Iran - Andrew Burke [181]
The home originally consisted of two sections, an andaruni and a biruni, but today only the andaruni is open to the public. What you see is an ornately decorated courtyard, laid out around a central fountain pool. At its far end is a two-storey reception hall sumptuously decorated with splendid motifs above the iwan entrance, intricate stalactite mouldings, fine glass and mirror work and frescoes painted by Kamal ol-Molk, the foremost Iranian artist of the time. In one of the smaller adjoining rooms, a carpet design is carved on the ceiling.
If you ask nicely you might be allowed to climb to the roof for views over the courtyard and the distinctive six-sided, domed badgirs, which have become the symbol of Kashan.
Follow the signs from Alavi St up a small incline opposite the Khan-e Ameriha.
Khan-e Abbasian
Famous for its ground-breaking design, the Khan-e Abbasian (off Alavi St; admission IR3000; 8am-sunset) is a bewildering complex of six buildings spread over several levels. Unusually, the numerous courtyards are designed to enhance the sense of space by becoming larger as they step up, culminating in an open courtyard on top. The high porticos and reception halls are decorated as extravagantly as you’d expect, with the usual plaster reliefs, fine mirror work and exceptionally beautiful and detailed stained-glass windows.
It’s down a lane parallel to Alavi St, starting opposite the Sultan Mir Ahmad Hammam.
HAMMAM-E SULTAN MIR AHMAD
A few metres from the entrance to the Khan-e Borujerdi, Hammam-e Sultan Mir Ahmad ( 422 0038; off Alavi St; admission IR3000; 8am-5pm, to 7pm summer) is a superb example of an Iranian bathhouse, built around 450 years ago. A recent restoration has stripped away 17 layers of plaster (look just inside the second room to see them) to reveal the original sarough, a type of plaster made of milk, egg white, soy flour and lime, which is said to be stronger than cement. There is usually an English-speaking guide at the door who can show you around. The hammam no longer operates as a teahouse.
OLD CITY WALLS
As one of the few remnants of the ancient city of Kashan, this circular wall and an attractive park to the southeast are worth a quick look if you’re visiting the nearby traditional houses. Enter the interior of the circular walls from the southeast and climb the northeastern part of the wall for some city views.
AGHA BOZORG MOSQUE & MADRASEH
Arguably the finest Islamic complex in Kashan and one of the best of the mid-19th century, Agha Bozorg Mosque & Madraseh (admission IR3000; 8am-noon & 2-4pm, to 5pm summer) is famous for its precise architecture, including four storeys beginning in a large sunken courtyard, an austere dome and unusual lofty badgirs above the entrance. It also has a fine portal and mihrab (niche indicating the direction of Mecca) at the back. The imposing dome is flanked by two minarets adorned with coloured tiles in geometric designs. Quranic inscriptions and mosaics stand out against the mud-brick used for much of the construction. The wooden front door is said to have as many studs as there are verses in the Quran.
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WHO’S THAT KNOCKING AT MY DOOR?
As you wander around the narrow streets of Kashan look carefully at the doors. Most have two knockers: one round and fat, the other long and thin. These were designed to give off different sounds so that those in the house would be able to tell whether a man or woman was knocking and so decide who should go to the door – vital in a society where women lived in purdah (in seclusion or behind a veil).
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Imamzadeh-e Habib Ibn-e Musa
The revered Shah Abbas I might well be turning in his grave at the senseless destruction wrought on what was once a fine Seljuk-era shrine (off Imam Khomeini St). Shah Abbas chose to be buried here because he revered the saint Habib Ibn-e Musa. The king’s low, black porphyry tombstone is near the shrine’s entrance, but almost everything else from the original tomb has been cleared away and replaced by a bigger, uglier concrete