New shops reflected in a pool.

The domed prayer room in the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, completed in 1619.

School girls at the Naghsh-e Jahan Square, one of the largest city squares in the world.

A miniaturist paints a picture of Omar Khayyam. He uses his fingers for his palette.

Tower of Silence. The Zoroastrians believe that nothing should pollute the air, the water, or the land. Until the recent past, their burial practice was to first bring the corpse to this tower where the flesh would be cleaned by vultures. After that, the bones would be buried in a container in order to avoid contact with the soil.

View from the Tower of Silence. These pavilions were used by the families of the deceased for prayers and feasts in honor of the dead.

Facade of Fire Temple with symbol of Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrians use fire to light the way to God. Inside this temple is a flame that has been kept alight since 470 A.D.

A covered lane in the old city creates a shady walkway. The buildings in the old city are adobe.

Wind towers in the old city create cool breezes in the houses to which they are attached.

Tomb of Darius I, c. 522-486 BC, at Naqsh-e Rustam. There are four tombs of Achaemenid kings here. In addition to the tombs, there are several reliefs that portray kingly acts.

Persepolis, the capital city of Darius III, 380 – 330 B.C, was destroyed by Alexander the Great in 330 B.C.

Summer Defeats Winter. This motif appears in many places at Persepolis. The eyes of the lion are dark because from hands touching it over the centuries.

Part of the tribute panel at Persepolis. Bactria was part of the Achaemenid Empire, so we have Bactrian camels.

One of the palaces at Persepolis.

The tomb of Cyrus the Great, c. 576 – 530 B.C. in his capital city of Pasargardae.

Nassir Al Molk Mosque, also known as the Pink Mosque, completed in 1888.

The Citadel, Arg of Karim Khan, completed in 1767.

At the Tomb of Hafez, mystic and poet. Hafez lived from 1325 to 1390.

Bi-color roses in the garden at the Khan Madrasa.

The courtyard of one of the hans. Mobilya means furniture.

This man dyes plastic buttons in small batches. From here, the buttons go to wholesalers.

This guy was an old flirt. He immediately bragged about the love life he carries on in a small loft above the workshop. This workshop makes water pipes (hookah, nargile).

The workshops are very small. Here, the Photo Club crowds into one part of the hookah production line.

The metal workers have subdivided this space with cardboard and plastic to create separate work spaces.

A hut with tin siding and a wild flower garden growing on the roof.

A hut with red trim.

A hut with a pine tree and yellow window trim.

These men are opening the pile in order to add more kindling.

These men are raking the finished charcoal to the edges of the pile. After it cools, there will be some more processing before it is bagged.

It’s dirty work, but they seemed to enjoy it

He said he’s 70 years old and he’s been making charcoal for at least 50 of those years.

The smooth shape of this charcoal pile means it is at the beginning of the process. The log structure is now covered with hay, mud, and cinders, and the tinder at the center of the pile is lit. Water and gases are being driven from the wood by the heat.

A partially finished pile. The shape is becoming more uneven as the wood dries out.

This pile appears to be almost finished. Although it isn’t easy to see here, there are flames running along the top of the pile and there is very little smoke. The pile is small and uneven in shape.