Nantaz and Abyaneh, Iran, October 20, 2015

The Abbasi Hotel in Esfahan is 5 star.  We didn't stay there but I enjoyed the garden this morning-

The fruit trees are beautiful-

Nantaz is a small village with an even smaller Sufi / dervish mosque where a mystic from the 11th century is buried.  It has a conical roof instead of a dome-

The outside entrance is very nice-

with different styles of calligraphy on the entrance iwan-

It also has an intricately carved entrance door-

Inside, the calligraphy is in plaster and except for the tallest parts, has been removed and put in other museums outside of Iran-

Unfortunately, this is as close as I'm going to get to a glass of wine!  This goblet was created by a local craftsman-

Finally a group picture outside the mosque-

We drove through the Karkas Mountains where it's quite deserty-

but there are some small oasis-

In Abyaneh, the elderly speak Middle Persian -  an ancient dialect.  The village is over 1500 years old but there don't appear to be many inhabitants, unless they were indoors.  Some parts are really rubby-

but there are also newer homes-

There are many winding streets-

Most of these women were selling walnuts, dried apples and trinkets throughout the village.  Their headscarves are decorated with roses, not the typical black scarves we're used to-

These two were trying to tow each other.  Needless to say, it didn't work-

Bread making the traditionnal way-

The sheets of bread are stuck to the top of the oven-

A public water fountain-

More Irenglish-

Between Nantaz and Abyaneh, I saw some manned ballistic anti-aircraft cannons.  They shoot bullets, rather than rockets.  Unfortunately pictures of anything military is forbidden!  They may be protecting a nearby nuclear plant.

It's back to Tehran tomorrow!