Day 5: Shiraz & Persepolis

The day started with a tour around the Shah-e Cheragh in Shiraz.  The mosque has an "international division" comprising young men in green sashes who approach you and introduce themselves and inform you that they are available to answer questions about the mosque and Shia Islam in general.  It's a very pleasant and instructive experience albeit one that leaves your head spinning as you try to comprehend the nuances and complexities of the beliefs, and the differences amongst us all.
Later that day I took a car to Persepolis about 60 km north of Shiraz.  Built by Darius I in the 500 BCs and currently being beautifully restored. On the way back (beautiful light in the later afternoon), I stopped off at Naqsh-e Rustam, the grand burial sites for Darius and others.
The extras are a mix of images inside Shah-e Cheragh and around Persepolis and Naqsh-e Rustam.  So another full day and in the end I did not see much of Shiraz itself.  That will have to wait for another time as I take the 5.30 a.m. bus to Isfahan.