Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Rayenنيار
0342 / POP 9600 / ELEV 2197M
Rayen is a small town in the lee of Mt Hezar (4420m), 11km from Kerman. On a hill
overlooking the town is the
Arg-e Rayen
(admission US$0.30; 7am-sunset)
, an an-
cient adobe 'citadel'. The damage to Bam has seen the rebirth of Rayen's Arg. Its hotch-
potch of architectural styles suggests it is well over 1000 years old, though its exact age is
unknown. It had been abandoned for about 150 years before restoration began in 1996.
The Arg has an
outer wall
3m thick at the base and 1m thick at the top, which supports
most of the 15 towers. The entrance leads onto the
bazaar
and from the gatehouse you
can climb to the
ramparts
for spectacular views. The highlight is the
governor's com-
plex
, entered from the square, where four separate houses have been restored (and la-
belled) and reflect the relative luxury the governor and his family enjoyed. Note the subtly
different shades of mud and straw render, demonstrating different earth used for each
khaneh
(home), and climb to the roof for more amazing views. Covered
kuches
(lanes)
weave their way through the rest of the Arg, look for the small
zurkhaneh
(literally
'house of strength';
Click here
)
.
Hamid Reza
( 662 3644)
is the caretaker of the Arg and has a simple sword-making
workshop inside the main gate.
Sleeping and eating options are limited. Small restaurants and sandwich shops can be
found near the Arg and around Azadi Sq.
Rayen Arg Tourist Hotel
( 662 3578; s/tw US$9/13; )
has nine compact, little-
used rooms above a restaurant. Rooms have bathrooms with squat toilets. As you enter
town, turn right (west) at the roundabout and it's about 300m along on the right - look for
the green-tiled facade.
Rayen is 23km south of the Kerman-Bam road, the turn-off being 88km from Kerman.
Buses (US$1.50) leave Kerman bus terminal every hour or so; Taavonis 3 and 16 are your
best bet. Savaris (US$3) are more frequent, leaving from Kerman's Khaju Sq and termin-
ating 1km from the Arg.
Bamمب
0344 / POP 74,000 / ELEV 1065M
Historic Bam is a desert oasis town famous for the delicious dates that grow on its thou-
sands of palms and for the huge Arg-e Bam mud-brick citadel. Having been all but
