The 15th day of Ordibehesht in the Iranian calendar that falls on May 5 has been designated as Shiraz Day due to its historical and cultural importance as well as its unique beauty.







Shiraz, as the�city of prominent Iranian poets Saadi and Hafez, and with a great background in the history and culture of this land, has a special place among Iranians.

It is one of the most historic cities in Iran, a spectacular city with many gardens and historical monuments that hosts thousands of tourists annually.

The beautiful city of Shiraz, well-known as the city of poetry, the city of orange and bergamot, has been added to the list of UNESCO world cities, as the World City of Handicrafts, after evaluations by the World Crafts Council.

On the occasion of National Shiraz Day, every year special programs are held by Shiraz Municipality on this day. Some local musicians hold concerts and sing traditional and folk songs which nowadays are forgotten. Women from rural areas wearing special costumes serve visitors traditional foods and bread they cook.

Location

Shiraz is one of the biggest cities in Iran and the most significant city in the center of Fars province. It is located in the southwest of Iran in the Zagros mountainous area, a highly important protection for the strategic location of Shiraz.

History

There is no definitive record of its existence prior to the late 7th century CE, but few archaeological finds dating from 1933 and beyond indicate that the site or vicinity of Shiraz was likely settled in the pre-Islamic era as early as the 6th century BCE.

The modern city was founded or restored by the Umayyads in 693 and grew prominent under the successive Iranian Saffarid and Buyid dynasties in the 9th and 10th � 11th centuries, respectively. It was the capital of Persia during the Zand dynasty from 1750 until 1800.

By Mehr