Hike to a Zaroastrian Fire Temple

One of my favourite places in (or near) Isfahan was Âtašgâh, an ancient Zoroastrian fire temple on a hill which dates to before the 6th century. 

The path before us. 

We opted against a ride to the top on this guy even though he was so charming.

Almost up the steep slope!

 

Made it!

 

 Standing in the pit of the sacred fire.  Fire was revered by the Zoroastrians and still figures in present-day Iranian rituals, such as during Chahar Shanbeh Soori (the last Wednesday night of the Persian calendar), when people jump over bonfires.

The view from the top!

From Starbucks to Domino's Pizza...

Pizza is also becoming popular in Iran, luckily for me since pizza was one of the few vegetarian options when eating out.  Who knew Domino's delivered in Iran?!

Iranians do pizza a little differently than North Americans...

Ketchup and mayonnaise on your pizza is a must!

Toppings include shrimp, turkey and tongue:

Pizza party with the inlaws:

Iranian Starbucks!

Ok, not real Starbucks (but as usual Iranians don't mind pilfering the logo!).  Coffee shops are becoming popular meeting places for the young and hip.  The Christian area of Julfa has many coffee shops since the Armenian population is partial to coffee (unlike most Iranians, who prefer tea).  We stopped in to a coffee shop in this area and had delightful cappuccinos.  The cost was equivalent to an American Starbucks--about $5 per cup.  That would be like an American paying $15 a cup!

Even though I'm not a big coffee drinker, after many days of Iranian-style tea, I was craving a little variety.  Iranian coffee didn't disappoint!  My sister-in-law enjoying her cappuccino:

The giant coffee pot in the middle of the store (which otherwise looked like a hip, modern Western cafe):

Catholics in Isfahan (or Lack Thereof)

At one point there was a decent-sized Catholic community in Isfahan, but I could not find any functioning Catholic churches while I was there (though any information about Christians in general was very hard to come by).  In the Armenian Christian neighbourhood of Julfa there is a Catholic Street:

Lo and behold, there was a Catholic church at the end of the street.  Above you can make out the dome.

The entrance (note the male and female door knockers).

Apparently, the church was renovated in 1927.  My husband found the caretaker and was able to get us inside:

The caretaker told us that they are waiting on the Vatican to send an expert to approve and begin a new renovation.

My Christmas in Isfahan

It was difficult being away from my family at Christmas (my first ever away from them!).  However, we took along some Christmas cheer in our suitcases.

We made sure our stockings were hung...

and lo and behold, Santa seemed to make it all the way to Isfahan!

Too bad Christmas is a work day for some...

Luckily there's time to party later on.

Though there's no place like home for the holidays, my new Iranian family made pretty good Christmas companions, especially for first-timers!

Christmas in Iran

In honour of Christmas in July, here is a post about Christmastime in Isfahan.

 In New Julfa, the Armenian Christian neighbourhood of Isfahan, there were signs of Christmas around.  Shop windows were decorated for the season:

Even the locals were getting into the Christmas spirit:



Above is a tree set up in a luxury mall in Julfa (note the Dolce and Gabbana store!).

At the Vank (Armenian Orthodox) Cathedral the visitors were excited to take photos with the Christmas decor:

Even my inlaws were eager to take their photos with the Christmas decor!
 And several shops were selling Christmas gear:

We even bought some Christmas balls at this shop to add to the small tree we had brought from home.

Inside the Blue Mosque

The famous Imam Mosque (Masjed-e Imam) or Shah Mosque (Masjed-e Shah) sits at one end of the expansive Imam Square, the large public square in Isfahan.  It is covered in hundreds of thousands of hand-painted blue tiles. 



I thought it was the most beautiful mosque I saw on my trip (and not just because my favourite colour is blue!).



The original entry door is massive!


Here's my sister-in-law trying to reach the handle.



Inside the mosque are several sections of outdoor courtyards and indoor areas.


















It is still used for Friday prayers.  These are the carpets that are spread out on Fridays.



This is a perch for leading prayers from.



A beautiful place for spiritual enlightenment!