Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Yadz - Kerman, Iran, October 13, 2015

The Bagh-e-Dolat Abad is a former residence and garden of Karim Khan Zand who was a Persian regent.  It was built in 1750.



There is intricate latticework and pretty stained glass inside the pavillion-




The badgir is the tallest in Iran at 33 meters-


There are 8 down shafts in the badgir to catch the wind and cool the pavillion-


Driving to Kerman, we passed by the Zagros Mountains-


The  Persian facade at our tea stop has names of Mohammed and the Shia prophets.  Allah is on top, followed by Ali and Mohammed.  The third row has Hossein, Fatima and Hasan-


The Ganjali Khan Complex was built between 1596-1621.  It is huge, covering 11,000 square meters, stretching to 1200 meters and includes the Bazar - e - Sartasari (end to end bazar)-


The hole in the dome is at an intersection of four 'streets' in the bazar.  It allows for good air flow to help keep the area cool as well as light.  It's built in the style of Isfahani architecture-


There are spices galore in the bazar.  The top spice is kneaded into bread.  The orange color is from marigold petals.  In the bottom picture, there are bayberries, celery seed, celery leaves and dill.  The aroma can be overpowering!


The Ganj Ali Khan Square houses a mint, bathhouse, caravanserai and mosque-


Construction of the mint began in 1596.  Today it houses a coin museum-


The Ganjali Caravanserai was a hotel for travellers arriving on camel.  There were 999 in Iran, about 10 kilometers apart because that's as far as they could travel in a day.  There was a platform in the middle of the courtyard where they could unload their cargo-


 An iwan is a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open.  It's often decorated with glazed tile, calligraphy and geometric designs.  It is commonly associated with Islamic architecture-


Travellers, after making sure their camels were well fed and watered, headed for the bathhouse and then to the mosque-



Embroidery is an important Iranian tradition.  Yarn is dyed locally and the stitching is done by hand.  The tree of life is a popular design-


Friday is the main day of worship for Iranians, even though they are expected to pray five times/day.  The Masjed - e Jameh, or Friday Mosque is open air and dates from 1349.  It has no minarets but a clock above this iwan-


The tile work is gorgeous.  The colors are so vibrant-


Inside the Friday mosque are four iwans-



Moshtari-ye Moshtaq Ali Shah holds the grave of Moshtaq Ali Shah who was a Sufi mystic.  He is best known for adding the fourth string to the setar (3 strings).  He was stoned to death in the Masjed -e Jameh-


You never know what you'll find in the market!



The former bathhouse (hamman) is nowna teahouse, the Iranian version of a bar.  It's relaxing to hang out here and escape from the bustle and noise of the bazar-


There is entertainment to make you imagine you're in the Hofbrauhaus or someplace where you could at least get a beer-


Smoking shisha is a popular way to pass the time (and dream about a drink)- 


For supper I found a local restaurant for a minced beef kebab.  It was homework time and the boys were practicing their printing with Mom-


Tomorrow we'll continue discovering Kerman!

























 






2 comments:

  1. I am definitely enjoying your website. You definitely have some great insight and great stories.
    travel to iran

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Robert. Glad you're enjoying. Happy travels.

      Delete

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