Today we left Isfahan to begin our drive to Kashan. On the way we stopped in Abyaneh Historical Village, one of the oldest villages in Iran. All the buildings in the village have a reddish hue. The women here typically cover themselves in a white scarf with colorful floral designs that is mid-waist in length which is quite different than in other parts of the country.
From Abyaneh Village, we drove for about another 2 hours to Kashan. Kashan was one of the major centers of civilization in pre-historic times. We immediately headed over to Fin Garden which was constructed by Shah Abbas I according to his vision of paradise. Like many Persian gardens, there are numerous pools and fountains here fed by a natural spring from the mountain behind. It was declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012.
Kashan is known for its beautiful historical houses built during the late 18th and 19th centuries after an earthquake bascally leveled Kashan. Merchants took the opportunity to build themselves new houses and they were all built in a similar way using bricks, mud, and straw for the structure and mirrors, gypsum, and wood for the interiors. All the windows looked inwards mostly for privacy and security. Most of these large houses have summer and winter rooms which the residents moved between and large courtyards in the center. Our hotel, Khane, is in one of these old houses. It is a smaller and newer hotel compared to the more popular ones like Ameri-ha and Manouchehri which are constantly fully booked. For some reason (probably to make more money for themselves), our travel agency decided to book the 10 of us into 2 large suites which would have been fine if we were a family or teenagers enjoying a sleep over. The hotel was at full occupancy though the manager told us there was plenty of availability at the time we booked. It was quite awkward and a bit of a nuisance to share a bathroom amongst 6 adults. Fortunately, it was only for one night.
From Kashan, we headed back to Tehran and that concluded our magical 12-day whirlwind of a tour through the southwest and central part of Iran. I have to thank my friend Yas for organising everything and “mothering” us the whole trip. Having her there made all the difference! I look forward to coming back and visiting another part of the country, hanging out in Tehran, and perhaps sitting in a villa in the Caspian Sea having some fresh caviar! :)
Thanks for stopping by! Stay tuned for my next adventure :)
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