Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Kaleybar & Babak Castleهعلق کب و ربیلك
0427 / POP 17,000 / ELEV 1314M
Set attractively in a wide, steep-sided mountain valley, unassuming Kaleybar town makes
a great starting point for random hikes and visiting nomad camps en route to the upper
Aras River Valley. But by far its biggest draw is the extensive crag-top ruin of
Babak
Castle
(Qal'eh Babak; admission US$2)
. Known to some as Bazz Galasi, the castle has a
unique emotional resonance for Azari people as the lair of their 9th-century AD national
hero Babak Khorramdin. Occupying a cultural position somewhere between King Arthur,
Robin Hood and Yasser Arafat, Babak is celebrated for harrying the anti-Shiite Abbasid-
Arab regime between 815 and 837. Beware of visiting Kaleybar during Babak's contro-
versial 'birthday celebrations' (last week of June). While culturally fascinating, all accom-
modation will be packed full and authorities might suspect you of being involved in stir-
ring up political unrest among the higher-spirited Azari nationalists.
There are several access paths to the castle. The most popular route starts behind the
seasonal Babak Hotel and takes two fairly strenuous hours with part of the route up dizzy-
ingly steep stairways with fabulous views. Stronger vehicles can drive up an unsurfaced
track to a summer nomad camp reducing the walk to under an hour. But in winter and
spring, snow and fog can render any route hazardous or completely impossible.
Sleeping & Eating
Kaleybar Grand Hotel$
( 422 2048; fax 422 4666; Shahrdari Sq; s/tw/tr without bathroom US$7/13/18, ste
with bathroom US$33)
Pleasant enough rooms share decent washing facilities and squat
toilets, while the comparatively upmarket suites have bathrooms. There's a kitchen and
communal sitting area with good views. The friendly manager speaks some English. It's
on the top floor of a yellow-brick shopping centre surveying upper Mo'allem St. Use the
middle stairway.
The right-hand stairs lead up one floor to the unmarked
Kabir (Chabizh) Restaurant
(
422 4676; meals US$4-5; 12.30-4pm)
.
HOTEL
Araz Hotel$
( 422 2290; dm/tw without bathroom US$5/8; )
Kaleybar's cheapest option has six
rooms, mostly stuffed with four or five comfy beds sharing one shower and toilet. To find
HOTEL
