• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 1667 0

Coin Museum (9), which is actually more interesting than it sounds. Heading northwest, walk past Ziaee Sq and keep straight for about 150m. Turn right down a small alley to the Khan-e Lari (10; Click here). Head back to Ziaee Sq and turn right. Ahead is the dome of Alexander’s Prison (11; Click here) – which has a clean bathroom – and just beyond is the Tomb of the 12 Imams (12; Click here). You can stop for a drink or directions at the tourist information office (13; Click here) opposite. From the tomb, turn left and follow a sweeping bend until it comes to a dusty space with a concrete table-tennis table. Then head left (southwest) under a domed passage for about 70m until you come to a square with a three-storey white façade (takieh) on the left. If you’re very lucky, the green-and-white metal door on the right will be unlocked (reach through to try it from the inside), and you’ll be able to climb to the domed roof of the Hosseinieh (14) for quite splendid views of the old city. If not, you could carefully climb the stairs at the back of the takieh (15) for almost-as-good views. Continue southwest for about 150m. On your left is the untiled domed roof of the now-closed Madraseh-e Kamalieh (16). Keep along the same lane and you’ll see the minarets of the Jameh Mosque. Using these as a guide, you’re now on your own. Wend your way through the old city, heading roughly southwest, until you reach Qeyam St. Cross into the Panjeh-ali Bazar (17) and head for either Malek-o Tojjar (18; Click here) or the Hammam-e Khan Restaurant (19; Click here) for some well-earned sustenance.

Sleeping

Yazd has quite simply the most charismatic, historic bunch of hotels in Iran, and possibly the entire Middle East. More than 10 khan-e sonnati (traditional houses) have now been transformed into hotels. The result is 24-hour cultural immersion; see the sights of this historic city by day, and then sit on the takhts (daybeds), sip tea and eat local food as Iranians have for centuries. Compare this with the sense of place you get in the usual cookie-cutter hotels. Even better, your money contributes to the preservation and renaissance of this historic Silk Road city.

Not surprisingly, the old city is the most atmospheric area to stay in. Almost all hotels offer day trips to Chak Chak, Meybod and Kharanaq (see Around Yazd, Click here), and prices are in proportion to room rates.

BUDGET

Hotel Amir Chakhmagh ( 626 9823; Amir Chakhmaq Sq; s/tw/tr IR50,000/80,000/120,000; ) The Amir Chakhmagh is not a historic hotel, though at this rate in a few years it will be…very old indeed. It’s in a great location beside the Amir Chakhmaq complex, but rooms can be noisy and the shared bathrooms could be cleaner. The dorms listed in any of the following places are probably better.

Silk Road Hotel (Jada-e Abrisham; 625 2730; www.silkroadhotel.ir; 5 Tal-e Khakestary Alley, off Masjed-e Jameh Ave; dm €4, s/d/tr with breakfast €14/22/30; ) Two minutes’ walk from the Masjed-e Jameh, the Silk Road’s mix of traditional courtyard setting, delicious food, laid-back vibe and fair price has made it the most talked about travellers’ stop in Iran. With 15 simple but attractive rooms (no TVs) and a seven-bed underground dormitory (no bathroom), it caters to backpackers, flashpackers and even the odd ambassador. The buffet breakfast is both delicious and wonderfully social. Owners Ali and Sebastian can offer discounts for longer stays.

Kohan Hotel (Kohan Kashaneh; 621 2485; www.kohanhotel.com; off Imam Khomeini St; dm IR50,000, s/tw with breakfast IR170,000/250,000; ) Owner Taslim and his family have renovated the family home and given it a relaxed, welcoming ambience. The 18 traditional but unadorned rooms are set around a lush garden courtyard, while two six-bed dorms (each with bathroom) open off a long stairway to a qanat. A restaurant should be open when you arrive. To find it, head northeast on Imam Khomeini St, past Masjed-e Jameh Ave, and follow the stencil signs along a lane on your left. If you get lost, it’s near the Coin Museum.

Rose Traditional Hotel ( 622