Iran - Andrew Burke [205]
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Getting to Garmeh is not easy. From Esfahan take the 1pm bus to Khur, 38km to the north of Garmeh on the Na’in to Tabas road. Or meet the bus in Na’in at about 4pm. From Tehran, buses come direct from Terminal-e Jonub to Khur (14 hours) on Sunday and Wednesday. On other days, the bus to Birjand stops in Khur.
From Tehran, five or six buses (Taavonis 8 and 10) depart every day Terminal-e Jonub for Birjand between 2.30pm and 5pm. All of them stop at Khur about 10 hours later; call Ateshoni to arrange to be met in Khur. From Esfahan, a bus leaves daily at 1pm for Khur, or you could get on any bus to Mashhad (though these usually leave later so arrive at inconvenient times).
A bus leaves Yazd for Khur at 7am Saturday and Monday, and 3pm on Thursday. On other days, take any bus to Na’in and connect with the bus from Esfahan at the big roundabout just outside town (the driver will drop you at the right place).
Khur is pretty quiet, but even at 9.30pm you will probably be able to find someone to drive you out to Garmeh. Just say ‘Maziar’. Expect to pay about IR30,000 for the trip. If you call ahead, Ateshoni will arrange for someone to collect you.
Leaving Garmeh, you’ll first need to get a lift to Khur. From there, a daily bus to Na’in and Esfahan at 1pm; link to Yazd from Na’in. There are also buses direct to Yazd via the desert route on Sunday and Wednesday at 7am, and Friday at 3pm. These stop at Kharanaq, if you want to stay there – ask Hadi for all the details.’
Tabas
0353 / pop 35,000 / elev 678m
Once known as the jewel of the desert, the oasis town of Tabas is the largest in Iran’s two vast deserts and, as such, is an important hub. Tabas’s palm-lined roads and public gardens in vividly painted colours are in stark contrast to the surrounding sands. But most of the evocative architecture that made the town famous was flattened by a massive earthquake in 1978 that killed 26,000.
Today the highlight is the Bagh-e Golshan (Imam Khomeini Sq), with water surging through its lush variety of tropical plants, though the small cages of local fauna will appeal mainly to people who don’t like animals. The garden is well signed. The ruined 11th-century citadel, the Arg-e Tabas, is also worth a look.
Hotel Bahman ( 422 5951; tw/apt IR150,000/300,000; ), on the street leading east from the enormous new Imamzadeh Hossein Nebn Musa (at the northern entrance to town), has ancient, overpriced and unpleasant rooms.
Imam Khomeini Sq is home to the Restaurant Khatam ( 7am-midnight), which serves tasty food in large portions and offers the only (uberbasic) budget rooms in town (for about IR60,000).
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Tabas is not exactly a bus hub. Most services are going to or from Mashhad, including to Yazd (IR38,000, eight hours, 419km) at about 11.30pm; Mashhad (IR45,000, 10 hours, 521km) via Ferdows (IR8000 to IR15,000, three hours); Esfahan (IR60,000, nine to 10 hours, several from 8pm to midnight). Try to check departures ahead of time at the traffic circle–cum–bus terminal beside the Imamzadeh Hossein Nebn Musa. Savaris run to Ferdows (IR40,000, two hours) and Khur (IR40,000, two hours), also from near the ‘terminal’.
Baghestan-e Olia
0534 / pop – not many / elev 1594m
Two hours’ drive east of Tabas is Ferdows, a largish town at the edge of the desert flanked to the north and east by rocky mountains. Ferdows is of little interest really, but in the garden village of Baghestan-e Olia 15km north, architect Noushin Ghiassi has built two modern homes and has opened them to visitors.
The experience is totally different to Garmeh or Toudeshk. Rather than mud-bricks, the richly decorated contemporary-style Moonlight House ( 223 3096, 0912 314 5200; in Tehran gnoushina@yahoo.com; per person incl food €45) feels sophisticated but homely. Noushin speaks Italian and English.
The surrounding hills are home to steep-sided valleys, fast-flowing streams and orchards