Blogger Steve Hänisch takes us along on his journey through Shiraz, Iran as he visits the Vakil Mosque, Karim Khan Citadel, the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque, the grave of the Persian poet Hafiz, and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Persepoli.

Shiraz is one of Iran's five largest cities. In the historic Old Town Shiraz are the Vakil Mosque and the Vakil Bazaar. The Vakil Mosque was built between 1751 and 1773 during the Zand period.

Under the rule of Karim Khan Zand, the founder of the Zand Dynasty, Shiraz became the capital of Persia in 1762. More than 12,000 workers were employed to construct the royal district.

Kharim Khan invited the best architects and artists of the time to design the Karim Khan Citadel, which took just a single year to build. The citadel became his living quarters.

There’s one thing in Shiraz you get up really early for, and this is the Nasir ol-Molk Mosque. The Nasir ol-Molk Mosque is also known as the Pink Mosque because many pink tiles were used in its interior.

It was built in the 1800s during the Qajar period. It’s best to visit very early in the morning because that’s the only time the sun shines through all the glass-stained windows.

No trip to Shiraz would be complete without paying a visit to the tomb of Hafez, who was one of the greatest Persian poets. The Shirazi poet also influenced a lot of European poets such as Goethe.

About an hour-long drive from Shiraz, is one of Iran’s most important UNESCO World Heritage Site, Persepolis, which means ‘the city of the Persians’.

It used to be the ceremonial capital of Persia from 550 to 330 BCE, until Alexander the Great destroyed it.

It is believed that he destroyed it by fire, as an act of revenge 150 years after the Persians destroyed the Acropolis in Athens.

Visit a restaurant in Shiraz and you’re likely to find delicious traditional Irani dishes such as mirza ghasemi and kuku sabzi. Mirza ghasemi is smoked eggplant, garlic, tomatoes, and peppers.

Kuku sabzi is Persian herb frittata, baked finely chopped herbs, mixed with egg and walnuts. Both dishes are served with fresh bread.

Header photo: Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji

Produced in partnership with Deutsche Welle (DW)