June 26, 2021 Bridge renovation The project to renovate Kalhor Bridge in Pol Dokhtar, the western province of Lorestan, was completed, said Amin Qasemi, director general of the province’s 5 Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicraft Organization, chtn.ir reported. Iranica Alamout Castle, a unique mountain fortress in Qazvin Province

lamout Castle is located the north of Gazorkhan Village. habour. When he was fired from he was interested in medicine in the north of Gazork- The cliff is about 200 meters Malek-Shah of Seljuk court, and astronomy. His followers Ahan Village, Roudbaar- high and it is about a thirty-min- he went to Egypt to continue and he had perfect historical, e-Alamout area, northwestern ute trekking to reach the castle his studies. He searched about political and military rules all province of Qazvin. from the parking space. all around Iran to find a place around the Islamic territories To reach the castle from Teh- The castle is surrounded by for his movements and finally of their times. ran, about 4km to Qazvin, you the defending walls there which he selected Alamout area. The The castle strongly has re- will see the sign of Alamout is on the cliff and the watchtow- castle has been built after Islam. sisted when it had been at- which shows an asphalt wind- ers which overlooking the val- It was seized by Hasan Sabbah tacked and surrounded by the ing and mountainous road on ley. There is a ditch in the east in 1,103 CE. He paid 1,000 or enemies for years, but finally the right side. Passing by some side of the fort, which makes 3,000 dinar gold coins to the it was seized by Holakou- villages, you will reach Alam- it stronger. There are several former commander to buy the Khan of Ilkhanids in 1,275 out Valley, which passes 8km small and big water reservoirs castle. CE. Being seized and setting away from the South of Ovaan in the cliff. The most wonderful He was living there for the the fire to the castle and its Lake and it’s about a 2.5 hour one is the one on the northwest rest of his life for 35 years up valuable library made it as the drive; then you will reach Ala- of the ramp which is always full to 1,138 CE and owning several ruins and it has been used as mout area, iranwonders.com of water and when the whole castles all around Iran. a prison since then. There are reported. water is obtained, it will be full Hasan Sabbah was a scien- a few remaining parts of the The castle is located on the of water again. tist and politician. He had a castle because of the natural top of a huge cliff located in The castle which is also safarme.com great library in Alamout and and human damage.

known as Hasan Sabbah’s Fort is about 10,000 square meters and consists of the two parts which one of them is located upper than the other. The en- trance is in the lower castle between the two towers in the southeast corner that reaches the upper castle by the ramp and the stairs. There are about 20 wonderful forts still remained at the high altitudes of Alamout around the valley that are the signs of the commander’s power in their times. This castle became famous during Seljuk Era by Hasan Sabbah, who was the founder of Esmailieh government. He was born in Qom and he educated at Nezamieh School in Neis- kojaro.com iranwonders.com

Sohan, a heavenly taste candy originated in Qom

Hearing a relative returning from a pilgrimage to the holy city of Qom, central Sohan is a female licensed candy tory has at least a unique type of sohan with mystery recipe to present it to the province of Qom, was the most exciting news for children in the past decades. market and add innovation into the taste of this favorite halva. They knew that they would receive a bunch of souvenirs. Sohan was made in Qom for the first time in the home of a man called Hossein Baba The general recipes for cooking sohan are a handful that seems to be no big deal. The most impressive of them was a red circular tin box full of a heavenly taste by his wife. After him, another person named Seyyed Mostafa started to make and sell But it’s not just ingredients, and how they were mixed that makes an original sohan! candy, Sohan. Having a piece of this caramelized brown, brittle candy can sohan. It was only women who exclusively made sohan at home and delivered their make you experience a burst of sweet buttery taste melting in your mouth. products to the market to be sold. Yet, only a small amount of sohan was sent to stores. Secret formula of sohan When the box was opened, the magical aroma of cardamom and saffron was poured the room with its mouthwatering scent. The first generation of sohan producers used some odd kinds of stuff to But the sohan feast always comes to a tragic end when they opened the lid weight the amount of each ingredient. It could be a piece of stone or even one of and faced the empty box with some scattered tiny pieces in it, and that was the a pair of shoes or any irrelevant thing. Whatever stuff it was, it is weird that the end of their sweet-taste happiness!, tasteiran.net wrote. next generations have kept that stuff and use them as their ancestors did. No- body, even the employees and cooks, has no idea about this secret family trick. Qom, city of sohan Now if you thrive on the making sohan, here it is the general recipe of cooking sohan. Wheat sprouts powder first get mixed with water and stirred continuously over high heat There is a wide variety of sweets and pastries around Iran. So, each city of for hours. When the water evaporated, and the color changed to caramelized brown, it is Iran is known by a specific sweet. For example, Isfahan’s distinctive brand time to add ghee, sugar, and egg yolks. On the next step, rosewater, saffron, and carda- comes to the mind by thinking of gaz and polaki, while ghottab is unique to mom are added to make the magic completed. The mixture stirred till it turns into dough. Yazd. Sohan, which technically means rasp, is a crumbly scented candy origi- Then each piece of the paste flattens and studded with pistachio and almonds. nated in Qom, a pilgrimage city in the proximity of Salt Lake. Sohan is an excellent companion for a cup of afternoon tea. A few nibbles The history of making sohan in Qom dates back to the 18th century. and you will become a sohan-lover for the rest of your life.

HANIE RAHMATI/TASTEIRAN There was an interesting belief among sohan cooks. Women who made so- han believed if men come to the sohan kitchens, it would become spoiled. But there was another sake for preventing men from entering the sohan kitchen, and women did not want men to learn how to make sohan and its secret recipe.

Stories about sohan

There are tens of stories people tell about the sohan’s birth incident and how it happened to be named as sohan. They say Nassereddin Shah Qajar, whose reigning monarch is the third-longest in Iran’s history, went for an opening cer- emony in Qom. He was given this delicious halva-like sweet by a grocer. He enjoyed its heavenly taste and stated it acted like the rasp for his full stomach and rubbed all the dense food inside it. However, the more accurate quotation says that naming sohan relates to a Qajar noble. Sohan is made based on the authentic recipes, following the traditional cook- ing methods and sold in traditional confectionery shops all through Qom. The original quality sohan is made in Qom; however, due to its high popularity, sohan producers export their products to other cities in Iran and other countries as well.

What makes the extraordinary flavor of sohan?

Sohan is a traditional Persian brittle candy with an ancient recipe that has AMIN KARIMI/TASTEIRAN remained a secret now for more than a century. In Qom, every sohan manufac- sohanamirkeyvan.com