NORTHEASTERN IRAN Northeastern Iran 332 ﺷﺮﻗﯽ © LonelyPlanetPublications Turkmen areas north areas ofKalaleh orGorgan. Turkmen consider exploringnortheastern Iran’sownculturally hasslesofthelatter, bureaucratic Butratherthanfacethe orTurkmenistan. pointforvisitingAfghanistan staging the logical Mashhadisalso anddrawsmillionsofpilgrimseachyear. Iran’sholiestsite Reza remains Mashhad’s extraordinarily grandHaram-e Razavi complexsurroundingthetombofImam city. foremost factor inthegrowth ofMashhadfromashrine-village totheregion’s at Radkan andGonbad-e Kavus, thelastwitnessesofformerglories. are towers,mostastonishingly engineered marvellously over Afew undulations inthesteppe. once-prosperous mere of several citiesare was virtually nowthesites wipedout.Even settledcivilisation thatTabarestan’s socomplete were the MongolsandthenTamerlane Butthe13th-and14th-centuryravagesof scientistsandpoet-philosophers. era’s great around1000yearsago,producingmanyofthe here azenith reached Millennia ofculture littoral). Caspian (thesoutheastern the [Iranian]SunRises) andTabarestan/Mazandaran asKhorasan (Where developed zones aroundAlashtandBaladeh.Historically, thearea lessspoilt remote, thatgetyouintomore alternatives lesser-known are range butthere Atrioofbeautifulbutbusyroadstake youacrossthatdramatic grand AlborzMountains. andthe forests coastrisemore Caspian theoverdeveloped Above NationalPark. (Paradise) theGolestan as youheadwest.EastofMinudasht thewildernesshasbeendeclared lushlyforested northeastern Iranhasaspineofmountainsthatbecomemore Asia, Central Sandwiched betweenthevastdesert emptinessoftheDasht-e Kavir of andthesteppes HIGHLIGHTS The 16th-century Safavid regime’s move towards formal state Shiism was a major Shiismwasamajor towards formalstate move 16th-centurySafavidregime’s The ofNASAdidn’t yourselfifaforerunner Ask panoramaas Caspian Enjoy an incredible Hike acrossthebaldBinaludmountains Go horse-riding andsleepinaTurkmen See themagnificentAlborzMountainsattheirpeacefulbestbydrivinglittle-known theemotionofpilgrimsatMashhad’sglorious Feel West Radkan Tower valley’hidingthelonely towards a‘secret you windupthrough ridge-top forests ( p363), nicknamed ‘Mashhad’s Masuleh’ villageof to thesplendidstepped (yurt) at the tent mountain roadthrough Shrine ofImamReza Mil-e Gonbadin tower 1000-year-old help buildtheincredible ( p343) stud farm ﺷﻤﺎﻝ Gonbad-e Kavus Gharra Tappeh Sheikh Gharra Tappeh ( p341) Baladeh ( p342) ( p334) to Pol-e Zanguleh Kang ﺍﻳﺮﺍﻥ öy Baladeh Haram-e Razavi West Radkan Tower Gonbad-e Kavus Gharra Tappeh Sheikh (GTS) ( p354), the Holy Kang Mashhad lonelyplanet.com Northeastern Iran 0 100 km NORTHEASTERN IRAN 0 60 miles Mausoleum of Chandir Makhtumkuli Valley Garkaz Ashgabat TURKMENISTAN Atrak River Mary Maraveh Karim Eshan Tappeh Howdan Dasht Borun Khalid Nibi Madraseh Shrine Bajgiran CASPIAN SEA Garmab Ashkhaneh Dargaz Etrek Malaisheikh Tamar Golidaq Bojnurd (Darya-ye Khazar) Haji Shirvan Pol Qoshan Gharra Tappeh Sheikh (GTS) Emam Dushak Kalaleh Qoli Tandoureh Incheh National Park Alagöl Borun A01 Alexander's Wall Galikash Kabkan (Sadd-e Eskander) Gonbad-e Minudasht Quchan Kavus Esfarayen Kalat Radkan To Nowshahr (30km); Bandar-e Aq Qal'eh Azad Shahr Gharsu River (Radkan Tower) Chalus (37km); Gohar Torkaman Shirabad Rasht (235km) Baran Ashuradeh Gorgan Aliabad Garmeh Jajarm Chenaran Farahabad Galugah Gaz Nahar Kabud Falls Sarakhs Saraghs Mahmudabad Kordkuy Khoran Shirinabad Abardeh Tus Gujgi Nur Babolsar Behshahr West Radkan Qaleh Now-e-Kharaqan Shandiz Neka Kondab Sholoq Chamestan Babol Bastam Ruyan Sari Rostam Mayamey Zoshk Mashhad Robat Sharaf Caravanserai Amol Kola Mojen Davarzan Kang (Alamdeh) Qa'emshahr Dibaj A83 Neishabur Torqabeh Kasjaf Shahrud Sabzevar Kharv River Shirgah Ivel Pol-e Cheshmeh Ali Hardowrud Kiyasar Qadamgah Fakhr Hut Sefid Langar Davood Damghan Biyarjormand Sang Bast Baladeh Alasht Malek Alborz Mountains Chashm Rudab Abad To Tehran Fariman (30km) Mt Damavand ὄὄ Shahmirzad (5671m) Veresk Ahowan River Langar Pollur Firuzkuh Band-e Mahdishahr ur Fariman Torbat-e Jam Sorkheh Semnan Kalsh Kashmar Torbat-e Heydariyeh Lasjerd Bardeskan Garmsar Roshtkhar To Tehran (47km) Dogharon NORTHEASTERN IRAN Taybad ὄὄὄ A78 DASHT-E KAVIR Khaf To Herat (115km) Gonabad Eshqabad AFGHANISTAN Jandaq Ferdows ὄὄὄὄὄὄὄBoshruyeh Khur Qa'en To Birjand (20km); 333 To Na'in To Yazd To Kerman Zabol (378km); (201km) (408km) Tabas (441km) Zahedan (486km) ὄὄ IRAN NORTHEASTERN 334 NORTHEASTERN IRAN •• Western Mazandaran Book your stay at lonelyplanet.com/hotelslonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com NORTHEASTERN IRAN •• Sari 335 NORTHEASTERN IRAN WESTERN MAZANDARAN finest mountain scenery before eventually guleh (IR120,000), Chalus (IR200,000) and 6pm. Westbound, use Istgah Amol (Amol Hwy), A traffic- clogged semi-urban sprawl fol- meeting the Chalus–Tehran road at the Nur (IR140,000). Very sparse traffic makes 2km west of the centre. lows the Caspian’s south coast virtually lonely Pol-e Zanguleh restaurant. hitch hiking unreliable. ﺳﺎﺭﻯ without interruption, except for a fairly Baladeh is the only village en route to SARI x0151 / pop 262,000 ﺑﺎﺑﻞ pitiful forest reserve at Sisingan. Iranian have accommodation or shops. A 15-minute Babol tourists love the area’s rainy climate but scramble above Nuri Blvd, 8th Alley, the rea- x0111 / pop 208,000 Large but manageable and gently attractive, NORTHEASTERN IRAN few Western tourists find the coast’s drizzle sonably extensive towers and fortifications If passing through this busy commercial Sari spent much of the 1st millennium AD and dirty dark-sand beaches a great attrac- of Baladeh Castle offer a fabulous panorama centre, you could visit Babol Museum (x229 as the capital of Tabarestan. After losing tion. The lush green mountain hinterland is across the fine mountain-backed valley. 2877; Modarres St; admission IR2000; h8am-2pm & 4- ground to Amol, Sari returned to promi- contrastingly attractive, with white-top Al- Some 10km west in Yush, the intriguing 8pm), an attractive colonial-style mansion nence following the building of the railway borz peaks forming an impressive if distant Nima Yushi House (x433 3491; admission IR3000) containing a few ethnographic displays, an- from Tehran, and became Mazandaran’s panorama viewed between Qa’emshahr and has been partly restored, safeguarding fire- tique saddles, and dervish paraphernalia. provincial capital in 1937. Amol (clouds permitting). places, chunky plaster-work designs and Marjan Hotel (x225 0433; fax 225 2189; Keshvari Sq; s/ some multicoloured orosi windows. Saeed d/tr/q US$30/40/47/54) is a well-tended midrange Orientation (Jamshidi (x433 3315) has the key. place, albeit with slightly ageing bathrooms. The town radiates out from Sa’at (Times ﺁﻣﻞ Amol x0121 / pop 204,000 The route west of Yush is spectacular Eastbound savaris depart from outside once Sq, named for its whitewashed clock tower This drearily characterless sprawl was the and delightfully peaceful (only 9km is un- the Sari terminal (Qa’emshahr Blvd) closes after that looks particularly cute when floodlit capital of Tabarestan (ancient Mazandaran) asphalted). Azad Kuh’s vertical north face is for a millennium. Sadly, today it retains spectacularly visible from Kalak (closest ap- 0 1 km SARI 0 0.5 miles just a sprinkling of half-forgotten old tomb proach) and Khisen. Between these hamlets, towers hidden away in unexciting suburban there’s a wonderful panorama that incorpo- ACB D lanes north of the bazaar. Gonbad Mir Heydar rates Mt Damavand as a conical jewel among INFORMATION EATING Modares St Mohseni Alley Arman Exchange.........................1 D2 Abshar Paziraee.........................19 D2 6 Amoli (off Andisheh 49th Alley) is prettier than the a whole collection of mountain peaks: look Bank Saderat................................2 A4 Aryana Pizza ............................20 D2 bigger 1623 Gonbad Mir Bozorg Qarameddin east approaching Pil (28km west of Bala- Dorna Coffeenet..........................3 D1 Sorena Restaurant .....................21 B4 17 1 Mazandarani St Ali Qa'emiSa'at St Sq 8 18 Dey St Gostar Danesh.............................4 C3 Clock Tower Marashi (off Mofateh St; admission free). Near the deh). After Khisen the road zigzags up a Post Office...................................5 D2 TEAHOUSES & CAFÉS 10 29 22 14 Roya Express...............................6 D1 Chaikhaneh Morshed.................22 D1 arno old bridge, the ageing Mehmankhaneh Tehran pass and into an astonishingly vast bowl 12 3 Safanet........................................7 D2 Bazaar Alley (x222 4534; Beheshti St; s/tw/tr/q IR40,000/70,000/90,000/ of white-topped mountains. Fine scenery Sahanet........................................8 D1 TRANSPORT Ab-Anb Tourist Information Office........... 9 A4 Iran Air......................................23 A4 Meqdad St 100,000) is basic but clean-enough. Trans- continues to Pol-e Zanguleh, an isolated 13 Qaren St Istgah Gorgan (Minibuses to Gorgan, 16 Enqelab St port to Tehran, Babol, Sari and Baladeh restaurant at the junction with the Chalus– SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Behshahr)..............................24 D3 Jomhuri-ye Eslami St (IR12,000, two hours, 8am and 2pm only) Karaj road ( p176 ). Borj-e Soltan Zein-ol-Abedin......10 D1 Main Bus Terminal.....................25 C2 Imamzadeh-ye Abbas................11 D3 Savaris to Behshahr....................26 D3 Tabarsi St uses the terminal (near Hezar Sangat Sq), way out Imamzadeh-ye Yahya.................12 D1 Savaris to Kiyasar.......................27 C4 Park-e 5 Sleeping & Eating Jameh Mosque...........................13