Iran tourism: 30 beautiful surprises waiting to be discovered by adventurous travellers

Narenjestan-e Qavam, the Qavam Orange Grove, is a 19th-century garden in Shiraz. It leads to the elegant Qavam House, decorated in a style inspired by Victorian era Europe

The Nasir ol Molk Mosque in Shiraz is also known as the Pink Mosque, thanks to colour of the tiles used to decorate the interior. It looks particularly beautiful with light streaming through its coloured glass windows

Tehran lacks the beautiful architecture of Isfahan and the history of Persepolis, but makes up for it with its range of restaurants, cafés, museums and art galleries – and its location at the foothills of the Alborz mountains make for fantastic walking trails

Golestan Palace is a Unesco world heritage site in Tehran, and part of a former royal complex that includes palaces and museums, decorated with intricately carved marble and mirrored halls

Milad Tower, also known as the Tehran Tower, is the sixth tallest tower in the world. Standing at 435m (1,427ft) high, the top floors are home to observation deck and a revolving restaurant

 Mount Damāvand is the highest peak  in Iran and the Middle East. This potentially active volcano is located  in the Alborz range, near the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, about  60km north-east of Tehran