After the chaos and noise of Tehran, we spent a couple of days in the peaceful city of Kashan. The city is famous for its traditional mansions and is a centre for carpet weaving.
The staff of Ehsan Guesthouse having breakfast in the courtyard
This noble rag collector looked like he was descended from one of Iran’s Mongol invaders
No Ruz (Persian New Year) decorations for sale on the street
The bazaar of Kashan was full of shoppers making last minute purchases for No Ruz
Praying for favours at a shrine in the bazaar
Large flat sheets of bread cooking on hot stones in a domed brick oven
Picking the stones out of the cooked bread
In the bazaar, we saw carpet designs drawn on large sheets of graph paper pinned to the walls.
Ancient dyer’s workshop off the bazaar
Skeins of wool drying on makeshift wooden racks
The Khan Amin al-Dowleh Timche – a bazaar hall with a soaring, beautifully decorated dome
The Hammam-e Khan - an old bathhouse converted into a tea shop and restaurant
The Soltani Mosque on the edge of the bazaar
We spent an afternoon visiting the historical mansions of Kashan. The mansions are traditionally made out of mud brick with rooms leading on to several courtyards and badgirs or wind towers which draw warm air up and out of the house keeping the house cooler.
Abbasian House
The Soltan Amir Ahmad Hammam was a beautifully tiled bathhouse
The manual water pump
The roof of the bathhouse
Skylights on the roof
Let light into the bathhouse
Tabatabaie Residence
The Masjed-e Agah Borzog, a mosque constructed from mud brick with tiled minarets
The Fin Garden
Qajar era fresco
Fin garden water source where we had lunch
In the Fin Garden museum was a re-enactment of an infamous political assassination with this cryptic display
