Northeastern Iran - Iran - page 513

( 222 7998; Shahid Diyalemeh (Bahonar) St; 9am-11pm Sat-Thu, 4-11pm Fri)
Come to this unpretentious juice shop for Mashhad's best maajun (US$1), a fabulous
mush of crushed walnuts, pistachios, ice cream, cream, banana and honey, all whizzed
through the orgasmatron to form one of Iran's most spectacular desserts. Cheaper but in-
ferior versions are available from Amibe Furushi (desserts US$1; 24hr) , on Imam
Reza St.

Atlas Hotel Restaurant$$
(1st fl, Hotel Atlas, Falakeh Ab; meals US$7-10; noon-3pm & 7-10.45pm) For steak
and chips in a middle-class setting, this comfortable hotel restaurant opens longer than
most and the coffeehouse downstairs has an espresso machine.

MODERN IRANIAN

Shopping
Mashhad is a great place to buy carpets. Half hidden through deceptively small doorways,
both Bazaar-e Fash (Imam Reza St; 8.30am-1.30pm & 4-8.30pm Sat-Wed,
8.30am-1pm Thu) and Saroye Saeed (Andarzgu St; 8am-2pm & 4-7pm) are multi-unit
carpet markets mostly aimed at bulk dealers so prices can be excellent. Both places have
interesting top-floor repair workshops and remarkably there seems to be no sales pressure.
The wobbly, wooden-ceilinged old carpet bazaar (13th Alley, Andarzgu St) is more
commercial minded but slated for eventual demolition if the shrine's expansion continues.
Upstairs in the 800m-long Bazar-e Reza ( 8am-8pm Sat-Thu) , jewellery stalls prof-
fer turquoise (mined at nearby Neishabur, Click here ) but their sales pitch is often more
impressive than their gems.
Around Falakeh Ab, shops sell comparatively inexpensive saffron (see the boxed text,
this page) in a range of qualities: a highly portable souvenir.
The Haram is surrounded by bazaars and shopping arcades flogging tacky pilgrimage
souvenirs. Try to resist the considerable temptation to buy an over saturated photograph of
yourself superimposed upon the Holy Shrine.
The Friday book market (Modarres St, south side; 8am-2pm Fri) is good for
English-language magazines including the Economist (US$4).