I mentioned we were off in search of dinner - we passed a tiny unobtrusive entrance with a guy standing outside who said "restaurant ?" pointing inside - so we went in for a look and found a large subterranean traditional place with high ceilings and a gallery around. We took a table in the gallery and were able to look down on the band - a very good evening.
Next day we visited a variety of places in the city centre. Firstly an old fortress-type building which has been beautifully restored - apart from one huge tower which leans at a remarkable angle.
Later, as we were wandering idly along a side street I saw a workman come out of a huge set of very old doors leaving one open. I couln't resist slipping inside for a quick look and came face to face with an old man who turned out to be some sort of caretaker. He gestured for us to come in and have a look - the place was a former madrasa which was in the process of being renovated. It was a series of rooms on two stories around a large central courtyard with shade provided by orange trees and palms, and a large pool - no water in it though as they were still working on it. The buildings were covered in lovely tiling and when finished it will be a marvellous place.
After we had had a good look around the caretaker came over and, by gesture, indicated that we could go up to the roof. The view over central Shiraz was terrific and we spent quite some time up there. We tipped the guy on the way out - as he no doubt intended.
As an aside - it came to mind because of stairs up to the roof - we have found that many doorways in the old buildings have been quite low, implying that the people were perhaps shorter. No problem there -that's often seen in Europe. But what has surprised us is that almost always the stairs are very deep so that it's quite jarring to descend and quite an effort to ascend. So - shorter people, and presumably shorter legs, and deeper stairs ? We think they may have used pogo sticks but there has been no evidence for that in the paintings we have seen.
After that we visited a major islamic shrine - something to do with the brothers of Imam Reza who is one of the Twelve Imams - google Shi'a theology if you're interested.
This place is a huge deal - the busiest islamic site we have seen. We were not allowed to take bags in and we were frisked on entry. A beautifully tiled entrance led into a large courtyard with pool and fountains. We were not permitted, as non-muslims, into the main shrine - but there was a subsidiary shrine in a far corner of the courtyard which we could enter. Inside it was the size of a very large church, separted into various side rooms etc and every square inch was covered in tiny mirror tiles in a huge variety of shapes and patterns. Mainly plain but some colour at various points. There were chandeliers and other lights and also the mausoleum itself was lit in a neon green so the reflected effect was overwhelming. The entire floor was covered in persian carpets, so we found ourselves a quiet corner and sat and looked at it all for quite a while.
The complexity of the patterns and designs - some 3D not just flat - was remarkable.
It's very hard to describe really - it's not at all to a european taste - but spectacular to see. Steve summed it up best when he said it was like being at Cinderella's ball.
I thought it was just like being in a parallel universe. But a memorable experience.
After that we visited a museum on the other side of the courtyard - some lovely pieces but not very well curated, a complete mixture of items with no theme. Fairly recent items were alongside items marked as being from the 3rd millenium BC. I particularly liked some ancient Qurans with exquisite miniature illuminations.
Steve found a cabinet full of coins marked as being "from the Qajar period " which was 1795-1925 and was highly entertained to see that the collection contained a twelve-sided threepenny bit, a two-shilling piece, and a current one pound coin.
Which for us cast a little doubt on the provenance of some of the other items.
Overall, a very enjoyable and varied day.
Next day we visited a variety of places in the city centre. Firstly an old fortress-type building which has been beautifully restored - apart from one huge tower which leans at a remarkable angle.
Later, as we were wandering idly along a side street I saw a workman come out of a huge set of very old doors leaving one open. I couln't resist slipping inside for a quick look and came face to face with an old man who turned out to be some sort of caretaker. He gestured for us to come in and have a look - the place was a former madrasa which was in the process of being renovated. It was a series of rooms on two stories around a large central courtyard with shade provided by orange trees and palms, and a large pool - no water in it though as they were still working on it. The buildings were covered in lovely tiling and when finished it will be a marvellous place.
After we had had a good look around the caretaker came over and, by gesture, indicated that we could go up to the roof. The view over central Shiraz was terrific and we spent quite some time up there. We tipped the guy on the way out - as he no doubt intended.
As an aside - it came to mind because of stairs up to the roof - we have found that many doorways in the old buildings have been quite low, implying that the people were perhaps shorter. No problem there -that's often seen in Europe. But what has surprised us is that almost always the stairs are very deep so that it's quite jarring to descend and quite an effort to ascend. So - shorter people, and presumably shorter legs, and deeper stairs ? We think they may have used pogo sticks but there has been no evidence for that in the paintings we have seen.
After that we visited a major islamic shrine - something to do with the brothers of Imam Reza who is one of the Twelve Imams - google Shi'a theology if you're interested.
This place is a huge deal - the busiest islamic site we have seen. We were not allowed to take bags in and we were frisked on entry. A beautifully tiled entrance led into a large courtyard with pool and fountains. We were not permitted, as non-muslims, into the main shrine - but there was a subsidiary shrine in a far corner of the courtyard which we could enter. Inside it was the size of a very large church, separted into various side rooms etc and every square inch was covered in tiny mirror tiles in a huge variety of shapes and patterns. Mainly plain but some colour at various points. There were chandeliers and other lights and also the mausoleum itself was lit in a neon green so the reflected effect was overwhelming. The entire floor was covered in persian carpets, so we found ourselves a quiet corner and sat and looked at it all for quite a while.
The complexity of the patterns and designs - some 3D not just flat - was remarkable.
It's very hard to describe really - it's not at all to a european taste - but spectacular to see. Steve summed it up best when he said it was like being at Cinderella's ball.
I thought it was just like being in a parallel universe. But a memorable experience.
After that we visited a museum on the other side of the courtyard - some lovely pieces but not very well curated, a complete mixture of items with no theme. Fairly recent items were alongside items marked as being from the 3rd millenium BC. I particularly liked some ancient Qurans with exquisite miniature illuminations.
Steve found a cabinet full of coins marked as being "from the Qajar period " which was 1795-1925 and was highly entertained to see that the collection contained a twelve-sided threepenny bit, a two-shilling piece, and a current one pound coin.
Which for us cast a little doubt on the provenance of some of the other items.
Overall, a very enjoyable and varied day.
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