The Tabātabāei Historic House (Khāneh-ye Tabātabāeihā), Kashan, Iran
Kashan is famous for its once-splendid traditional houses with their sunken gorgeous courtyards dominated by flowers beds, trees and a longish rectangular pool. A few have been renovated and we visited them all. Built by super wealthy merchants in the XIXth century, they feature everything from intricate stone relief, fine stucco, elegant mirrors and stained glass work. Again these visits turned out to be an excellent photo opportunity. Iranian tourists kept politely asking to have their photo taken with us.
The 18th Century Agha Bozorg Mosque and its “sunken” courtyard, Kashan, Iran
Another popular sight is Fin Garden. A staff member in our guesthouse recommended a visit to the garden, 7 km outside the city. It could be easily done by public bus for very little money. So we hopped on, and, well… it was okay.
Actually it was the bus rides that made the trip worthwhile! Two foreigners riding on a bus in a small Iranian town turned us into an attraction, giggling, looking, shy Hellos all around us. Suddenly we noticed a sign, Tappeh Sialkh, a site of excavations dating back to 5.000 – 3.000 BC! By the time we decided to get off, we had long passed the sign and had to march back. When we passed a bakery the guys stormed out, invited us in and would not let us leave without loads of steaming hot bread. A smell so delicious it will never be forgotten.
The Tabātabāei Historic House (Khāneh-ye Tabātabāeihā)
We kept asking for directions trying to pronounce the place correctly. Our hearts sank when a young boy made a gesture that we interpreted as far and simultaneously thick black clothes were moving in. Actually it was around the corner and the clouds rifted off. Considering the archeological importance – again, we are talking about remains constructed up to 8.000 years ago, only very few visitors strolled around the site.
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