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This Middle Eastern country, for decades demonized as dark and dangerous, has become today's surprising destination of choice for the adventurous and curious traveler. Pictured here, the remarkable mud-brick fortress of Arg-e Rayen, Iran.

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Exploring Iran

This Middle Eastern country, for decades demonized as dark and dangerous, has become today's surprising destination of choice for the adventurous and curious traveler. Pictured here, the remarkable mud-brick fortress of Arg-e Rayen, Iran. Photo Credit: Michel Behar/MIR Corporation

This Middle Eastern country, for decades demonized as dark and dangerous, has become today's surprising destination of choice for the adventurous and curious traveler. Pictured here, the remarkable mud-brick fortress of Arg-e Rayen, Iran.

The 164-foot Azadi (Freedom) Tower, located in Tehran's Azadi Square.

The Achaemenid tombs at Naqhsh-e Rostam, near the Unesco-listed Persepolis, a city destroyed in 330 B.C. during Alexander the Great's invasion of Persia. It disappeared beneath the desert sands until it was excavated in the 1930s.

The Vank Cathedral in Esfahan's historical Armenian neighborhood, a testament to the city's multicultural roots.

Mahan is a small town famed for its tomb of the Sufi leader shah Nematollah Vali and for its luxurious Persian garden, the Bagh-e Shazdeh or Prince Garden.

An array of exotic spices awaits in the markets of Tehran.

Persian cooking has influenced Middle Eastern, Moroccan, Northern Indian and Turkish cuisines.

Iranian school groups visiting their country's historic and cultural sites are commonplace. So is their curiosity and warmth, says author Patricia Schultz, surrounded here by a cluster of high school girls who enthusiastically peppered her with questions about life in the U.S.

The classical Persian garden, this one in Shiraz, contains the Zoroastrian elements of sky, earth, water and plants.

Locals greeted Schultz's tour group with warm smiles and open hearts.

Rolls of beautifully handcrafted Persian rugs were for sale outside Isfahan's bazaar.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Persepolis encompasses some of the most fascinating ruins in the world, and is a top draw for travelers to Iran.

Esfahan's beautiful blue-tiled buildings are considered some of the most extraordinary architecture in the world today.