Yazd

Yazd

 0351  /  POP 432,194  /  ELEV 1213M With its winding lanes, forest of badgirs, mud -brick old town and excellent range of accommodation options, Yazd is one of the highlights of any trip to Iran. Wedged between the northern Dasht-e Kavir and southern Dasht-e Lut, it doesn’t have the big-ticket sights of Esfahan or Shiraz, but it’s equally enchanting. This is a place to wander and get lost in the maze of historic streets and lanes, not to mention your imagination. It’s also an ideal base for day trips to several evocative villages and towns.

THE BADGIRS OF YAZD

 ny summer visitor to Yazd will understand immediately why the city’s roofscape is a forest of  badgirs (windtowers or wind catchers). These ancient systems of natural airconditioning are designed to catch even the lightest breeze and direct it to the rooms below. To appreciate the eff ect, just stand beneath one. Iranian  badgirs are divided into three common types: Ardakani, which capture wind from only one direction; Kermani, which capture wind from two directions; and Yazdi, which capture wind from four directions. Other variations can capture wind from up to eight directions. All have a structure that contains the shafts, air shelves that are used to catch some of the hot air and stop it entering the house, flaps to redirect the circulation of the wind and a roof covering. The currents that enter the house often do so above a pool of cool water, thereby cooling the air, while the warm air continues its circular path, redirected upwards and out of the house through a different shaft. Genius!

History :

 Yazd has a long and important history as a trading post. When  Marco Polo passed this way in the 13th century, he described Yazd as ‘a very fi ne and splendid city and a centre of commerce’. It was spared destruction by Genghis Khan and Tamerlane, and fl ourished in the 14th and 15th centuries, with silk, textile and carpet production the main home-grown industries. Like most of Iran, Yazd fell into decline when the Safavids were defeated and remained little more than a provincial outpost until the railway line from Tehran was extended here by the last shah.

OLD CITY:

The city’s historic centre emerges like a phoenix from the desert – a very old phoenix. Y azd’s old city is one of the oldest towns on earth, according to Unesco, and is the perfect place to get a feel for the region’s rich history. Just about everything here – including 2000 Qajar-era houses – is made from sun-dried mud bricks, and the resulting brown skyline is dominated by tall badgirs on almost every rooftop. The residential quarters appear almost deserted because of the high walls, which shield the houses from the narrow and labyrinthine kuches (lanes) that criss-cross the town. Follow our walking tour (p 180 ) or just wander around; you’ll discover covered walkways, simple courtyards, ornate wooden doors and some lovely adobe architecture. And be sure to get yourself to the

rooftops at some point for fi ne views over Yazd and into the vast brown expanses of the desert.

Free:Masjed-e Jameh 

 (Jameh Mosque; Masjed-e Jameh St) Dominating the old city, this magnifi cent building has a tiled entrance portal that is one of the tallest in Iran, fl anked by two magnifi cent 48m-high minarets and adorned with an inscription from the 15th century. The exquisite mosaics on the dome and mihrab, and the tiles above the main western entrance to the courtyard are particularly stunning. The gardoneh mehr (swastika symbol) used on the tiles symbolises infi nity, timelessness, birth and death and can be found on Iranian buildings dating back as early as 5000 BC. Built for Sayyed Roknaddin in the 15th century, the mosque is on the site of a 12th-century building believed to have itself replaced an earlier fi re temple. In the courtyard there is a stairwell leading down to part of the Zarch Qanat (closed to the public). Roof access is barred to everyone except Muslim women, who are allowed up on Fridays only.

Bagh-e Dolat Abad 

 (admission US$2.70; h7.30am-5pm, to 10pm summer) Once a residence of Persian regent Karim Khan Zand, this small pavilion set amid U nesco-listed gardens was built about 1750. The interior of the pavilion is superb, with intricate latticework and exquisite stained-glass windows. It’s also renowned for having Iran’s loftiest  badgir, standing over 33m, though this one was rebuilt after it collapsed in the 1960s. The entrance can be reached from the western end of Shahid Raja’i St.

worth a trip:

DESERT NIGHTS

The tiny settlement of Farahzad, 425km from Esfahan, is an oasis located amid sand dunes in the Dasht-e Kavir, just outside the village of Mesr. Its residents, all members of one extended family, make a living from agriculture and by operating Barandaz Lodge (%0324-434 2188, 0913 323 4188; www.mesr.info; full board per person US$35, B&B US$10), an 11-room guesthouse occupying two beautifully restored mud-brick houses. The atmosphere here is fantastic and the accommodation is excellent: simple but attractive rooms with traditional bedding, hydronic heating and gleaming bathrooms with Western toilets. Be sure to opt for the full-board option as all of the food is sourced locally and is absolutely delicious – this place even has its own bread oven and large pool where carp are sourced. While here, you can stargaze, ride the guesthouse’s camels, take 4WD tours into the desert and generally soak up the seclusion. Highly recommended.

Khan-e Lari:

 (admission US$0.20; h7am-6pm, to 8pm summer) 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 and alcoves mark it out as one of the city’s grandest homes. The merchant family who built it have long gone, and it’s now home to architecture students and cultural heritage offi  cers. It’s signposted west of Zaiee Sq; see the walking tour (p 180 ) for directions.

Amir chakhmaq complex:

(Amir  Chakhmaq Sq; admission US$0.30; h7.30am-2.30pm Sat-Thu) The stunning threestorey facade of this  Hosseinieh makes it one of the largest such structures in Iran. Its rows of perfectly proportioned sunken alcoves are at their best, and most photogenic, around sunset when the light softens and the towering exterior is discreetly floodlit. Recent work has added arcades at the side to keep traffic away from the structure. You can climb to the 1st floor of the structure and look over the square, but higher levels are not accessible. Underneath the complex is a  bazaar where kababis specialise in jigar (grilled liver). In front of the Hosseinieh, look out for the huge wooden palm nakhl, an important centrepiece once used for the observance of the Shiites’ passionate Ashura commemorations.

 Saheb A Zaman Club Zurkhaneh :

(admission US$1.80; hworkouts 6am, 6pm & 8pm Sat-Thu) Just off  the north side of Amir Chakhmaq Sq is the Saheb A Zaman Club Zurkhaneh, which is worth seeing both for its Iranian brand of body building and because it’s a quite an amazing structure. The modern club is inside a cavernous ab anbar (water reservoir) built about 1580. Looking like a 29m-high standing egg from the inside, and crowned with fi ve burly badgirs, the reservoir stored water for much of the town. The hour-long workouts in the Zurkhaneh are an interesting window on Iranian culture; see (p 292 ). Note: only males are admitted.

Ateshkadeh :

(Sacred Eternal Flame; Kashani St; admission US$0.90; h8am-noon & 3-6pm Sat-Thu) Zoroastrians come from around the world to see this  ateshkadeh, often referred to as the Zoroastrian Fire Temple and said to have been burning since about AD 470. Visible through  
DESERT NIGHTS T he tiny settlement of F arahzad, 425km from Esfahan, is an oasis located amid sand dunes in the Dasht-e Kavir, just outside the village of Mesr. Its residents, all members of one extended family, make a living from agriculture and by operating Barandaz Lodge (%0324-434 2188, 0913 323 4188; www.mesr.info; full board per person US$35, B&B US$10), an 11-room guesthouse occupying two beautifully restored mud-brick houses. The atmosphere here is fantastic and the accommodation is excellent: simple but attractive rooms with traditional bedding, hydronic heating and gleaming bathrooms with Western toilets. Be sure to opt for the full-board option as all of the food is sourced locally and is absolutely delicious – this place even has its own bread oven and large pool where carp are sourced. While here, you can stargaze, ride the guesthouse’s camels, take 4WD t ours into the desert and generally soak up the seclusion. Highly recommended.
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CENTRAL IRAN  CENTRAL IRAN TOURS CENTRAL IRAN YAZD 

a window from the entrance hall, the fl ame was transferred to Ardakan in 1174, then to Yazd in 1474 and to its present site in 1940. Above the entrance you can see the Fravahar symbol 

Free:Dakhmeh-ye Zartoshtiyun

Towers of Silence; h24hr) These evocative Zoroastrian  Towers of Silence are set on two lonely, barren hilltops on the southern outskirts of Yazd. They haven’t been used since the 1960s. At the foot of the hills are several other disused Zoroastrian buildings, including a defunct well and a water cistern and two small  badgirs. The modern Zoroastrian cemetery is nearby. The easiest way to get here is by taxi dar baste for about US$7.50 return, including waiting time of 45 minutes or so while you climb to the top of the towers and back. One way will cost US$2.70.

THE QANAT:

 or at least 2000 years Iranians have been digging  qanats (underground water channels) to irrigate crops and supply drinking water. To build a qanat it’s necessary to fi rst identify an underground water source. This source could be more than 100m deep, but as the whole system is reliant on gravity, it must be higher than the fi nal destination. The next step is to dig a tunnel just wide and tall enough to crawl along, so that the water can fl ow across an extremely shallow gradient to its destination. The mounds of soil you’ll see in long lines across the desert are the top of wells, dug to dispose of excavated soil and allow ventilation. Because of the hazards and expense of constructing a qanat, complex laws govern every aspect of their use and maintenance. Iran is thought to have more than 50,000 qanats. While modern irrigation projects now take priority, qanats and other traditional methods of supplying water are still very important. And as hundreds of towns and villages – including Bam, Kashan and Mahan – still rely on qanats for water, the highly skilled and well-paid qanat builders of Yazd won’t be picking up redundancy cheques for many years yet. F or the low-down on qanats, head for the  Yazd Water Museum (%626 8340; Amir Chakhmaq Sq; admission IR10,000; h8am-7pm), located in a restored mansion that happens to have a qanat or two underneath. The displays are clear and mostly in English.

warning:

 Yazd and the surrounding desert areas are backpacker hubs, and there is a small number of dodgy tourism operators focussing on this segment of the tourism market. On our last trip we encountered a number of problems, including desperate and somewhat nasty competition between some tour guides (both accredited and unaccredited) and the increasingly erratic public behaviour of a guide once recommended in this book but subsequently deleted after a number of complaints by travellers. Be careful about what guide you use. A lso of concern is an outfit  off ering cheap but unlicensed (and therefore illegal) homestay accommodation in the area around Khoor in the Dasht-e Kavir. These guys use other young travellers (some foreign) to drum up business by sending them into hostels in Tehran, Shiraz and Yazd, where they entice prospective guests with promises of dirt-cheap accommodation, alcohol and even drugs. Needless to say, if you’re in an illegal homestay where there is alcohol and/or drugs and the place is raided by police, you will be in serious trouble. Don’t risk it.

Hotel and Hostel:

More than 10 khan-e sonnati (traditional houses) have now been transformed into hotels in  Yazd. The result is 24-hour cultural immersion; you can see the sights of this historic city by day, and then sit on takhts, sip tea and eat local food as Iranians have for centuries. Alternatively, there are three excellent midrange choices that aren’t housed in traditional buildings but off er characterful and comfortable accommodation. Not surprisingly, the old city is the most atmospheric area to stay in. Almost all hotels off er day trips out of the city, and prices are in proportion to room rates – the Silk Road Hotel off ers the cheapest in town and is consistently reliable. In the off  season, most midrange and topend hotels off er a 30% discount.

Friendly hotel:

8 euro each night for each person (dormitory)

Orient Hotel:

 (%625 2730, 0913 151 6361; www.silkroadhotel group.com; 6th Alley, off  Masjed-e Jameh St; dm/s/d/tr US$11/36/54/62; aiW) Owned and operated by the crew from the Silk Road Hotel, the Orient is set around two high-sided courtyards and off ers a range of rooms (some with air-cond) with hard beds and an attractive six-bed dorm with shared bathroom (squat toilet only). The rooftop Marco Polo Restaurant (buff et dinner US$11) has a great view over the Masjed-e Jameh but is only open when tour groups are staying at the hotel. The group’s third hotel, the Oasis (%625 2730, 0913 151 6361; www .silkroadhotelgroup.com; Seyyed Roknoddin Alley; r per person US$15), is in a less-attractive building behind the Bogheh-ye Sayyed Roknaddin and off ers cheap rooms with bathroom (Western sit-down toilet).

 Rose Traditional Hotel:

(%622 5790-92; Farhang Alley, off  Imam Khomeini St; s/d/tr US$27/40/53; aW) Deep in the Old City, this unpretentious little place is in desperate need of refurbishment but is listed here due to its relatively low prices. Rooms are dark but have decent bathrooms with Western toilets. Don’t be confused by the exterior signage, which says Kimia Hotel. No English is spoken.

 Soroosh Guesthouse:

(%626 5159; off  Basij Ave; s/tw/tr US$18/27/31; a) Popular with Iranian workers, this place is set in an attractive building and offers cheap rooms with hard beds and smelly bathrooms (squat toilet). It’s only worth considering if you’re on a tight budget and don’t want to stay in a dorm.

I heard about 711 hotel I think it is cheap but I do not know about exactly price.