Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Take in Omar Khayyam's magical poetry in his memorial gardens at
Neishabur
(
Click here
)
History
Historically, the area developed as Khorasan (Where the [Iranian] Sun Rises) and Tab-
arestan/Mazandaran (the southeastern Caspian littoral). Millennia of culture reached a
zenith here around 1000 years ago, producing many of the era's great scientists and poet-
philosophers. But the 13th- and 14th-century ravages of the Mongols and Tamerlane were
so complete that Tabarestan's settled civilisation was virtually wiped out. Even now the
sites of several once-prosperous cities are mere undulations in the steppe. A few marvel-
lous, lonely towers, most astonishingly at Radkan and Gonbad-e Kavus, are the last wit-
nesses of former glories.
The 16th-century Safavid regime's move towards formal state Shiism was a major
factor in the growth of Mashhad from a shrine-village to the region's foremost city.
Tehran to Gorgan
The road to
Manzadaran
from Tehran winds over stunning Alborz mountain terrain and
is well worth the journey in itself, but has some treacherous switchbacks.
The gateway to the northern province is the sprawling city of
Sari
, famous for a cluster
of three 15th-century tomb towers: the Imamzadeh-ye Yahya, the Imamzadeh-ye Abbas
and the Borj-e Soltan Zein-ol Abedin. Keep an eye out for the Khaneh Kholbadi, a re-
stored 18th-century mansion with fabulous coloured windows that scatter light across a
glamorous interior.
Sari's finest hotel is the
Hotel Badeleh
( /fax 0151-422 2548; Gorgan Hwy,
Angilasam; tw/ste US$92/130; )
. Also good is
Hotel Asram
( 0151-325 5090;
fax 325 5092; Valiasr Hwy; s/tw/tr/ste US$50/55/65/80; )
.
Sari has three flights a week to Mashhad (US$48). A better option is to explore the
wonderful landscape of the Alborz by taking the train from Tehran (four departures daily).
Trains also continue to Gorgan.
