Iran's Shiraz Sister City to 10 Cities Across World!

The 15th day of Ordibehesht in the Iranian calendar that falls on May 5 has been designated as Shiraz Day due to its historical and cultural importance as well as its unique beauty.

Shiraz, as the city of prominent Iranian poets Saadi and Hafez, and with a great background in the history and culture of this land, has a special place among Iranians.

It is one of the most historic cities in Iran, a spectacular city with many gardens and historical monuments that hosts thousands of tourists annually.

The beautiful city of Shiraz, well-known as the city of poetry, the city of orange and bergamot, has been added to the list of UNESCO world cities, as the World City of Handicrafts, after evaluations by the World Crafts Council.

The city is so famous and well-known that it is sister city to 10 cities in the world: Nicosia in Cyprus, Dushanbe in Tajikistan, Chongqing in China, Weimar in Germany, Pécs in Hungary, Nanjing in China, Agadir in Morocco, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Konya in Turkey and Doha in Qatar.

Shiraz is also a tourist spot with cultural, natural, and religious attractions. It is also popular among Iranians for its eye-catching gardens.

For over 2000 years, Shiraz has been known as the epicenter of Persian civilization. It was the capital of Iran during the Zand dynasty (AD 1747-79) and arguably the most important city in the medieval Islamic world.

The earliest reference to the name Shiraz can be traced on Elamite clay tablets dating to 2000 BC that were discovered in 1970 during digging for the construction of a brick kiln in the city.

On the occasion of National Shiraz Day, every year special programs are held by Shiraz Municipality on this day. Some local musicians hold concerts and sing traditional and folk songs which nowadays are forgotten. Women from rural areas wearing special costumes serve visitors traditional foods and bread they cook.