Thursday, May 29, 2008

Back in Türkye

Some of you might know my near perverse passion for land borders! İ got cured today.
İt took me a good 13 1/2 hours to get form Urümye to Van - 3 hours waiting for gas - 2 hours at the border (or something like that - İ tried to sleep as much as possible to preserve my sanity!)! Traveling is fuuuuun!
Waiting for gas!
Still in İran - Kendowan



Sunday, May 25, 2008

Tabriz

It was hot in Yazd, I had to get going - I also established too good relations with the hotel staff - guys you are great - specially the manager Mr Hassan!!
You know the feeling of settling in and getting lazy - I even was offered to work there - and I actually helped them with their network setup.
So I went to the Terminal and got lucky. I ended up in Zanjan but I had to switch buses on Azadi square - which is about the size of the first district in Vienna- at 4:30 in the morning - Thanks! The Zanjan has two features beside being extremely average - they are the major knife producer/seller (Alec I wanted to return a favour and buy you a really nice knife but there simply was nothing nice!)
Second Zanjan is close to Gombade-e Soltaniye "...one of the largest domes in the world , up with the Blue Mosque in Istanbul and St Paul's in London." (48m high 25m diameter)
The LP 2nd Edition rates it as a highlight of the region - I would say it is a highlight of the country. The size is stunning and the internal decoration is not comparable to anything I saw until now! Unfortunately the are renovating the inside of the dome and you can only guess the impression of this big room.
In Zanjan I met a very clever young men, Massud. We did a lot of things together and I was very happy when I realized there will be no bus until the following day that he invited me and I did not have to go back to the filthy lice infested hole of a hotel!
Anyhow yesterday I made it to Tabriz - and I am loving it.
Pity that I will have to leave tomorrow - Tabriz offers endless shopping in the bazaar and many interesting and largely underrated sights. The Masjed-e Kabud was closed the last time I was in Tabriz but the blue color of the entrance never let me go. The have restored and rebuild what was necessary in a nice way and now the interior is stunning. The colors do not translate into a picture though. If I could see only one Mosque in Iran - this would be it.
Tomorrow I will head to Kendowan which is a small town in the mountains and supposedly very beautiful - anyhow it will be a nice bike ride again. After that Oruemye to see my friends and exit to Turkey.

Gombade-e Soltaniye

Inside detail

Massud and a friend

In the park for picnic
Harmless ? fun
Waterpipe in my new favorite place in Zanjan
Tabriz - the view form my window
Masjed-e Kabud

Bazaar - what kind of dates would you like??

Elgoli - park near Tabriz
Practicalities - which side would you choose?
I rediscovered my passion for ferris weels!

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Kharanaqh

I spent two wonderful days in Kharanaqh.
This is a small Oasis about 80 km from Yazd. Yesterday the owner of the place I stayed and I went to look for the old road to Yazd. completely lost in the desert. We found an old well with nice fresh water and a couple of other remains form years ago - such as caves for stying overnight on the cross desert travel.

Sebastian
The Well


Desert flowers




Kharanaqh

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Yazd

I am still in Yazd - The place I stay in is becoming home already - it is very hot, laid back and very nice here. I enjoy to relax and restock after the two weeks of camping. Yesterday I went for a day trip into the mountain. My bike suffered from the rough conditions and my shoe broke :(
Still I am happily enjoying the desert!

together with my biking friends at the tower of Silence - Zoroastrian burial place
@the lesser known tower of silence in the middle of the desert - waiting for the vultures :)
from below

into an unknown valley
getting rough
finally - on A road again!!
the city of Taft


display of wealth - artificial waterfall
the main mosque in Yazd - an architectural masterpiece





Thursday, May 15, 2008

Picture update from Yazd

I am in Yazd and I am alone again!
We split up our small travel group yesterday - I made it save through the dessert and now I am here in Yazd doing not much until now :) I will base myself here for some time and explore the surrounding. Then I will most likely head back west - there is little left to go south east anyway.
PS Camping is over :) I will move in a traditional hotel tomorrow - for the time being I have my own apartment.
The pictures are somehow in chronological order and show the way from Hamedan to here.

Bisotun - bas relief
unnamed Madressa
Ali Sadr Cave
this is for Haleh :)
A lake in the middle of no where


Tomb of Daniel
same
Schoolbooks!!
Tagh-e-Bostan
same - this stuff is all really old!!


dinner



Shiraz




Persepolis and around


Iranian Hejab Fashion!
She was part of a student group (architects to be) studying Persepolis



Desert mosque in Abarku

This is for keeping ice in the desert
Goodbye

Yazd