Parks with magnificent trees are one of the town's main attractions. Long wide shady avenues lead from one side of the city to the other. They are an incitement to leisurely wanderings during siesta time. Exemplary modern achievements, including remarkable hotels and very striking university buildings are conducive to a pleasant stay.
Nearby Persepolis and the international fame of its annual art festival have confirmed Shiraz as a tourist center. The Bagh-e Eram, in Shiraz, famous for its gardens, is a typical late Qajar palace, now donated to Shiraz University.
Shiraz
, Naranjistan, 19th century. This very beautiful house and garden which originally belonged to the Ghavam family now been restored to become the home of the Asia Institute. A fine painted title frieze borders the roof, while the facade has a dado of carved stone slabs. The high central porch fronts a room lined with mirror mosaic, and the garden has been restored to an original design.
Masjed-e Vakil, the Regent's Mosque is especially famous for its large prayer hall (75 meters long, 36 meters wide) covered with small cupolas resting on forty-eight twisted columns cut out of one single block of stone.
Several other religious edifices are worthy of interest. The Old Friday Mosque has in the middle of its courtyard, a building found in no other sanctuary: The Khoda Khane - "House of God" - a square building (which reportedly) imitates the Kaaba in Mecca and where the mosque's Korans are kept.