Another 480kms drive beckoned.
We left the hotel by 730am as we wanted to finish seeing Persopolis on the way. We were also going to try and get to our destination without a lunch stop. Lunches usually takes time!! We took 2 detours - one because the lead car missed the correct route and the other one was a diesel search. We drove through the insides of villages and everywhere we were welcomed by strangers. The roads we drove were beautiful and we were accompanied by rail tracks through the journey.
We reached Persepolis by 3pm and a tour guide took us around Persepolis ruins. Yes the whole place was burnt down by Alexander's army when he conquered the place in 330BC. The earliest remains of Persepolis date back to 515 BC. It exemplifies the Achaemenid of architecture. UNESCO declared this a World Heritage site in 1979.
Ruins or not the place is stunning. Its an example of the great architecture of the Persians 2500 years ago. There are also motifs depicting the reach of their influence across 23 regions across the world. The video room depicts the place in all glory with 3d imagery and is worth watching.
After driving for another 60kms, we reached Shiraz where we were halting for 2 nights. Dinner was in a fantastic local restaurant. We walked around and went towards Quran gate and saw the Iranians have fun with family - dancing and singing and having dinner. After all it's ramazan time.