What's on in Shiraz (Persepolis), Iran through the year

Busy — Ramadan, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Ramadan

  25 Jan – 25 Mar · usuallyClosures

  The bazaar teahouses and the garden cafés shut through the day and the shrine complexes keep shorter hours. The gardens fill again the moment the sun is down. Source ↗

Busy — Ramadan, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Ramadan (25 Jan – 25 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — Ramadan, Nowruz

• Holiday

  Nowruz

  18 Mar – 5 Apr · usuallyNational holidayCrowdedClosuresBook early

  Shiraz is one of the two places Iranians go for the new year, and Hafez's tomb, the gardens and Persepolis are all at their fullest. Hotels book out and some museums close for part of it. Source ↗

• Nature

  Bitter orange blossom

  25 Mar – 25 Apr · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  The narenj trees lining the old streets and the garden courtyards come out together and the whole centre smells of it for a few weeks. It is the thing Shirazis themselves wait for.

Still on: Ramadan (25 Jan – 25 Mar (usually))

Busy — Nowruz, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Nowruz (18 Mar – 5 Apr (usually)), Bitter orange blossom (25 Mar – 25 Apr (usually))

Busy — Muharram and Ashura, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Muharram and Ashura

  25 May – 10 Jul · usuallyMuharram & AshuraClosures

  Black drapes over the bazaar, nightly processions and free food handed out in the street, ending on Ashura when almost everything shuts. Music is off for the full ten days. Source ↗

Busy — Muharram and Ashura, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  The dry summer

  10 Jun – 10 Sep · usuallyExtreme heat

  Dry heat at altitude, which means the shaded gardens work and the middle of the day does not. Persepolis in particular has no shade at all; go at opening or at the end of the day.

Still on: Muharram and Ashura (25 May – 10 Jul (usually))

Busy — Muharram and Ashura, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Muharram and Ashura (25 May – 10 Jul (usually)), The dry summer (10 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: The dry summer (10 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: The dry summer (10 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Festival

  Hafez commemoration day

  11–13 Oct · usuallyMajor festival

  Hafez Day falls on 12 October (20 Mehr), when Iranians come to the poet's tomb in numbers to read aloud at the graveside. It is the one day the garden is more crowded than it is at Nowruz. Source ↗

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in December.