Qazvin is not a tourist destination for tourism!

I traveled to Qazvin a while ago. Not because I chose Qazvin, just because Tehran’s air was very polluted and we left the city to get rid of it. Again, our goal was not to travel to Qazvin, according to the habit of people in Tehran, we rode on the Chalous road, which kept us from continuing the path to the long traffic lane of the road. So we turned away and turned to Karaj. We hopelessly checked out the available facilities to retreat back home. Eventually we decided to go to Qazvin. We were not very optimistic about the choice, but there was no other option. On the way, thanks to the Internet, we went looking for a few hotels and eventually contacting one of the traditional hotels, traditional Behrouzi hotel.

I do not know how many times I’ve been to Qazvin province. I even traveled to the surrounding villages and nature of the province, once I stopped at my friend’s student Dormitory one night in Qazvin, but I never looked at Qazvin as a tourist destination.

This time it was important from the moment of my arrival to the city. Wide streets that have made it easy to get a positive feel to the traveler. The city was alive and, despite the heavy rains, people were in the streets.

We followed the map to get to the hotel location. A hotel in a traditional home in the city of Qazvin. In our path I saw the old bazaar. The excitement took me all the way, so after chek-in, we immediately went out. The rain was heavy. The Sadosaltaneh Caravanserai was the first place to go. The beauty of restoration and maintenance was beyond my imagination. Cafes were located there and helped experience a good sense of eating and drinking in the old space. We stayed a bit there and then returned to the hotel for a break.

The next day, we left the hotel to visit the bazaar, Chehel Sotun, Aliqapu, Safavi Garden complex, Naderi mansion, Mirza Karim bath, Barajin Tower and …. Every moment that I touched the sights of Qazvin, and every time I looked at people’s life, the question came to me about why I have never visited Qazvin so far? It was not only strange to me, my husband had the same experience. We have been passing over from Qazvin many times and we have never been to this city full of spectacular places.

Has not Qazvin been the capital of the Safavids before Isfahan? Is not that what we have in Isfahan,its primary sample is in Qazvin? Was not the  first modern Iranian street in Qazvin? So why Isfahan is half the world and Qazvin is just a city between the way?

I do not know if the proximity of this city to Tehran has exacerbated its beauty and majesty, or the people there,  themselves are not interested in attracting tourists too much.This unawareness of a beautiful city and close to capital of Iran make me think about how many other places in Iran I have just gone through?

My trip to Qazvin was less than two days. After returning every moment I think about there and look forward to a trip again, this time with planning and for a longer time to this city. Qazvin should not be lost.

Maryam’s Story

Everything began with the wishes of my childhood. That’s when I decided to be a travel writer. I wished to travel and write about unknowns, different lives, different cultures, and diverse nature. As I grew up, many of these aspirations were lost during the days.

Maryam Mousavi

I did not become a writer then I studied at the Bachelor of Engineering in Chemistry. For years I worked at the insurance company, cinema, newspapers, and magazines, but I never had the full satisfaction. In 2009, I met a man who marries me three years later. We have a 1-year old son. My husband helped me determine my career path further. He advised me to see the journey professionally.

MeraGood Damavand
Our Family

After that, I became a cultural and natural tour leader. I studied Master of tourism management. Then I met my traveler friends in university who are my colleagues today. In these years I have searched in the tourism industry and see what I like most. I chose sustainable tourism development. I work voluntarily and non-voluntarily in various activities in this field. It is pleasant for me to be active in any field of tourism that boosts local communities’ economic, environmental, peace and friendship and any positive developments in the world. Tourism is a way for me to make my dreams true.
MeraGood

Today I am a traveler mom. We started traveling with my husband since my son was only 50 days old. This way will continue. Irandestina is a way for me to achieve all this journey and experience and peace together.

P.S. My child’s name is “Damavand”. Damavand is the highest peak in Iran.

Mount Damavand MeraGood
Mount Damavand

Shamim’s Story

Hi, My name is Shamim!

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.

Babak Castle
Babak Castle – Kaleybar  photo: @Cherishka

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….

 

Parastoo’s story

Chahkooh, Qeshm Island
Chahkooh, Qeshm Island

Cave in Hormoz Island

I was the last child in my family and because of that all of my siblings took me with them in their trips in Iran and that’s when my desire to travel started. I visited all of provinces is Iran and I learned a lot of things while traveling. Every city and village in Iran has its own culture and that helped me to be more open-minded and grow in my life.

Isfahan - Imam square
Isfahan – Imam square

I wanted to know more and I decided to learn English to be able to communicate with the world and learn from other people. That was not enough I could only read about other countries. I decided to study tourism and that was when I started to travel to other countries and meet tourists in Iran. They turn out to be my friends and I am so happy to be in this path. Tourism gives me the opportunity to make new friends from all over the world and learn from them.
I like to be a minimalist in my life so I can spend time on the things that really matter in my life, like people and traveling.