IRAN D3, 04.03.2013

Sobe v hotelu so bile nekoliko pretople,  kljub odprtim oknom. Očitno niso še preklopili na poletno hlajenje, saj je iz rež hladilne naprave pihal topli zrak. Po normalnem zajtrku smo odrinili v sveže jutro. Proti Yazd-u.  Blizu hotela se veliko gradi in sem imel možnost opazovati Iranski način. Fotografije sem žal prepozno pričel snemati in verjetno nisem ujel bistva. Pristop je zanimiv podoben tistemu v New Yorku s pričetka 20. stoletja. Najprej naredijo železno konstrukcijo, ki jo nato zapolnijo z opekami in s tenkimi betonskimi ploščami. Vse to pokrijejo kar lepe fasade. Upam, da je ta način gradnje primeren za to potresno območje in da so jim ga svetovali Japonci. Verjetno je samo cenejši.Hotel room was slightly overheated even with open windows .Obviously, they didn't switch to summer air-conditioning, because there was a warm air coming out of the air conditioner. After what could be called normal breakfast we set off in fresh early morning air toward Yazd. There was a lot of building going on around the hotel so it was possible to observe Iranian methods. I started late trying to capture my observation and I am not sure if caught the real essence. Method reminds me of New York skyscraper construction at the beginning of 20th. century. The iron (steel) construction is build first and then filled up by bricks and thin concrete plates. Everything is then covered by nice looking façade. I certainly hope that this method is adequate for earthquake region and the Japanese gave them some advice. Most probably it is just cheaper method.

Na poti proti Yazdu nasadi pistacij in puščava. Nekaj krat nas ustavi policija, da preveri če smo privezani in če so ženske primerno oblečene. Pasovi so dvotočkovni, smrtno nevarno (poškodba medenice in hrbtenice), pa še delovali niso v večini primerov. Po nekaj več kot 4 urah prispemo v Yazd. Vmes smo deležni religiozne vzgoje in nekaj zgodovinskih opomb, ki bi jih morali že prebrati v predpisani skripti. Osrednja tema je poleg Islama Zoroastirianizem. V Yazdu živi okoli 20.000 Zoroastrijancev.

On the road to Yazd there are only pistachios plantations and desert. We were stopped few times by police. They were checking seat belt use and if our ladies are dressed appropriately. Two point safety seat belts are deadly (pelvic and spine injuries) also most of the belts didn't work at all. We have arrived in Yazd after four hours drive. This exposed us to some religious education and some remarks about history, which we should apparently study from the lecture notes of our guide. Beside Islam the central topic was Zoroastrianism. There is some 20000 Zoroastrians living in Yazd.

V Yazdu se najprej odpravimo jest. Vodička nas odpelje v tradicionalno restavracijo, v nekdanjem kopališču. Po okusnem kebabu se odpravimo v muzej vode. Voda je v teh krajih izjemno pomembena. "Qanta" so kanali, ki so jih kopali pod zemljo tudi do 200 km. Voda pod zemljo v puščavi ne bo izparela. V muzeju so postopki z vodo podrobno opisani, V spominu  mi je ostala tudi nekakšna vodna ura s katero so merili količino vode, ki jo je dobilo vsako polje.

Arriving in Yazd first order of business was to find something to eat. Our lady guide had taken us to a "traditional" restaurant in what used to be bath house. After tasty kebab we are off to a water museum. The water is an important issue in this parts of the world. "Qanta" are underground channels excavated for 200 km in length. Underground water do not evaporate, even in desert. The procedures of water management are described in details. I remember a water clock which was used for portioning water for individual fields.

Potem se odpravimo do mošeje, ki ima največja minareta v Iranu. Jāmeh mošeja je zgrajena v 12. stoletju, v času dinastije Al-e Bouyeh. Mošeja je zgrajena v Azeri stilu. Vhodni portal je prekrit od vrha do tal z modro keramiko. Na vrhu se dvigujeta dva najvišja minareta v Iranu. V dnu ogromnega z arkadami obkroženega dvorišča se nahaja jugovzhodni Iwan, struktura, ki je verjetno najbolj izstopajoča značilnost Iranske Islamske arhitekture.

Next we went to see great Jāmeh mosque, with two highest minarets in Iran. Jāmeh mosque was built in 12th century during the reign of Al-e Bouyeh dinasty. It was built in Azeri style. Entrance portal is covered from top to bottom with blue ceramics. On the top two highest minarets in Iran are soaring in to the sky. At the the end of the large arcaded court yard you can see south-east Iwan, structure which is probably the most prominent characteristic of Iranian Islamic architecture.

Vmes zgubimo enega sopotnika, ki je nekako zaostal za skupino. To povzroči paniko pri vodičih, ki organizirajo pravo iskalno akcijo, s policijo vred. V vsej tej zmedi nas pomotoma namesto na naslednjo ogledno točko, pripeljejo v hotel, kjer se seveda najprej nastanimo . Hotel je del verige tradicionalnih hotelov. Hotel je predelana hiša mestnega draguljarja.  Čeprav ne zelo funkcionalno vendar pa zelo simpatično so obdržali stare načine zaklepanja z ključavnicami. Po nastanitvi  odidemo na ogled Zoroastrkega temelja, kjer hranijo večni ogenj. Tu se nam ponovno pridruži izgubljeni, ki ga reveža ošteva cela skupina. Za posladek nas odpeljejo še na bazar, kjer pa prodajajo pretežno zlato in tkanine.

In a mean time we had succeeded loosing one of our travel mates. This had caused considerable panic with our guides, who have organised a real search and rescue with police and all. In all the resulting confusion we were taken to hotel instead to our next sightseeing spot. Of course we had settled first. Hotel belongs to a traditional hotels chain. It is situated in refurbished jeweller town house. Locking the rooms with old fashioned locks was not very functional but it was cute. After settling in we are off to a Zoroastrian temple where they keep fire going for 1000 years. Here we were joined by our missing travel mate, who was given appropriate feedback, from the whole group. Poor guy. For the desert we are visiting Yazd bazaar, where they mostly trade in gold and jewellery.

Večerjamo v hotelu. Večerja v hotelih je verjetno posledica ne preveč dobre ponudbe restavracij, čeprav vodiči ponujajo nekaj imen. Tudi, če je ceneje je tokrat večerja dobra, v zanimivem okolju. Vendar predno končam to objavo, še nekaj posnetkov iz nočnega Yazda ter draguljarskega bazaarja.

We had dinner in a hotel. Hotel dinners are probably consequence of poor restaurant availability, in spite of local guides offering some names. Even if it is cheaper, the dinner is good in an interesting environment. But before closing this post some shots of night Yazd and jewellers bazaar.

IRAN D2, 03.03.2013

Hudo zgodaj vstanemo. Zajtrk omejen na tiste, ki so prišli prvi. Ostali smo dobili požirek kave in nekaj koruznih kosmičev v mleku. Srečniki, ki lahko uživajo sladkor so bili deležni tudi kolača. Tehran ob tej uri prazen. Ko pridemo do včasih mednarodnega letališča sedaj namenjenega notranjim letom se že zdani. Sledijo običajni varnostni pregledi. Tokrat ženske posebej moški posebej. Kontrola ni zelo temeljita zato vodo odnesem naprej. Tudi računalnika ni bilo potrebno pokazati. Check in je bil pravi iranski. Kovčke smo oddali skupaj in počakali, da nam iranska vodička razdeli vstopne kartone. Po še eni kontroli se počasi približamo letalu. Tehran nam privošči jutro brez smoga s čudovitim pogledom na Elbruz, ki ga mnogi poskušajo fotografirati ob jeznem negodovanju letališkega osebja. Letalo in polet sam brez težav. Postregli so na bolje kot na Adriji. Prtljaga je prišla vsa. Skratka bravo – zelo profesionalno.

We are up terribly early. Breakfast was limited to those who arrived first. The rest of us had to tough it out on a sip of black coffee and some corn flakes in milk. The lucky ones, who still enjoy sweets, were offered a cake. Tehran this early is completely empty. At the daybreak we had arrived at what used to be an international airport nowadays used for mostly internal flights. Before entering usual security check. Only this time we were strictly segregated by sex. Security check was not very thorough, so I was able to keep my water bottle. I also didn’t have to show my computer. Check-in was Iranian style. We all dropped our luggage together and then our Iranian lady guide distributed boarding tickets. Tehran awarded us smog free morning, with a beautiful sight of Elbruz. Many of our travelling companions had tried to take pictures of this beautiful mountain causing loud and angry protests of airport personnel. The airplane was quite comfortable and the flight uneventful. The service was much better then on our own Adria Airways. All luggage had arrived safely. In short – BRAVO – very professional.

Letališče Kerman zapustimo prijetno presenečeni, brez rentgenske kontrole. Z avtobusom, ki bo naš do konca potovanja, se zapeljemo mimo hotela do vrtov Shazdeh . Shazdeh pomeni Prinčevski. Nastali so v 19 stoletje med vladavino dinastije Qajar. Gradili so jih okoli 1850. Vrtovi so zasnovani okoli dveh umetnih potočkov in osrednjih teras z bazeni, ki so žal bili prazni in umazani. Verjetno smo prezgodaj. Le nekatera drevesa so pričela sramežljivo cveteti. Ideja sama vrt v puščavi je zanimiva. Še vedno jo izkoriščajo, gradijo namreč podaljšek. Od vhoda se vrt počasi vzpenja. Na vrhu je skupina stavb, v kateri je slabo prepoznavna kapelica (vsaj nam neposvečenim) in trgovinica z zanimivimi spominki. Na levo je neka vrsta čajnice ali kadilnice, kjer se obiskovalci sproščajo.

We had left Kerman airport pleasantly surprised- no X ray security check. With the bus, which will be ours for the duration of the journey, we had been driven by the hotel towards Shazdeh garden. Shazdeh garden means Prince’s garden. It was built in 19th century, around 1850, during the rule of Qujar dynasty. Gardens are based around two streams and central terraces with the large pools, which were unfortunately dirty and empty. Oh well, I suppose we were too early in the year for gardens to be presentable. Just few shy blooming trees were around. The idea itself, the gardens in the desert is fascinating. It is still exploited because they were building an extension. From the entrance the garden is sloping up. At the top there is a group of buildings, in which the chapel or prayer room is located, together with the small souvenir shop full of interesting souvenirs. To the left there is kind of tea house, where people relax smoking water pipes.

V samem mestu Mahan obiščemo grobnico sufijskega pesnika Shah Nematollah Vali. Impresivni minareti in kupola. V notranjosti nad grobom prozoren sarkofag poln denarja. Shah Nematollah Vali je živel v 14. In 15. Stoletju, natančneje od 1330–1431. Potoval in poučeval je po Perziji in Indiji. Če vas zanima njegova poezija http://erfan-onabadi.com/Selected_Articles/poems_from_Shah_Nematollah_Val/body_poems_from_shah_nematollah_val.html). Žal nam je misel na poezijo pregnalo dejstvo, da nas je vse malo zeblo in da smo bili že pošteno lačni. Ko smo se končno obuli se opravimo v mesto iskati hrano. Vendar trgovci v Mahanu niso bili pripravljeni na trumo turistov, ki so na nerazumljuvem jeziku zahtevali čudne stvari. Na koncu nam ob pomoči vodičke uspe dobiti zelo okusne čevape. Tudi v Iranu jih imenujejo podobno. Cena dobrega kosila je bila 1 €.

In the Mahan we visit the mausoleum of Sufi poet Shah Nematollah Vali. Impressive minarets and dome. Inside, above the grave, there is an transparent sarcophagi full of money. Shah Nematollah Vali lived in 14th and 15th century, precisely from 1330 to 1431. He was travelling and theaching all over Persia and India. If you are interested in his poetry: http://erfan-gonabadi.com/Selected_Articles/poems_from_Shah_Nematollah_Val/body_poems_from_shah_nematollah_val.html. Unfortunately our interest in poetry was greatly diminished by the fact that we were miserably cold and very hungry. Finely we had put our shoes back and went looking for the food. But merchants in Mahan were not ready for a bunch of strangers, speaking strange language (English) and asking for strange things. At the end, with the help of our Iranian guide we were able to get some extremely tasty kebab. It seems that Iranian name for the stuff is similar. The price of this very good lunch was 1 €.

Vrnemo se v Kerman, kjer se najprej dolgo potepamo po bazarju. Ogledamo si neke vrste etnografski muzej, ki z razstavo voščenih lutk opisuje dogajanje v tipičnem kopališču. Turistov tu ne vidijo prav veliko. Vsako toliko se kdo okorajži in vpraša od kod smo. Na možnost komunikacije s tujci so zelo ponosni. Poskušava ugotoviti, kje bi kupila tradicionalno ruto in tudi tu nam priskoči na pomoč ena od strank. Skozi bazar se odpravimo do Jameh mošeje (Petkova mošeja). Naše prvo srečanje z Iranskimi mošejami. Iranska mošeja je obzidan prostor s štirimi Iwani (molilne niše). Strehe ni. Verjetno strehe ne potrebujejo. Ta v Kermanu je pozidana leta 1350 in je podobna tisti v Yazdu.

We had headed back to Kerman, for a rather prolonged stroll in a bazaar. We also had visited kind of ethnographic museum there, featuring Madame Tussauds like wax figures, describing the life in typical bath-house. They don’t see many tourist round here. Every so often someone will summon enough nerve to approach us and ask where are we coming from. People are very proud of their ability to communicate with the strangers. My wife and I had tried to buy a traditional scarf and another customer immediately came to our assistance. Next we had visited Jameh mosque (Friday mosque). This had been our first meeting with the Iranian mosque. Iranian mosque is build around court like space with four Iwans (praying niche). There is no roof. I suppose it is not needed. The mosque in Kerman was built in 1350 and it is similar to one in Yazd.

Nazadnje obiščemo še eno zgradbo s kupolo Jabalieh Dome za katero se ne ve koliko je stara in kaj je predstavljala predno so jo v Islamu spremenili v molilnico. Danes je muzej. Nato se odpravimo še v hotel. Soliden 5 zvezdic, edini.

The last visit of the day was to Jabalieh Dome. No one knows exactly how old this building and what was its function, before it was converted to prayer room. Today it is a museum. Next we had finely returned to the hotel. Solid five stars, the only one.