Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Shah Ne'matollah Vali is said to have meditated is the highlight; the plaster walls and ceil-
ing are covered with calligraphy in spiral wheel pattern - ask nicely to be let in.
Entry to the mausoleum is free; the ticket allows you into a small
museum
and onto the
roof from where there are superb views of the town, dented Safavid-era cupola and Qajar-
era minarets - which can be climbed. Sufi books and music are sold in the courtyard
bookshop.
Bagh-e Shahzdeهدزاش غاب
Arriving at the handsome
Bagh-e Shahzde
(admission US$0.40; 9am-10pm)
is like
being beamed onto a different planet. One second you're in the arid semidesert, the next
it's all flowing
qanat
water and tall green trees. Built in 1873, the garden contains a cas-
cading series of fountains leading up to a small palace that was once the residence of Ab-
dul Hamid Mirza, one of the last princes of the Qajar dynasty, and is now a souvenir store.
To the left, part of the complex has been turned into a teahouse/restaurant (Sofrehkhane
Bagh-e Sharzde, opposite), and there's a small but unused bathhouse immediately north of
the teahouse (ask to be let in by the ticket man).
As the sun disappears, the fountains and palace are floodlit, which is a wonderful sight.
The gardens are 5km up Mahan's main road from the mausoleum.
GARDENS
Sleeping & Eating
Mahan Tourist Inn$$
(Hotel Jahangardi; 622 2700; mahan@ittic.com; Gharani Sq; tw/tr/ste US$25/33/42;
)
The big, tidy rooms here are fair value (and negotiable), staff are friendly and
the restaurant is decent if uninspiring. The hotel is at a roundabout, a couple of blocks
west of the mausoleum and the public transport route from Kerman.
HOTEL
Sofrehkhane Bagh-e Sharzde$$
( 11am-5pm & 6-11pm)
This appealing traditional restaurant in Bagh-e Sharzde has
been restored and offers cosy private niches with their own fireplaces. The menu is typical
but the food is reasonably good.
TEAHOUSE
Getting There & Away
About every hour, savaris (US$1.30) and minibuses (US$0.20) travel the 35km between
Khaju (Kermani) Sq in Kerman and Ne'matollahi Sq, beside the mausoleum.
