Gentlefolk,
This post describes our visit to Kashan, a city south of Tehran (about half way between Tehran and Isfahan).
We arrived in Kashan in the afternoon of Sunday 8 April, and left the following morning for Isfahan.
The drive took 3.5 hours; good highway; dry, desolate countryside, how can anything live/grow here?
We checked into the hotel and then had a late lunch. Afterwards visited Fin Garden; then inspected two grand traditional private houses: Tabatabaee House and Brujerdi House. Dinner in lovely Abbasia Restaurant.
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| We stayed in the Amir Kabir Hotel in Kashan. |
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| Jenny, Hartmut and Vera with our bus driver Hamid and his trusty assistant Wahid; they transported us from Tehran to Shiraz. Fortunately Hamid was an excellent driver, while Wahid was always smiling and joking; they slept in a special compartment under the bus. |
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| The entrance to Fin Garden, a Persian garden created in the reign of the first King Abbas of the Safavid Dynasty (1571-1629). It gained notoriety in 1852 when the beloved Qajar Chancellor, Amir Kabir, was murdered here. Legend has it that the King changed his mind at the last minute, but his courier arrived too late as the assassin had already struck. |
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| Fin Garden was listed as a UNESCO World Historical Site in 2012. It covers 2.3 hectares; the main yard is surrounded by a high wall with four towers. The Lonely Planet says that Persian gardens are meant to symbolise paradise, with flowing water, trees and flowers. Traditional gardens apparently feature the Zoroastrian elements of sky, earth, water, and plants. |
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| Girls at ease after the exertion of touring the Fin Garden; from left: Millie, Bethany, Amelia, Rawee, Vera. |
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| Vera and me under one of the ancient Cypress trees in Fin Garden. |
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| Amazing private residence Tabatabaei House in Kashan covers 5,000 sq meters; 40 rooms; 4 courtyards; 4 basements; 3 wind towers; wall paintings and stained glass. Now a museum. That's a mansion! |
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| We then visited another mansion, Brujerdi House. The story goes that a wealthy merchant, Seyyad Brujerdi, wanted to marry one of the Tabatabaei daughters and promised to build her a house to rival her father's. He employed the same architect, Ustad Ali Maryan. Slightly smaller than Tabatabaei House, Brujerdi House has an impressive reception hall (see next photo). |
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| The Reception Hall in Brujerdi House, with its ornate domed ceiling. |
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A poster on a wall near Brujerdi House suggesting that the anti-hijab movement (which has been gaining ground, especially in Tehran) is sponsored by the US, UK and Israel. One gets the feeling that the Regime is trying hard to preserve Islamic teachings, but the mass of people, especially the young, are tuning out.
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Another poster urging women to remain modest and pure.
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| Outside Brujerdi House this guy was selling coffee & tea from the back of a VW van - good to see a bit of initiative at work (and the coffee was pretty good too!). |
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| That night we had dinner in the Abbasi Restaurant advertised in this poster. Although Iranians adopted Arabic script, they kept their own spoken language (Farsi). |
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| The attractive interior of the Abbasi Restaurant. |
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| We found it more comfortable to eat while seated on chairs, rather than sitting on a platform (on carpets & cushions) as is the more traditional way in Iran. From left: Vera; Ruth; Hartmut; Amelia; Millie; Phillip; Jenny; Alex (me); Bethany; and Patrick. |
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So ended our first day on the road. Tehran was a good introduction, but we were all eager to see more of this fascinating country.
The following day we drove to Isfahan, which will be the subject of my next post.
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Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Alex Olah & Vera Olah
Canberra, Australia
Tuesday, 15 May 2018
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