Iran - Andrew Burke [185]
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The village is at least 1500 years old and faces east across a picturesque valley. It was built this way to maximise the sun it receives and minimise the effects of howling gales in winter. And if you come here in winter you’ll understand why – it’s freezing! In summer, however, it’s refreshingly cool and Abyaneh is most lively, filled with residents returning from winter in Tehran and tourists haggling with colourfully clad, toothless old women over the price of dried apples (they take no prisoners).
Abyaneh is best appreciated by just wandering, but do look for the 14th-century Imamzadeh-ye Yahya with its conical, blue-tiled roof, and the Zeyaratgah shrine with its tiny pool and views. Probably the most beautiful building is the 11th-century Jameh Mosque (Masjed-e Jameh), with its walnut-wood mihrab and ancient carvings. Abyaneh’s houses are mainly two-storey; people live downstairs in winter and upstairs in summer.
It’s fun to cross the river and climb up to the high walls of a castle, from where the views (and photos) of the valley and the village are spectacular.
SLEEPING & EATING
Abyaneh Hotel ( 436 2223-25; fax 436 2226; s/tw/tr with breakfast IR330,000/550,000/690,000; ) Located on a hill above Abyaneh, this multi-storey place is the only hotel and restaurant in town. It’s taken years to complete and the finished product is very comfortable. Rooms are modern, well-equipped and some have panoramic views, and the family who runs it are friendly. Rates are high, but given how the place is often empty, negotiation is eminently possible. The huge restaurant (open noon to 4pm and 8pm to 10pm) serves a long menu of generous Persian dishes (IR35,000 to IR70,000).
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Abyaneh is 82km from Kashan and not easy to reach. Minibuses (IR6500) run directly between Abyaneh and Kashan once or twice a day, depending on demand. The bus usually returns to Kashan in the early afternoon, or you could try hitching back. Alternatively, take a minibus from Kashan towards Natanz and tell the driver to let you off at the turn-off. Then wait for a lift from whatever is passing for the remaining 22km. The Natanz nuclear facility is near here; do not get caught taking photos of it.
Most people just hire a taxi. Click here for recommended driver-guides; they charge about IR150,000 for the trip plus two or three hours in Abyaneh.
Natanz
0362 / pop 12,000 / elev 1655m
The old, well-treed village of Natanz, on the lower slopes of Mt Karkas, has two main attractions – neither of which is an underground uranium enrichment plant, which is several kilometres away. The magnificent Jameh Mosque (Masjed-e Jameh; 8am-noon & 2pm-sunset) and Imamzadeh-ye Abd al-Samad stand side by side in what was an important early Islamic complex. The tomb belongs to a renowned local Sufi mystic of the 11th century, while the mosque is one of the best-preserved of all Ilkhanid-era buildings. The highlight is a tall, exquisite portal with turquoise, black-and-white tiled calligraphy that is satisfyingly symmetrical without being over the top. The nearby entrance to the mosque has an intricately carved wooden door. It’s a good 2km walk (mainly downhill) from where the buses usually stop; walk north, turn east at the roundabout, then north again at the tree-lined avenue; or just ask ‘koja imamzadeh?’.
Natanz’s two hotels are usually quieter than a small-town mortuary.
Hotel Shahin ( 424 2402; s/tw US$15/30; ), in a small square about 300m from the Jameh Mosque, is a modest little place with clean, bright rooms and a welcoming owner.
Hotel Saraban ( /fax 424 2603; r US$30; ), on the main road near where the buses stop, has unexciting but functional rooms, most with a balcony. You’ll want to bargain, but it will almost certainly be a futile endeavour. There’s a similarly unexciting restaurant in the hotel and kababis nearby.
Regular slow buses between Esfahan