Central Iran lies at the heart of the country, home to major cities and travel destinations like Shiraz and Isfahan, the capital Tehran, and the holy city of Qom.

Regions

Fars the original homeland of the Persian people

Isfahan (province)

Kerman (province) a paradise for palaeontologists

Semnan (province)

Qom (province)

Tehran (province) Iran's most densely populated region, with Mount Damavand reaching 5,678 m

Yazd (province) situated at an oasis where the deserts Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut meet

Cities

• 1 Isfahan
• 2 Kashan
• 3 Kerman
• 4 Qom
• 5 Shiraz
• 6 Tehran
• 7 Yazd

Other destinations

• 1 Pasargad — the first capital of the Achaemenid Empire, and home to the Tomb of Cyrus.
• 2 Persepolis — a historical site 60 km north of Shiraz that used to be a ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire. The earliest remains of Persepolis date back to 515 BC.

Understand

Two great deserts extend over much of central Iran: the Dasht-e Lut is covered largely with sand and rocks, and the Dasht-e Kavir is covered mainly with salt. Both deserts are inhospitable and virtually uninhabited. The city of Yazd is in an oasis between the two.