why we celebrate Sadeh festival ? Long Time ago, when the last days of summer was passing , people fill their warehouses for the hard, dark and cold winter. Winter was coming to give them frustration, illness and starvation. Therefor  darkness was sign of evil and then light , sun and fire was sign of God’s mercy on people.

In Zoroastrian religion Fire has a significant role. As they protect fires to burn for hundreds of years and different generation take care of an Eternal Fire inside Temples. Fire temple or Atashkadeh is a place of worship . You can visit  the fire temples in Iran  that there is an ever burning fire in them.

Since fire is a symbol of truth and light for Zoroastrians , after passing one hundred days and  nights from summer , they celebrate Sadeh festival.  So It is a celebration to remember  the importance of light, fire and energy . light which comes from God in our heart.

So for this ceremony young teenage boys gather woods a day before festival. in other words it is kind of entering adulthood for them. such a notable ritual step toward manhood we see in all other cultures.

Sade Ceremony is the hope for near spring . still 50 days remains for spring to come and bring joy and prosperity to land.

So people wear all white clothes take their hands around the big fire . then a Zoroastrian priest  fires the bushes and together read some prayer.

After  the ceremony has ended the priest takes some remained fire from this big fire and take it to the fire temple and take cares of it until next year Sadeh celebration. they will use the exact fire to fire up the Next year firing. so this fire was lightening up for thousand of  years. The Eternal Fire!

The post The Eternal Fire ,Jashne Sadeh appeared first on Irandestina.

Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport (IATA: IKA) is the only international airport in Tehran, Iran.  IKA is located 30 km southwest of Tehran city center, that’s why you should know how to reach Tehran before your arrival. 

do you need to see Tehran Metro Map ? Here it is.

Metro in Tehran is not 24 hours so this is the schedule of IKA metro station :

Reaching  to Tehran by metro is a great decision for time and money saving. As it is 35 mins to get to Tehran and costs only 7,000 Tomans which is equal to 0.75 cents   unbelievably less than a dollar.  It is not crowded at all  you may a have a wagon for yourself to seat wherever you want and Metro is much safer and you will escape heavy traffic of Tehran entrance. 

The post IKA airport Metro to Tehran and Timing schedule appeared first on Irandestina.

Recently for Iran tourism sector improvement , the visa process gets easier as you can get Visa on arrival for 30 days stays validity. Also it can be issued as a paper sticker or stamp if you concern getting trouble for your future USA visa you can ask for a sticker on your passport. We suggest you apply for the online visa to avoid any problem in advance. Over 65 countries can take Visa on Arrival. You need one Blank page for entry sticker or stamp. Entering Iran doesn’t need any vaccinations.

So first of all i will tell you whatever you need to know about… 

VISA ON ARRIVAL

You can just get your visa on arrival in these international airports there is no visa on arrival on land borders: 
(if you are crossing land borders apply for E- visa,)

• Tehran Imam Khomeini Airport
• Tehran Mehrabad Airport
• Shiraz Airport
• Esfahan Airport
• Mashad Airport
• Tabriz  Airport

You need Valid passport, at least 6 months validity until departure.

Your travel itinerary  , your first few nights hotel reservation  in a known hotel or hostel. Ask your hotel or hostel to give a confirmation letter. Have it printed with yourself.

Medical and travel insurance for the period of your travel in Iran. Make sure write” Islamic Republic of Iran “ in the insurance form.

Passport photo.

Proof of funds that you can spend in your trip. Showing cash worth around 1000 USD $ is enough.

You need to pay visa fee  in cash, only Euros or USD.

How much does the Iran visa costs? It is 75 Euros for all nationalities , only for Australians  the cost is 145 Euros.  but check it before your arrival.

Sometimes they don’t ask for any proof, sometimes they ask. So it is better to have those items with you in a printed paper, not on phone.

SO Important. Notice if your passport is from USA,UK  or Canada you must be on a tour with a licensed agency and the agency can help you with  your visa, you can not get a visa on arrival or individually an E-Visa.

Visa Duration is for 30 days and can be extended for another 30 days easily, for an extension you should visit the immigration office in Iran.

So next option for getting visa is the….

Iran E- Visa  or Electronic Visa

There is a from that if you apply before your arrival it speed up your process. Sometimes it takes 3 hours or more to get you visa on arrival so it is better to do your visa application before coming to iran. iT is so easy to apply.

Follow these steps to get Online Visa:

1. Fill the Online Visa Application form.
2. Upload a recent color photo. photo requirements 
3. Upload the first two pages of your passport. For passport requirements
4. There will be confirmation email, so check your mailbox.
5. There is a payment link in your confirmation email, to pay the visa fee.

submitting your online visa application is the FIRST STEP. Some visa applicants will need to attend a visa interview in the consulate, and  some applicants may qualify for a visa without interview. You should wait until your application pass all required processing during  10 business days. You may check your application status .

Also you will receive emails if your status change. 

Good Luck. and if you had any questions do not hesitate to ask IranDestina team. 

The post Visa to Iran : On Arrival and E-Visa appeared first on Irandestina.

Mount Damavand : 5,610 m height.

I am an active volcano , I am the highest peak in Iran , and surprisingly highest volcano in Asia.  Besides my physical elevation, I have a special elevation in Persian mythology and folklore. Here is how Iranian Poet  Mohammad Taghi Bahar call me :

Oh white giant with feet in chains

Oh dome of the world, Oh Mount Damāvand

If you travel to Iran you can see me on the 10,000 rials Banknote, of course, these days it is not worth a lot, but it’s on my peak talent resume.

There are many ways to reach my summit, I guess 16 paths. Some of the paths need rock climbing .some are easier.

During you climbing you may see my high frozen waterfall which is eventually an ice-fall about 12 m tall on the elevation of 5100m, they say it is highest fall in Iran and the middle east.

If you want to visit me you can contact with IranDestina team, they can help you to catch this awesome experience.

Sabalan : 4811 m height

I am the second highest mountain in Iran. I got a beautiful permanent crater lake at my summit, some visitors found some of the volcanic rock formations which look likes animals, birds and insects. Here what you see? an Eagle maybe!

I have a ski resort called Alvares and Sarein spa .in the region Plenty of mineral water springs attracts tourists, and Nomads live near my hillside.

As Damavand i have my mythical stories as well.  Some say i was the place of Zoroaster meditated for some years. For that, I am a sacred place in Zoroastrianism.

Nomad believes that if my summit snow melt this is the end of world, you can connect such believe to global warming that is happening, that’s why today we are talking about sustainable mountains.

Alam-kuh : 4805 m height.

I got the bronze medal and stood on the 3rd highest peak of Iran. There were two German brothers Bornmuller who stood on my summit after 6 months exploration in the Alborz in 1902.

I got the most difficult mountaineering in Iran. Thus I attract European climbing teams and they got root’s name like, German Flank which is a rocky ridge to the summit. And Polish 48.

The post Three giant monsters (mountains) in Iran appeared first on Irandestina.

The beautiful Palm trees that make them are around the Arg-e Bam oasis that are on the World Heritage list you can find more information on Unesco, this heritage is called “Bam and its Cultural Landscape.

What are Arg-e Bam special features:

fortified medieval town
built in vernacular technique using mud layers (Chineh)
being in the crossroads of important trade routes( silk road)
known for the production of silk and cotton clothing
underground irrigation canals (called “qanāts”)

Beside archaeological values, you may remember Bam for the devastating earthquake happened in 2003, unfortunately, 26,200 people died in that disaster. Hopefully, Bam has been rebuilt. So it’s IranDestina’s recommendation to visit this medieval town and its green landscape, ring of Palm trees in heart of the desert.

The post Date in Bam appeared first on Irandestina.

Shamim means Scent of a flower. It has been more than a quarter century living in this area called “the earth”. I am happy that I know how to take life easy, so I can go on a trip in less than an hour. In my experience, unplanned trips lead to be the most awesome trip ever in your life. So I grab these kinds of opportunities.

Beside personal attitudes toward the universe, I think traveling is the best way to maintain peace among countries because in our limited perspective provided by media we think we are superior or different from other nations but when we travel we find only similarities, we find love and passion, culture and art. so that is the most sustainable way to travel to different countries, to understand the world deeper.

IranDestina fulfills my thirst to help Travelers (for me they are adventurers) who travel to Iran, one of the most hospitable places on the earth, to visit Persian empire heritages and to meet Iranian Islamic Art, culture and most important meet people and make unforgettable memories. It is my personal invitation, only let me know how can I help to make your visit happen. I will show you around, or only answer your questions….

The post Shamim’s Story appeared first on Irandestina.