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- One year after I visited
Iran for the first time,
I came back to explore
a part of the country
I haven't seen yet.
In this episode, I take you
on a week-long road trip
with friends, from Tehran
through the Alborz Mountains,
to the Caspian Sea.
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Yes. I am back in Iran
for a little addition
to the Inside Iran series.
In this video, I wanna
show you some hidden gems
in the north of the country.
But first, we start
things off here in Tehran,
where I wanted to show you a
side which I haven't shown you
in the last series, the Tabiat Bridge.
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With 270 meters, the Tabiat
Bridge is the largest
pedestrian overpass in Iran.
The bridge was designed by a
group of Iranian architects,
and has won several awards for
its impressive architecture.
The name of the bridge
translates into nature bridge,
as it connects two public
parks in the north of Tehran,
which were separated by the
main highways of the metropolis.
With the incredible views
and the beautiful parks,
it quickly became a hotspot
by locals and is an awesome
location for photographers.
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After about four hours
of driving from Tehran,
I arrived in the Alborz Mountains,
which are surrounding us.
We are at an altitude
of almost 2,100 meters.
Up there is 2,100 meters,
and this big rock is why I'm here.
On top of this rock
sits the Alamut Castle,
which basically means something
like the eagle's nest,
and this was the stronghold for
many years of the Assassins,
quite an interesting spot.
So, it's a little hike to go up there,
it's about half an hour
of climbing the stairs.
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Whew!
Quite a climb, but totally worth it.
If you see the surroundings here.
You don't see much of the castle,
because it was actually destroyed.
But they now do reconstruction work,
and if you just come for the
views, it's totally enough.
What an incredible occasion, for a castle.
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The Alamut Castle is located
within the Alamut Valley,
which is home to a number
of castles of the Assassins,
and a great spot to go hiking
if you bring more time.
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We decided to spend the night
in this beautiful valley,
before we drove all the way
back to Qazvin, and from there,
through Rasht to our next
destination, Masuleh.
While I got lucky at Alamut,
I didn't get so lucky
with the weather here in Masuleh.
This is probably the most
popular village in all of Iran,
because these houses are
on top of each other,
like you can see here.
It's a little bit like, built with Lego.
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Masuleh architecture is unique.
The buildings have been
built into the mountain,
and are interconnected.
Courtyards and roofs both
serve as pedestrian areas,
similar to streets.
Masuleh does not allow any
motor vehicles to enter,
due to its unique layout.
It is the only city in Iran
with such a prohibition.
Yellow clay coats the exterior
of most buildings in Masuleh.
This allows for better
visibility in the fog.
And when you come to the
north, you also need to eat
typical food from here.
So we have kebab torsh.
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And the third and last stop
on this trip is Ramsar.
This is the city down there,
right at the Caspian Sea.
This is where the Alborz
mountains, which are right here,
tumble into the sea.
And right now, I am
here at the Bam E Sabz,
which basically means The Green Roof,
and I think this is pretty appropriate,
because it's green around us,
and you have this nice view.
Cool spot and very popular by Iranians.
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Alright, that is it for
this episode of Inside Iran.
If you are interested in
traveling to Iran as well,
make sure to check out the
rest of the series here,
and check out my Iran travel guide here,
with all my tips and recommendations.
Finally, don't forget to
subscribe to the channel
for new travel videos every Thursday,
and see you next week.
Bye.
