Outer Yazd, Iran – Meybod, Chak Chak and Kharanaq

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Sonya

We decided to spend our second day in Yazd doing a day trip to surrounding towns – Meybod, Chak Chak and Kharanaq.

Meybod
Chak Chak
Kharanaq

Meybod

About forty minutes north of Yazd, Meybod was our first stop. Like Yazd, it is also a desert city and much of its buildings are made from mud-brick. We visited the Narin Qal’eh (Narin Castle), a mud-brick fort which incorporates mud-bricks from various periods from Sassanid, Achaemenid to Islamic. From the top, it provided us a view of the town of Meybod.

In Meybod we also visited an icehouse, very similar to the one we saw in Abarqu, an old post office and a once bustling caravanserai; a roadside inn where travellers could rest and recover from their day’s journey. The pigeon towers was our last stop in Meybod, a tower that once hosted 14,000 pigeons – inside it was quite impressive and unique.

Chak Chak

The village of Chak Chak was our next stop. It is known to be the most sacred of sites for Zoroastrians. Chak Chak is literally built on a mountain cliff in the middle of the desert. The name ‘Chak Chak’ is the Persian word for ‘drip drip’ due to the ever-dripping spring located at the mountain.

The main attraction is the Zoroastrian temple guarded by two bronze doors on top of the cliff. Inside is a fire which burns eternally. Each year thousands of Zoroastrians visit this temple from June fourteen to eighteen. Tradition requires that on approaching Chak Chak, when pilgrims see the temple, they must walk the remaining distance.

Kharanaq

Kharanaq is another town in the Yazd District which is believed to have been occupied for more than four-thousand years. This spot was a particular favourite of mine as there was barely anyone around and the whole ancient village made completely of mud-bricks (no longer occupied) made for a very eerie atmosphere. We were so impressed by just how extensive the old village was – and even got lost in the maze heading back towards the car. The site also consists of a Qajar era mosque and a shaking minaret.

At the end of our tour, our driver Ali took us back to Yazd where we had a late lunch and departed Yazd on a four-and-a-half hour bus to Esfahan.

Yazd, Iran

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Travis

Yazd is a city located roughly in the centre of Iran, surrounded by mostly deserts, producing hot dry summers. Due to this hot climate, Yadz is made up of distinctly Persian architecture, which includes Qanats (underground water systems), windcatchers (protruding vents from buildings to catch and circulate air), Yakhchals (ancient evaporative coolers) and Adobe (the building material which included straw providing insulation).

We stayed at the centre of Yazd’s Old City, so everything was walking distance. Some of the highlights and experiences included;

Amir Chakhmaq square – featuring a beautiful Takieh (used during the commemoration ceremonies of the death of Imam Hussein) a three tiered facade with double minarets, best experienced at sunset.

Nakhl – usually at the site of the Takieh and used in conjunction with the commemoration ceremonies, the large wooden structure is carried by men on the first day of the ceremony.

Jameh Mosque – Yazd’s Congregational Mosque (Grand Mosque), amazing blue mosaics and has the highest minarets in Iran, worth a visit at night when the minarets are alight.

Bogheh-ye Sayyed Roknaddin – a building housing the tomb of Sayyed Roknaddin Mohammed Qazi, a beautiful blue on beige mosaic dome, again must be seen at night when alight with blue.

Towers of Silence (Dakhma) – a Zoroastrian site where the dead were placed to allow vultures to eat the flesh, this prevented the decomposing body to pollute the environment.

Persian architecture – Yazd really does look like what one would imagine a Persian city to look like, the sandy coloured mud-brick walls, narrow alleys and bazaars, flat rooftops and abundant use of natural light.

Haj Khalifeh Ali Rahbar and Partners (a Yazd sweet shop) – recommended by Morteza as we passed it while driving into Yazd from Shiraz, we purchased an assortment box for 140,000 Riyals ($7.50 USD). I have never tasted anything more extraordinary, each sweet had a distinctly different use of spices and flavours and a different texture, they were amazing.

Yazd Walking Tour

Amir Chakhmaq Complex
Amir Chakhmaq Mosque
Yazd Water Museum
Hazireh Mosque
Bogheh-ye Sayyed Roknaddin
Orient Hotel
Jameh Mosque
water reservoir
Heidarzadeh Coin Museum
Khan-e Lari
Alexander’s Prison
Tomb of the 12 Imams
tourist information office
Hosseinieh
takieh

From Shiraz to Yazd – Persepolis, Pasargadae and Abarqu

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Sonya

We awoke early for a 7am start to meet our driver who would take us from Shiraz to Yazd stopping along famous sites – Persepolis, Naqsh-e Rostom, Pasargadae and through the small town of Abarqu before reaching Yazd. In total, the journey would take us over 500km. Soon into our trip we realised our driver, Morteza Mehrparvar, was quite a comical character, which made our long car trip much more enjoyable. He had been in the tourism industry for the past seventeen years (which he reminded us a number of times during the trip), and had many stories to tell. He was even listed in the 2000, 2004 and 2008 editions of the Lonely Planet – “page 271” he proudly said.

Persepolis

Similar to the sites in Shiraz, Persepolis was packed with local Iranian tourists. We explored the sites in awe of the beautiful creations of the ancient Achaemanid Empire, during reign of Darius the Great. It was clear that Persepolis was once a magnificent city. My favourite features were the staircases – each step consisting of a relief mimicking the ancient customs of bringing gifts to the palaces.

Naqsh-e Rostom

Next we stopped off at Naqsh-e Rostom, a site consistent of impressive rock tombs off Darius I, Darius II, Artaxerxes I and Xerxes I located on a smooth mountain face. A number of detailed reliefs/murals depicting war, victory across the ages are also carved on the rockface surrounding the tombs. Nearby is Kaba Zarosht, a monument that was thought to be a Zoroastrian Fire Temple but is now regarded to be a treasury of some sort.

Pasargadae

The first thing we saw upon reaching Pasargadae was the tomb of Cyrus the Great – a high rectangular tomb. It seemed a little unimpressive for a ruler who was so highly regarded in Persian history. Further along was the Pasargadae site, which was much less reconstructed in comparison to Persepolis but worth the visit.

Sassanian ruins

Morteza also took us on a slight detour to visit an old run down site which was from the Sassanian period. It was completely deserted (unlike all the other sites we’d visited), aside from a local family who had setup a few troughs to feed a group of baby goats inside the building… Apparently they were from the nearby mountains but weren’t getting enough food. We enjoyed a cup of hot tea here whilst admiring the nearby snow capped mountains.

Abarqu

Our last stop before Yazd was in Abarqu – here we visited the icehouse – a massive circular pyramid structure which once stored ice from winter’s snow for the hot summers, a 4000+ year old Cyprus tree (although Morteza suspects it is only 1000 years old) and Gombad Ali Dome built in the 11th century.

Poets and Gardens, Shiraz, Iran

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Travis

After our first day we were fairly comfortable with Iran, its safe streets and friendly people. This day we decided to visit the outer Shiraz sights, which were mainly two tombs and the surrounding gardens. As per the previous day, because of the Persian New Year holidays, all sights were extremely overcrowded.

Tomb of Hafez
Hafez is a famous Persian poet, whose poems are known by heart by all Persians. Hafez’s hometown Shiraz, which he rarely left, was a predominant influence in his poetry. In Shiraz is the Hafez mausoleum which consists of his tomb and memorial hall, all surrounded by lush orange trees and ponds.
One of the interesting things is the sale of verses of Hafez’s poetry which are selected randomly by a canary or budgie; the bird will use its beak to select a single piece of paper from a box of many.

Delgosha Garden
Situated between Hafez’s Tomb and Saadi’s Tomb is Delgosha Garden, one of Iran’s oldest gardens. To the east of the garden is a small mountain which we climbed provides sweeping views of Shiraz.

Tomb of Saadi
Similar to Hafez, Saadi was a famous Persian poet, born in Shiraz, Iran. Whilst Hafez rarely left Shiraz, Saadi spent the majority of his life travelling surrounding countries, after which his learnings were reflected in his poems. The Saadi mausoleum contains vast gardens surrounding the tomb.

Sonya and Travis

tales of travel and adventure

Category Archives: Iran

Outer Yazd, Iran – Meybod, Chak Chak and Kharanaq

Yazd, Iran

From Shiraz to Yazd – Persepolis, Pasargadae and Abarqu

Poets and Gardens, Shiraz, Iran