Iran, when prejudices are silenced – Part 3

 

 

I was well rested when I arrived to Yazd, because their buses are extraordinary, so I was prepared for new adventures. Even though the city has more than half a million inhabitants, the historic city centre is really small and most of the sights are located just there. Yazd is connected to many things, which some of you don’t know so it’s only right that I explain them before I write about them. Yazd and especially Chak Chak are strongly connected to Zoroastrianism. It is a religion where people follow Zoroaster, who was born between 1500 and 1000 BC. It’s one of the first religions, where the almighty Ahuar Mazda doesn’t have a depiction or a symbol. The believers pray in the direction of light. Since the only source of light they could control in that time was fire, the temples are named temples of fire where the eternal flame burns. It is also worth mentioning that Zoroastrianism is based on the pureness of the elements. This is why they didn’t bury the deceased (because they didn’t want to pollute them or mix them with the earth), they didn’t burn them (because they didn’t want to pollute them or mix them with the atmosphere) but they let the hawks have them. This way of saying goodbye to the deceased was changed a few decades ago, when they made an agreement that they have their own cemeteries where they close the deceased to the concrete graves and are not in contact with the unclean earth. The other expression, which is also tightly connected with Yazd, is badgir or wind catcher and Yazd can be proud that it has the biggest badgir on the world. Badgirs shift the air through the pools with cold water and cool the area. They are excellent ancient air conditioning, which we can see in other hot parts of the world. The third expression is Kanat, an underground water canal that takes care for drinking water and the water for irrigational systems. None of the expressions is limited to Yazd, but a lot of people will meet these expressions in Yazd so it’s good to understand them before we move on. 

 

Before we take a walk on the streets, which look more like labyrinths than the other previously mentioned bazaars, it makes sense to see Yazd from the bird’s eye. If you’re going to stay at the hostel Ali Baba, you can see Yazd from their roof, which is open for visitors. You will instantly remember the expression badgir, because you will see tens of badgirs, rising above the brown buildings. Despite being so old, the city feels like it’s new because of its typical facades, made from straw and mud, which protect them from summer heat. The bad side of this facades is that they aren’t water resistant so they restore them every year, which gives a special charm to the old Yazd. The narrow streets look really similar so there’s no guarantee that you won’t get lost, despite seeing the city from above or despite the many signs, which lead to the most important sights in the city. Let’s start with the mosque Jameh, which is the name of a central mosque in every city. A beautiful portal welcomes you in. It’s the highest portal in Iran. On each side, there are 48-metre-high minarets. The mosque was built on the area of the former fire temple, which was moved to a different location. On the mosque’s courtyard, you can see the first qanat, which is led under the mosque. The next sight of the old city is Bogheh-ye Sayyed Roknaddin. It’s a 700 year old mausoleum of Sayyed Roknadinn, which is visible from the highest points in the city. The most impressing house among all the old houses is a 150 year old Khan-e Lari, where you can see badgirs and interior design. It is also worth visiting the former school from the 15th century, better known as Alexander’s prison. Alexander the Great supposedly built a well on this site, which was a prison at the same time. The tomb of twelve Imams is the also close to the Alexander’s prison. Right before the exit from the city walls, which is a sight itself, is located the museum og the qanat’s water system. You can go to the water level and learn about qanat, which is used for two milleniums. 

 

 

Outside of the city walls is also the complex Amir Chakhmaq, which is dedicated to the ceremonies, dedicated to Imam Hossein and is one of the biggest shrines in Iran. In front of the mighty portal there are many pools with fountains and a bazaar on the side, where you can taste traditional food, especially the tasty desserts. A few steps from the square is a water museum, which is a water reservoir (and mostly without water), but the most interesting thing is the hall above it, where you can see zoorkhaneh at night, which is something between a ritual and a sport. Those who don’t know it can admire the balance of the performers, which can spin on one leg more than ten times and with a high speed. It’s an Iranian specialty, which is practiced only in Iran and in Azerbaijan and is also part of Unesco’s intangible cultural heritage.

 

A little further from the old city centre there are three sights worth visiting and seeing. BAGH-E DOLAT ABAD is a former residence of Persian regent Karim Khan Zand in 1750 and has the most spacious badgir in Iran. It is located above the pavilion in a carefully planned park. The other two sights are also connected with Zoroastrianism, these are the fire temple, which we can visit and also see the smaller museum and the picture of life of the believers of this religion. There’s also an eternal flame in the temple, which is located in the central building. The third sight are the pillars of silence, which are located at the edge of the city. There’s a walking path so we can hike to the platform where they once put the deceased and left them to the hawks. The documentaries with visual content of giving the deceased to the hawks are online, but I’d rather not share the link. But since it’s been a few decades since the last goodbye was said on the silence tower, you can go up and try to imagine the traditional farewell ceremonies.

 

 

Of course Yazd has so much more to offer but I only mentioned things that you mustn’t miss before you visit the nearby places.

 

Near Yazd there are a lot of attractions, among them is the village Kharanaq, which is over 1000 years old and is located in the area, which is inhabited over 4000 years ago. The village is a city of ghosts. After the earthquake they built a village close by, but the village is being renovated and we can see the mosque Qajar-era with minarets and Caravanserai on the entrance to the city. 

 

The next point is the temple Chak Chak. Legend says that princess Nikbanuh ran here from the Arabs in 637. She didn’t have any water so she threw her things in the rock and water started leaking from the rock. This is where the name Chak Chak comes from – it’s the sound, which was made from the water drops. Today, you can see here the might gold doors and the fire temple Pir-e-Sabz. The believers of this religion are known as honest and sincere people so the Muslims respect them. I felt this trust on my own skin when a man who was in charge of entrance fee, trusted me with the keys to the golden doors so I could unlock them. Behind the doors, there were some slippers because the water is still leaking from the rock and there’s an eternal flame in the centre. Chak Chak is open every day of the year, except from 14th to 18th June when there’s a festival, dedicated only to the pilgrims.

 

 

The third stop on the trip is Meybod, a city, which is famous by its ceramics. Different ceramic products were being made in the past, but now they mainly produce ceramic tiles. You can find many factories here. They say that they have so many ceramic tiles in their warehouses that they can cover the whole Iran with them. Let’s leave the thinking if they can actually do that for another day and travel to the city, where you can see the pigeon house, which was used to collect pigeon feces, which were a great fertiliser. The pigeons were not closed in these towers, they came here by themselves because they had food, water and safety here. They can only access it from the top and the walls were so straight that no animal could climb it. In the middle of the tower the wall was fragile so the claws lost traction. Today the tower is dedicated to tourists and offers an amazing view. Mansion Narein is also located in Meybod, but it is left in ruins so we have to think whether we will pay for the entrance. The ice house from Safavid era is definitely more interesting. The building is huge, it’s surrounded by thick walls, where they kept the ice all summer and sold it too. Caravanserai is also located not far from here. It is one of the most beautiful and better preserved. Here you can also see the looms to produce Persian rugs. Since this is my third time mentioning Caravanserai, let me tell you that it’s a merchant post on the Silk Road. The posts were about 35 kilometres apart, since this is the distance the camels could walk in a day. Caravanserai offered an accommodation and food for the camels and the merchants who also had some other activities available. Caravanserai stayed like it was in the past and under it there is Qanat, which we can also see today. The inner court is dedicated to the visitors, who can see the skillful rug producers and their products.

 

After an amazing trip and an excellent falafel, I could face the next challenge – Shiraz, to which I will also travel with a VIP bus, a comfortable way of transport in Iran.