Blogs from Kashan, North, Iran, Middle East

My time in Iran was quickly winding down. It was my final full day and we left Esfahan early, on our way to a historic village known as Abyaneh. The village itself has been in existence for the past 2500 years, back to a time where Zoroastrianism prevailed in this region. The village is situated about two hours north of Esfahan and is on a mountainside. Red sandstone is the main construction theme here and gives Abyaneh a distinct look. Predictably, many Iranian tourists could be found here. We walked the narrow alley ways and some of the locals were dressed in very traditional garb and were selling food and wares. Kurush, of course, gave us some historic pretexts about the place. I was then free to go around. The others with me decided on checking ... read more

Last night's Tango equals this mornings very friendly international communal breakfast. We all seem to have emerged for breakfast at the same time. The Ambassador and her partner and Brigitta and Jasmine are heading off on a day trip and I have arranged a car to get me to Kashan via Abyaneh and Natanz. A bus would be a cheap option but this way I get to see another 2 places on my list and get to Kashan in time to see some of it. I managed to get the last room at Ehsan Historical House (a tiny (=cheap)one on the roof- "am I ok with climbing ladders" the receptionist asked- sounds cool IMO) after ringing around a couple of places that are completely full. I tell Jasmine about it and it transpires that this is ... read more

Today was all about houses. Visiting old mountain houses in the city of Abayaneh, touring rich merchant houses in Kashan, and reclining with a belly-filling plate of Kebab in house-turned-restaurant. The home is an important part of Iranian culture, and today we hoped to get an insight into what those homes looked like ... well, what they used to look like, since we were visiting historic homes. Abayaneh is a Zoroastrian village up in the mountains that is fast dwindling into a retirement home. The young folks have long left the red-mud village and headed into the city, leaving behind ailing parents who eke out a living entertaining tourists with their quaint old village. Folks still dress in traditional Zoroastrian garb (or at least they do when the tourists are watching) and live in traditional red ... read more

Back in Iran... Tehran-Kashan-Esfahan-Yazd. More pictures to come ... read more

After two days spent in Kashan on the way back to Tehran I was ready to face the big smoke again. But it was not to be for as long as I imagined.... Kashan is famous for its traditional 'houses', clustered together on a few streets just outside the city centre. Many of these 19th century Qajar style palaces built by Kashan's great and good, are now empty and echoing, lit by delicate stained glass windows, the light hitting the faceted mirror decoration. Once large extended families as well as their legions of servants would have lived here. I visited the Khan-e Abbasin and the Khan-e Tabatabei. The houses are set round a series of courtyards, demarcating private and public spaces. The Khan-e Tabatabei was built by a rich carpet seller who used the public side ... read more