We need two days for the trip, as we take it easy. It’s late fall and fortunately the sun is shining again. We spend the night in a small park just outside the town of Arak. Right next door is a nursery, which we are allowed to visit. Very nice, actually similar to home. Afterwards, a couple from Tehran chat with us and we have a good night.
We spend our first night in Kashan at the wooded “City Park” . It’s very quiet here, only a few people and we can refill our water reserves very easily.
It is already dark when we see a blue flashing light. The police drive alongside us. In a roundabout way – with a phone call to a translator – they tell us that it is too dangerous here for the night. So let’s start the engine and finally switch on our “Christmas lights”. We drive to the nearest illuminated parking lot near the“Fin Garten“. We are enthusiastically welcomed at the small restaurants at the edge of the parking lot. We receive free tea and a small snack. The night is not so quiet – but we still fall asleep peacefully.
There are many beautiful parks and gardens to visit in the Middle East and especially in Iran. As we happen to have already parked next to it, we’re going to take a look at the Fin Garden today. It is said to be one of the most beautiful gardens in Iran. Unfortunately, the water features are not in operation now in late fall and there are no flowers in bloom. Too bad. The“Bāgh-e Fin” was first mentioned in1504, when the Safavid ruler Ismail was received here.
We move our base into the city, namely to the edge of Mellat Park and the wall of the citadel. From here we can reach the sights of the city on foot.
On our first walk through the old town, we see that the houses here were built into the ground. This means that you enter the house on the top floor and then descend the stairs to the first floor. Perhaps this makes it easier to live with more balanced temperatures?
The many “cooling towers”, which look like chimneys, are also striking. And indeed. The towers direct the hot air upwards and draw in cooler air, or the slight draught creates cooling.
This is one of the historic town houses of Kashan. The owner was the apparently wealthy merchant Sayyid Jaʿfar Tabatabayi.
The house was built in 1834 and its architect was Ustad Ali Maryam. The complex encloses four residential courtyards, contains fine murals and features elegant stained glass windows and a variety of classic traditional elements of the residential culture of the time.
We take another stroll through the old town in the evening sun and end the day on a restaurant terrace with a view of the clay citadel. We can see a group of teenagers sneaking around the parked vehicles and unscrewing air valve covers on the Auros ….
