The word on the street is Palomina might be in Iran on the 18th. But, as a tour guide in Peru taught us, “everything is possible but nothing is certain”. So we shall see. In the meantime, we are chilling in Toodeshk, a former camel trading post on the silk road in central Iranian desert.
Ancient water management
| For millenniums, the size of communities was determined by the amount of water readily available, which in desert is limited and inconsistent in quality and flow. To overcome such problems, early in the 1st millennium BC, Persian engineers developed a system called qanat: a series of wells which have the bottom ends connected through a slightly inclined underground aqueduct.
The wells situated near a mountain reach bellow the ground water level and the underground canal prevents evaporation and contamination en route to the community. Other wells are built along the way to be used during construction and maintenance. While some qanats are only 7 km long, some can extend over 70 km. In Na’in, Mahmood facilitated an underground visit. Through a tunnel we descended to 30 m bellow ground level. |
  |
| Sometimes, the force of water is used to power mills. This was the case at the place which we were visiting. The mill has been out of commission for at least 30 years but the millstones were still present. |
   |
| The drinking water is usually stored in egg shaped structures named Ab Anbar. Most of the tank is under ground, to keep the water cool and safe the structure from earthquakes. Additional cooling and ventilation is provided by wind trapping towers. I can assure you that, despite being a very hot day, the water was kept really cold without the use of modern technology. |
 |
| Other use of the water is for household washing and public baths. |
 |
| And finally for agriculture, through a network of surface aqueducts and dams. |
 |
| This is a “fenjaan”, a water clock used since year 500 BC to determine the amount of time each of the families sharing a qanat would be allowed to tap the water source for their own land use. It is a pot with a small hole. When placed on water it will slowly sink and it will be fully submerged after a constant amount of time. |
 |
| The closer you are from the point where it surfaces, the cleaner and colder the water is, so wealthier people tend to live near that place. From a nearby hilltop, you can easily see the benefits the water brings to agriculture. The green area is the one serviced by the system above. |
 |
| This Persian invention spread to other arid areas from Morocco to India. There are tens of thousands still in use today, although many more have been left in decay during the past 50 years. The oldest qanat still in use is in Iran and it is 2700 years old. |
Na’in
| Na’in is a small town in central Iranian desert. |
  |
| With the help of tour guide and internet cafe owner Mahmood Mohammadipour (ph# +98 939 863 6090) we went on a short tour. We saw a citadel, a traditional house turned museum… |
  |
… Jame Mosque, one of the oldest in Iran… |
| … and a partially deserted side of the town. Na’in used to be a city inhabited by camel owners. With the introduction of trucks, the business of trading camels was lost. Furthermore, after the Islamic Revolution, rich people gradually abandoned their homes to blend in the working class and avoid harassment. So today many buildings are abandoned and partially collapsed. |
 |
| With the development of modern shopping areas, the old bazaar lost it’s importance and most shop keepers left. Today only a handful of businesses remain active. |
  |
Esfahan 2/2
| The Chehelsotoon Palace is highly appreciated for it’s exterior architecture (wooden columns, mirror decorations, water pool etc) and wall paintings. The third picture depicts the arrival of Humayun, Mughal Emperor of India, at the Shah’s palace. |
   |
| Also of interest is the Decorative Arts Museum, exhibiting Persian works of painting, sculpture, calligraphy, pottery etc. |
   |
| There is also a public bath turned into museum, similar to the one in Shiraz but better documented. |
  |
| And this is the most unusual sight in Esfahan, the Monar Jonban. Due to the structural characteristics, both minarets can be shaken by a person climbing inside to the top and pushing against the wall. In addition to this, shaking one minaret will send the movement to the other, causing it to shake too and all the bells attached to ring. I will post a video of this as soon as I have Youtube access. |
 |
Isfahan 1/2
| Isfahan’s main tourist area is the Imam Square. At one end it has the Imam Mosque (a UNESCO World Heritage site, together with the square). On the other 3 sides there is a huge bazaar with shops selling Persian carpets (the one pictured had an asking price of USD 200), handicrafts, antiques and sweets. |
    |
| In addition, there are several cafes and traditional restaurants. A special dish is called “dizy”: arrives at the table as a soup that has been boiled for hours. The server will separate the liquid (to be eaten with bread) and then mash the vegetables and meat until they become a puree. Eat it with raw onion and ayran. Delicious! |
   |
| A fun way to explore more is to rent a bicycle (free for up to 3 hours). There are several centuries-old bridges, as well as gardens and parks to be seen. Not too far is also the old Armenian quarter featuring churches and narrow alleys. |
   |
| At night most parks and gardens become picnic areas. The ground is cold but the people bring huge rugs and sit on them. |
 |
| Many tourist guides talk about what to do when you visit an Iranian home. Just when we were asking ourselves what would be the point for mentioning that, since foreigners rarely have friends in Iran, we found the answer: as we were asking for directions, a couple on the street started writing something in Farsi on our map. Another passer-by who knew some English explained that was the family’s address and they were inviting us for lunch the next day. It was such a warm welcome from complete strangers. We exchanged gifts and they prepared traditional Iranian food, absolutely amazing! They asked if we wanted to eat European style (at the table) but we preferred to experience the Iranian way. |
 |