architecture, and the enormous main
square is still at the centre of local
life today. To the north, a grand arch
leads to a sprawling covered bazaar;
to the south, the twin minarets of
the Shah Mosque pierce the sky. On
opposite sides, meanwhile, sit the
Ali Qapu palace, built at the end of
the 16th century for Shah Abbas, and
the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, once
the private mosque of the Shah and
his harem.
We spend hours gazing at the
glorious turquoise and cobalt
blue mosaics of the Shah Mosque,
wandering into halls each more
beautiful than the last. Standing
on a black tile under the soaring
main dome, our guide Vahid takes
advantage of the excellent acoustics
to recite a melodic Quranic verse. The
cupola of the neighbouring Lotfollah
mosque is just as mesmerising; rays
of sunlight filter through latticed
windows and—when seen from the
right angle—a shaft of light at the top
of the dome creates a peacock's tail
on the exquisite tile work.
ARRIVING IN THE DESERT CITY OF
Yazd, 170 miles southeast of Esfahan,
feels like stumbling into a medieval
fairytale. A sea of wind-towers
punctuate the skyline, channelling
cool air into the mud-brick houses
below, while an ingenious network
of underground irrigation tunnels
called qanats, have sustained the city
for more than 3,000 years.
86 • AUGUST 2019
TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED
We explore the jumble of
atmospheric alleys and tunnel-like
passageways that make up the old
town, and hunt out sweet shops
selling wispy pashmak (Persian
candy floss) and almond-filled
qottab pastries. On the outskirts of
town, we hike up to two funerary
towers, perched on a barren hillside,
where followers of the ancient
Zoroastrian religion that pre-dates
Islam once left their dead to the
mercy of the elements.
Heading 270 miles southwest,
Shiraz is regarded as the cultural
capital of Iran, famous for its
heavenly gardens and classical poets.
At first glance, the 19th-century
Nasir Al-Molk Mosque seems