Courses

Women’s ski camps, Verbier, Switzerland
Element ski school, set up in Verbier last year by a female ski instructor, is running women-only ski “camps” this winter. Weekend and week-long ski schools are aimed at three levels: intermediate, advanced and expert. Skiers get daily video feedback and action plans, plus life-coaching for “women who love mountains”.
About £240 for a weekend, £562 for a week, excluding accommodation and flights, elementconcept.com

All-terrain course, Baqueira Beret, Spain

Ski lift at Baqueira Beret, Spain



Baqueira Beret, Spain. Photograph: Snoworks

Snoworks has a new all-terrain course in Baqueira Beret in the Pyrenees north-west of Andorra. It is open to “adventurous intermediates” and above, and involves five days of off-piste skiing, steep couloirs and heli-ski options. Accommodation is in a four-star chalet.
£1,475 including seven nights half-board, transfers from Toulouse and ski instructor, but excluding flights, 28 January to 4 February, snoworks.co.uk

Accommodation

Moontain Hostel, Oz-en-Oisans, France

Bedroom in Moontain Hostel, Oz-en-Oisans, France



Moontain Hostel, Oz-en-Oisans.

Moontain Hostel is a new pad for skiers on a budget, with dorm beds from just €20 and private rooms from €60. Breakfast is from €7, packed lunch €4 and dinner €10. The hostel is at 1,350 metres in the centre of Oz-en-Oisans, which is linked by pistes and chairlift to Alpe d’Huez and three neighbouring resorts. There’s a handful of bars and restaurants in the village, which is 50km from Grenoble.
moontain-hostel.com

RockyPop Hotel, Chamonix, France

RockyPop Hotel, Les Houches, Chamonix.



RockyPop Hotel, Les Houches, Chamonix.

This hotel/hostel hybrid in Les Houches is another great budget option, with dorm beds from €10, quad rooms from €100 and doubles from €60. It is a fun place to stay, with pop-art-inspired design, a hairdresser, a photo booth and film nights. There are three food counters: serving burgers, pizzas and Savoyard specialities. The bar serves decent cocktails and has live bands and DJ sets. The RockyShuttle heads to the slopes twice a day.
rockypop-chamonix.com

Sport Resort Hohe Salve, Hopfgarten, Austria

Exterior shot of Sport Resort Hohe Salve, Hopfgarten.



Sport Resort Hohe Salve, Hopfgarten. Photograph: sportresorthohesalve.at

The fitness team at this resort work with the University of Innsbruck to put together training programmes for guests, and there is a yoga room, gym and outdoor training area, spa and pool. Beginner skiers who want to get fit are welcome, as are advanced skiers. A cable car runs from Hopfgarten to the top of the Hohe Salve in the SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental ski area.
From €85pp a night half-board, including fitness facilities, opens December, hohesalve.at.

Flights

New routes for skiers this winter include Stansted to Chambéry in the French Alps with BA (twice a week, from £100 return, britishairways.com). This gives easy access to several resorts: Espace Killy, Les Trois Vallées, Paradiski Val d’Isère and Tignes. Delta is flying from Heathrow to Salt Lake City this year, the first time skiers can fly direct to the US resorts of Deer Valley and Park City (up to four times a week, from £885 return, delta.com). They can also reach Jackson Hole with a one-hour onward flight. EasyJet has new flights from Gatwick to Åre-Östersund, Sweden, from 11 December (once a week, from £46 return, easyjet.com). The airport is near two resorts, Åre and Vemdalen, both good for first-time and family skiing.

Destinations

Lech and St Anton, Austria

Rooftops and misty, snowy mountains at St Anton am Arlberg



St Anton am Arlberg. Photograph: Alamy

Lech and St Anton are merging to form Austria’s biggest ski area: 340km of marked ski runs. A new lift between Stuben/Rauz and Zürs will connect the entire Arlberg area. It is best explored on a new 65km, 18,000-vertical-metre ski circuit, the Run of Fame. The route starts in St Anton, heads to Lech and Zürs, then over to Warth and Schröcken, before the White Thrill run back to St Anton.
stantonamarlberg.com

Val d’Isère, France

Solaise village at dusk, lights on, Val d’Isere.



Solaise, Val d’Isere. Photograph: Getty Images

Solaise, one of the two main mountains in Val d’Isère, his just finishing a two-year, €16m redevelopment. The final phase is a new gondola, which opens in December, increasing capacity by 40%, carrying 3,600 passengers an hour and taking just seven minutes to reach the summit. A new day lodge at the top has great views and welcomes picknickers – so no more overpriced resort food. There is also a new beginners’ area, which means novices can enjoy learning at the top of the mountain. Finally, there is a new €35-a-day lift pass for green and blue runs.
valdisere.ski

Events

Slope sommeliers, Alta Badia, Italy

Group of skiers at the Sommeliers on the Slope wine-tasting event



Group of skiers at the Sommeliers on the Slope wine-tasting event Photograph: Getty Images

This event, which was trialled last year, combines ski touring and wine tasting. Skiers are guided between mountain huts by an instructor and a sommelier; the latter gives tutored tastings of local wines at each stop.
€25pp, 19 & 26 January, 9 & 16 February, 9 & 16 March, email [email protected] or call +39 0471 836176

La Grande Première, Val Thorens, France

Skiers take a break in the snow at Val Thorens, from Montagnes.



Skiers take a break at Val Thorens, from Montagnes. Photograph: Cyril Cattin

Val Thorens, Europe’s highest resort, is holding a film premiere-themed opening weekend on 26-27 November. As well as red-carpet fun, there will be activity zones offering tasters of ski touring, carving, snow-scoot trampolines and big-air bags; instructors on hand to guide skiers around the area; the chance to test new ski equipment; and an après-ski show.
From €108pp for a two-day ski pass and apartment, valthorens.com

Trips

Skiing in Iran

Skiers at Shemshak ski resort in northern Tehran



Shemshak ski resort in northern Tehran. Photograph: Alamy

Family skiing in Vemdalen, Sweden

View over houses in Vemdalen, Sweden



Vemdalen, Sweden. Photograph: Alamy

Ski Safari has a new trip to Vemdalen in west Sweden, which has three linked ski areas – Björnrike, Vemdalsskalet and Klövsjö/Storhogna – and activities such as dog sledding and snowmobiling. In Björnrike, the new Sameland is a place to learn about the Sami people, feed the reindeer and have a traditional meal in a Sami house.
From £775pp for a seven-night family trip on 12 February (two adults and two children), including apartment, flights from London to Östersund, and transfers or car hire, skisafari.com

Health and fitness, Morzine, France

Sitting room with open fire in an AliKats chalet.



Sitting room in an AliKats chalet. Photograph: Damian McArthur

AliKats Mountain Holidays is running a health and fitness week in its luxury chalets in Morzine, with activities before and after skiing. They include stretching, yoga, pilates, trail running and sports massage, plus four days’ skiing with an instructor and two days of free skiing. There’s healthy food on the menu, and a hot tub and sauna for aching muscles.
From £995pp full-board, excluding flights, 2-9 April, alikats.eu

Ski with Eddie the Eagle, Kicking Horse, Canada

Eddie the Eagle.



Eddie the Eagle. Photograph: Alex Grimm/Getty Images

OK, it’s far too expensive for most of us, but superfans might be tempted by a week’s skiing with Eddie the Eagle. The trip involves six days of skiing in three resorts – Kicking Horse, Lake Louise and Revelstoke; a tour of the Olympic Park in Calgary where Eddie became a ski-jump legend in 1988; and a snowmobile evening.
£2,595pp, including accommodation in a boutique hotel, meals, activities and transfers from Calgary, but not flights, kickinghorsepowdertours.com

Activities

Zipwire, Ischgl, Austria

A woman riding the Skyfly Ischgl zipwire, which operates all year.



Skyfly Ischgl operates all year. Photograph: Stefan Kuerzi

Skyfly, a 2km twin zipwire from mountain to valley in Ischgl, is a new way to reach the après-ski pronto, after a hard day on the slopes. It starts at the Silvretta gondola mid-station and lands on the valley station of the Pardatschgrat gondola; cables are 50m above the ground and riders can reach speeds of up to 84kmph (52mph). Ski and snowboard gear can be hooked up to fly down with the owners; it beats queueing for the gondola.
€35 adults/€21 children, ischgl.com

Ratepost

 

In a leafy street in Isfahan’s laid-back but ancient Jolfa quarter, away from Imam Square and the bazaar for which the city is renowned, the Isfahan Music Museum provides welcome refuge. A love letter to Iran’s rich musical heritage, the small museum is much more than a series of instruments hanging on a wall. Founded and funded by local musicians Mehrdad Jeihooni and Shahriar Shokrani in December 2015, it showcases more than 300 instruments from around Iran, many unchanged from their depictions in centuries-old paintings or miniatures on display around the city’s historic sites.

Bookshop and outdoor cafe at Isfahan Music Museum, Isfahan, Iran



Bookshop and outdoor cafe

These instruments include the kamancheh, thought to be the ancestor of the modern violin and the tar, supposedly the precursor of the guitar. There is also a variety of animal-skin drums, reed flutes (ney), nomadic camel bells and a majestic harp, all in beautifully lit glass cabinets on crisp white walls, with descriptions in English and Farsi. (Visitors are welcome to pick up and try the less precious pieces.) After a guided tour – whether for one person or a group of 20 – the visit culminates in a small, intimate performance, where traditional love songs and Persian poetry are played by modern masters.

Instruments on display at Isfahan Music Museum, Isfahan, Iran.


In the short time it has been open, the museum has received two awards, the latest from the International Council of Museums (Icom) for the best private museum in Iran. Even those who are not music fans will be entranced by the energy, warmth and sheer joy Mehrdad and Shahriar exude at the sight of visitors.

“We are mad! Totally mad for music,” acknowledges Mehrdad, a broad smile appearing beneath his impressive moustache.

Admission £6.50, 74 Mehrdad Street, isfahanmusicmuseum.com. Open daily 9am-1.30pm, 3pm-9pm

 

Ratepost

My beloved British friends! It has been 25 years since I threw that goodbye party in Brixton, complete with saffron-laden rice dishes, to bid you farewell before I returned to Iran. You were the cast of my life from the day I arrived as a homesick 12-year-old. From schoolgirl, to undergraduate, to Londoner, you were at my side.

Yet, in a quarter-century, none of you has accepted my offer of coming to visit me here. The image of Iran is so calcified by its politics that not even one of your own could persuade you to come and explore for yourself. This is my last-ditch invitation: maybe you’ll get over that psychological hurdle and catch the six-hour flight to Tehran.

You will need to organise a visa and travel through a tour operator though, since Britons can’t get a visa at the door, unlike many other nationalities. But that is easily done, so many Britons and Americans are visiting these days – and from Monday British Airways has daily flights to Tehran from London.

Iranian women walk past a mural outside the former US embassy in Tehran.



A mural outside the former US embassy in Tehran. Photograph: Alamy

The capital. This is where you’ll get a chance to see, first-hand, the Iran you know from news bulletins. The wall murals often seen in stock media images are a great way to step into the recent history of the place. They lionise revolutionary leaders and, more poignantly, memorialise martyrs of the eight-year war with Iraq. Almost every street is named after someone lost in that war. The murals provide an insight into the country’s priorities: from the zeal of early revolution and war to the contemporary penchant for the decorative. The walls of the US embassy, now officially referred to as “the nest of spies”, will provide selfie backdrops to shake your Instagram feed.

Having explored the political veneer of the city, we’ll head to Golestan Palace in the heart of old Tehran. Here, Nassereddin Shah, the 19th-century Qajar king, introduced photography to Iran and practised his hobby taking pictures of the moustachioed women of his harem. The palace has an impressive archive of Iranian photography, thanks to him.

You have to go … Golestan Palace, Tehran. Image shows intricate carvings and marble table.



Golestan Palace, Tehran. Photograph: Alamy

By now you’ll be hungry, so we’ll take a short walk to the entrance of the Grand Bazaar, the bustling hub of commercial activity. You can find almost anything here, but we are stopping for the famous lunch at “>Moslem restaurant. We’ll queue to get into this congested delight, but it’s worth it: it serves the best tah-chin in town. Portions of saffron and yogurt rice, served with chicken and barberries, easily feed two Iranians – and we know how to eat!

Moving on, we will go find Tehran’s buzzing art scene, where the young and the hip spend Friday afternoons gallery-hopping. New galleries around town are helping regenerate the old centre of Tehran: these include Aaran Gallery (12 Dey Street) which showcases work by young Iranian artists. As we head north, we’ll pop into Ag Gallery (3 Peysan Street) for photography, via Dastan’s Basement (6 Bidar Street) a bijou gallery where the art is still affordable.

Perhaps we’ll grab a Persian herbal infusion in one of the many new coffee shops, as the après art scene requires – you won’t see a Starbucks or McDonald’s while you’re here. Now, there’s an incentive.

Kashan

Manouchehri House, a boutique hotel in Kashan, Iran



Manouchehri House, a boutique hotel in Kashan

Many Iranians like to go north to take in the Caspian Sea’s lush vegetation and humid climate. But most foreign visitors go south to see the historic cities of Isfahan, Shiraz and Yazd. We’ll start in Kashan, the gateway city to the central desert region and will stay at Manouchehri House (doubles from £70), a 19th-century property, now a boutique hotel, renovated even as the country was experiencing the worst of the sanctions.

When many people were thinking of leaving, the owner raised this house from a heap of dust and rubble. We all thought she was crazy but, these days, booking in advance is necessary to enjoy a night in what is now an admired example of architectural renovation. Tehranis, tired of the crowds and the villas that have mushroomed in the Caspian region, now run to the desert to buy and rebuild abandoned homes.

Fin Garden, Kashan, Iran.



Fin Garden. Photograph: Alamy

In Kashan we’ll also visit the Agha Bozorgi seminary, the only mosque in Iran with a sunken garden. Before we turn away from the city, we’ll visit Fin Garden too, which had the dubious honour of housing Amir Kabir, one of Iran’s modernising prime ministers in exile. He was killed in the bath house. To lighten the mood, we’ll grab a kebab, sitting on beds alfresco, at Gholam’s Kebab House before hitting the motorway towards Yazd.

On the way to Yazd

Aghda old town, Iran



Aghda old town. Photograph: Haleh Anvari

There can be stops at any town that takes your fancy as we travel along the edge of Dasht-e Kavir, one of Iran’s two central deserts. There are significant historical sites in Natanz, Naeen and Ardestan, the latter home to a mosque built on the remains of a Zoroastrian fire temple dating from 1158. There’s also the Moon Qanat, an ancient double-tier aqueduct. The underground irrigation system associated with it dates from 1,000BC, and is an early technological wonder that brought water to Persia’s many arid cities, employing a system of underground wells and canals.

It’s a long journey, so we’ll stop for the night at Aghda, famous for its pomegranates, where the old town has been abandoned in favour of modern housing. The mainly uninhabited neighbourhood makes for an evocative stroll. One of the larger houses has been restored as the cosy Khaloo Mirza hotel (doubles from £25). Here, we’ll sleep on floor mats in shared rooms, traditional Iranian style. Food is provided by the hotelier’s aunt from a large kitchen, and it will no doubt include Aghda’s superb pomegranate paste.

Camping in Dashte E Kavir

Kavir-e Lut Desert

Kavir-e Lut desert. Photograph: Brian A Vikander/Getty Images

Before getting to Yazd, we’ll make a detour to join an off-road group to camp amid the desert dunes, where the landscape is spectacular and the unexpected flora otherworldly. This vast landscape is not a place to go on your own, so we’ll join Hamid Boreiri, who has been leading groups on desert excursions for 19 years (zistnc.com).

Everyone brings their own 4WD vehicle (spare seats are shared around). We’ll help dig the car out of soft sand as we traverse the dunes, and pitch camp ourselves – it’s tents and sleeping bags here. Travellers report that they feel a surge of energy under the desert skies. Walking barefoot in the sand exfoliates your feet but it also cleanses the soul. You certainly come out of the desert feeling lighter. Maybe it’s to do with the salt in the sand; these deserts were once seas. Maybe the feminine curves of the dunes suggest a softer place. That said, all that screaming as vehicles crest the dunes is cathartic!

Yazd

Takyeh Amir Chakhmagh in Yazd

Amir Chakhmagh. Photograph: Getty Images

To Yazd, the city of wind towers, which suck the hot desert air down on to a shallow pool of water and cool the house. One of these has been recreated in a wonderland mall in Dubai but here, in Dowlatabad Garden, we can see the tallest functioning wind tower in the world. No other city in Iran has been preserved so meticulously by its residents, who have resisted the lure of building the classical pastiche high-rises so beloved of the nouveau riche in Tehran.

The city has strong associations with Iran’s pre-Islamic religion. Zoroastrians gather annually at Chak Chak, a mountainside temple closed to Muslims. But we can visit a functioning fire temple in town and make the hike to the Towers of Silence where, until 70 years ago, bodies of dead Zoroastrians were left to be consumed by carrion birds. Follow me to the Khalifa pastry shop and order its famed Yazdi delicacies of baghlava and sweetmeats to take back home.

Amir Chakhmagh, a three-storey structure known as a hosseinieh – for commemoration ceremonies – will bring us back to Iran’s present Shia rituals. This is a place where the martyrdom of Imam Hossein is marked each year. The large wooden nakhl, representing a palm that carried his body, is dressed in black decorative cloth and used as the centrepiece for the mourning processions of Ashura every year.

Rest will come at Khan restaurant, once a typical Iranian hammam, before we go to sample broad bean and dill rice with lamb at Talar Yazd restaurant. We’ll stay in Moshirolmamalek hotel (doubles from £115 B&B) with its own Persian garden on the edge of the city.

Shiraz

A boy runs between pillars at the Vakil mosque in Shiraz, Iran.



A boy runs between pillars at the Vakil mosque in Shiraz. Photograph: Pascal Mannaerts/Barcroft Images

How can we not visit Shiraz, the garden of Iran and the heart of its poetic soul? Venerated poets Sa’di and Hafez are buried here. Iranians use Hafez’s mystic poetry for divinations, and visit his grave as if on a secular pilgrimage. Although we will have to dash to see all that is on offer here, dashing is not the Shirazi way. Whereas Isfahanis are famous for their quick wit and love of money, Shirazis are known for their appreciation of a gentler lifestyle centred on the city’s many private and public gardens. The city has a fine selection of accessible Persian gardens, including Eram, Jahan-nama, and Delgosha, and the newly reopened Shapouri Pavilion Garden includes a new restaurant where we can take the weight off our feet.

Vakil bazaar in Shiraz.

Vakil bazaar. Photograph: Emad Aljumah/Getty Images

The city’s sublime air, laced with the scent of orange blossom wafting from the many citrus orchards, is legendary. The Shirazi aromatic lime is indispensable to our cooking, and is served liberally with faloodeh, the local frozen noodle dessert. The Vakil bazaar is one of the most colourful in the country. The proximity of Shiraz to the homelands of nomadic tribes means the place is full of the bright, glittery fabrics favoured for traditional clothes.

Not far from the bazaar is the Shahcheragh mausoleum, a Shia shrine with mirror-work decorations that have inspired contemporary artists including Monir Farmanfarmaian. Here, you do have to wear a chador – they are provided at the door and are not black. After a long day, perhaps we’ll stay at the new Shiraz Grand Hotel (doubles from £130 B&B) by Qur’an Gate, an example of the new modern architecture that is popping up around Shiraz.

Persepolis

Xerxes’ Gateway, also known as the Gate of All Nations, at Persepolis, near Shiraz, Iran.



Xerxes’ Gateway, also known as the Gate of All Nations, at Persepolis. Photograph: Alamy

An hour’s drive north-east of Shiraz is our portal to the ancient past. Persepolis, the ceremonial palace built by the Achaemenid king Darius in 518BC, was a significant site in the Persian empire. Our ancient history is sometimes lost in the noise of contemporary politics, but images and words from this era abound in our daily life, serving as the glue that binds the nation. The Achaemenids were expansionists and ruled more than 40% of the then known world, but the fact that the palace was built by hired hands and not slaves marks the Achaemenids as progressive for their time.

As we will see, the surprisingly well-preserved bas-reliefs show guests from the many nations of the empire arriving at the palace bearing gifts. Among imposing statues of mythical animals are the well-known winged bulls, guardians of the palace. Sadly they didn’t deter Alexander the Macedonian (who does not go by the title of “Great” in this country) from burning the place down.

Next morning, on our way to Isfahan, we’ll stop at Pasargad, the Tomb of Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian empire and the first king of Iranians. His sarcophagus stands without pomp on a windswept plain. In 1971, Mohammad Reza Shah held a huge ceremony to mark 2,500 years of monarchy in Iran. His famous words – “Cyrus sleep easy for we are awake” – became the words of the last Iranian king to its first. The revolution followed eight years later.

Isfahan

Mosque in Imam Square, Isfahan Iran.



Mosque in Imam Square, Isfahan Iran. Photograph: Alamy

Isfahan should always be the last city on any travel itinerary in Iran. OK, I’m biased (it is my home town) but this truly is the jewel in the crown. Most of what we’ll see was built by Shah Abbas in the 17th century, when his capital was established here. The magnificent Naghshe Jahan Square, with its turquoise domes, and palace of Alighapou, positioned around an old polo field, are wondrous and you’ll want to see them again and again.

This is a living and working neighbourhood: Isfahanis still come to procure spices and jewellery in the old Gheisariyeh bazaar, and the surrounding passageways bustle with artisans making handicrafts. My favourite is the coppersmiths’ passage, where the cacophony of beating hammers is a centuries-old sound. Another joy is the ceiling of the Lotfollah mosque. Here, the design of the tiles creates the same sensation as watching a starry night, drawing you upwards as if falling into the sky. Not far away is the Jameh mosque, one of the oldest in the country, rebuilt in the 11th century. No colourful tiles here: the wonder is in the patterns and craftsmanship of the brickworks.

Fine dining … the restaurant at the Abbasi hotel, Isfahan, Iran.



Fine dining … the restaurant at the Abbasi hotel. Photograph: Abassi Hotel

Finally, a major feature of Isfahan is the river, along the banks of which Isfahanis go to take the air. There are a number of old bridges here, from the plain-brick Si-o-se pol with its 33 arches, to the Khaju bridge with its decorative motifs and tiles, where the king would sit to enjoy the sound of water falling over specially designed steps. Nowadays, the river runs dry most of the year, but that hasn’t stopped Isfahanis continuing to use its banks in their leisure time.

Staying in the Abbasi hotel (doubles from £130 B&B) is a must. The old caravanserai has been converted into possibly the most beautiful hotel Iran has to offer. The quince-laden trees and the dome of the Chaharbagh seminary visible in the garden make this a magical end to your stay.

But only if you come!

Sound advice

Showing musical instruments being played is still banned on Iranian television but concerts are held regularly in Tehran. Visit Iran Music for details and catch a live gig.

State of the art

Housed in two renovated old houses in Tehran are Gallery O and Ab-anabar, both of which showcase cutting-edge art in what were once Tehran’s modern houses.

Ratepost

Five Instagram feeds to follow

Tiling in Golestan palace, Iran.



Tiling in Golestan palace

A useful first port of call is Tourism Iran’s official feed, which shows the kaleidoscopic mosaics of the country’s mosques and palaces, countryside, bustling and hill villages, as well as portraits of local workers.

Women getting ready to roller skate at Azadi Sports Complex, Tehran, Iran.



Women getting ready to roller skate at Azadi Sports Complex, Tehran.

A mobile photographic project inspired by @everydayafrica offering snapshots curated from several photographers. It aims to reflect real life.

Autumn in a forest in Gilan province, Iran.



Autumn in a forest in Gilan province.

Ali Shokri is based in Tabriz and focuses on the country’s diverse landscapes, from the rainbow-coloured mountains of Aladağlar to the forests, rivers and waterfalls of Gilan province.

Ceiling of Shahe cheragh shrine in Shiraz, Iran.



Ceiling of Shahe cheragh shrine in Shiraz, Iran.

Mehrdad’s feed provides a document of Iran’s history and culture through architecture. Mosques are shown with symmetry and colour; other shots are like gazing into the milky way.

Aerial view of Iranian food, stews and vegetable dishes, laid out on a table.


The page is a riot of colour, full of beautifully prepared and presented shots of dishes such as gheimeh (a stew of meat, tomatoes, split peas, onion and dried lime), havij polo (rice with carrots, topped with chicken and barberry), and homemade pickles.

Inspiration: five films to watch

Actors Peyman Moaadi (left) and Sarina Farhadi in a scene from director Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation.



Actors Peyman Moaadi (left) and Sarina Farhadi in a scene from director Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation

The Lover’s Wind
Albert Lamorisse’s 1970s doc provides a superb view of Iran from the air.

Ganj-e Qarun
Melodrama in which a rich man finds compassion in his abandoned son.

The Lizard
Post-revolutionary comedy about a thief on the run from the law.

Border Cafe
A widow’s struggle to maintain her independence by running a cafe.

A Separation
A story of Iranian family life, this won the best foreign film Oscar in 2012.

Five tour operators to try

The dome of Sheikh Lotfollah mosque, Isfahan, Iran, seen at night.



The dome of Sheikh Lotfollah mosque, Isfahan. Photograph: Pascal Mannaerts

Inspiration: five books to read

My Uncle Napoleon by Iraj Pezeshkzad
Satire about a family under the patronage of a British-fearing patriarch.

Hajji Baba of Ispahan by James Morier
19th-century tale that gives an insight into Orientalist attitudes to Iranians.

All the Shah’s Men by Stephen Kinzer
Iran’s attitude to the west seen through the 1953 coup that toppled its premier.

Stories from Iran
35 shorts from contemporary writers

Tehran Noir, edited by Salar Abdoh
Short story collection by young writers writing in, and about, Tehran

Ratepost

Imagine a verdant, landscape filled with rice paddies, tea plantations and olive groves. A land where you can hike up mountains in the thick mist of the morning and picnic by waterfalls on sun-weathered rocks in the afternoon. A land filled with golden apricots that taste like honey, peaches so succulent you barely notice the sweet juice that runs down your chin, and small black figs, firm and velvety to the touch, that erupt with jammy stickiness as you tear them open. I enjoyed all of these delights and more when I travelled through Iran in search of the secrets of the Persian kitchen.

On my journey, I cooked and feasted with Iranians of all walks of life who welcomed me into their homes to share their favourite recipes. In a country most commonly viewed through the narrow prism of its politics, food is a wonderful vehicle for discovery. A really good meal is something everyone can relate to.

Those unfamiliar with Iranian food often assume that it is fiery or spicy, perhaps befitting the country’s climate or politics. But it is, in fact, gentle and soothing, a poetic balance of subtle spices such as dried limes, saffron and rosewater. Slow-cooked stews, known as khoresh, and elaborate rice dishes layered with herbs, vegetables, nuts and dried fruit are the bedrocks of Persian cuisine, creating a dazzling mosaic of scents, textures and colours at the dining table. Regional and seasonal delicacies are plentiful, making the most of Iran’s bountiful produce.

Traditional dizi stew in 2 pots with flatbread



Traditional dizi stew is made to an ancient recipe. Photograph: Kaveh Kazemi/Getty Images

My journey started in Tabriz, in north-west Iran, a place of culinary connection for centuries, a trading crossroads connecting the Caucasus, the Middle East and Europe. Tabriz was one of the capitals of the old Persian empire, famed for its bazaar, where spices from India and China were sold alongside delicate silks and intricately patterned carpets.

Today, the bazaar is a Unesco world heritage site and nearby is one of the best places in town to sample to city’s signature dish, kofte tabrizi. Shariar Traditional Restaurant (corner of Tarbiyat Street, +98 41 554 0057) is converted from one of the city’s old hammams, and the lamb meatballs are the size of your fist, stuffed with hard-boiled eggs, walnuts and dried plums. They are served in a tomato and saffron sauce that’s mopped up with warm flatbreads.

Tabriz also has some of Iran’s most comforting street food. I was shown around town by psychology student Yasamin Bahmani, who took me on a stroll around El Goli park with its famed Persian garden, insisting every few hundred metres that we stop at one of the street stalls that line the paths. We feasted on mashed potato and hard boiled eggs, smothered in thick slabs of melting butter, sprinkled with dried mint and wrapped in a warm flatbread, and tender steamed purple and yellow beetroot that we sprinkled generously with sumac.

A man roasting corn at a street stall in Darband.

A man roasting corn at a street stall in Darband. Photograph: Amos Chapple/Getty Images/Lonely Planet Images

Heading south, I hit the coast of the Caspian Sea and the rolling green hills of the Gilan province, famed for its river fish and caviar. The cuisine of Gilan is as green as its landscapes, making it the best place in Iran for vegetarians. Aubergines and garlic appeared at every meal, alongside the mounds of fresh coriander, parsley and dill that are used to create fragrant bases for stews and emerald-green kuku (a type of frittata).

I spent an afternoon with farmer Roya Baighi, who taught me how to cook torshi-tareh, an elegant green stew made from herbs we picked from her garden. It was bursting with flavour and virtuosity. Gilan is also home to one of Iran’s most famous dishes: fesenjoon, chicken poached in an earthy sweet-and-sour sauce of ground walnuts and pomegranates. I enjoyed it at Mahtab restaurant in Lahijan (Golestan Square, +98 141 422 2963), with white rice and crisp, buttery tahdig, the golden saffron-infused rice crust that Iranians prize so much.

This atmospheric restaurant celebrates Gilaki culture with a menu of regional dishes, and live folk music in the evenings. It is adjacent to one of Gilan’s most popular tourist attractions, Lahijan lake and promenade, which are a perfect spot to walk off any overindulgence.

The Koohpayeh restaurant in Darband.



The Koohpayeh restaurant in Darband.

No trip to the region would be complete without sampling koloocheh, small pastries stuffed with ground walnuts, cinnamon and cardamom which are the speciality of Fuman, a small town in the south-west of the province. Stalls all over town sell these baked treats and they were particularly welcome, washed down with dainty glasses of black tea, after a rigorous hike in the surrounding hills.

Tehran is filled with upscale restaurants serving dishes ranging from sushi and frozen yoghurt to dizi, a lamb, chickpea and potato stew made to a centuries-old recipe, cooked in a clay pot for several hours until the meat is so tender it can be mashed into a paste with a fork. The best local feasting, though, is in Darband, a neighbourhood in the north of the city at the foot of the Alborz mountains. It’s a district of narrow winding mountain paths lined with trees adorned with fairy lights. Koohpayeh restaurant is about a 10-minute walk up the Darband hill and provides a scenic backdrop for sampling some of the city’s finest juicy lamb kebabs. Finish the night by relaxing on faded Persian carpets in one of the many small wooden pavilions up and down the road and join the locals in smoking some apple-flavoured shishas.

In central Iran, I visited saffron farms, rosewater festivals and pomegranate orchards, discovering the history and horticulture behind Iran’s most evocative ingredients. The pomegranate is indigenous to Iran and, in ancient Persian mythology, the hero warrior Isfandiar is said to have eaten its seeds and become invincible.

Yasmin Khan choosing pomegranates, the nation’s favourite fruit, at an Iranian market.



Yasmin Khan choosing pomegranates, the nation’s favourite fruit, at an Iranian market. Photograph: Shahrzad Darafsheh

Today, pomegranates retain their near-mythical status and are revered as the nation’s favourite fruit. As well as being enjoyed on their own – their scarlet seeds sprinkled with a pinch of golpar, an earthy, citrussy spice – they are also salted, dried and pounded into fruit leathers or cooked into molasses to be added to savoury dishes.

The city of Shiraz is synonymous with poetry, and with the roses that flourish in the town’s famed garden, Bagh-e Eram. Roses are indigenous to Iran and it was here that the petals were first distilled into rosewater, over 2,500 years ago. Today, this is mainly used in desserts such as faloodeh, an aromatic and refreshing rosewater and lime sorbet with frozen vermicelli. The Hafez garden is one of the best places to sample this local speciality and I was taken there by Shahin Hojabrafkan, a handsome and charming secondhand car salesman. We sat overlooking Hafez’s shrine, squeezing wedges of lime into our fragrant rosewater-infused sorbets and watching a steady stream of Iranians pay reverence to their most cherished poet.

Central Iran is also home to the country’s finest pistachios, which feature in both sweet and savoury dishes. My favourite way to enjoy their creamy texture is at one of the many ice-cream parlours in the ancient city of Isfahan at night, such as Mahfal ice-cream on Makineh Khajoo. One of the most moreish is bastani akbar mashti, a saffron and rosewater custard ice-cream flecked with toasted pistachios.

Waiter serving lunch, Iranian style, pouring dizi stew into a bowl.

Waiter serving lunch, Iranian style. Photograph: Jason Edwards/National Geographic/Getty Images

The final stop on my travels was the southern port town of Bandar Abbas, on the Persian Gulf. Bandar, as it is known, is a town of scorching sunshine, warm blue waters and towering palms, and was once an important post on the spice route from India to Europe. By contrast with the rest of Iranian cuisine, the food of this region is an assault on the senses – a thrilling mix of Persian, Indian and Arabian flavours. Tropical fruits, such as mangos, pineapples and guavas, are picked green and used for Indian-style pickles, and seafood from the warm Persian Gulf is stewed, grilled as kebabs, or fermented, dried and ground into powders and pastes.

The best place to sample the day’s catch is at the fish market, where burly men shout their deals of the day and women crouch on the floor next to them, deftly shelling prawns. Next to the market, a row of fish restaurants serve specialities including ghaleyeh maygoo – a prawn, fresh coriander and tamarind stew – and small spicy fishcakes called kuku-ye mahi, .

Travellers in Iran are always met with warmth and hospitality: it is not uncommon to be invited to an Iranian home for dinner after just exchanging a few pleasantries. For those wishing to expand their culinary knowledge, or simply enjoy one of the most sophisticated cuisines in the world, Iran offers a wealth of culinary delights. The only challenge for most visitors will be squeezing into their jeans at the end of the trip.

Ratepost