Day 04 - Shiraz – Yazd (B, L, D)
After breakfast at the hotel and check out, depart for Yazd. En route, stop at Persepolis (1 hour), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The earliest remains of Persepolis date back to 515 BC. Continue to the Naqsh-e-Rustam (15 minutes), an ancient necropolis with reliefs from the Achaemenid and Sassanid periods. Next, visit Pasargadae, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1 hour). It was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great (559 – 530 BC). Proceed to Yazd and check in at the hotel upon arrival (4 hours). Then, visit the Jame Mosque for prayers and see the complex that is depicted on the back of the 200 riyal banknote. Next, see the Takhti’s Zoorkhane, an Iranian martial art that combines elements of Islam, Gnosticism, and ancient Persian beliefs. Continue to Amir Chakhmaq Complex, noted for its symmetrical sunken alcoves. Return to the hotel and overnight in Yazd.