1.) Walking through the winding alleys of the old town

Yazd has no such big sights to offer as Shiraz or Isfahan. However, the magic of the desert city unfolds as soon as you lose yourself in the winding alleys of the old city, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and, funnily enough, is referred to as "historical texture" on street signs. The local community has prioritized maintenance and restoration of traditional architecture in the historic areas of the town. Just 20 years ago, the labyrinth of adobe buildings was in danger of falling into disrepair, but then paving and renovation began, and cafés, restaurants and boutique hotels moved in. It’s one of the most beautiful things to wander aimlessly through the winding streets and discover something new around every corner, such as picturesque courtyards, rooftop cafés, a small bakery, a water cistern, a mosque or an entrance to a qanat. A walk in the evening is especially beautiful, when the alleys are atmospherically illuminated.

Our recommendation: Be sure to stop at the small bakery in a side alley in the bazaar in front of the large Masjed-e Jameh and buy fresh coconut macaroons. Better buy two packs at once, you won’t regret it.

2) Visiting the Masjed-e Jameh

The alley in front of the huge Friday mosque is something like the tourist center of Yazd with numerous stores and gelaterias, which are full of life in the evening. But the undisputed eye-catcher is the mosque at the end of the alley with its magnificent entrance portal, flanked by two 48m-high minarets. They can easily be seen from many of the city's rooftops and provide a good orientation in the maze of the old town. The mosque was built in the 15th century on 12^th-century foundations over a former Zoroastrian fire temple and with access to the Zarch Qanat. Inside the mosque, you can see incredible tile and mosaic works. The mosque is open for visitors and women need to rent a chador at the entrance.

3) Learning about Zoroastrian Culture

Zoroastrism is more than 2500 years old and was the main religion of Persia until Islamization, of which inscriptions and reliefs in Persepolis still bear witness. It’s assumed that about 30,000 Zoroastrians still live in Iran today, and Yazd and its surroundings are considered the center of Zoroastrianism in Iran. At the center of the faith is the supreme divinity Ahura Mazda and the belief in the eternal battle between good and evil. Numerous ideas from Zoroastrianism have influenced other monotheistic religions such as dualism, the idea of heaven & hell and also the Nowruz celebration goes back to the founder Zarahustra. If you want to learn more about this religion, Yazd is the right place. First, we can recommend a guided tour in the Zoroastrians History and Culture Museum and afterwards a visit to the nearby fire temple, Atash Behram. Inside the simple building is a sacred fire that is said to have been burning for over 1500 years. We learned quite a bit and were also surprised that in the Islamic state of Iran, other religions are tolerated and can carry out their faith.

4) Visiting the Towers of Silence

South of Yazd are the Towers of Silence, traditionally the final resting place of Zoroastrians. Steep steps lead up the slope to the two lonely, barren hilltops ending on a small platform surrounded by a brick ring. One is surrounded by an eerie silence and nothing up here distracts the view. In order to keep the elements such as fire or air pure, the followers of Zarahustra followed a special cult of the dead: the corpses were brought to the flat platform on the hill and left here for the desert vultures. The remains were to serve as food for other living creatures, an eternal cycle. The bones were then placed in the burial pit in the middle, making room for the next deceased. This custom lasted until the 1970s, when it was banned for hygienic reasons. Today there is a Zoroastrian cemetery below the Towers of Silence.

5) Evening stroll at Amir Chakhmaq Square

The spacious 15th-century Amir Chakhmaq Square is the center of the historic Old City, and in the late afternoon the magnificent three-story facade at the end of it is particularly photogenic when the copper-colored sunlight is captured within each alcove. In the evening, the pedestrian square is bustling with locals and tourists sitting on the grass and enjoying a picnic or standing in one of the long lines in front of the pastry shops to buy Yazd's famous (unfortunately rather dry) sweets. Around the square are mosques, bathhouses, the bazaar and a beautiful water cistern, which has quite a feature to offer, but more about that under point 8.

6) Visiting the tallest windcatcher in Bagh-e Dowlat Abad

The easiest way to get there is to take a cab to the spacious Dowlat Abad garden. As with most gardens in Iran, this one is busiest in the late afternoon and evening hours when everything is beautifully lit. The pretty garden is planted with soaring evergreens and dotted with sour orange and pomegranates. There is a beautiful garden pavilion which boasts the world’s tallest windcatcher. The 33m-high badgir cools the richly decorated pavilion. Under the wind tower is a small pool and indeed you can feel the pleasantly cool breeze down here. Wouldn’t it be nice to have our own mini windcatcher with us all the time to cool us down?

7) Watching the sunset from a rooftop café

One of the most beautiful things to do in Yazd is to get lost in the alleys of the old city and spending your time café-hopping. Especially worth seeing are the iconic rooftop cafés, which offer a breathtaking panorama of the numerous windcatchers, domes and minarets at sunset. Sitting here and letting your eyes wander over the desert city in peace is the ultimate Yazd experience and should be repeated as often as possible. The following places are ideal for sunset: Art House Café, Colombo Café, Café Nardoon.

8) Attending a Zurkhaneh performance

In a historic Ab Anbar next to Amir Chakhmaq Square, men of different ages and fitness level gather every evening to juggle heavy wooden clubs in a circle. If you're wondering what this is all about, it's time to introduce you to Zurkhaneh.

A Zurkhaneh translates as a house of strength, an ancient gym. But it’s about much more than fitness. It’s a sport that builds the body and the spirit. Various movements and strength exercises are performed to frenetic drum beats under the guidance of a master that is chanting poems written centuries ago. Zurkhaneh combines martial arts, strength training, spirituality and music and elements of Zoroastrianism with Shia Islam.

All the exercises follow a fixed routine and every move has a specific meaning and reason. After some warming-up, the athletes swing heavy wooden clubs over their shoulders and later start whirling rapidly like dervishes. Although the exercises sometimes require the highest concentration and many participants are in small circular pit, there is a very peaceful and considerate atmosphere and you feel that the athletes come here for much more than just sport. Visitors are allowed to attend a Zurkhaneh performance as spectators in the Saheb Al-Zaman Zurkhaneh and a visit promises a unique experience that can only be found in Iran.

9) Eating a pizza at Papasi Café

The newly opened Papasi Café is centrally located near the Masjed-e Jameh. The stylish café is a popular hangout for young Iranians and tourists alike that are seeking creative limos and good food. And the pizza here is definitely worth a mention. Compared to the other pizzas in Iran, which are served with ketchup, here you get an almost Italian pizza that deserves its name. We come here several times during our stay and try various dishes from their menu and aren’t disappointed.  

10) Taking a day trip to Kharanaq, Chak Chak and Meybod

If there is enough time, we recommend you to take a day trip from Yazd. There are various options and places of interest. We opted for a tour to Kharanaq, Chak Chak and Meybod and paid EUR 25.- for a taxi driver for the whole day.

Kharanaq is located about 70 km northeast of Yazd and is an abandoned abobe village that invites us to explore extensively. The arches and domes are slowly returning to dust and it’s a pleasure to get lost in the maze of abandoned buildings that are connected through tunnels and dusty rooftop walkways. Once back out from the labyrinth, we spot a beautiful minaret. And it turns out that this is the largest adobe minaret worldwide and a so-called Shaking Minaret. The minaret got its name from an interesting special function: If you give the upper part a little nudge, the minaret starts to shake and should thus be better protected against earthquakes. Some of the bricks used for building the minaret have a higher elasticity than bricks used in other parts, causing the minaret to shake. Unfortunately, we can't check if it's really true, because the entrance is forbidden. In addition, we heard that European researchers were so fascinated by these shaking minarets in Iran that they destroyed one of them upon closer inspection. But don’t worry, soon we’ll be in Isfahan and have an opportunity to check another shaking minaret for its shakiness.

The last destination on this day is the mud-brick town of Meybod, which is often overlooked and totally surprised us. There is a wonderful ensemble of all the typical elements of a desert city with a beautiful caravanserai, an Ab Anbar and an impressive restored Yakhchal. In the caravanserai there are numerous handicraft stores and here they make the traditional hand-woven Zilu rugs that can be used on both sides. We would have loved to buy one, but the thought of the mountains ahead, makes it easy for us to do without. I mean, which long-term cyclists carries a carpet around?

In the centre of Meybod is the crumbling Narin Castle that offers a beautiful panorama over the desert city with its windcatchers. The oldest foundations suggest some kind of settlement was built here as early as 4000 BC. Lying on the silk route, the castle was used by soldiers who collected taxes from the passing caravans.

And when we thought we had seen it all, a wall painting gives us the clue to our last highlight: the Pigeon Tower. It’s one of the few restored and accessible pigeon towers in Iran (and probably worldwide). Thousands of pigeons nested in these towers and their droppings were used as fertilizer. With a capacity of over 4,000 birds, the towers protected them from predators. Fortunately, we don’t encounter any pigeons in the tower and we can admire the unique architecture in peace.

We hope we have inspired you to visit Yazd, a truly unique desert city. After a few days of waiting, we finally got our visa extension and are now allowed to stay for 4 months in Iran instead of the usual three months. This means we have to say goodbye to this magical city that made our wait more than easy. After a short detour to Tehran, we will continue our trip along the classic Iran route to the magnificent cities of Isfahan and Kashan.