SHIRAZ TO ESFAHAN

---

SHIRAZ, MARCH 7, 2017

Last night, after a brief rest at the hotel we went out again. We went first to the so-called “pink mosque”. This was a small mosque with beautiful wooden doors. Inside all of the tile work was in pink blue. It was very intricate with many flowers and curlicues. An interesting feature was that it also had little inset vignettes with painted European style churches. There was a fountain and pool in the center. Off to on side was the prayer room. This had intricate ceilings in the same tile work as the other part of the mosque. In addition there were stained glass windows on one side.

After our visit to the pink mosque, we then went to the Nomad market. It was wild there. There were hundreds of people there. Most of the wares were for local consumption, like brightly colored fabrics, spices, etc. We went to the very back of the bazaar where they had the crafts and antiques. I was able to find a very nice folding chess board for David Jr. I found a traditional Iranian hat for David Sr. It is from the Gash Ghayee tribe. This is a nomadic tribe from the South West of Iran. We got back just in time for dinner. We have to pack tonight because we leave for Esfahan tomorrow.

Today we have been driving most of the day toward Esfahan. The trip is beautiful. We are traveling through the Zagros mountains. They are covered in snow and are quite rugged reaching a height of 14,500 ft. We have passed many towns of the nomads. They bring their animals and fruit and vegetable to market in the towns.

We arrived in Esfahan about 7:30pm.

---