Persian gardens and traditional houses

Our second day in Kashan was fantastic, too! We met two Spanish guys we got to know in the hostel in Teheran and went to the beautiful Fin gardens at the outskirts of Kashan. They are a typical example of Persian gardens with fountains and springs, trees and pavilion. While it was nice, it did not strike us as overly impressive. What was really nice, though, was the tea house in the gardens and the rose water/saffron ice cream :-)

The next stop (after a short rest in the hotel) was much more impressive: the ancient hammam Sultan Amir Ahmad and the traditional house of Abbasi. The hammam is, unfortunately, not in use any longer - as is true for nearly all hammams in Iran - but it’s still a great sight. It features beautiful tiles and painted ceilings. Also, a visit to the roof have us a better understanding of how the vaults are constructed and how the light is let in through small glass inlays in the cupulas.

The traditional Abbasian house was also mangnificent: >5,000 square meters :-) it took the owner - a rich glass merchant - 20 years to complete. We admired especially the well functioning ventilation system with the lowest levels being really cool and pleasant to stay in.

Dinner was another highlight: we went to another traditional house turned hotel and restaurant. After watching the sun set from the courtyard, we went into the cellar for a nice dinner.

Tomorrow we are looking forward to going to Esfahan - one of the top tourist attractions in Iran and certainly also buzzing with Iranian tourists during the ongoing No Ruz celebrations.Lue lisää