[kl-bogel] Iran. Yazd: the old town and Zoroastrianism

Yazd - one of the most interesting places in Iran. I was really wrong when he initially wanted to exclude him from the program of visits.

In Yazd, we arrived early morning, overnight bus from Isfahan (our bus, the last scheduled (0:30), drove around in the morning, the journey takes about 5 hours). Slept poorly, just fill up at the bus station on arrival. I must say that since the last edition of Lonely Planet in Yazd, some changes, and the bus terminal is now only 3 kilometers away from downtown, and 10 (now it is very close to the airport). But we did not know and hope to reach on foot. In the end, realizing his mistake, caught a taxi and arrived at the hotel. In the photo below to view the outskirts of Yazd to the bus terminal.

We chose the Silk Road Hotel and it has paid off: a very decent place budget level, there is free Wi-Fi, and it has a restaurant and a girl who organizes the tours. Through the hotel you can buy a bus ticket (with a small extra charge) and ordered a taxi to the terminal for a low price. Double room costs $ 40 (400 000 40 000 riyals, or fog).

Accommodated, we agreed on tours of the Zoroastrian sites in Yazd and its environs in the afternoon, before dinner and went to inspect the old part of town.

The route is laid along the old city of Lonely Planet called «Get lost in Yazd». What is the exact name! In the narrow streets in the middle of mud houses completely impossible to navigate. Soon we were lost and could not understand where we are now on the map. In general, the old city to me extremely pleased. The feeling that you get somewhere far away in ancient times.

But there was a man who brought us to the center, along the way by showing a few landmarks. For example, here's a thing. It was used at the funeral of the Imams (?) (Can not remember exactly how I'm not going to lie). The lion in front of the building, too, can be reached.

Talking about Yazd, it is impossible to forget badgiry (badgirs) - there are towers that caught the wind and sent it down the pipe in the building. A kind of ancient air conditioning system. In the summer of Yazd something completely Pipe - 42 degrees in the shade are not uncommon, so badgiry very common.

Navigate in the old town, we continued the route laid Lonely Planet. Next in line to attend a house of Khan-e Lari. In architectural terms it looks like our hotel, although, of course, made more rich. (However, all the rich houses of the old city built on one principle: the outside walls of the clay plain, and within a spacious courtyard with a fountain and greenery, the perimeter of the yard - room.)

It is remarkable that one of the rooms on the walls and ceiling, pasted photos of girls is quite European-looking. There are so glued posters in the dorms of the magazines Playboy, Maxim, etc.

By the way, then I noticed that the exit from the labyrinth of narrow streets of the old city is still possible without much effort. There are two ways. First: one to find a place from which the visible minarets Jameh Mosque, and walk on them.

Second, just follow these pointers. They are marked on the wall in sufficient quantity.

In this old town attractions do not end there: there are a few that are worth a look, but I go to attractions, left to us by the Zoroastrian religion. And the old city to me is a very atmospheric place. If there is no place which is worth mentioning in the guide, I would love it no less.

So, after dinner, we went with our tour guide Miriam taxi first for the Fire Temple. Fire - an object of worship of Zoroastrians, and it must be kept lit. They say that fire is not extinguished for more than fifteen hundred years. It so happened that a feeling that Sasha keeps it in his hands.

By the way, before the trip, we accidentally stumbled into the community Learn zoroastrian_ru - Zoroastrian community in Russia and CIS. More surprising than its existence, and that it is regularly updated.

After we drove south to the Towers of Silence and Zoroastrian cemetery. With a beautiful view of the towers.

Previously, the dead simply attributed to the top of these towers, and left to be devoured by birds.

Now this savagery is unacceptable, and people are burying the usual way. True, there are also some features of that religion forbids, so that the body remains in contact with the ground. Therefore, a coffin or a body itself enclose the film (about this fact, I'm also not sure, but something that the guide told us).

From the cemetery and the Towers of Silence, we went to the village of Cham, where they live Zoroastrians. The taxi driver knew the road badly, so first we have come much further than was necessary. But they saw Mount Eagle - the mountain looks like an eagle.

In Cham village there is a small Temple of Fire. The fire that burns here is not as important as the one that burns in Yazd, so do not worry if it suddenly goes out.

Here is this woman still keeps the fire according to their capabilities.

Nearby is also a tree which, as was said 4000 years. I do not know, I do not know, but it looks really old. However, when I tried to learn on arrival that something about this tree, I found that the oldest tree of Iran is not here, but one of the neighboring towns. And he was just claiming to be from 4 to 8 thousand years.

The last point of our program were still some of the Tower of Silence, and some buildings located near them.

From this tower here, for example, linked a beautiful legend about love ...

We returned to the hotel after sunset.

Yazd was so interesting city, that body opposed to our plans to leave him immediately the next morning - we slept and then another half a day spent walking in on it, waiting for the next bus to Shiraz. And now I realize that is worthy of Yazd and to hold it two full days. And this despite the fact that I'm usually laid 2 days to inspect the world's capitals, Istanbul, London and some others.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "kl-bogel" group.
To post to this group, send email to kl-bogel@googlegroups.com
To subscribe or unsubscribe at http://groups.google.com.my/group/kl-bogel/subscribe
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/kl-bogel?hl=en
Sebarang email pertanyaan, hantar kepada abangmod@gmail.com