Western Iran - Iran - page 196

EAST OF JOLFA
The Aras River is the Bible's River Gihon. For millennia its valley formed a major thor-
oughfare for traders, armies and holy men. Only with the treaties of 1813 and 1828 did
Russia and Persia turn it into a border line. Several mud fortifications remain from the
18th-century conflicts that led to its division. But today the tension is east-west, not
north-south. Clearly visible on the Aras' north bank are ruined villages, sad signs of the
still unresolved 1989-94 Armenia- Azerbaijan war. What a difference 50m makes. It's
fine to drive along the south (ie Iranian) riverbank as a casual tourist (though taking pho-
tos isn't advised). Yet travelling the parallel north bank's now-severed train line would be
unthinkable folly. That route crosses two globally forgotten 'front lines': from Nakhchiv-
an (Azerbaijan) to mortal enemy Armenia, on through Karabagh (Armenian-occupied
Azeri territory), then back through minefields to Azerbaijan again. There hasn't been act-
ive fighting for over a decade, but the guard posts, bombed-out trains and barricaded tun-
nels add a considerable geopolitical frisson to the Aras River Valley's great natural beauty.
JOLFA TO NORDUZ
Leaving Jolfa, the horizon is a gateau of red-and-white cliffs backed by snow-streaked Ar-
menian peaks. In the middle distance is the cleft rocky peak of Nakhchivan's abrupt Ilan
Dağ (Snake Mountain), through which Noah's Ark supposedly crashed en route to Ararat.
Just beyond attractive Marazakand , the sinuous mud wall of Javer Castle rises on a
rocky shoulder. Four kilometres further, the main road bypasses Ahmadabad village: it's
worth a five-minute, 500m detour to admire its cubist array of mud-and-stone homes on a
small riverside knoll. Another side road 2.5km further east leads steeply up to the popular,
if somewhat overrated, Asiyab Khurabe spring and picnic area. The side trip is justified
mainly by the valley views as you drive back down.
Siyah Rud is hardly attractive, but its farmers produce the raw silk for Khanemu's
spinners and weavers in Osku. Locals are happy to show you the cocoon-extraction pro-
cess if you're passing through during May or June. Further east the road passes through
canyons with glimpses of spiky crested ridges leading up to Kuh-e Kamtal (Chamtal
Dagh, Tiger Mountain).
Sixty kilometres from Jolfa, the canyon widens slightly at Norduz , the modern Iran-Ar-
menian border posts (see below).