Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Gonbad-e Kavusسوواك دبنگ
0172 / POP 134,000 / ELEV 39M
Until utterly obliterated by the Mongol and Tamerlane rampages, Jorjan was the region's
foremost ancient city. All that remains today of Jorjan are a few lumpy
excavations
be-
hind the huge, ornate
Imamzadeh-ye Yahya
(West Mihan St)
, 3km west of central
Gonbad-e Kavus.
Sights & Activities
Mil-e Gonbad
(admission US$0.50; 8am-8pm)
This predominantly Turkmen town grew up around
Jorjan's one surviving building, the utterly magnificent Mil-e Gonbad. Soaring 55m tall
on 12m-deep foundations, this astonishing tower has the cross-section of a 10-pointed star
and looks like a buttressed brick spaceship. It was built in 1006 for poet-artist-prince
Qabus ibn Vashmgir but is so remarkably well preserved that one can scarcely believe it's
100, let alone 1000 years old. Qabus (Kavus), the Zeyarid ruler of surrounding Tabarest-
an, had just six years to marvel at his creation before an assassin put him in it perman-
ently. Well, not so permanently, actually. His glass coffin, which originally hung from the
tower's dome, vanished long ago. Now there's nothing to see inside, although it's well
worth the entry fee for the remarkable echoes both within and even more spookily from
the marked circular spot some 40m in front of the tower. Mil-e Gonbad is hard to miss in a
park 2.5 blocks north of the central Enqelab Sq.
MEMORIAL
Hippodrome
( 1pm spring & autumn)
On Friday the hippodrome at the eastern end of town holds
savar kareh
horse-racing meets.
HORSE RACING
Swimming pool
( 555 6909; Peyam St; per hr with/without sauna US$2.70/1.80; 11am-11pm Tue,
Thu & Sun for women, other days men)
On hot summer days you might want to retire be-
hind the heavy bronze doors of the swish, full-sized indoor swimming pool. It's one block
east of Daneshju Blvd near its southern end.
SWIMMING
