With numerous historical attractions including dazzling monuments, gardens, bazars, and palaces, and diverse natural attractions Iran is an inspiring place for artists as it offers them many undiscovered subjects for photography, poetry, painting and etc. Iran Painting Tour of PackToIran is one of our most unique tours which is designed for artists and art lover. We operated this tour for one group before the Covid-19 pandemic started and it was a wonderful experience for us and the travellers who took this tour.
Day 1-3 Tehran
Our tour started in Tehran the modern capital of Iran known for its great art faculties, art galleries, theatre halls, and art museums. We met the group, including a group of 5 Italian friends, at IKA Airport and transferred them to hotel by a private van. On the first day, we visited the Iran National Museum, housing thousands of objects from pre-historic and ancient era in Iran like primitive sculptures, potteries, inscriptions, bass reliefs etc. We also managed to visit the second building which is Islamic Art Museum and shows art pieces from Islamic Era. This museum is one of the most important museums of Iran and is the best place to study and explore the history of art in Iran. In the evening we visited a sculpture exhibition by a group of young artists at a modern art gallery in north Tehran and enjoyed our dinner at a vegetarian restaurant. The next day we continued our Tehran museums tour by visiting the Contemporary Art Museum of Iran, the Carpet Museum, and the Iranian Artists Forum, where we met young artists and enjoyed visiting painting and photography exhibitions. In the evening, we had a great meeting with one of the great painters of Tehran and had a long chat about Today’s Iranian painting situation and challenges. On the third day in Tehran, we visited the glorious Golestan Palace, which is one of the most charming monuments of Iran. After visiting the palaces, we sat at the lush garden of the complex and spend 3 hours painting the beauties of a Persian garden and the exterior of the Qajarid monuments. In the afternoon we took a Tehran-Shiraz train and enjoyed an overnight rail trip towards southwest of Iran.
Golestan Palace - Tehran, Iran
Day 4-5 Shiraz
We arrived Shiraz at 8 in the morning and after having breakfast at hotel we started our city tour in Shiraz, which is the city of nightingales, poetry, lush gardens and flowers. First we visited the Naranjestag e Ghavam, which is a beautiful garden with a fancy residential mansion which belonged to the Ghavam Family during the Qajar period. Then we visited the Vakil Bazaar which dates back to Zand Dynasty and is one of the photography spots in Iran. After visiting the Karimkhan Citadel, we head to a painting workshop where the group learned a technique of traditional painting named Gol o Morgh which was invented and practiced in Iran (meaning: the flower and the bird).
Gol o Morgh painting - Shiraz, Iran
The next day we hit the road and moved to Persepolis, the ancient city of Achaemenids and one of the most significant UNESCO World Heritage sites in the world, where the ancient Iranian art blows the mind of every visitor. We spent a couple of hours in the area and travellers enjoyed sketching the glorious ruins of the Persepolis. Then we checked out the Necropolis (Naqshe Rostam) bass reliefs and rock tombs and drove back to Shiraz.
Persepolis bass reliefs
Day 6-8 Yazd
We moved towards Yazd in the morning. On the way we stopped to visit the ancient city of Pasargadae, which is the first capital of Achaemenids built by Cyrus the Great. We also visited the ancient cypress tree and the icehouse at Abarkooh town. The next day, we visited the Tower of Silence and the Fire Temple, which are the legacies of the Zoroastrianism in Yazd. Then we visited some Islamic monument like the Yazd Jame Mosque and then visited a Zoorkhaneh, which is Iranian traditional gym where locals do some practice with symbolic movements and tools. This ritual is a UNESCO World Heritage. The next day we visited the Dowlat Abad Garden ehich is one of the top attractions in Yazd and one of the nine world-known Persian Gardens. Then we enjoyed a lomg walk through the historical city of Yazd and learnt about this magnificent architecture. In the afternoon we went to a painting workshop and did some watercolour painting at the rooftop of the workshop where we enjoyed the city’s landscape from the top.
Historic city of Yazd
Day 9-11 Isfahan
Our next destination was Isfahan, the glorious capital of the Safavids during the 16th and 17th centuries, when the city was one of the most beautiful cities of the world. On the way we visited the Naein Jame Mosque, which is one of the oldest mosques of Iran. Arriving Isfahan, we took a walking tour by the Zayanderud River and visited the historical bridges built over this river. Some of the travellers sat on the benches and did some sketching which was a relaxing experience for them. On day 10, we managed to visit the top highlights of Isfahan including the Naqshe Jahan Square, the historical mosques, the Ali Qapu Palce and the great Chehel Sotun Palace which is an amazing place for exploring Safavid art and wall paintings. Then we joined a traditional painting workshop and learnt about miniature painting which is Iranian style of painting with a rich background during different dynasties. Miniature painting is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage. In Isfahan, we also visited the glorious Jame Mosque of Isfahan where we did some painting at its courtyard, the New Julfa Armenian district and the Vank Church.
Persian Miniature Painting - Isfahan, Iran
Day 12 Maranjab Desert
Today we moved to the heart of the Central Desert of Iran and enjoyed a full day painting and relaxing at Maranjab Desert with its amazing sand dunes and wonderful sky. We spent the night at a cozy and lovely ecolodge.
Maranjab Desert
Day 13-14 Kashan
We left the desert after enjoying the sunrise and having our breakfast and moved to Kashan. Here we visited the UNESCO listed Fin Garden, the historical houses of Kashan, and the traditional bazaar of Kashan, known for its amazing architecture. We did some painting at Aminoddole Caravanserai which is the highlight of this bazaar. In the morning we met a carpet designing master at his workshop and got acquainted with motifs of Persian carpets. Our Iran adventure and artistic tour finished on day 14, when we transferred the group from the beautiful city of Kashan to IKA airport in Tehran. It was a very fun and special unique Iran tour which was a great experience for the PackToIran travel agency, the operating team and especially for the group of travellers.
Historical bazaar - Kashan, Iran
