Iran - Andrew Burke [233]
The Qashqa’i are based in central Iran where they move between summer and winter pastures in Fars Province. Their migration routes are among the longest and most difficult of all of Iran’s pastoral tribes, as they are often on the road for 45 days. They have become famous for their production of simple rugs – the gabbeh – which have proved very popular with Westerners (Iranians are rather snobbish about gabbeh). You can usually spot Qashqa’i women in the Shiraz bazaar.
Nomadic women wear long, colourfully layered dresses with much jewellery and no chadors. The men sometimes wear tall hats with a rounded crown. To see them it’s best to go with a guide, who can translate and just find them. Pars Tourist Agency in Shiraz has several nomad tour options, or try Bavanat Tours (below). Also see The Bakhtiyari, Click here.
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BAVANAT
In a quiet valley 230km northeast of Shiraz, the Bavanat region is a 20km-long walnut forest in a lush valley between the Zagros Mountains in the south and deserts to the north. The main town is Suryan, aka Bavanat, but the real destination here is the village of Shah Hamzeh Bazm (or just Bazm) 18km further east. The mountains near Bazm are home to Khamseh nomads, a confederation of five groups of Arabic, Turkish and Farsi-speaking people. From about April until October they pitch their tents in the hills and survive with few of the ‘luxuries’ you might see in the tents of Qashqa’i nomads north of Shiraz.
Abbas Barzegar, himself part Khamseh, opens his family home in Bazm to visitors and runs one- and two-day Bavanat Tours ( 0752-326 2357, 0917 317 3957; www.bavanattravel.com) tours to stay with the nomads (in summer, of course). He’s a lovely guy, though his very basic English is a problem. Alternatively, you could just hang out in his place (price negotiable). Tours cost US$40 for one person, US$35 for two to five, and US$30 each beyond that, including the delicious food – his wife is an award-winning cook – and transport.
To get to Bazm, first come to Suryan. One bus leaves Abuzar Sq in Yazd (IR12,000, three hours) at 1pm, returning at 7.30am. From Shiraz (IR12,000, three hours), buses leave Carandish Terminal at 7.30am and 12.30pm, returning at the same times next day. There are no regular savaris to Suryan, but you can go dar baste to Shahr-e Babak (IR200,000 one way) if you’re continuing to Meymand (Click here). From Suryan, you’ll have to hire a taxi or hitch.
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FIRUZ ABAD
0712 / pop 70,000 / elev 1330m
The monumental Sassanian-era remains around modern Firuz Abad are often missed by those in a rush to get to Persepolis. The palaces and city were built by the founder of the Sassanian empire, Ardashir Babakan, in the 3rd century BC. Firuz Abad was once an important stop on the Sassanid Roadway between Shiraz and the ancient port of Shiraf. Today, it’s mainly a Qashqai’i farming town. Coming from Shiraz, the first site is Qal’eh-e Doktar (Maiden’s Palace), sitting atop a steep hill with commanding views into the valley below. You’ll know you’re there when you see a footbridge crossing the road. Take the bridge and it’s a 10- or 15-minute climb. This three-tiered palace made of rock and gypsum was Ardashir’s first, and its position and fortification reflect the lingering Parthian threat of the time. While crumbling, it’s not difficult to imagine the palace’s original layout, and the views from the top are magnificent.
About 2km towards Firuz Abad, a signed dirt road fords the Tang Ab river to reach Ardashir’s Palace (admission IR3000; 7.30am-sunset), a much grander structure built beside a wonderfully refreshing spring once Ardashir felt more secure. Given it is almost 1800 years old, its domes, high iwans and clean, stable lines – which set the tone for all Sassanian architecture – remain hugely impressive. The iwans and domes, with their accompanying squinches, are some of the earliest surviving examples. In winter, the Tang Ab is impassable