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Few
travellers have ventured to Iran in recent years, the strict Islamic
state which has eschewed Western influence ever since its revolution 35
years ago.
But
as the country marks 25 years since the death of Ayatollah Khomeini,
the father of the Islamic revolution, a spectacular series of images
reveals what life is like in the second-largest nation in the Middle
East.
From
the tombs of Achaemenid kings hewn into a cliff to carpet sellers in
colourful markets and a remote town built entirely of mud, the amazing
photographs show the variety to be found in one of the oldest
civilisations in the world.
Ayatollah
Khomeini was the leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution which overthrew
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran. Khomeini then became the
country's supreme leader.
Twenty-five
years after his death, on June 4, 1989, the country will honour the
leader, whose legacy lives on and whose face still gazes across cities
and towns from murals painted onto buildings.
The country is expected to come to a standstill for the day, with flights in and out grounded.
But
with current president Hassan Rouhani recently declaring the country
open for business, this series of photos could inspire intrepid
travellers to visit the country.
Animal magic: A shepherd herds goats at sunset near the village of Nasrabad, in central Iran
Revered: A cyclist passes a banner featuring
Khomeini in the desert town of Yazd, just days before the former supreme
leader is to be remembered on June 4
Upholding traditions: A woman smokes a hookah
while visiting a poetry calligraphy workshop in Shiraz, the heartland of
Persian culture for the last 2,000 years
Ancient history: Tourists walk through the
Persepolis archeological site, which mark the site of the 6th century BC
Persian Achaemenid Empire, the largest empire the world had known up to
that time, which was eventually ended by Alexander the Great
Local materials: A cyclist rides through the
streets of the ancient town of Narin, in central Iran, known for its mud
brick architecture and handicrafts
Into the future: Apartment complexes rise on the
outskirts of the city of Shiraz, which is famed for its progressive
attitudes and tolerance
Honoured: Stamps of the late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini sit on display at a mail museum in Meybod
Respecting the elderly: An Islamic cleric is
assisted to a mosque in Yazd. Iran is still a strictly Islamic country
and female tourists are obliged to wear headscarves to cover their hair
Heritage: Tombs of Achaemenid kings stand hewn
into a cliff in Naqsh-e-Rostam. The ruins mark the burial sites of three
kings from the 6th century BC Persian Achaemenid Empire
Novelty: A parakeet awaits customers in order to
choose a 'fortune' outside the Iranian poet Hafez's tomb. The bird
picks a piece of paper from a box with a verse of Hafez's poetry, meant
to give advice for future endeavours
Tourists walk through the Gate of All Nations at
the ancient Persepolis archeological site (left); hotel doorman Aboul
Fazl Kalantari (right), and driver Mohammad Ali Khabiri await guests at
the Moshir-al-Mamalek Garden Hotel. Kalantari is one of two dwarfs hired
as doormen at the hotel.
Seeing red: A group of Spanish tourists walks through the ruins of an ancient fortress in the desert city of Meybod
Lost art: Textile weaver Ali Ghayoumi, 83, makes
camel hair cloth on his loom in Narin. Mr Ghayoumi, who has worked in
the same underground workshop since the age of 10, is one of the last
loom weavers in Narin, his craft increasingly replaced by factory
production in larger cities
Evening entertainment: A boy kicks up water in a
public fountain near the Amir Chakhmaq Hosseinieh facade in the desert
town of Yazd
Local colour: A shopper buys patterned material featuring American cartoon characters at the Vakil Bazaar in Shiraz
Standing guard: Groundskeepers work amidst the ancient Persepolis archeological site
Call to prayer: Worshippers take part in prayers
at the Aramgah-e Shah-e Cheragh shrine in Shiraz, Iran. Thousands of
Muslim pilgrims visit to pray at the shrine, one of the holiest Shiite
sites in Iran
Afternoon nap: A carpet vendor dozes during a
lunch break at the Vakil Bazaar in Shiraz, which, like all of Iran, will
this week observe the 25th anniversary of the death of Khomeini
Market day: A woman shops at the Vakil Bazaar in
Shiraz, in the southwest of the country, known as a treasure trove of
Persian culture
Celebrating customs: A wax figure of a woman
sits in a wheat-grinding pose at the archeological and coin museum in
the desert town of Yazd
Ancient and modern: A family rides a motorcycle
past the Amir Chakhmaq Hosseinieh worship site, one of the largest such
structures in Iran, in Yazd
Time for tea: A teacup statue stands outside a
closed truckstop near Pasargadae. Iran's economy continues to reel due
to international sanctions
Staying cool: A tourist approaches a traditional
ice house in Abarqu, in central Iran, an ancient refrigerator that
could store ice even in the heart of the desert
Making friends: Goats seek out grazing material at sunset near the village of Nasrabad, in central Iran
Rush hour: Traffic moves slowly
through the streets of Isfahan, Iran's number one tourist destination,
due to its important Islamic buildings and beautiful gardens
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