Yazd Travel Guide

Travel Guide to Yazd

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General Information

The name is derived from Yazdegerd I, a Sassanid ruler of Persia. The city was definitely a Zoroastrian center during Sassanid times. After the Arab conquest of Iran, many Zoroastrians migrated to Yazd from neighboring provinces. By paying a levy, Yazd was allowed to remain Zoroastrian even after its conquest, and Islam only gradually became the dominant religion in the city.

Because of its remote desert location and the difficulty of access, Yazd remained largely immune to large battles and the destruction and ravages of war. For instance, it was a haven for those fleeing from destruction in other parts of Persian Empire during the Mongol invasion. In 1272 it was visited by Marco Polo, who remarked on the city's fine silk-weaving industry. In the book The Travels of Marco Polo, he described Yazd in the following way:

It is a good and noble city, and has a great amount of trade. They weave there quantities of a certain silk tissue known as Yasdi, which merchants carry into many quarters to dispose of. When you leave this city to travel further, you ride for seven days over great plains, finding harbour to receive you at three places only. There are many fine woods producing dates upon the way, such as one can easily ride through; and in them there is great sport to be had in hunting and hawking, there being partridges and quails and abundance of other game, so that the merchants who pass that way have plenty of diversion. There are also wild asses, handsome creatures. At the end of those seven marches over the plain, you come to a fine kingdom which is called Kerman.

Yazd briefly served as the capital of the Muzaffarid Dynasty in the fourteenth century, and was unsuccessfully besieged in 1350–1351 by the Injuids under Shaikh Abu Ishaq. The Friday (or Congregation) mosque, arguably the city's greatest architectural landmark, as well as other important buildings, date to this period. During the Qajar dynasty (18th century AD) it was ruled by the Bakhtiari Khans.

Based on Wikipedia, one of the notable things about Yazd is its family-centered culture. According to official statistics from Iran's National Organization for Civil Registration, Yazd is among the three cities with the lowest divorce rates in Iran. The entire city of Yazd is a must-see attraction of Iran and it's one of the world heritage based on UNESCO.

Get in and around

There are international flights to Dubai and Damascus and daily flights to / from Tehran.

Yazd is well-served by highways. Taxis are inexpensive, if you can agree about a local price, but many try to overcharge tourists.

Yazd is well connected to most parts of Iran by bus. From Tehran the busiest and most comfortable bus terminal to get to Yazd is Beyhaghi terminal (known also as Argentina terminal) and Southern Terminal.

Yazd stands on the railway line connecting Tehran and Kerman (6 hr), passing Kashan (3-4 hr). Several trains per day including one overnight one. There is also one train daily which passes Isfahan (3-4 hr). There is no train connection to Shiraz.

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Top sights & Things to do

When to visit?

Spring and autumn is best time to visit. Yazd is the driest major city in Iran, with a yearly precipitation amount of 49 millimetres and only 23 days of precipitation, which is also the hottest city north of the Persian Gulf coast, with summer temperatures very frequently above 40 °C  in blazing sunshine with no humidity. Even at night the temperatures in summer are rather uncomfortable. In the winter, the days remain mild and sunny, but in the morning the thin air and low cloudiness cause cold temperatures that can sometimes fall well below 0 °C.

  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
High/Low temperatures
13°
16°
21°
27°
14°
32°
19°
38°
24°
40°
26°
38°
24°
35°
19°
28°
13°
20°
14°
Chance of precipitation
6%
2%
3%
4%
2%
3%
0%
0%
0%
0%
3%
5%
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Recommended Accommodation