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beneath it. In the wake of the Bam disaster there was much speculation in Tehran about what kind of hell would be unleashed if – or as many people feel, when – a large quake rocks the capital. The citizenry are right to worry. Building standards in Iran are poor, and corruption among inspectors ensures even these standards are seldom met. A government report in 2004 stated that of the 15 million homes in Iran, 7.2 million are vulnerable to a major earthquake. As a visitor, all you can do is hope you don’t get unlucky. Click here for tips in case you do.

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Unlike many ancient civilisations, such as those in Egypt and Mesopotamia, Persian settlements did not develop around major rivers. The longest and sole navigable river is the Karun (890km) in the southwest, and it’s no Nile. Rather, settled areas are almost entirely confined to the foothills of mountains, where natural springs and melting snow provide sufficient water, with the melted snow often channelled through ingenious underground canals called qanats Click here.

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Only about 11% of Iran is arable land: 8% is forest, 47% is natural (ie nonarable) pastures; and the remaining 34% is infertile land, including desert.

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Without river connections, and prior to modern transport, these communities lived in relative isolation. In many cases a large town would be the focus of trade for hundreds of surrounding villages otherwise hemmed in by mountains or desert. Almost all further trade and communication was done by camel caravans, which linked these population basins to each other and the rest of the known world via the silk routes and the coasts.

In the north Iran’s coast borders the Caspian Sea (Darya-ye Khazar), which, at 370,000 sq km, is the world’s largest lake. (Or is it? Click here.) To the southeast, the coast along the Persian Gulf is 965km long. The Persian Gulf becomes the Gulf of Oman east of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The gulf contains dozens of tiny islands, most of them uninhabited. Those that are, notably Qeshm and Kish, are being developed, attracting investors and tourists from the Gulf States. Other islands are used as bases for oil prospecting.

Iran boasts an abundance of cheshmeh (hot- and cold-water mineral springs), usually found in mountainous regions and much loved by Iranians as picnic venues. The most developed is Sara’eyn Click here, near Ardabil, which is now a full-blown spa resort. In the desert more modest springs are the lifeblood of tiny oasis villages like Garmeh.

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WILDLIFE

Iran’s diverse landscapes are home to a fascinating and sometimes exhilarating mix of wildlife. Seeing this fauna is not easy but with planning, patience and good guiding, you might get lucky.

Mammals

Iran is home to 158 species of mammal, about one-fifth of which are endemic. Large cats, including the Persian leopard and Asiatic cheetah (Click here), are the most glamorous, but a range of wild sheep, deer, gazelle and bears are just as interesting.

Indeed, Iran’s seven species of wild sheep might well be the progenitors of the modern, garden variety sheep and goat. They include species such as the Transcaspian oreal, Laristan mouflon and Alborz red sheep, an ibex with a long black beard and curved horns.

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THROUGH MARTIAN EYES

Iran’s mountain and desert landscapes are often as spectacular to look at from space as they are in person. So if you have a couple of hours to kill, get on Google Earth and check out the following:

The Kaluts N 30°38’34.63”, E 58° 0’58.48”

Qeshm Geological Park N 26°37’0.46”, E 55°29’29.43”

Zagros Mountains N 30°15’4.30”, E 51°57’21.35”

Dasht-e Kavir mountains N 33°50’47.00”, E 52°34’53.26”

Dasht-e Lut sand dunes N 30° 5’50.34”, E 59°16’48.39”

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THE ASIATIC CHEETAH

The Asiatic cheetah is one of the most endangered cats on earth. The 50 to 100 living on the edges of Iran’s Dasht-e Kavir are all that remain of a population that once ranged from India to the Mediterranean. Cheetahs were prized by ancient Persian royalty, who trained