Shiraz is famous in Iran for being the city of poets and wine. Though the former have long since been buried and the latter has been banned since 1979, Shiraz is still a poetically charming city, with its many gardens providing it with a decoration of flowers and acting as the source of much of its charm.
After traversing the desert to reach Shiraz and passing through the Koran Gate, I went to explore the gardens of the Hafez and Saadi mausoleums, spent some time strolling around the Eram, Narenjestan (the Orangery) and Afif Abad gardens, and took advantage of the facilities at the Vakil Bath (a historic hamman). To finish off, I immersed myself in a particularly tumultuous chapter of history by visiting the Arg of Karim Khan, a centuries-old citadel.
Shiraz is the capital of Fars Province and it is possible to use the city as a point of departure for excursions to Persepolis and the region's other ancient sites.