Iran - Andrew Burke [145]
Some 500m southwest of the main complex, the 1330 Khanegah Dervish Monastery (Hamadan highway; admission free; 8am-5pm) has restored cells around a courtyard leading to the Boq’eh Chelabi-oglu Mausoleum behind the mihrab of a shattered-sided former mosque.
From the Oljeitu Mausoleum’s upper terrace, it’s easy to spot the lonely blue-domed Mullah Hasan Kashi tomb (admission free) in semi-desert, 1.5km south towards the mountain skyline. It was built by Safavid Shah Tahmasp to honour Hasan Kashi, a 14th-century mystic whose recasting of Islam’s historical sagas as Persian-language poetic epics unwittingly had a vast influence over Shia Islam’s future direction.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Soltaniyeh is 5km south of the old Zanjan–Qazvin road, but not accessible from the parallel motorway. By public transport it’s easiest to visit as a day trip from Zanjan. Direct savaris (IR5000, 30 minutes) and very irregular minibuses (IR1500, 50 minutes) from Zanjan’s Honarestan Sq drop you an obvious 10-minute walk north of the mausoleum.
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AROUND SOLTANIYEH
The extensive Katalekhor Caves ( 0242-482 2188; admission IR15,000; 8am-7.30pm, last entry 6pm, closed after heavy rain) are 130km southwest of Soltaniyeh via the quiet if slightly monotonous Soltaniyeh–Hamadan road. The visit involves around 1¼ hours underground walking up and back in small guided groups. The experience isn’t unduly claustrophobic and it culminates in several vistas of fine stalactite formations that are much more impressive that those at better-known Ali Sadr. There’s no public transport. We paid IR100,000 return by taxi from Ghydar (aka Qeydar or Khodabandeh) whose quaint Ghydar Nabi madraseh (off Imam Khomeini St) sits where a prominent cockscomb of rocky outcrop descends to the town’s original heart. Savaris run semi-regularly from Ghydar to Soltaniyeh and Zanjan. En route consider making a 15-minute detour to the celebrated but tumbledown little Sojas Jameh Mosque (Dr Chamran St). Its ornate interior stuccowork is just visible through all the restorer’s scaffolding. It’s amid collapsing mud houses at the western end of Sojas town.
By car it’s feasible to visit Soltaniyeh and all the above in a long day trip from Zanjan or while driving between Zanjan and Hamadan.
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ZANJAN
0241 / pop 367,000
Hidden in tiny alleys behind its modern façade, Zanjan retains some attractive mosques, a fantastic bazaar, a plethora of knife-grinders and some delightful teahouse restaurants. The city is a logical base for visiting the impressive Soltaniyeh mausoleum and a good staging point to reach Takht-e Soleiman via the scenic Dandy road.
Zanjan city’s moment of infamy came in 1851 with a bloody siege ordered by Persian prime minister Amir Kabir. The resulting massacre was part of the relatively successful campaign to crush the nascent Baha’i religion. Baha’i-ism had only broken away from Islam three years before, but was spreading much too rapidly for Tehran’s liking.
Orientation & Information
The main commercial centre is Enqelab Sq. Export Development Bank (Ferdosi St; 9am-noon) changes money. Rayanet (Sa’di St; per hr IR5000; 8am-midnight) has excellent internet connection and (over) friendly staff. Farsi-only city maps are sometimes sold from bookshops opposite the telephone office (Sa’di St; 7am-10.30pm) and are available free from room 25, Miras Ferhangi ( 323 9007; miras_zanjan@hotmail.com; Khayyam St; 8am-2pm).
Sights
Built in 1926 but looking considerably older, the unique, unmarked Rakhatshor-Khaneh (Rakhatshorkhaneh Alley; admission IR4000; 8am-5.30pm Tue-Sun) is a dome-and-column subterranean hall whose water channels were originally constructed as a public laundry-place. It’s dotted with wax washerwomen to remind you how life was before Electrolux and Zanussi. There’s also a calm garden courtyard.
The long, narrow, mostly brick-vaulted bazaar is inspiring and surrounding