Tehran, Iran
Ancient sites near Tehran
2 archaeological and heritage sites within 800 km of Tehran, closest first. Distances are straight-line (“as the crow flies”); road journeys are longer.
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655km
Persepolis
Iran · founded c. 518 BCE · UNESCO
Columned halls and carved processions of tribute-bearers from across an empire.
Nearest town: Shiraz
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731km
Babylon
Iraq · height in the 6th c. BCE · UNESCO
One of the most famous cities of the ancient world, on the Euphrates south of Baghdad.
Nearest town: Hillah
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1,127km
Göbekli Tepe
Türkiye · c. 9500 BCE · UNESCO
Carved T-shaped pillars raised before farming, pottery or writing — and before Stonehenge by about 6,000 years.
Nearest town: Şanlıurfa · Best time to visit: April – May, September – October
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1,599km
Petra
Jordan · flourished c. 1st c. BCE – 1st c. CE · UNESCO
A Nabataean trading capital carved straight into rose-red sandstone cliffs.
Nearest town: Wadi Musa · Best time to visit: March – May, September – November
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1,667km
Çatalhöyük
Türkiye · c. 7100–5700 BCE · UNESCO
Thousands of people lived in tightly packed mud-brick houses entered through holes in the roof.
Nearest town: Konya
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1,672km
Mehrgarh
Pakistan · c. 7000–2500 BCE
A Neolithic village where people grew barley and herded cattle thousands of years before the Indus cities.
Day trips and distances from Tehran
What is the closest ancient site to Tehran?
Persepolis in Iran is about 655 km from Tehran in a straight line; the nearest town is Shiraz.