Iran - Andrew Burke [261]
The palace itself has been converted into a restaurant (open for lunch and dinner), though it was being renovated when we visited this time. As the sun disappears, the fountains and palace are floodlit, which is a wonderful sight. Occasional music festivals are held in the grounds.
The gardens are a 5km-long walk up Mahan’s main road from the mausoleum, and the turn-off is signposted in English. Alternatively, it’s easy to get a private taxi.
SLEEPING & EATING
When Robert Byron travelled through Iran in 1934, he stopped in Mahan and stayed in the caravanserai adjoining the Aramgah-e Shah Ne’matollah Vali. According to the caretaker, no foreigners have stayed there since. But that is set to change with the opening, in late 2007, of that same caravanserai…
Aramgah-e Shah Ne’matollah Vali Caravanserai ( 0913 340 9375; r about IR70,000) The 170-year-old caravanserai should become one of the most atmospheric – and good value – places to stay in the region. The small rooms have been faithfully restored, which means all bathrooms are shared, but it adds up to a genuine taste of what travel must have been like years ago. Call English-speaking Hamed Azad Pour, who works at the mausoleum, to book and check the prices.
Mahan Inn (Hotel Jahangardi; 622 3555; mahan@ittic.com; Gharani Sq; d/tr US$18/22; ) The big, tidy rooms here are good value, staff is friendly and the restaurant is decent. The hotel is at a roundabout, a couple of blocks west of the mausoleum and public transport from Kerman takes you past the hotel.
Sultan-e Shabha ( 10am-11pm) Opposite the entrance to the mausoleum, a quiet lane leads to this attractive and atmospheric garden teahouse, on the left side. At the end of this lane (about 200m) is a once-grand home called Shotor Galou (Camel Neck), which was built about 200 years ago and served as a home to Qajar period VIPs. It’s in a terrible state, but it’s fun to wander around and think of how wonderful it could be if it’s properly restored – as is the plan.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
About every hour, savaris (IR5500) and minibuses (IR1000) travel the 35km between Khaju (Kermani) Sq in Kerman and Ne’matollahi Sq in Mahan, right in front of the mausoleum.
Shahdad & Around
Sleepy Shahdad is the largest town in the Takhab area, a group of about 30 oasis villages wedged between the Payeh Mountains to the south and the vast emptiness of the Dasht-e Lut to the north. Shahdad is fiercely hot in summer, but its oranges (harvested in October) are reputedly the best in Iran.
About 75 minutes northeast of Kerman, Shahdad is mainly of interest as a gateway to the desert. It’s only-if-I’ve-got-plenty-of-spare-time sights are limited to the Safavid-era Imamzadeh-ye Mohammed Ebn-e Zeid mausoleum and, to the east of town, two prehistoric archaeological sites: the Tappeh-ye Kohne, the archaeological remains of a village settled about 5000 years ago; and 1km further the Shahrak-e Kotuluha (City of the Little People) – the name refers to a local Lilliputian legend but its origin is unknown. There’s not much to see.
Shafi Abad, an oasis village a few kilometres north of Shahdad, boasts several crumbling caravanserais. The most prominent of these, from the Seljuk-era, has been partially restored and it’s possible to climb above the grand gatehouse and the northwest tower, and check out the lodgings along the northern wall where rooms are linked by an unusual arched corridor.
Leaving the Takhab behind, the road to Birjand heads north into the Kaluts, a 145km-long and 80km-wide stretch of desert dominated by long lines of five- to 10-storey high ‘sand castles’. This stunning landscape is unique on earth and no-one we met was quite sure how it was formed. Theories ranged from simple wind erosion (but why just this north-south stretch?) to the idea that a giant meteorite glanced here, leaving