Yazd
Our room ceiling was such an elegant brick dome set with angled and elevated set of bricks and diamond shape zenith and arches on each of the rectangular parameter zone that umbrella our room’s walls. The blue, red, and yellow stainless glass windows frame surrounds a glass curtain covered little window that could be open for air
After breakfast we drove to the old city center with the tallest mosque towers in Iran that was 43 meters high as part of a 17th century mosque. It presented some of the most beautiful tile work in Iran. Yazd means god’s city.
That day in Yazd, we looked into crafts and carpet stores, in the first one there were glittering elegant and ornate samples of table covers spreads and every variation of shape, color and textile was available to shop and exploring the works again stimulated the excitement about seeing the demanding created textile, the static of Persian culture. We stopped in a visually gorgeous rainbow cotton blooming shop where products are another unique Iranian creation. I bought a super scarf. Sohrab took us into the most famous hundred year old confectionary where costumers queued up to purchase the rich and ornate boxes of the rich sweets.
There was another adjacent gallery, newly created, so beautiful carpets hanged unfolded neatly among displays of ceramic frame. Lisa saw silk carpet she loved. I bought a small and powerful watercolor; adding to my growing goodie bag.
We finally entered the great mosque sparsely visited by locals and tourists to examine the monumental and peerless tile work and architecture. As we walked the call for the prayer began a mournful and passionate amplified melody. So ornate, Iconic was the decor that only pondering photographs could do just to its appreciation. Marble and vast floors awaited the public attendance when rugs were opened to welcome to the faithful prayers.
A long book’s and children toys sales area added to our visit. Children toys seems to be sold everywhere and everywhere we went there were women and family that had gaily dressed youngsters.
We spent the next hour wondering the iconic mud wall alleyways in the neighborhood and then we went to the restaurant for lunch where we were alone and it was a cool place. I had a banana shake and Lisa a bowl of traditional barley soup and Iranian bread while Sohrab tied in his usual large meal of rice veggie, lamb, yogurt, and olives.
From lunch we made a straight line to Sohrab's favorite Yazd carpet dealer three blocks away. Iran carpet Fazeli, the father and son carpet merchant powerhouse the multistory venue that was piled with main stay of Southern Iranian carpets. A 30 minute orientation by the son resulted in pile of 15 rugs mostly silk and one more exotic in the last to show, nomadic and traditional weaving in design. No carpet met Lisa’s standard for the cost of under 1000 USD.
Our last visit was to the Temple of the fire of the Zoroastrian a multi millennium religion. Here behind dark glass a large brazier tended regularly by a white cloud and masked for keeper purity held a perpetual fire burning that was the ultimate spiritual symbol. Purity of mind, word and deed are the three foundations of this guru that numbers last 15000 across Iran and sees life in the world and universal duality; Good and evil, light and dark, etc. The temple was built in 1934 on this site where periodically there was heated sacred fire and it’s been honored by the Iranians from its ancient roots.
We returned to the garden like hotel to recoup then drove 40 minutes to a new delicious continental classy restaurant were we split a pineapple, Caesar’s salad and a very cold nonalcoholic beer with a chase of three scoops of rich chocolate ice cream. Tomorrow we will remount for an all-day the journey to Shiraz with Sohrab
On The Way to Shiraz
Our morning was quite relaxed. After showering and dressing I took a piece of banana and some almonds we had to feed the two beautiful red and blue parrots in the lobby. Familiar as a pet, I was thrilled at their extreme care and taking food with their thumbs and holding the goodies and putting into their mouths.
We ate breakfast with Sohrab and checked out and began the 7 hour, 450 Km drive west to Shiraz. At the edge of town we passed the huge cylindrical edifice on a low top hill called tower of silence created by the Zoroastrians who focused on purity in all things. They place their dead for vultures to pick clean then dissolving the bones in an acid pit there in.
Hasan our driver calmly set about his journey and entirely of the trip was on a divided two length perfect freeway. Leaving Yazd, the adjacent hills were ultra-barren without the shred of vegetation and showing millions years of sedimentary layers. We passed an unusual rock formation like a sitting evil with his wings loosely folded but soon with 50 km the land turned ultra-flat and extended to the misty horizon on the other side of the road. For more than half the trip again the sparse vegetation was brown and the ground waterless.
The road rumbled with black small trucks and 16 wheelers, clear evidence of the industrial commerce moving Iran. We stopped in an isolated restaurant for lunch at 2 and we spoke to a beautiful 18 year old waitress about her plans and circumstances why she could not continue her education and the conceded second class life for a working class and poor women in Iran.
The last 150 km trip passed through a progressively cultivated and greener hilly landscape where the sheep were feeding. Shiraz opened up at a foot of a long downhill engraved its 5.1 million residences. Arriving to Shiraz, we passed an ornate arched gateway for 200 years ago and hundreds of locals parked and walking about. Our freeway turned into the opulent Homa Hotel our destination for the next three days.
At 5:40 PM with late afternoon sunshine and strong wind blowing, we settled and unpacked and cruise the lobby stores that included a rug gallery laid with works from Shiraz, Tabriz and other northern Iranian styles. An ideal 4 by 5 foot beauty caught Lisa’s eye until the 700 $ price tag drew our interest. We ate with Sohrab and continued our talk about his life and future and ended the lovely day contented in our new digs