My Trip to Iran

Day2:The ruin of the historical fortress Takht-é Suleiman is, archaeologically speaking, one of the most interesting places in Iran, not in the least because Takht-é Sulieman is believed to be the birthplace of Zoroaster.However  some believe Zoroaster to be born in Azerbaijan, but the overwhelming majority believe, based on good reasons, that he was a native of northeastern Iran, somewhere in Transoxiana and northern Afghanistan.        

Anyway, whether Zoroaster was born here or not, the place is interesting enough by itself. Yet this ancient fortress lies in a remote area of the country, so the Throne of Solomon doesn't get many visitors. It is a fascinating experience to walk between the remains of the many different dynasties who inhabited the fortress over such a long period of time.

                                               

                                                                                                                

The oldest part, the Azargashab firetempel, dates from 500 BC. Until 1500 AD the Parthians, the Sassanians and the Moghuls have been adding a lot more. The large wall around the complex and its 38 defensive towers were built in the third Century AD. Most of the towers have eroded to the same height as the wall.

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The Kurdistan Province of Iran is a little bit different from the rest of the country. Most of the people here are Kurds, they wear different clothes than in the rest of Iran and they speak Kurdish, which is a very different language compared to Farsi, although both languages are descendents of Pahlavi, an ancient Iranian language.                                                            


There are almost 7 million Kurds in Iran, not only in the Kurdistan province but also in the provinces of Western and Eastern Azerbaijan, Zanjan and Kermanshah. The Kurds of Iran are not treated as hostile as in some other countries in the region. Kurds and other Iranians live together peacefully.
Masuleh is a breathtakingly beautiful village located in the Talesh mountains. Although Masuleh is close to the Caspian Sea, it is 1050 meter above sea level.

The interesting about Masuleh are the streets. The village is so steep, they had to make the streets on top op the flat roofs of the houses below. Of course, it is impossible to enter Masuleh with a car. Maybe this is the reason why the original atmosphere of the villages has survived.