Perspectives of May 7–21, 2015

Highlights • Join our Study Leader, Stephen Kinzer, and Club • Experience the country’s center of Zoroastrianism in travelers on a journey through Iran, where vast , where the most traditional Persian architecture monuments serve as testament to the extraordinary is found. history of this country. • Visit Shiraz and take an excursion to the magnificent • Explore Tehran, the country’s capital, including a visit ruins of – one of the most remarkable to the basement vault of the Bank Milli Iran to view archaeological sites found in the Near East. the spectacular Crown Jewels, and learn about the • Take in the beauty of Isfahan where brilliant blue- thriving Iranian contemporary art scene. tiled buildings and majestic bridges are often • Discover the gardens of Shah Goli, the amazing tile recognized as the perfection of Islamic architecture. work of the Blue Mosque, and the town’s colorful in .

Commonwealth Club Travel U.S. to TEHRAN work due to the quality of the work, the Thursday, May 7 finesse of the design, and the harmony Depart the U.S. of the overall composition. Continue on to the gardens of the Shah Goli (the TEHRAN Royal Lake), a popular site for summer Friday, May 8 picnicking and musical performances, Upon arrival, transfer to the Espinas and learn about qanats, rather Hotel. extraordinary systems of irrigation that can extend for miles. End the day at TEHRAN the bazaar of Tabriz. Overnight at Pars What to Expect Saturday, May 9 Hotel. (B,L,D) Enjoy a full day of sightseeing in Tehran, concentrating on its excellent TABRIZ Participants must be in very good museums. Visit the Archaeological Wednesday, May 13 health and able to keep up with an Museum with its fine collection Today begins with an excursion to active group. In order to participate, including a stone capital of a winged the Saint Stepanos Monastery. Dating one should be able to walk 1-2 miles lion from . Explore the Glass and back to the 7th century, this church is comfortably, use steep stairs without Ceramics Museum of Iran and the part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. Situated on the south-eastern fringe of handrails or assistance and walk and Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. (B,L,D) the main zone of the Armenian cultural stand for periods of two hours at a space, the monastery once constituted time. TEHRAN a major center for the dissemination Sunday, May 10 of Armenian culture in the region. This Spring is a lovely time to travel Visit to the Reza Abbasi Museum church, along with Saint Thaddeus in Iran when temperatures range which is home to a superior collection Monastery, are the last regional from 60-85 degrees Fahrenheit. of Persian miniatures. View the remains of this culture that are still in The infrastructure in Iran is quite Iranian crown jewels. This spectacular a state of integrity and authenticity. good with modern roads and buses. collection of jewels, stored in the Return to Tabriz mid-afternoon. Dinner Hotels are comfortable with private basement vault of the Bank Milli Iran, and overnight at the hotel. (B,L,D) bathrooms and air-conditioning. contains the world’s largest uncut diamond, as well as the Peacock SHIRAZ Food is freshly prepared and healthy. Throne. (B,L,D) Thursday, May 14 During the program, participants In the morning, enjoy a short excursion should be dressed modestly and TEHRAN to the intriguing troglodyte village of women will be required to have their Monday, May 11 Kandovan. The Kandovan people have head covered while in public areas. Head to northern Tehran to visit carved their houses in the rocks and More details will be provided upon Khomeini’s home, where one is still live in them as in ancient times. registering for the trip. allowed a glimpse of the dwelling. Return to Tabriz and connect with an Enjoy lunch in a lively neighborhood, afternoon flight to Shiraz. Upon arrival then stop at the Zahir od Dowleh enjoy an orientation tour of this city Cemetery, the resting spot for many known for its nightingales, poetry, and, of Iran’s writers and artists. Visit the at one time, wine. Transfer to the Homa Iranian film museum before returning Hotel for dinner and overnight. (B,L,D) to the hotel. (B,L,D) SHIRAZ TABRIZ Friday, May 15 Tuesday, May 12 Today we enjoy a full day excursion to Fly to Tabriz, the capital of East Persepolis, the ceremonial capital of . Until recently, Tabriz was the Achaemenid Empire and one of the the second largest city in Iran. Visit the world’s most beautiful and spectacular Blue Mosque of Tabriz, considered a archaeological sites. This palace city was masterpiece of Iranian decorative tile built by craftsmen from across Darius’

For additional information or to make a reservation, contact Commonwealth Club Travel Telephone: (415) 597-6720 • Email: [email protected] vast empire. Superb bas reliefs depict stucco carvings. After lunch, drive to the flow of ritual processions. After a Isfahan. Upon arrival transfer to the lunch sitting in the shade of grape vines, delightful Abbasi Hotel, a converted visit Naghsh-E Rostam, which contains caravanserai. (B,L,D) the carved tombs of four Achaemenian kings. (B,L,D) ISFAHAN Tuesday, May 19 YAZD Isfahan is perhaps the most beautiful Saturday, May 16 of all Iranian cities. The central focus This morning explore the city of Shiraz, of this fascinating city, which never stopping at the tomb of the celebrated failed to inspire and awe European poet Hafez. The marble tombstone is merchants and ambassadors to engraved with a long verse from the the Safavid court, is the immense Tour Price Per Person: $6,395 poet’s works. We then explore the Meydan-e Shah, or Royal Square. After colorful bazaar. After lunch, drive to lunch, spend the afternoon exploring Single Supplement: $1,200 Yazd, passing through many acres of the bazaar of Isfahan and learning Based on minimum of 15 travelers pistachios. Dinner and overnight at the more about traditional crafts in Iran. and a maximum of 25 Moshir Garden Hotel. (B,L,D) (B,L,D) Tour Price includes: YAZD ISFAHAN • Accommodation as per itinerary Sunday, May 17 Wednesday, May 20 • Meals as listed in the program In Yazd stop at the home of the Admire some of the five bridges • Bottled water on the bus former governor of the city to see and crossing the Zayendehrud River and • All sightseeing in an learn more about traditional Persian wander through the city’s fascinating air-conditioned coach architecture and the badgers, wind- Armenian quarter. In the afternoon • Internal flights towers ingeniously designed to catch view the Friday Mosque and the • All entrance fees and special events a passing breeze. Enjoy a walking Palace of Forty Columns, a charming listed tour through the covered streets pavilion used to receive dignitaries • Full educational program & Study Leader of the old quarter. Spend an after- and ambassdors. (B,L,D) • Pre-departure materials and reading list noon concentrating on the Zoroastrian • The services of a local Iranian guide religion. Visit one of the two Zoroastrian ISFAHAN to U.S. • The services of a professional tour man- abandoned Towers of Silence where, Thursday, May 21 ager who will accompany the group until forty years ago, the dead were left Depart Isfahan in the early morning, • Gratuities at the tops of the towers. (B,L,D) arriving back in the United States the same day. Does not include: ISFAHAN • International airfare into and out of Monday, May 18 Tehran (approximately $1,500) Drive in the morning to Na’in, an impor- • Visa fees for Iran tant trade center. It is well known ($128 at time of printing) for its carpet making and also for its • Excess luggage charges mosque from the early Islamic period. • Medical Expenses Continue on to a private house • Trip Insurance that has some superb 17th century *Itinerary is subject to change. • Items of a purely personal nature STUDY LEADER Stephen Kinzer is an award-winning foreign the Caucasus. After completing this assignment, Kinzer published correspondent who has covered more than Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds. He is the author of 50 countries on five continents. His articles All The Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East and books have led the Washington Post to Terror, published in 2003. This book is based on documents about place him “among the best in popular foreign the coup in Iran (including some lengthy internal CIA reports) that policy storytelling.” Kinzer spent more than have now been declassified. In 2010 his book Reset: Iran, Turkey, 20 years working for The New York Times, and America’s Future was published. His most recent book is The most of it as a foreign correspondent. His Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War. foreign postings placed him at the center of historic events and, at times, in the line of fire. While covering world events, he has been shot Before joining The New York Times, Kinzer was Latin America at, jailed, beaten by police, tear-gassed and bombed from the air. correspondent for the The Boston Globe. He is now a visiting fellow at the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown In 1996 Kinzer was named chief of the newly opened New York University, where he teaches international relations. He contributes Times bureau in Istanbul, Turkey. He spent four years there, traveling to The Guardian and The New York Review of Books, and writes a widely in Iran, Turkey and in the new nations of Central Asia and world affairs column for The Boston Globe.

Please note the State Department has had a Travel Warning for Iran since 1979. You can read this Travel Warning at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_920.html. Our tour operator has operated many trips to Iran, including several fall departures in 2014. The Commonwealth Club and our tour operator are closely monitoring the situ- ation in Iran and will not operate the trip if the situation within the country becomes hostile or unsafe. Commonwealth Perspectives of Iran Club Travel Phone: 415.597.6720 RESERVATION FORM May 7–21, 2015 Fax: 415.597.6729 NAME 1

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