Iran - Andrew Burke [280]
There are kababis and a pizzeria off Enqelab Sq. Facing the great tower, Safa Café ( 222 0208; 8am-midnight; ) offers ice-cream sundaes (IR4000 to IR9000), floats, espresso (IR7000) and freshly squeezed seasonal juices.
Getting There & Away
Busy Istgah Gorgan, towards Imam St’s southern end, has minibuses and savaris to Azad Shahr, Aliabad and Gorgan. For Minudasht and Kalaleh, savaris leave from Basij Sq, 2km directly east of Enqelab Sq. Change in Minudasht for Bojnurd. Change in Azad Shahr for Shahrud.
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AROUND GONBAD-E KAVUS
East of Gonbad, the limited-access Golestan National Park includes partly cultivated steppe and contrastingly thick mountain forests of 500-year-old trees in which you half expect to meet Asterix and his cohorts. The region is indistinctly littered with clues to the once vibrant Tabarestan civilisation that lasted from the Neanderthal era right up until the 13th century. Then Genghis Khan’s hordes brought it all to an abrupt end.
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IRAN’S TURKMEN PEOPLE
Turkmen people (2% of Iran’s population) have a truly extraordinary range of facial features from Asiatic (Kazakh-Mongolian) to startlingly blue-eyed Caucasian. Their clans are predominantly Sunni-Muslim and speak their own Turkic dialects. Turkmen women have little patience with black chadors, favouring heavy, full-length dresses in bright colours over trousers and shawls with floral designs. Some older men wear white turban-like headscarves but once-iconic telpek hats of shaggy sheepskin are pretty rare these days, as are traditional yurt-style nomad-tents called öy. In the last generation most Turkmens have become settled, swapping their famous horses for motorbikes. Although sheep farming remains an economic mainstay, pasture-lands have increasingly been ploughed up by Zaboli immigrants, leaving Turkmen villages amongst the most disadvantaged in post-revolutionary Iran. see www.turkmensahra.com for more about their region.
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Much of the steppe population is ethnically Turkmen so if you’re lucky you might find yourself invited to a horse milking or for tea in one of the increasingly rare reed-ringed felt öy tents. For a hefty fee it’s possible to take unique spring and autumn horse treks in this fascinating area; book through www.inthesaddle.com/iran.htm. For a riders’ experience, read www.equitrek.co m.au/Iran.html.
Gharra Tappeh Sheikh (GTS)
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A unique stud-farm in the minuscule ethnic-Turkmen village of GTS is home to philosophical US-born Louise Firouz (nee Laylin). Famous for ‘rediscovering’ (ie selectively back-breeding) the miniature Caspian horse, she also rears classic Turkmen horses, thought to be the genetic forerunners of the thoroughbred. She has lived in Iran for more than 40 years and has an endless wealth of fascinating tales to tell.
By advance arrangement it’s possible to stay in a genuine Turkmen öy tent on Louise’s farm ( 229 7679; firouz@pinarnet.com; per person US$60). This is a unique, very personal experience and the deliberately high price is designed to keep it that way. Bring a sleeping bag and don’t expect luxury: shared facilities include an out door long-drop toilet. The village’s flat, steppe position gives a magnificent big-sky panorama edged with a near horizon of high woodland ridges. GTS makes an ideal base for visiting Alexander’s Wall and Khalid Nibi Shrine. Louise can arrange transport to these and many other intriguing, little-visited marvels.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
From Gonbad-e Kavus, the shortest route is via Haji Qoshan, once home to ubiquitous Turkmen writer Makhtumkuli. By public transport it’s easier to go via Kalaleh. From Kalaleh’s Ahmedi Sq, take a Tamar-bound savari, then pay an extra IR20,000 to continue dar baste to GTS (20 minutes).
Alexander’s Wall
Like the Great Chinese and Hadrian’s equivalents, Alexander’s Wall (Sadd-e Eskander) was built to keep out war-like raiders from the north. For the Iranian world it marked the very real edge of civilisation.