Iran - Andrew Burke [114]
Mahmud Abidan Exchange (Map; 523 1077; Saraye Amir, Timche Amirno 11; 9am-6pm Sat-Wed, 9am-3pm Thu) This exchange has good rates and there’s no queue, but it’s unsigned and hard to find in a mini mall off the southeast corner of the bazaar’s largest caravanserai courtyard. The tourist information office (right) can show you its location.
POST
Main Post Office (Map; Artesh St) Helpful for shipping parcels.
TELEPHONE
International telephone office (Map; east Miyar Miyar Alley; 8am-9pm) There’s another branch opposite Deniz Coffeenet.
TOURIST INFORMATION
Tourist information office (Map; 525 2501; off Jomhuri-e Eslami St; 9am-2pm & 4-7pm Sat-Thu) Excellent free maps, lots of help with organising trips around Azarbayjan, and a mine of information that will transform your appreciation of this city. It’s upstairs in a curious building that straddles the main bazaar entrance.
TOURS
ALP Tours & Travel Agency (Map; 331 0340; fax 331 0825; Karimkhan Sq) Offers a varying choice of Friday trips (from IR60,000) whether sightseeing (Jolfa, Kaleybar or Kabudi Island) or winter sports.
The following are private individuals with other occupations so they’re not always available at short notice.
Davoud Faraji ( 0914-414 7955; www.alb.ir) Great value driving tours around Azarbayjan. Davoud is lively, energetic and very sensitive to tourists’ varying tastes.
Hossein Ravaniyar ( 385 9776, 0914 413 8096; www.iranoverland.com) Hossein is captivatingly eccentric. His mind-blowing mixture of outrageous commentary, jokes and conspiracy theories compensate for his driving style and he has a wealth of experience in helping overlanders with their vehicle paperwork.
Mansur Khan ( 334 9038) Nasser’s charming brother offers driving tours; around town (per hour IR20,000), Kandovan (IR100,000), Maraqeh (IR250,000), Jolfa (IR350,000) or nomad spotting around Kaleybar. Add around IR15,000 per hour visiting time, in situ.
Nasser Khan ( 553 6594, 0914 116 0149; amicodelmondo@yahoo.com) Legendary multilingual pillar of the tourist information office, Nasser often takes small groups on people-watching trips and cultural experiences. He can often get you into officially closed buildings (churches, zurkhaneh etc).
TRAVEL AGENCIES
The following have English-speaking staff and offer train and plane bookings:
Afagh Gasht Travel (Map; 555 2250; Imam Khomeini St; 8.30am-8.30pm Sat-Thu)
Jahan Seyer Travel Agency (Map; 555 6004; fax 553 2331; Imam Khomeini St)
Mahnavand Travel (Map; 553 9444; Tarbiat St; 8.30am-6.30pm Sat-Wed, 8.30am-4.40pm Thu) Efficient, well-staffed, new travel and tour agency.
VISA EXTENSIONS
Passport Office (Map; 477 6666; Saeb St; 7.30am-1.30pm Sat-Wed, 7.30am-11.30pm Thu) Helpful for visa extensions.
Sights
BAZAAR
The magnificent, labyrinthine covered bazaar (Map) covers some 7 sq km with 24 separate caravanserais and 22 impressive timches (domed halls). Construction began over a millennium ago, though much of the fine brick vaulting is 15th century. Upon entering one feels like a launched pinball, bouncing around through an extraordinary colourful maze, only emerging when chance or carelessness dictates.
There are several carpet sections, according to knot-size and type. The spice bazaar has a few shops still selling herbal remedies and natural perfumes. A couple of hat shops (Bazaar Kolahdozan) sell traditional papakh (Azari hats, from IR100,000) made of tight-curled astrakhan wool. The better the quality, the younger the lamb sacrificed to the milliner’s art. Other quarters specialise in gold, shoes and general household goods.
For such a huge construction, the bazaar is surprisingly easy to miss. A useful entrance is the second narrow passage east of the tourist information office. This takes you into the jewellery section.
AROUND THE BAZAAR
At the bazaar’s western end an exit passage hidden by a curtain leads to Tabriz’s Jameh Mosque (Map) with a magnificent brick-vaulted interior. Beyond, an alley between two multi-stage new minarets emerges at Motahhari