Kashan, the city to get stuck in

Desert climate suited us well. The nights were a bit chilly, but the warm sunny days were making up for everything else. Having such wetter at the end of November was more luck than we were hoping for. We decided to stick to it and continue our journey towards the sandy parts of Iran.

We have made Kashan our next stop. This small city near Qom doesn't really look very impressive. Judging at the first glance, you could come to a conclusion, that apart form the city walls, which are slowly falling apart, the place has rather little to offer. Fortunately, it's far from the truth. Hidden in the middle of the old town, behind ordinary, unimpressive entrances are the “historical houses”, masterpieces of Iranian architecture. Each of them represents a slightly different style and is decorated in its own special way. And though it's really hard to spot them from the outside, some of them are huge, with labyrinths of rooms and staircases, making you run up and down, trying to find all the interesting chambers. Moreover, some of them have quite big (and really pretty) gardens. And though I loved all of them a lot, my personal favorite was the historical bathhouses, not only for its style and decorations, but mostly for its extraordinary roof with a wonderful view over the city.

We liked it all so much, that when we noticed that Khan-e Ehsan Historical Guest House is actually offering an accommodation in such a historical building, we didn't really hesitate long. The place was absolutely amazing and its atmosphere was even better. Back then we didn't even know how much more the place really has to offer and what a lovely time we will have there. But that was also the time when we still thought, we would be occupying this magnificent room only for one day...

The plan for the next day was clear, we wanted to get to the desert. There was a salt lake and sand dunes about 100km form the city, so we decided to drive there early in the morning and continue our journey west afterwards. We still had a week to spend in Iran and we wanted to make the best of it. We got used to Iranian roads, which apart from all the dangers awaiting you there, were in quite good condition. But suddenly we were back to Mongolian standards, so that getting there took us a bit more time than we thought. The place, which according to our map and travel guide was supposed to be a village turned out to be a lonely caravanserai with one single inhabitant. Apart from that it seemed to be just us and the desert. And the desert was amazing! It didn't look impressive at first, just a few hills of sand, but the view changed dramatically as soon as we decided to climb one of them. It was absolutely breathtaking, a huge ocean of sand with no people or buildings in sight. It was stunningly beautiful!

When we got tired of all this sand (and it did took us a while) we drove towards the salt lake. We were told it's the best time to visit it, but we didn't really know what to expect. Water? White surfaces? I can tell you what we did not expect, huge areas filled with white crystals shimmering in the sun, but that's exactly what we got. And it looked wonderful. And the best thing was, it was just as deserted as the desert itself. No one around, so we could finally forget about the rules and dress code and just enjoy the day. We loved it. And just then, we have made up our minds, we wanted to go back home earlier than planned. Back there, in this marvelous scenery, having the time of our lives, we decided we miss home! We knew the weather will be getting worse the moment we start driving west and the fuel will get extremely expensive after crossing the border, so we wanted to take the shortest way home, seeing only the things we really wanted to see, hoping to be back in Europe before winter really kicks off. Unfortunately, it seemed Karossi had a different plan...

We were driving back to the main road, making plans for the next few days. Gerrit was driving ahead. We decided to part our ways for some time, as he wanted to visit Tehran, a city we decided to skip. Everything was perfectly fine, until suddenly our car started slowing down till it stopped completely. We had no idea what was happening. We checked all the possible reasons, but everything seemed fine. Apart from the fact, that the car would not start. No noises, no strange movements, nothing at all. Karossi simply went on strike.

We were stuck in the middle of the desert. Gerrit was too far to be seen and our mobile phone had no network access. We have seen only two cars for the entire day, so we could not really count on a quick rescue action. Our only hope was that Gerrit would notice that we stayed behind, before he hits the road to the capital. But the hope wasn't big since he already told us, he wanted to drive a bit faster to make it before the night comes.

We were standing in the middle of a deserted road, trying to find anything wrong about our car. I had the feeling we have checked everything we could have thought about at least 3 times, but honestly, there was not much else we could do. We knew there was no one around, so looking for help was as pointless as trying to get our mobile to work. But then we heard a truck. It was close to a miracle, as we haven't seen a single car for hours now. We shortly explain (or rather demonstrated) what the problem was and let the driver check all the obvious things for the fourth time. He was driving in an opposite direction, but promised to take us with him on his way back, if we wouldn't find any other solution till then. Waiting an hour or two was definitely a better idea than a lonely night in a desert in a broken car, so we gladly accepted his offer. But suddenlyy we heard a familiar noise, a noise we were no longer hoping to hear that day. Gerrit was coming back! He was waiting for us at the crossroad, thinking we were just taking our time, or maybe even made a small stop to enjoy the sunset. He already wanted to hit the road to Tehran, but changed his mind in the last moment and decided to check what's up. And trust me, we were glad he did. We took the tow line, that had saved our lives a few times already and let Gerrit drag us back to Kashan.

Driving in Iran is an extreme experience. But absolutely nothing compares to towing or being towed through a city center. We were extra careful and had all the possible lights on, blinking like a christmas tree, but that seemed only to encourage others to act like total maniacs. Drivers were trying to drive between our two cars, pedestrians were trying to jump over the line while we were driving, even policeman seemed not to understand the idea of two cars joined with a rope. It was a nightmare and I still can not believe, that we managed to survive this circus without a scratch. But we made it!

There was nothing else we could do, but to check in into our marvelous hotel again an try to get the car fixed as soon as possible. We knew it will not be an easy job, as Volkswagen is practically unknown in this country. Finding a mechanic, who has already seen a car like this would be a challenge, but getting the necessary parts would be nearly impossible. But we had to give it a try anyway. For a few days we were trying different garages, exchanging all the parts we had with us and trying to get the car to work again. Without much success. I believe we would be going crazy quite quickly, if it wasn't for all the wonderful people we were surrounded with. Gerrit decided to put off his visit in Tehran instantly, announcing that he's going nowhere until we get Karossi back to life. Fortunately, we were not alone with this task.

Our hotel turned out to be a meeting point for many young Iranians, who were gathering there regularly, talking, eating and playing games. That is how we met Hafez and his friends. I have no idea what we would have done without them, but I guess we would be getting pretty desperate soon. Hafez and Nader were spending most of their day trying to help us fix the car and most of their evening teaching us how to play backgammon and savour Iranian culture. Unfortunately, at least the first few days the second task was bringing much better results. Karossi seemed to be perfectly well, if it wasn't for the fact, that he just didn't want to start. We were already loosing hope and trying to organize a car transport to Turkey when Hafez and Nader suggested trying another garage. We already had 3 different people checking our car, but since it didn't really cost much in Iran we decided to give it a try. So the whole fun started from the beginning and we were dividing our time between garage and our hotel, where we were playing, talking and cooking together.

The atmosphere in Iran during those days was not really helping us stay optimistic. The whole country was preparing for the coming holidays, two days of mourning for the martyrdom and tragic death of the third Imam. The scale of those celebrations and the preparations itself are hard to imagine, unless you have ever experienced it yourself. Entire cities are decorated, streets are full of black and green flags, every wall is covered with paintings of the Imam or his death, all people are wearing black and putting special stickers and paintings on their cars. Moreover, the water in all city fountains is turned dark red to imitate human blood and people are gathering together to whip their own backs as a sign of remorse. And this all accompanied by a mourning songs coming from all minarets for quite a few hours every single day.

But a day before the apex of the celebrations were supposed to start, Karossi came back to life. It turned out all the problems were caused by a broken catalytic converter that totally stuck our exhaust system. Once discovered, the problem was quickly removed and we were finally able to get back on the road. There was no time for additional sightseeing, we wanted to drive the shortest way to the Turkish border, to cross it before our visas expire and to be back home before Christmas.

Into the desert

I am a huge fan of mud-brick cities. I find them absolutely fantastic! I just love walking along narrow streets, surrounded by all those brown, untreated walls. I already loved Bukhara in Uzbekistan and I found Yazd, with its unique architecture, even more fascinating. I especially admired the famous badgirs (wind catchers in English), skyrocketing constructions directing the cool air-drafts from the outside into the buildings below. They made the city look even more amazing. But the best thing about Yazd were the inhabitants. After our bad experiences in Shiraz everything went back to normal, once again people were inviting us for tea, asking how we liked Iran and if there was anything they could help us with. Traveling felt great again.

Moreover, we have managed to retain our high accommodation standards by checking in at the Silk Road Hotel, one of the nicest places we have been to so far. And we had a chance to find out how it feels like to sleep in a real mud-brick house. It was great! And the hotel restaurant served some of the best Iranian dishes we have tried so far, including my new personal favorite, the tomato-egg plant stew. Egg plant never really was my favorite ingredient, at least not until we came to Iran. Here we discovered how many awesome dishes can be made with this one simple vegetable, so that I started to wonder, how we could have ever cooked without it. But I guess it will not be the only change in our kitchen habits after this journey. But no worries, our cooking will remain mutton-free. For sure! I believe we had enough of mutton meat for the rest of our lives.

We're are both not really museum freaks, but we definitely didn't want to miss the water museum in Yazd. The building itself was one of the nicest we have seen and the exhibition hit the top score of our entire journey (though I have to admit the competition wasn't really overwhelming). It gave us the chance to understand and admire the complicated underground water systems still existing in many Iranian cities, being used not only as a water supply, but also as food storage and chill out location during the hot summer. The idea was simple, the goal was to transport water from the mountains to the cities below through a network of tunnels. However building such a system and directing water effectively, without complicated measurements systems and high-tech tools is a bit more complicated. Nevertheless, the method exists for over 2000 years now and some cities still rely on it, so I guess it has to work somehow.

We had a chance to check it in practice in the ancient city of Kharanaq, which we decided to visit a day after. Once again we felt like real explorers, visiting mosques with a torchlight and climbing shaking minarets without stairs (and they are shaking, indeed!). And we were able to walk on the roofs too, though we were careful about it after we heard, that one of them broke under some tourists recently. But the views were worth the risk!

There is one more thing making Yazd a special place to visit, it is a center of Zoroastrian culture. Though little known, it is one of the oldest religions and you may meet a lot of its believers while traveling through Iran. And in this specific region you may also see some examples of their culture and architecture. We have decided to visit the towers of silence, as well as Chak-Chak, the Zoroastrian holy site. And thanks to the nice people we have met on our way, we managed to learn a bit more about the traditions, beliefs and their everyday life as a minority in the Islamic Republic. As for the last one, it does not really seem too easy. Hardly any of them goes around boasting about their religion, even if they are officially free to practice it. But they still have to follow common rules and laws, which have hardly anything to do with their own beliefs. The emotional life can get complicated too. It is unthinkable for an Muslim to abandon his or her religion or to marry a person of a different faith. But living together without marriage in Iran can get you in a lot of trouble, too. Quite a few couples are currently in this no-win situation, leaving them few options, but to emigrate and legalize the relationship in some other country, knowing that they may not be able to come back home ever again...  

Shiraz, as good as it gets?

Leaving Esfahan was not an easy decision. It was one of the nicest cities we have ever visited and we wouldn't mind staying there a bit longer. But since our visas were only valid for 30 days and we have suddenly noticed, that Christmas is no longer as far away as we thought, we decided to hit the road again. Especially that our next stop was supposed to be the famous Shiraz. The city is known for its beautiful gardens, perfectly educated doctors and most of all, the hospitality of its people, which exceeds the already high Iranian standards. It sounded promising.

The first surprise was the weather. It was no longer warm and sunny, it was hot and burning, making me appreciate Iranian dress code even less than before. But it also made all the gardens in the city look absolutely amazing, with plants and flowers blooming everywhere we looked. The city itself was a small disappointment though, as it looked more like a soviet built area rather than “one of the oldest provinces of ancient Persia“. Just another big, modern city, with a few old buildings hidden in different parts of a town. But as far as we're concerned, those buildings were definitely worth looking for. And as big as the city was, all tourist were heading in the same direction anyway, so we soon saw some familiar faces. We joined forces with two German friends we have already met in Baku and decided to explore the city together.


Although the weather was great and we were walking in a nice company, somehow we did not enjoy it as much as we usually do. The city was missing an atmosphere, that much was certain, but the people were different too. For nearly two weeks everybody told us, Shiraz is the nicest and most friendly city in Iran, but although we were trying hard, we could not really share this opinion. The main street was full of people hurrying in all directions, wanting to get to their destination as quickly as possible, without paying much attention to other people in their way. I was pushed and shoved every few minutes and I quickly got the feeling, that some men were actually using the situation to get way too close to me. Fortunately, things got better when we left the main street, so that I even though I was just being a bit oversensitive. And then we decided to visit a mosque. I had to use a different entrance than the guys to borrow a chador (huge piece of fabric, mostly black) to cover myself completely and though you can borrow one at every holy place, for some reason I was refused one this time. The women at the entrance didn't even bother to tell me why. I was in no mood to argue, so I decided to wait outside, in the middle of the covered bazaar. It felt like the main street all over again, only even more rude, maybe because this time I was alone, without any male protection. And the place wasn't even crowded. I just wanted to run away as fast as possible and was more relieved than ever when the guys finally came out of the mosque. I have made up my mind, Shiraz is not a city for me. Maybe it wasn't fair, maybe I was overreacting, but I just wanted to leave. There was so much we could do and see in Iran, that it made no sense to stay in a city I could not feel comfortable in. We discussed it briefly and decided to leave early in the morning.

It didn't work out though. We woke up the next morning only to find out, that someone broke into Gerrit's car, which was parked in front of the hotel. They smashed a window to open the door and went through all his belongings. They took his navigation and some of his tools, but they also took his shoes, glasses, books and maps. Some of the stuff would prove totally worthless for the thieves, but was very valuable to Gerrit, which made it all even more frustrating. We have called the police, but it took them forever to come and they didn't really do much. They left after few minutes, without even writing a report. There is a special tourist police in Iran, with English-speaking officers, who are supposed to help foreigners with all their problems. They are quite active in Esfahan, where they actually came to introduce themselves and told us they would be happy to help us with any issues, even if it's just calling a taxi. There was such an office in Shiraz too, but it was closed the whole time we were there. But then again we didn't really believe they could have done much anyway.

Shiraz was definitely not a fortunate city for us. Don't get me wrong, we did meet some wonderful people there too and the city certainly has a lot to offer, but I believe we just had no luck there. Fortunately, it was the only unpleasant situation for us, not only in Iran, but on our entire journey, so it remains a small exception, only confirming the general rule, that people (and especially Iranians) are absolutely awesome.


But one way or another, a trip to Iran would not be complete without visiting the city and it's neighborhood, especially the ancient Persepolis. I have to admit it really does make a huge impression, even when you have to climb it in a burning sun, fighting with the head scarf and dealing with a bad mood caused by previous events. The site is terrific! And it is all astonishingly well preserved. I have no idea how they manage to keep it this way and where they get the money from, since the entrance fee was as nearly always in Iran, at the level of 10 cents. I guess we have never invested our money better than there. It certainly is the best place to understand what a magnificent country ancient Persia used to be. At first we wanted to make Persepolis our only stop, since we wanted to drive directly to Yazd, but we loved it so much, that we decided to see all the other ruins in the area too. I can tell you it was a good decision!

Esfahan, my kind of town

I was really looking forward to visit Esfahan, the most famous of all Iranian cities, the center of Persian culture and architecture, but also the most touristic place in the country. Our timing was quite lucky. First of all, we were traveling out of season, which helped us avoid the mass of tourists (both foreign and local) that are visiting this place every year. But there was another coincidence, that turned out to be even more fortunate. The exchange rate for dollars was higher than ever, making our Iranian holidays extremely cheap. We especially loved the fuel prices, which are ridiculously low in Iran, even without a strong dollar. It really feels great to fill up your car, paying 20 cent pro liter. Moreover, we could suddenly afford staying in mid-range hotels, instead of always choosing the low-budget options, allowing ourselves all the luxuries we were missing the last few months. And the Hasht Behesht Hotel we found in Esfahan was the top of our list. It was not even a room, but an entire apartment with two rooms, a kitchen and a modern bathroom. And it was just a short walk from the main square. And this all for 10 dollars a person, so our moods were better than ever.

It didn't take us long to fall in love with Esfahan. The city is simply marvelous. Magnificent mosques, beautiful palaces with gardens, that were still blooming in November and covered bazaar with all possible kinds of hand made arts. It all looked amazing. We quickly decided we will need at least three days to really see it all. The city definitely had a lot to offer. However sightseeing in Iran is not an easy thing and it often requires some serious logistic activities. Especially if you want to visit a mosque. You have to consider the praying times, lunch breaks (which may take up to 3 hours) and weekends (Thursday afternoon until Friday evening). But the beauty of the buildings and the fact that entrance fee is around 10 cents makes it all worth the trouble.

But there is one thing that makes enjoying the city a bit harder, the carpet sellers. Traveling out of season means the places are less crowded, but unfortunately, it also means that all carpet sellers from the area have nothing better to do than to focus all their efforts and attention on you. And they know how to do their business. We could hardly walk 10 meters around the main square without someone trying to sell us a carpet. The only problem was, we did not really need or want one, but that didn't seem to bother them at all. And the worst thing was, none of them looked like a carpet seller at first. They would all start a simple conversation, just wanting to know where you're from and how you like Iran. They may give you some tips about the city, recommend a restaurant, talk about politics and when the ice is broken, they'll do what they can to drag you to their shop. And they won't hesitate to play on your feelings, while staying as nice and friendly as you can only imagine. The biggest problem is, there are still quite a lot of people on the square, who really do just want to have a small chat, exchange their views or practice their language skills. And telling one from another is very hard if not impossible. So you either risk a long discussion with a carpet seller or missing an interesting conversation or even an invitation from a friendly Iranian, with no bad intentions in his minds. We decided we'd rather take the first risk and I have to admit it was a fascinating experience. But we stayed hard and managed to leave the city without any carpet, bag or other artifacts, especially because the prices were twice as high as anywhere else in Iran.

The only place where you can really walk free of carpet sellers are the mosques and museums. But be aware, as you will most certainly come across the second of Esfahan's most dangerous creatures, tourist guides. You can meet them everywhere. They go around hunting for tourists that are not attached to any group or bus. They're as stubborn as the carpet sellers, but easier to recognize, so if the first question you hear is: ”are you here with any group”, you know who stands in front of you. But that does not make getting rid of such a person any easier. You may try to explain that you never visit any city with a guide and that you really do not need one, but this has never really worked for us. They just followed us without stopping to talk “But mister, do you know in which year this paintings were done, do you know where they got the colors from, do you know what all the symbols mean”. Honestly, we did not know, but we didn't really care much neither. The thing about big travels like ours is, that you nearly always see much more than you can actually remember. After few months you are no longer sure which cities you have been to and you keep mixing up the names of most places you have visited. So at least in our case, we were sure, that even if someone would tell us everything about each and every single painting or building, we would forget most of it even before leaving the city. And that's fine with us, as we are no art experts. We just want to see the buildings and paintings and judge ourselves whether we like them or not. We do not have to know the history of every place. We'd rather check how it looks at sunset and talk with people we meet there. Even if they turn out to be carpet sellers.