Shiraz Travel Guide

Travel Guide to Shiraz

Get familiar with top sights, find itineraries, accommodations and tours

General Information

Shiraz is the sixth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars Province (Old Persian as Pârsâ). At the 2011 census, the population of the city was 1,710,000 and its built-up area with "Shahr-e Jadid-e Sadra" (Sadra New Town) was home to 1,500,644 inhabitants. Shiraz is located in the southwest of Iran on the "Roodkhaneye Khoshk" (The Dry River) seasonal river. It has a moderate climate and has been a regional trade center for over a thousand years. Shiraz is one of the oldest cities of ancient Persia.

The earliest reference to the city, as Tiraziš, is on Elamite clay tablets dated to 2000 BC. In the 13th century, Shiraz became a leading center of the arts and letters, due to the encouragement of its ruler and the presence of many Persian scholars and artists. It was the capital of Persia during the Zand dynasty from 1750 until 1800. Two famous poets of Iran, Hafez and Saadi, are from Shiraz, whose tombs are on the north side of the current city boundaries.

Shiraz is known as the city of poets, literature, wine and flowers. It is also considered by many Iranians to be the city of gardens, due to the many gardens and fruit trees that can be seen in the city, for example Eram Garden.

Shiraz has had major Jewish and Christian communities. The crafts of Shiraz consist of inlaid mosaic work of triangular design; silver-ware; pile carpet-weaving and weaving of kilim, called gilim and jajim in the villages and among the tribes. In Shiraz industries such as cement production, sugar, fertilizers, textile products, wood products, metalwork and rugs dominate.

Based on Wikipedia Shirāz also has a major oil refinery and is also a major center for Iran's electronic industries: 53% of Iran's electronic investment has been centered in Shiraz. Shiraz is home to Iran's first solar power plant. Recently the city's first wind turbine has been installed above Babakoohi mountain near the city.

Get in and around

Shiraz International Airport (SYZ) has regular flights to all major and some smaller cities in Iran. There are International flights to Istanbul,Dubai, Sharjah,Kuwait, Doha.

Motorways connect the city to Isfahan, Kerman, Bushehr, Ahvaz and Yasouj, and Bandar-e Abbas is reachable by highway.

Shiraz is well connected to most parts of the country by bus. The main bus terminal is 4 km from the city center. Buses to Yazd take 6 hours; to Isfahan it is 7 hours.

Shiraz Train station has recently been finished and there are Trains to Tehran but not to Esfahan. However, the bus journey is shorter so that might be recommended.

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Top sights & Things to do

When to visit?

Shiraz’s hot, dry summers (Jun–Sep) are the most popular time to visit. Winters (Dec–Feb) are mild, with moderate rainfall. During the month of Ramadan (varies depending on the Islamic calendar), many businesses are closed during daylight fasting hours. July is the warmest month of the year. The temperature in July averages 28.1 °C. In January, the average temperature is 6.0 °C. It is the lowest average temperature of the whole year.There is a difference of 85 mm of precipitation between the driest and wettest months. The average temperatures vary during the year by 22.1 °C.

  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
High/Low temperatures
12°
15°
19°
25°
10°
31°
14°
36°
18°
38°
21°
37°
20°
34°
15°
28°
10°
21°
15°
Chance of precipitation
16%
13%
12%
7%
2%
2%
1%
1%
0%
2%
7%
10%
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