Middle East Mystique: Cruising the Persian Gulf and Visiting Persepolis
CrystalCruises wants to take you on a “journey into the heart of ancient lands, where the Persian, Greek, Egyptian, Roman and Ottoman empires once ruled the world, and monuments to their great legacies still stand,” via their cruise, World Voyage IV: Middle East Mystique.
The groundbreaking cruise will visit Crystal’s first-ever port of calls in Iran, Kuwait, and Bahrain. From Bandar Abbas, Iran you can roam the ruins of Persepolis and the original wine-country’s original wine-city: Shiraz (the same place where Shiraz/Syrah grapes grown around the world now, come from). Shiraz is also a city of gardens, poets like Hafez, and nightingales along with stunning architecture and colorful mosaics. (Mosaics are yet another Persian discovery.)
Persepolis, a UNESCO-declared World Heritage Site in 1979, is also known asTakht-e Jamshid (Throne of Jamshid) and Parseh, and contains remains from around 515 BC.
Pārsā, as it was known to the ancient Iranians/Persians, means “The City of Persians”. The term Persepolis is actually the Greek version of the moniker. The Persepolis citadel
On this 13-day cruise which departs from Mumbai, India on March 2, 2009 , you’ll also get see the Persian Isles like: Kish (pronounced keesh) which is ”known for its cultured pearls, large aquaria, and scuba diving,” as well as Hormoz Island, home to the 16th-century Hormoz Castle, remnants of the once dominated-by-Portuguese-imigrants abode, and lastly; Qeshm (pronounced gheshm) Island where the Hara marine forest exists and an “estimated 1.5% of the world’s birds migrate.”
CrsytalCruises describes the area where the center of the Persian Empire thrived as: ”Located on the Straits of Hormuz, BandarAbbas is a busy port city, witha history of trade withIndia. More recently, it has been a draw for visitors who appreciate its many cultural and natural attractions. At the Anthropological Museum, for instance, those interested in ancient civilizations can survey artifacts found in the area, along with traditional clothing and old coins. Off the coast are several islands that are perfect for an introduction to the area’s ecology and history.”
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