Tafresh

Called the "City of Iran's Fathers", this academic city has brought forward many key figures in Iranian history, notably in science and politics. In the 7th century Sasanian dynasty in Persia, Tafresh was a stronghold for Zoroastrianism, Iran's state religion in those days. Today, it's a relatively small city with some 13,000 inhabitants and numbers are decreasing as people leave the town and move to larger cities.

Tafresh is about 222 km (138 mi) southwest of Tehran.

• Tafresh Azad University lies just out of town, between Tafresh city and the village of Moinabad.
• The nearby tiny village of Delaram is used as a summer resort. Delaram is famous for its walnut cultivation and Tafresh locals also head out there for a stroll in the lush field there, which they call "dasht". On the way to the dasht you'll pass the buried remains of a historic mill.