Yazd Tourism: The Most Popular Attractions in the City of Yazd

The historic city of Yazd, famous for its delectable sweets and historical attractions, is the only city in Iran registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a city. The recently booming Yazd tourism owes its popularity to a wide range of attractions, including museums, mosques, temples, bazaars, and historical gardens. Read on below to find out about the most popular attractions in Yazd that have attracted millions of people in the past years.

Amir Chakhmaq Complex

Amir Chakhmaq is one of the most prominent names that come to mind when one thinks of Yazd tourism. Located in the square of the same name, Amir Chakhmaq is a large religious complex containing a mosque, bazaar, Hosseinieh (a place where people of Shia faith gather to mourn the death of Imam Hussein) and two historical Ab anbars (reservoir). The perfect symmetry of the architecture is the first thing you notice upon visiting the complex, with its beautiful three-story view of symmetrical Iwans (arched alcoves).

The Amir Chakhmaq square is a popular spot for locals to gather and sit around its central fountain. This, and the confectionaries and shops make the square a great choice for experiencing the Yazdi culture firsthand. Keep in mind that the best time to visit the complex is in the evenings or at nights. This is because the lightning at this time gives Amir Chakhmaq a glorious glow and enhances its breathtaking magnificence.

Yazd Atash Bahram

Fire temples are the place of worship in the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism. Each fire temples is built to serve the holy fire inside of it, and is named after the grade of fire that is burning within. The highest grade of fire is called Atash Bahram (meaning Victorious Fire). The Yazd Atash Bahram has been a place of worship for Zoroastrians since almost 2500 years ago, and its fire has been burning since 470 AD.

The temple is built in Achaemenid Architecture style and is made of bricks. The winged deity, Ahura Mazda, can be seen on the front door of the temple facing a beautiful garden full of fruit trees. Inside the temple, the sacred fire is in a glass chamber that only Zoroastrians are allowed to enter. Non-Zoroastrians, however, are allowed to watch from behind the glass. If you are interested in Yazd tourism and want to learn all about Zoroastrianism, give this exotic temple a visit and maybe make your way to the nearby Zoroastrianism museum.

Dowlat Abad Garden

When you think of Yazd and its hot and dry climate, it’s hard to imagine green gardens full of fruit trees. But Dowlat Abad Garden, one of the most charming works of architecture in Iran, is located in Yazd and is one of the 9 Iranian gardens that are registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tall cypress trees surround a long pool that leads to the main entrance. Behind the cypress trees, gorgeous grape and pomegranate trees give the garden a lush green look.

The buildings themselves are also eye-catching. Dowlat Abad Garden is home to the world’s longest wind tower. This octagonal tower is seen far from the garden and is different from the other wind towers in the city since it has eight sides instead of the normal four. Inside the building, the wooden doors and colorful lattice windows give the room a colorful atmosphere.

Dowlat Abad gives Yazd tourism a refreshing color, and watching the beautiful dance of nature in the Garden’s magnificent architecture is surely an experience you will not forget.

Jameh Mosque of Yazd

The Jame Mosque of Yazd is the city’s congregational mosque and one of its most remarkable tourist destinations. Yazd’s Jame Mosque seems to be the place in which different eras of Iranian history unite and present themselves as their best form of art. The mosque was constructed on the site of a Sassanid fire temple. The two very famous minarets of the mosque date back to the Safavid era and are one of the tallest in Iran (about 52 meters in height). The minarets are embellished in gorgeous tiles of blue. This beautiful blue contrasting in the middle of the desert seems like a ladder to the heavens and is surely a sight worthy to see.

Water Museum

The water museum, set up in 2000, gives viewers information about the important things that made it possible to have a prosperous city in the middle of a desert: Qanats. Underground qanats have been used in Iran since 4000 years ago. Different tools, methods, and techniques were used to build them and connect them to cities and fields. The museum itself contains qanats running beneath the building at different levels. You can reach them using special stairways called Payab. Pictures of Qanat workers, water ownership documents, and instruments for using water in different fields are some examples of what can be found in this museum. Water museum is the perfect place for all the curious people out there who want to learn all about water and water-related issues.

Other Noteworthy Sights

Saheb A Zaman Zurkhaneh is a traditional Iranian gym where you can see athletes use heavy clubs to build muscles. Towers of Silence are two structures where Zoroastrians, as a ritual, left the bodies of their deceased for scavenger birds. Kahn Bazaar is the perfect place for buying local goods, spices, and souvenirs. Alexander’s Prison, built in the 15th century, is a famous historical school that has been turned into a museum with local shops in it. It takes its the name from a reference by the famous Persian poet Hafez.