Iran is opening its doors to Western tourists

European and Iranian tourists visiting the Tachara Palace, also known as the palace of King Darius of Achaemenid (522-486BC), at the ancient Persian city of Persepolis.

Seizing their chance, the Persians seek tourism revival as relations with the West thaw.

At the foot of Persepolis, busloads of foreign tourists gaze in awe at the ancient mud-brick ceremonial capital that Iran hopes will be part of a rebirth of its tourism industry. Although decades of sanctions mean the hotels and infrastructure are not five star, a tentative political thaw with the West is drawing visitors to Iranian attractions steeped in myth and rumour.

A group of German tourists at the tomb of Achaemenid empeor, Darius I the Great at Naqsh-e Rostam necropolis, located about 12km north-west of Persepolis, Iran. At the foot of Persepolis, the giant sun-dried brick ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid and first Persian empire, foreign tourists pour out of buses and gaze in wonder. — AFP photos/Behrouz Mehri