Kerman & Rayen

Five hours southeast from Yazd, Kerman is the major city on the way to Pakistan and southern Afghanistan and to the Persian Gulf. Kerman’s hotel is very grand, catering for the merchants and businessmen and tourists. While Kerman is pleasant at 2000M, it is not far from the hottest point on the planet, at 80M below sea level and 70deg on a fine summers day.

Hijabs for sale

The bazaar has tall Baluchis stalking through and small Hazari refugees escaping the violence of Afghanistan. The city is famous for embroidery and a particular carpet design and for pistachios. Just off the main bazaar is an old hammam with separate alcoves for the different trades.

Dulcimer & tambourine

Men in the morning and women in the evening – a fine place to do business or catch up on gossip. We had afternoon tea and shared a hubble-bubble with apple tobacco while musicians played a hammer dulcimer and a drum tambourine and sometimes sang. I’ll try and get a CD of the music that mixed familiar rhythms with the Middle Eastern scale.

The old mud walled city of Rayen and its citadel dates to Sassanian times.

Rayen citadel

The city is there because the rich soil can be watered by qanats and is very productive with various fruits. The high old battlements contained a population of perhaps 3000 in an area perhaps 300M square with a large citadel that housed the governor and his family. The entire population was supposed to cram into the citadel when danger threatened and the outer walls were being breached. The old town was abandoned about 150 years ago and has spread down the slope.

Nearby is a wonderful Persian garden from the late 19^thC. Qanat water flows in a never-ending stream over about twelve cascades set 40 M apart down a gentle slope. The channel is set in an avenue of old cypress trees (symbol of long life) with their roots watered by another continuous flow of water. An ornamental gateway leads the eye to the pavilion at the top, from where the view is stunning. Jagged high mountains of bare rock form the backdrop. All this is surrounded by semi-desert. Families on long distance travel or locals are picnicking beside the streams in the shade of these old trees. Absolutely delightful.

And even more beautifully tiled Friday mosques and shrines. This one, a shrine to a 19thC Sufi leader and poet, has beautiful calligraphy around the entrance. Even more stunning was a tiny cell where a poet meditated for 40 days and nights. The room is decorated in an uncluttered style by beautiful calligraphy capturing his poetry on the plaster