En route to Shiraz

Some of the beautiful landscapes one passes through on the 7 hour highway journey from Yazd to Shiraz. Iran is a huge and beautiful country, with a diversity of geographical features and landscapes. Whilst large parts of the country are covered by the desert, the presence of wetter microclimatic regions, high mountains, natural underground water reservoirs and a whole network of ancient man-made underground irrigation canals that harness what nature has provided, allow the country to have enough water for its many fertile river valleys and oases.

Ultimately, it is Iran's huge and flourishing agricultural sector that supports an unusually huge population of 75 million inhabitants. On the bus journey, I passed through many wonderfully green fertile oases and valleys, flanked by the shocking contrasts of bare dry mountain ranges and merciless brown desert plateaus.