Hidden Desert

Yazd


Within 30 minutes (15km) drive of Yazd city centre, this belt of rippling sand dunes is a popular spot to watch the sun set across the desert landscape. As the colours of the pink-hued mountains beyond intensify with the last of the sun's rays, the shadows of the dunes are thrown into sharp relief, making for the perfect photo opportunity. While a taxi may be persuaded to the edge of the sands, it is better to take a licensed driver-guide who can navigate the soft terrain.

The temperature drops quickly after sunset, especially in winter when it can be bitter cold. If coming by taxi, it's essential to ask the driver to wait as this is an isolated spot after dark.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Yazd attractions

1. Khan-e Lari

4.73 MILES

This 150-year-old building is one of the best-preserved Qajar-era houses in Yazd. The badgirs, traditional doors, stained-glass windows, elegant archways…

2. Bagh-e Dolat Abad

4.81 MILES

Once a residence of Persian regent Karim Khan Zand, this small pavilion set amid Unesco-listed gardens was built around 1750. The interior of the pavilion…

3. Old City

4.85 MILES

With its numerous badgirs (windtowers) rising above a labyrinth of adobe roofs, the historic old city of Yazd is one of the oldest towns on earth. Listed…

4. Alexander’s Prison

4.91 MILES

This 15th-century domed school is known as Alexander’s Prison because of a reference to this apparently dastardly place in a Hafez poem. Whether the deep…

5. Tomb of the 12 Imams

4.92 MILES

The early-11th-century brick Tomb of the 12 Imams, neighbouring Alexander’s Prison, forms one side of Zaiee Sq, in the heart of Yazd's historic old city…

6. Masjed-e Jameh

5.07 MILES

Soaring above the old city, this magnificent building is graced with a tiled entrance portal (one of the tallest in Iran), flanked by two 48m-high…

7. Bogheh-ye Sayyed Roknaddin

5.09 MILES

The beautiful blue-tiled dome of the tomb of local Islamic notable Sayyed Roknaddin Mohammed Qazi is visible from any elevated point in the city. Built…

8. Imam Zadeh Jafar

5.13 MILES

This magnificent modern shrine is best experienced at night when the lighting is inspirational, both from the courtyard outside and from within the…