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By Root 1772 0

Iran and Uzbekistan. A shuttle (IR5000) crosses 2km of no-man’s land to the Turkmen post. Bicycles are carried. Turkmen entry formalities are similar to those at Bajgiran (see the boxed text), requiring US$12 in US dollars (cash). From the border it’s 3km away as the crow flies to the Turkmen town of Saraghs (no formal hotel) but 10km by a very circuitous road. From Saraghs occasional minibuses run to the fertiliser-factory town of Tejen (with very basic hotel) where you can change for Mary. Moneychangers on the Iran side sell Turkmen manats for nearly full black-market rates (currently US$1=23,500, ie over four times the bank rate of US$1=5200).

* * *

Buses to Mashhad run roughly hourly till 4pm supplemented by sporadic but relatively regular savaris.

The inconvenient train station is 7km west of town. Trains leave to Mashhad at 6am and 2.30pm but no passenger services cross the Turkmenistan border (it’s a different rail-gauge).

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KALAT (KALAT NADERI)

0512 / pop 8000

Admiring its near-vertical backdrop of mountain cliffs, you don’t need to be a military commander to see why Kalat has historically made the ideal last holdout for rebels on the run. It was one of the only places to have resisted the armies of Tamerlane. And it’s still widely called Kalat Naderi for Nader Shah who retreated into its impregnable natural fortifications ahead of his considerable band of enemies. Many Kurds were settled here during the Safavid dynasty to guard against northern invaders, and some women still wear Kurdish costumes.

Spring is the best time to visit, when the countryside turns emerald green and nomad tents dot the foothill grasslands, especially along the Kalat–Dargaz road.

Sights

Kalat’s foremost site is Nader Shah’s Khorshid Palace (Kakh-e Nader, Ghasr-e Khorshid; 272 2239; Imam Khomeini St; admission IR2000; 7.30am-6.30pm), 700m beyond the savari terminus. It’s not really a palace at all but a distinctively fluted circular tomb-tower, on an octagonal base set in beautifully manicured lawns. The name Khorshid (literally ‘sun’) refers to one of Nader’s wives, not some arcane astronomical purpose. It was never finished, hence the odd proportions and lack of a dome. Intricate exterior panels include pineapple and pear motifs. These fruits were unknown in 18th-century Khorasan suggesting that Nader Shah used foreign artisans he’d engaged (ie kidnapped) during his Indian conquests. The tower’s magnificent interior uses gilt and ample colour to bring life to 16 stalactite-vaulted alcoves. Stairs beneath the rear terrace lead down into a graciously cool ethnology museum (admission included), graphically depicting Khorasan village life. A gift shop sells Naderabillia.

Facing the complex, an obvious ‘Tourist Information’ sign attracts visitors to Reza Mortezabi’s appealing little herb shop ( 272 3984; Imam Khomeini St; 7.30am-noon & 4-8.30pm Sat-Thu). Reza speaks good English but ‘information’ means a photocopied page from a pre-historic Lonely Planet guide.

The beautiful blue dome, easily spied from the museum steps, belongs to the otherwise modest 1747 Kabud Gonbad Mosque (Imam Khomeini St).

To fully appreciate Kalat’s natural impregnability, backtrack 3km to the Mashhad road tunnel. The cliffs here are otherwise only breached by a very narrow gully stream guarded by the fortified Borg-argavan Shah, an iconic if small, round, mud-brick tower. Just beyond this (visible from the streamside below) the Katibeh Nader is an inscription on the cliff-face praising Nader Shah with poetry in Turkish and Farsi. Climb to various rocky outcrops for spectacular views across the Darban village area ringed by bright-red laterite slopes.

Sleeping & Eating

Mosaferkhaneh Bahrami ( 272 3298; Imam Khomeini St at 13th Alley; d/tr IR80,000/100,000) has pleasant rooms with decent bathrooms and freshly laundered sheets. It’s above an unmarked but popular restaurant with black-and-white trim, 200m from the savari stand.

A few snack shops and an un-marked basement for abgusht (lamb stew made with lentils, potatoes