Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Khansalar$$
( 662 351; Pasdaran St; meals US$3-7; 11.30am-3pm & 5.30-10pm)
Sanandaj's
most interesting restaurant has waiters in Kurdish costume, plays Kurdish music and has
some Kurdish menu options including
dokhwa
(tinglingly tart barley soup) and various
types of
köfte
(meatballs). There's also
kashka bademjun
(mashed eggplant with yoghurt)
for vegetarians (US$1.50). Take a shuttle taxi from Azadi Sq, alighting opposite the uni-
versity just before EN Bank.
TRADITIONAL IRANIAN
Jahannama$$
( 226 4212; Taleqani St; meals US$6-8; 8am-4pm & 7-10pm)
Descend a glittery
stairway into a weird stylistic mish-mash of OTT opulence, middle-class kitsch and genu-
ine local artefacts including antique qalyans and samovars. The food is excellent and sens-
ibly priced. Try the delicately flavoured
khoresht sabzi
(vegetable, meat and bean stew),
succulent
juje pofaki
(marinated chicken morsels) or curious
tahchin agusht
(meat, raisins
and barberries arranged like a gateau between layers of saffron rice).
TRADITIONAL IRANIAN
Shopping
Several workshops around the Asef Mansion create and sell Sanandaj's famous wood-
crafts, notably inlaid
nard
sets.
Khaledi
( 225 5680; Shohoda St; 8am-1pm & 3-8pm)
sells traditional musical
instruments including beautiful
setar
s (long-necked local lutes).
A little one-window
stationery shop
(Imam St)
sells city maps that are very accurate
for back alleys but dangerously outdated for main streets (many being newly constructed).
Information
The website
www.sanandaj.com
has city photos to send as e-postcards.
Ashyanneh Coffeenet
( 323 6187; Seyid Qotb St; per hr US$1.50; 8am-11pm) For
internet
. Internet access is also available in the plush Tejari Kordestan shopping mall on
Pasdaran St.
Bank Melli
(Taleqani St)
To change money use this branch, but not the big branch on Az-
adi Sq.
Cultural Heritage Organisation of Kordestan
( 225 5440;
www.kurdistanmiras.ir
;
Habibi Lane; 8am-2pm Sat-Thu)
This delightfully helpful, multilingual tourist office
