Dokan e Davoud nearby.  Enjoy a picnic lunch en route.  Then travel on to Pol-é-Dokhtar to see the remains of a Sassanian bridge over the river Kashkak.  Overnight in the Fajr Hotel for two nights. (B/L/D)

Day 8: Today’s full day begins with a visit to Haft Tappé, built four thousand years ago and believed to be the oldest Elamite temple ever discovered in Iran. Here we will see the elaborate vaulted graves of the Elamite royalty.  We continue to Shush (Shushan, the setting of the Biblical Book of Esther), or Susa. Dating back to before 6,000 B.C., it is one of the great cities of ancient Iran. It was an important Elamite center from the middle of the third millennium B.C. until it was destroyed by the Assyrians in the seventh century B.C. Darius I made it his winter capital. Explore the Royal Town, once the royal residence of the Achaemenid court officials, and the Apadana, the location of the imperial palaces. Before lunch, we visit the Tomb of Daniel, built for a Jewish prophet and still a place of pilgrimage. In the afternoon at Chogha Zambil we see the largest man-made structure in Iran, the well-preserved Elamite ziggurat. This is one of the few remaining examples of ziggurats in the Middle East. We consider the distinctive construction techniques and the elaborate glass-based materials that were used for this great structure. We will visit several of the small temples surrounding the ziggurat in which rich temple offerings were found by the excavators.  Finally we drive to the ancient fortress city of Shustar to see the watermills dating from the Sassanian period. (B/L/D)

Day 9: Today’s long drive to Shiraz takes us through the oil-rich province of Khuzestan and the tribal areas of Mamasani and Boyer-Ahmadi and into the upland Province of Fars. En route, visit the glorious Elamite rock relief at Kurangun where, with a small amount of climbing, you can not only admire the detail of the relief but also enjoy the vista provided of the valley below.  Explore the remains of the city of King Shapur I, and six important rock carvings at Tang-é Chogan, located near Bishapur. The temple at Shapur’s palace has been identified by one investigator as sacred to Mithra, the god associated with cosmic light.  Time permitting, we will visit the Sassanian rock carving at Sarab-é Bahram.  Overnight at the Homa Hotel in Shiraz for three nights. (B/L/D)

Day 10: An early morning drive takes us to Achaemenid sites north of Shiraz. At Nagsh-é Rostam, we gaze upon the immense memorial carved for King Ardashir after conquering the Parthian lands so that his name and victory should never be forgotten. The frieze still remains fresh, glowing in the sunlight and three times larger than life, on the great vertical bluff of tawny rock. While here, we also view the four elaborate tombs hewn out of the cliff belonging to the great Achaemenid rulers Darius I, Artaxerxes, Xerxes I, and Darius II. Just below these tombs are eight monumental reliefs from later in the Sassanian dynasty. They depict imperial conquests and royal investitures. On one of them, the Roman Emperor Valerian is shown kneeling in respect before the renowned Persian king, Shapur. Then on to Pasargadae where we see the impressive six-tiered Tomb of Cyrus, Qabr-é Madar-é Solieman, and walk through the different sections of the ancient city: the Residential Palace, the Audience Hall, the gatehouse, Zendan-é Soleiman, and Takht-é Madar-é Soleiman.  Drive a short distance to view the fire plinths behind Pasargadae.  (B/L/D)

Day 11: An early start takes us to Persepolis (Takht-é Jamshid), the heart of the Persian Empire. Here, we see a complex of palaces and temples that is said to be the most beautiful in the world. Massive winged bulls, derived from Assyria but given a characteristic Persian stateliness, greet us at the head of the stairway wide enough for five horses to ride abreast. The stairway leads up to the gigantic platform on which the entire site is built. In the Apadana, the palace of King Darius, walk up another imposing staircase to see the hundreds of figures carved in low relief exactly as Darius and Xerxes saw them.  They look so fresh they might have been carved yesterday.The small museum at Persepolis has been created from the ruins of a building that is called the harem of Xerxes I. Nearby, visit Nagsh-é Rajab, where magnificent Sassanian reliefs are hidden inside a rocky recess. Late this afternoon, spend some time in the famous Shiraz bazaar.  (B/L/D)

Day 12: Today’s visit takes us to important sites in Shiraz, the City of Roses and Nightingales. Visit the Eram Garden, with its beautiful cypress-lined avenues leading to an elegant summer palace. Continue to the pink-tiled nineteenth-century Masjed-é Nasir-ol-Molk Mosque and the Narenjestan Gardens, with their richly decorated pavilion featuring a mirrored porch set among graceful trees. This afternoon visit the tomb of Hafez, Iran's greatest lyric poet.  Time permitting, visit the tomb of Sa’di, a poet and one of the greatest figures in classical Persian literature, en route to the airport for our flight to Isfahan. The mother of the last Safavid ruler built a madrassah, or Islamic school, and caravanserai, or inn for caravans, both of which have been restored and are now the luxurious Abbasi Hotel, a masterpiece of Iranian art and architecture, and our home for three nights. (B/L/D)

Day 13: The Persians say that their beautiful city of Isfahan is “half the world.”  The 17th-century capital of the Safavids, Isfahan is said to have the most beautiful bridges in the world and we will view two of them. Today we visit a myriad of sites including one of the world's biggest squares, Naghsh-é Jahan, created in the seventeenth century to be the center of the city. The huge, open plaza is framed by a wall of arches and surrounded by two of the Islamic world's greatest mosques, the seventeenth-century Masjed-é Sheikh Lotfollah and the Masjed-é Emam, or Shah, one of the most stunning buildings in Iran. Both houses of worship contain magnificent architecture and tile-work.  Walk through the Ali Ghapu Palace with its enchanting music room and balcony overlooking the Maidan where the Safavid kings sat to watch polo tournaments. And finish our tour in the Qeisarieh Bazaar, also located on the Maidan, where hundreds of shops offer a rich variety of carpets, tiles, and miniature paintings. (B/L/D)

Day 14: Today's further exploration of Isfahan takes us to the magnificent Friday Mosque with its famous Uljaitu Mihrab of the Il-Khanid Period, to the Armenian Quarter to visit Vank Cathedral, built in the imperial style, and to the Zoroastrian Fire Temple of Ateshkadé-yé Isfahan. We shall also visit Chehel Sotun Palace, constructed as a pleasure pavilion and audience hall by Shah Abbas I.  (B/L/D)

Day 15: The morning is free for last-minute shopping in the Bazaar or further sightseeing.  This afternoon we drive back to Tehran stopping to sightsee along the way if time permits. Overnight in the Hotel Laleh. (B/L/D)

Day 16: This morning we will visit the Golestan Palace dating back to the Qajar Dynasty.  Following lunch, we will visit another of the many museums in Tehran. (B/L/D)

Day 17: Transfer to the airport for our early morning flight to Istanbul, where we connect to our flight back to the United States.   

TRIP DATES:  May 19 – June 4, 2009
                                   
STUDY LEADER: Dr. Holly Pittman is a Professor in the History of Art Department at the University of Pennsylvania and a Curator in the Near East Section of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology.  For fourteen years she was a curator in the Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.  She excavated in Iran in the 1970’s at the site of Tal-i Malyan, ancient Anshan, the highland capital of ancient Elam, and since then has worked on excavations in the surrounding region.  She has written extensively on the art and archaeology of the Ancient Near East, and especially on Iran.  Her current research considers the art and architecture of the cultures of the Iranian plateau from the Neolithic period through the Sassanians.  Dr. Pittman is a member of the British Institute of Persian Studies and the American Institute of Iranian Studies.  She is preparing a study on the Art of Ancient Iran that will incorporate all available information into a synthetic study.  Her enthusiasm and extensive knowledge of the ancient cultures of Iran will bring the monuments visited on this tour to life.

TRIP COST: $9,495.00 (per person, double occupancy) includes roundtrip international airfare from New York to Tehran, all hotels, most meals (as noted), land and air transportation within Iran.

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: $995.00. Should a roommate be requested and one not be available, the single supplement must be charged.

COST DOES NOT INCLUDE: Separate check written to the University of Pennsylvania; airport transfers for flights other than designated group flights; meals other than those listed in the itinerary; food, and beverages not on set menus; passport and visa fees; airport fees and taxes; excess baggage charges; gratuities to guides and drivers; email, telephone, and fax charges; laundry; or other items of a personal nature.

REGISTRATION: A deposit of $500.00 to Far Horizons and a non-refundable, separate check for $150.00 written to the University of Pennsylvania is required upon making your reservation, along with a completed and signed registration form. Final payment is due 75 days prior to departure. Upon receipt of your deposit and completed registration form, you will be sent a reading list and tour bulletin containing travel information. An information book designed for this trip, including maps of archaeological sites and articles of pertinent interest, will be sent upon receipt of final payment.

DONATION CHECKS: The cost of the trip does not include the separate check for $150.00 (per person) to the University of Pennsylvania (with the following in the subject line: History of Art/Jiroft archaeological project). As a tour company that benefits from the historical, cultural and natural riches of our destinations, we have a policy of donating to scholars, archaeological and cultural projects and museums in each of our destinations. This has created a bond with the academic community that allows you to gain an ‘insider’s view’ of work being done in each country.

CANCELLATION AND REFUNDS: Cancellations received in writing at least 75 days before departure will receive a refund less a $250.00 per person administrative fee. Cancellations received less than 75 days before the departure date will not receive a refund.  If for any reason you are unable to complete the trip, Far Horizons will not reimburse any fees. Registrants are strongly advised to buy travel insurance that includes trip cancellation.

PRIVATE TOURS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES:  The private tours of archaeological sites and talks by specialists are scheduled in advance and include a donation to each. Specialists working at these sites are excited about showing their work to interested enthusiasts.  However, please be aware that there may be times when the director or a member of the staff may not be on-site when our groups arrive due to other commitments. 

NOTE ABOUT ITINERARY CHANGES: Changes in our itinerary, accommodations, and transportation schedules may occur.  A good book to read as well as a flexible attitude and a sense of humor are essential. 

LIMITED TO 17 PARTICIPANTS