following the balkan-route

Hi friends!

Our trip is almost coming to its end. We’re getting closer and closer to Europe. After Afghanistan, we followed the Balkan-route to Iran. The first stop in Iran was Birjand. Birjand is a big city in the East of Iran and is located on the “Silk Road”. That’s how the call the smuggling route.

A lot of drugs get shipped across the border. Mostly the drugs is from Afghan origin and makes its way across the Balkans to consumers in Western Europe, which is the world's largest heroin market. Approximately 30 million ton is seized every year in the Islamic Republic of Iran. In other words, for every kilo seized in the South East Europe, nearly 11 kilos are seized in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Luckily, the city is also known for other things like their carpet export for example. Saffron and barberry are typical products in this region as well. The main reason why we visited this city is because it’s a fast growing city. Birjand is becoming one of the biggest centers in the East of Iran. Because there’s an airport, we thought it’d be a good idea to visit this city and then take the plane to the capital of Iran.

But while we were there, there were enough places worth visiting. After we discovered the city centre, we decided to visit two of the most beautiful spots in the region. But therefore, we needed to leave the city and take the bus a couple of kilometers down South. After half an hour we arrived at our first stop:

The Band Dareh Dam is situated about 5 kilometers south of Birjand on the heights of Bagheran Mountains. Over the years it has kept its place. Not only is it a resort for travelers, it is also a source of hope for the farmers and thirsty trees of the region. After visiting the dam, we used the opportunity to discover the rest of the Bagheran Mountains. After walking a few hours, we arrived at our second stop.

Furg citadel

The Furg citadel is a citadel built in the 12th century. It’s an amazing construction and is well conserved through the years. As you can see, it’s situated on the top of a mountain and it gives an amazing view when you’re standing on the citadel. It was time to go back to the city because we needed to catch a flight. So we hurried towards the Birjand airport where we had tickets to go to the capital of Iran, Tehran.