Travel to Iran

Day 5 Yazd

Yazd: The historic city of Yazd, 3,000 years old, registered in 2017 on Unesco´s World Heritage List, is located in the middle of the central Iranian plateau, an oasis between the deserts of Lut and Kavir and nearby of the routes of spices and silk. It is an example of the use of limited resources to guarantee life in the desert. The water reached the city by a system of qanats, intended to capture water from the water table. The city has a water museum. The buildings of the old city are of earth and maintain a high degree of conservation, lasting their traditional neighborhoods, the system of qanats, the traditional houses, the bazaars, the hammams, the mosques, the synagogues, the Zoroastrian temples and the historic garden of Dolat Abad.

After breakfast, we walk through the old city, a set of labyrinthine streets, some of them covered, passing along many houses of adobe. In Yazd the enormous amount of wind towers (bâdgir) that we find stand out on the roofs. The bâdgir is an architectural device of Iranian tradition used for many centuries to provide natural ventilation and refreshment to the interior of buildings. In some old doors we observe the presence of two different doorknobs, one elongated for men and another round for women, both with a different sound, to differentiate the gender of the one that is calling.

The 12th-century Jameh mosque is still in use today. It was first built under Ala´oddoleh Garshasb of the Al-e Bouyeh dynasty. The mosque was largely rebuilt between 1324 and 1365, and is one of the outstanding 14th century buildings of Iran. The mosque is a fine specimen of the Azari style of Persian architecture. The mosque is crowned by a pair of minarets (52 meters in height and 6 meters in diameter), the highest in Iran, and the portal's facade is decorated from top to bottom in dazzling tile work, predominantly blue in colour. Within is a long arcaded courtyard where, behind a deep-set south-east iwan, is a sanctuary chamber (shabestan). This chamber, under a squat tiled dome, is exquisitely decorated with faience mosaic: its tall faience Mihrab, dated 1365, is one of the finest of its kind in existence.

The prominent structure of the Amir Chakhmaq Complex has a three-storey elaborate façade of symmetrical sunken arched alcoves. It is one of the largest hussainia in Iran. In the centre are two very tall minarets. The spiral staircase in one of the two minarets is said to create a feeling of claustrophobia, while it provides views of Yazd. The complex also contains a caravanserai, a tekyeh, a bathhouse, a cold water well, and a confectionery. The bathhouse, in the front of the building is around 600 years old. Arcades have been added recently on the flanks to provide safety from traffic. Only the first floor above the ground level is accessible. There is a shopping complex in the basement of structure. In the corner of the tekyeh, there is a nakhl, described as a "strong, wooden object with very large metal fixtures and studs". It was venerated during the Shiite commemoration festival of Ashura.

The Fire Temple (Ateshkadek), the most important seat of Zoroastrianism in Iran, was probably the building that most disappointed us. In addition to being quite far from the historic center, inside the temple only highlights the altar with fire that they say has been kept burning since the fifth century. Fortunately the photograph of the facade of the temple, reflected on the pond offers a beautiful picture. At the time of sunset we return to the old city and, from the roof of a library/café viewpoint, we have tea and take millions of photos of the roofs, domes, minarets, wind towers and mountains caressed by the last rays of the sun.

After sunset we wandered through the streets of the Khan bazaar, where we discovered an old bread oven, part of the water canalization system, many craft shops, etc. Waiting for dinner, we had tea behind the Jame mosque. For dinner we went to one of the restaurants recommended by our travel guide, the Marco Polo restaurant located in the Orient traditional hotel. Exquisite food and from its terrace incredible views over the illuminated Jame mosque and the dome of the Seyed Rokn Addin mausoleum.