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Dizin is one of the largest Iranian ski resorts in the Alborz mountain range, near Tehran and also the city of Karaj. It was established in 1969.

The ski season in Dizin lasts longer than in European ski resorts, from December to May, due to the resort's high altitude. The highest ski lift reaches 3,600 m (11,800 ft), making it one of the 40 highest ski resorts in the world.

Dizin ski amenities include two hotels, 19 cottages and five restaurants, villas and private apartments around the Dizin ski resort accommodate thousands of people every year.

The Dizin ski complex is the first ski and winter sport resort in Iran which has been officially recognized and granted the title by the International Ski Federation for its capability in administrating official and international competitions.

It gained its official title for its specific physical and technical features such as the course slope, length of the course and the place where the competitions and races are to be held, as well as amenities and other recreational facilities.

Dizin is situated on the mountains of Alborz and is 45 miles of Tehran and 50 miles of Karaj, Iran.

The installation of ski-lifts at Dizin dates back to 1348 (Iran calendar which equates to 1969) which include three telecabins, two ski-lifts, seven dish tele-skis and one Hammer tele-ski, the lowest point of the region is 2650m, while its highest point is 3600m, (which equates to 11,811 feet above the sea level.)

Dizin climatological condition offers the longest time for skiing, normally begins in November and typically runs through the end of May. Dizin ski amenities included two hotels, 19 cottages and 5 restaurants, The ski activity in Dizin complex is not confined to winter season. There are many other spring, summer and fall activities.

There are also other facilities such as tennis courts, mountain climbing, mountain biking. Ski instruction courses are offered. At the present, the Dizin ski region is administered by Iran ski federation.

The snow quality at Dizin is fantastic powder and rivals that of many European and Rocky Mountain snow areas. Dizin is just 43 miles north of the capital city of Tehran, Iran. It was first opened under the reign of the Shah of Iran in 1969.

The Saint Thaddeus Monastery (Armenian: Սուրբ Թադէոսի վանք Surb Tadeosi vank' ; Azeri: Kara-Kenesa; Persian: Ghara Kelisa, literally "The Black Church")[1] is an ancient Armenian monastery located in the mountainous area of Iran's West Azerbaijan Province, about 20 kilometers from the town of Maku.

The monastery is visible from a distance because of the massiveness of the church, strongly characterized by the polygonal drums and conical roofs of its two domes. There are several chapels nearby: three on the hills east of the stream, one approximately 3 km south of the monastery on the road to Bastam, and another that serves as the church for the village of Ghara-Kilise.
One of the 12 Apostles, St. Thaddeus, also known as Saint Jude, (not to be confused with Judas Iscariot), was martyred while spreading the Gospel. He is revered as an apostle of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Legend has it that a church dedicated to him was first built on the present site in AD 68.[citation needed]

Not much appears to remain of the original church, which was extensively rebuilt in 1329 after an earthquake damaged the structure in 1319. Nevertheless, some of the parts surrounding the altar apse date from the 10th century.

In July 2008, the St. Thaddeus monastery was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List, along with two other Armenian monuments located in the same province: Saint Stepanos Monastery and the chapel of Dzordzor.

Ilam is a city in and the capital of Ilam Province, Iran and the third biggest kurdish city in Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 155,289, in 34,549 families.
Like many other regions of Iran the architecture in Ilam includes traditional and contemporary periods. Although easy access to fossil fuels and electricity may have aided the transition in Iranian architecture in other regions of Iran from its traditional to modern styles, in Ilam the increasing population has also played a role.

The Governor Castle, Falahaty Mansion and The Mirgholam Castle are examples of some surviving traditional buildings in Ilam. The courtyard dwelling is the main type of the buildings of this period. This type of building was accepted as the main building type over all Iran for both climatic and cultural reasons. Brick is the main constructional material in these buildings. The passive thermal techniques indicated for the Iranian traditional buildings are commonly used in these buildings.

The Governor Castle of Ilam was built in type of courtyard. Adding shade and moisture by using green landscape, high trees and a pond, were the main passive techniques used in this building to reduce the temperature in summer. The Mirgholam Castle of Ilam presents a classic Iranian courtyard. The garden and the pound were the main elements of this type of buildings. The Falahaty Mansion used a pitched roof as it was regular beside the flat roofs in the traditional buildings in Ilam earlier.

Mount Damavand , the highest mountain in Iran , has for centuries attracted mountaineers , nomads and legends to its snow-covered slopes. The epic hero Fereidun wrestled and defeated the evil giant Zahakis , chaining him to a cave on the mountain peak. Villagers living near the base of the volcano still remark that Zahakis is straining to be free at the first signs of smoke or rumblings often heard deep within the mountain. On a clear day , the 18 ,600-foot cone is visible from Tehran , fifty miles away.

Tabriz is the most populated city in the northwest of Iran,one of the historical capitals of Iran, and the present capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Tabriz is located at an elevation of 1,350 meters above sea level in the Quru River valley between the long ridge of the volcanic cone of Sahand and Eynali mountain. The valley opens up into a plain that gently slopes down to the eastern shores of Lake Urmia, 60 kilometres (37 miles) to the west. With cold winters and temperate summers, the city is considered a summer resort.

Tabriz has a population of 1,549,453.It is a major heavy industry hub for automobile, machine tools, refineries and petrochemical, textile, and cement production industries.Tabriz is also a site for some of the most prestigious academic and cultural institutes in the northwest of Iran.

The city has a long and turbulent history with its oldest civilization sites dated back to 1,500 B.C. It contains many historical monuments representing the transition of Iranian architecture in its long historical timelines. Most of the preserved historical sites in the city are belong to Ilkhanid (of Mongol Empire), Safavid, and Qajar area,among them is the grand Bazaar of Tabriz which is inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2010.From the early modern era and on, the city has proven to be pivotal in the development, movement, history, and economy of three neighboring regions, namely that of the Caucasus, Eastern Anatolia, and central Iran.[11] From the 19th century and on, it became the most important city in the country in numerous respects. As the closest Iranian hub to Europe, many aspects of the early modern modernisation in Iran started in Tabriz.Prior to the forced ceding of Iran's Caucasian territories to Imperial Russia following the two Russo-Persian Wars of the first half of the 19th century, Tabriz was the main city in the legisture of Iranian rule for its Caucasian territories due to its proximity. During almost the entire Qajar period (up to 1925), it functioned as the seat for the crown prince as well.

Shapur cave is located in the Zagros Mountains, in southern Iran, about 6 km from the ancient city of Bishapur. This cave is near Kazerun in Chogan valley, which was the site of polo/chogan in the Sasanian period.

In the cave, on the fourth of five terraces, stands the colossal statue of Shapur I, the second ruler of the Sasanid Empire. The statue was carved from one stalagmite. The height of statue is 7 m. high and its shoulders are 2 m. wide, and its hands are 3 m. long.

About 1400 years ago, after the invasion of Iran by Arabs and collapse of the Sasanid dynasty, this grand statue was pulled down and a part of one of its legs was broken. About 70 years ago, again, parts of his arms were also broken. The statue had been lying on the ground for about 14 centuries until 1957 when upon orders of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi a group of his military men to raise it again on its feet and fix his foot with iron and cement. The project of raising the statue, building the roads from Bishapur to the area and paths in the mountain, stairs and iron fences on the route to the cave took six months in 1957.

The length of cave entrance is about 16 m., with a height of less than 8 m.Behind the statue, in the depth of the cave, are three ancient water-basins. At both sides of the statue, the rock-walls of the cave were prepared for reliefs by leveling, but the reliefs were never made. It is said that in addition to this giant statue of Shapur I, the tomb of this great man is also situated somewhere in this cave.

Aladagh Lar (MountColor)

Isfahan is located on the main north–south and east–west routes crossing Iran, and was once one of the largest cities in the world. It flourished from 1050 to 1722, particularly in the 16th century under the Safavid dynasty, when it became the capital of Persia for the second time in its history. Even today, the city retains much of its past glory. It is famous for its Persian–Islamic architecture, with many beautiful boulevards, covered bridges, palaces, mosques, and minarets. This led to the Persian proverb "Esfahān nesf-e jahān ast" (Isfahan is half of the world).[4]

The Naghsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan is one of the largest city squares in the world and an outstanding example of Iranian and Islamic architecture. It has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The city also has a wide variety of historic monuments and is known for the paintings and history.

Rasht is the largest city on Iran's Caspian Sea coast. It is a major trade center between Caucasia, Russia and Iran using the port of Bandar-e Anzali. Rasht is also a major tourist center with the resort of Masouleh in the adjacent mountains and the beaches of Caspian as some of the major attractions.

Historically, Rasht was a major transport and business center which connected Iran to Russia and Europe, and was therefore entitled the "Gate of Europe". The city has a history that goes back to the 13th century but its modern history dates back to the Safavid era during which Rasht was a major center of the silk trade with numerous textile workshops.