Western Iran - Iran - page 195

Getting There & Away
Savaris gather just north of Ashura Sq for Marand (US$1, one hour), Hadiyshahr (Alam-
dar; US$0.50, 15 minutes) and occasionally Tabriz (US$5, 2½ hours). Minibuses to
Marand (US$3, 1½ hours) run from Hadiyshahr, but not from Jolfa itself. The road to
Khoy, shown on most maps, is partly mud track across almost uninhabited wilderness. It
can be very hard to follow in places, but it's possible in a Paykan (US$30, 2¼ hours).
You'll need a full-day taxi charter to do justice to the scenic Aras River road to Kaleybar.
Aras River Valley
WEST OF JOLFA
Jolfa's main tourist drawcard is the very attractive Armenian Church of St Stephanos
(Kalisa Darreh Sham; admission US$0.50; dawn-dusk) , a Unesco World Heritage
Site. The earliest surviving part of the building is from the 14th century. However, St
Bartholomew first founded a church on the site around AD 62. The well-preserved exteri-
or reliefs include Armenian crosses, saints and angels. The bell tower is under reconstruc-
tion.
Tucked into a wooded glade, access to the church is with a five minutes' stroll from the
car park passing an ancient stone arch and 'mill' cascade. The church is 17km west of
central Jolfa along the Aras valley. It's a wonderfully scenic drive especially in the golden
pre-sunset light, but be careful with your camera as the river constitutes a potentially sens-
itive international border.
On the Azerbaijani riverbank 7km west of Jolfa, a truncated tomb stub and broken
bridge are all that mark the original site of ancient Jolfa (view it across the Aras from
near a police 'fort'). About 1km further west, as you enter a spectacular red-rock canyon ,
there's a ruined caravanserai (north of the road) and, 400m beyond, a cute, minuscule
Shepherd's Chapel (south).
Getting There & Away
A taxi from Jolfa (25 minutes each way) to St Stephanos costs around US$10 return with
stops. A car with an English-speaking driver from Tabriz costs around US$60 return.