The city of Yazd (Yazd) is one of the most picturesque and magical in Iran, in my humble opinion. Located somewhere between the Kavir and Lut deserts, far from major cities, it is notable for the labyrinths of the atmospheric old city, Zoroastrian shrines and delicious sweets.

In the 13th century, the famous traveler Marco Polo visited here and spoke very flatteringly about the city. In the 14-15th centuries, for some reason, the conquerors did not destroy it, and Yazd became the center of trade and crafts, mainly carpets, textiles and silk were made. After the city fell into decay and was a real province, until it was built railway line from Tehran.

Yazd city

Now Yazd is one of the main tourist destinations in Iran, perhaps the best place to learn more about such an ancient cult as Zoroastrianism, and feel like a traveler of the Middle Ages, wandering through the narrow streets of the old city.

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Attractions Yazd

Ateshkadeh (Zoroastrian fire temple)

Zoroastrians are also called fire worshipers - fire is extremely important in this cult. But the temple itself is the simplest building that I have seen in Iran! It looks like a Soviet recreation center, but a sacred fire is kept there, which has not been extinguished for more than 1000 years. It was carried from place to place, and now it is a point of pilgrimage for Zoroastrians living in Iran, India and neighboring countries.

Sacred fire

Towers of Silence

They are located on the southern outskirts of the city. In the traditions of Zoroastrianism, the corpses of people are considered unclean and they cannot be buried in the ground (in principle, it is logical, given how important the water extracted from the ground in these parts is). They could not be cremated either, since fire is sacred and to burn the dead is to desecrate it. This is how open-topped towers appeared, the corpses were placed there so that vultures and other scavengers could eat them.

Now these rituals have been banned in Iran, although there are followers of Zoroastrianism in India and it seems like this is still found there. Next to the towers there is a modern Zoroastrian cemetery, now the dead are buried in cement, thus observing the rules.

Old city

As they say, Old city Yazda is one of the most ancient preserved in the whole world! Go for a walk early in the morning, while there are no tourists and the sun is not so hot, and the places are really magical.

You are sure to get lost among the narrow alleys and high walls. All the houses seem lifeless, but in fact, life is in full swing in the courtyards. You can climb onto the roof and move from one to the other without going down - this is the structure of these quarters.

pay attention to badgirs- traditional tall towers, they serve as air conditioners in hot and dry local climates. They catch the wind and send it down into the room, sometimes even cooling down thanks to the cold water channels - an ingenious engineering structure for the time.

Masjed-e jameh

The main mosque of the city with the highest minarets in the country, which did not fit into my shot :) ancient origin.

Historians believe that the mosque was built in the 15th century on the site of an old Zoroastrian fire temple.

Inside the mosque

Amir Chakhmaq Complex

A huge complex of interesting shape and architecture.

Yazd Water Museum

Enough interesting museum telling and showing how locals produced water in such a dry and desolate region. It turns out that for 2000 years the Iranians have been digging canals called "rope". In the beginning, they found a source of water, and then they dug these channels so that the water could flow to supply drinking water and irrigation of agricultural land. In fact, even now there are people who, at the cost of incredible efforts, are digging canals, apparently they have not yet invented another way of supplying water to the inhabitants of small villages. This hard labor is well paid by local standards, almost like the work of the miners here.

Exhibition at the Museum of Water

Photo in the museum

Alexander's Prison

The guides tell everyone that this place is a prison with a deep hole dug by Alexander the Great himself. In fact, this is a school built in the 15th century, and the well was dug for some household needs.

Bagh-e Dolat Abad Garden

A cozy garden with the highest badgir in the world - 33 meters. Oranges, pomegranates, grapes grow here and you can hide from the summer heat.

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Neighborhood Yazd

In the vicinity of the city, you can visit several interesting places, the most convenient is to take a taxi for half a day or all day.

Chuck chuck

The most important place for the pilgrimage of the Zoroastrians, located 72 km from Yazd in the desert. According to legend, the daughter of the last pre-Islamic ruler in this place was surrounded by an army of conquerors. She cried, she prayed to her god, and he opened the rocks and protected her. A small spring is still dripping from the rock, which, as it were, symbolizes the girl's tears, and the very name Chak-Chak translates as "drip-drip". Every year from 14 to 18 June, a fire festival is held here.

Haranak

One of the last surviving mud cities in Iran, more than 1000 years old.

Maybod

Meybod is best known for the Narin Castle, which historians consider the most ancient example of brickwork in Iran.

Traveling to Chak-Chak, Haranak and Meybod by car with inspection of interesting places will take 7-8 hours, this is such a standard tour for tourists, or you can do it yourself by renting a driver with a car.

Where to sleep?

The city center is very compact, most of the hotels are located there, the choice is large. I lived in Kalout Hostel not far from Masjed Jameh - it is hidden somewhere between the streets with adobe houses, and it is not so easy to find it the first time. But inside it is clean, comfortable, carpets everywhere and delicious food. The cost of a bed in a common room + breakfast 350,000 riyals ($ 9.5) - the standard price for Iran.

I marked other budget accommodation on the map at the bottom of the post - there is plenty to choose from.

How to get to Yazd?

By plane

Few fly to Yazd by plane, but there is still an airport to the west of the city: several flights a week to Tehran ($ 50), Bandar Abbas ($ 60) and some other cities in Iran.

By bus

• Tehran - $ 10, 8 hours.
• Isfahan - 150,000 riyals ($ 4), 5 hours on the way.
• Kashan - $ 8, 4.5 hours.
• Kerman - $ 5, 4 hours on the way.
• Shiraz - 360,000 rials (almost $ 10), 6 hours.
• Mashhad - $ 13, 13 hours on the way.
• Bandar Abbas - $ 9, 11 hours.

Desert roads

By train

The railway station is located 3 km southwest of the center and generates the following trains (prices are for a compartment):

• Tehran - 340-600 thousand riyals ($ 9 -16 $), 7-8 hours.
• Kashan - 250-320 thousand rials ($ 6 -9), 4 hours.
• Kerman - 300 thousand riyals ($ 8), 7 hours on the way.
• Mashhad - 870 thousand riyals ($ 23), 14 hours on the way.
• Bander Abbas - 400-690 thousand rials, (11 $ -18 $), 11 hours.

Yazd from A to Z: map, hotels, attractions, restaurants, entertainment. Shopping, shops. Photos, videos and reviews about Yazda.

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The most charismatic city in Iran, ancient Yazd is located exactly in the center of the country, at an almost equal distance from Isfahan, Kerman and Shiraz. There is everything here to feel like you have fallen to another planet: whole forests of wind towers - "badgirs", thanks to a complex system of turbulences delivering fresh air to homes languishing from the summer heat, the most ancient Zoroastrian temple, the sacred fire of which is kept unquenchable for 15 centuries, and a labyrinth of narrow streets of the old city, where the world's finest silk fabrics are born in weaving workshops, once capturing the imagination of Marco Polo himself. You can spend the night here in one of unusual hotels: old residential houses with all their age-old attributes have been converted into inns in Yazda, and drinking a cup of morning coffee in the pleasant company of a believing Zoroastrian who will tell you that heaven is hot, but hell is, on the contrary, icy (with which we, the inhabitants cold Moscow, we will agree one hundred percent). Among other things, Yazd is the second most ancient city of mankind, inhabited to the present day - the first mention of the settlement dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. e.

How to get to Yazd

Like most cities in Iran, Yazd has own airport hosting international and domestic flights... The most convenient way to get to Yazd is via Tehran on Aeroflot or IranAir flights from Moscow's Sheremetyevo. At least two planes leave Tehran for Yazd daily; travel time - a little over an hour. To get from the airport to the center of Yazd, take a taxi (about 6-10 EUR). Prices on the page are for October 2018.

Search for flights to Tehran (the nearest airport to Yazd)

By train

Yazd can also be reached by train, both from Tehran and from other cities of the country. The Tehran-Yazd train leaves every night, the journey takes about 6 hours, the ticket price ranges from EUR 9 in a six-seater compartment to EUR 12 in a comfortable carriage (we recommend the second option).

By bus

In addition, you can get to Yazd by intercity express bus from any city in Iran. We remind you that it is better to take the "super" class with a "snack" included in the price and conditioned air. By the way, the Tehran-Yazd road is of excellent quality, and such a trip can be classified as very pleasant.

Transport in the city

The old town of Yazda can be easily explored on foot. For longer trips, you can use taxi services: 4000-6000 IRR for an individual trip to the specified address and 1000-2000 IRR for the opportunity to get into a collective car and get out, where necessary, in the direction of the taxi. There are also motorcycle taxi drivers in Yazda who will rush you through the city streets with a whistle in their ears. Such a trip will cost even less, and will give a lot of impressions!

Cuisine and restaurants of Yazd

Yazd offers travelers a rare opportunity to dine in ancient buildings converted into restaurants. One of the most popular establishments is the Hammam-e Khan restaurant, as you might guess, located in the premises of the old hammam. Here you can enjoy magnificent Persian cuisine under the rhythmic swaying of the water in the baths, under the shade of vaulted ceilings and surrounded by elaborate wall ceramics. In addition, almost every Yazd restaurant, as a free addition to the meal, offers a view of this or that landmark, for example, the Friday Mosque (Marco Polo restaurant), the old town (Malek-o Tozhzhar) or an old manor house with a magnificent garden ( "Mozaffar").

Delicious sweets and cakes can be tasted in a specialized confectionery on Jomhuriyye-Eslami Boulevard - the masters of sweet work work right in front of you and, what is most pleasant, they allow you to taste the result of their labors.

Stop by Amiran Paludeh pastry shop and enjoy a bowl of Iranian sorbet - a palude made from rice flour, fruit pulp and rose water (1500 IRR per bowl).

Yazd Maps

Shopping and shops

The main shopping location in Yazda is the bazaars of the old city. Here you can see and buy wonderful carpets (moreover, for more low prices than in Tehran and other popular tourist cities of the country), chased and leather goods, spices, sweets and souvenirs. Pay attention to the Yazd silks, called "tirma" here. You can buy fabric cuts or ready-made products - from headscarves to bedspreads.

Entertainment and attractions of Yazd

The old town of Yazda is one big attraction. The appearance of most of the buildings here has not changed for more than one century: the dark brown walls of buildings made of raw bricks burnt in the sun and the otherworldly structures of bagdir wind towers on each roof. Climbing to the roof of one of the buildings open to the public, you can see the endless expanses of the desert that surrounds Yazd from all sides.

The Zoroastrian temple of Atashkade is a place of pilgrimage for followers of this religion from all over the world. The sacred fire of the temple has been maintained since 470; it can be seen through a small window in the central hall.

The Museum of Water presents an interesting exposition that tells about the ancient method of delivering water to the city through underground tunnels. The art of arranging such a water supply system is more than two thousand years old!

The Zoroastrian Towers of Silence, which were used, according to the beliefs of the Zoroastrians, for the body of the deceased to naturally decay in the air, have ceased to serve their purpose only since the 60s of the 20th century.

The Zoroastrian Towers of Silence are located a short distance from the city and are easily accessible by taxi. According to the beliefs of the Zoroastrians, the body of the deceased should naturally decay in the air - therefore, the dead were taken to remote tower-type structures, where they were left on the upper platform to be eaten by birds of prey. By the way, the towers have not been used since the 60s of the 20th century.

For magnificent Islamic architecture, head to the Friday Mosque, Khazireh and Amir Shakmah Mosques.

Not far from the Amir Shakmah mosque there is a complex of buildings of the same name, from the top of which you can view Yazd from an almost bird's eye view.

Do not ignore the most beautiful Kazharsky house with a 150-year history - Khan-e Lari. Here you can see some of the best-preserved wind towers, graceful arched walkways, alcoves and traditional doors.

Prices on the page are for October 2018.

Once the city was an esoteric center, a place where mystics and gnostics gathered, and until now 5-10% of the population are Zoroastrians - this is an ancient religion of fire worshipers that originated in Iran. When Islam became the state religion of the Persian state, the Zoroastrians of Yazd were able to resist forced conversion by regularly paying taxes. In Atashkad ("Tower of Fire"), the flame has not extinguished since 470 - for more than 1530 years! Here, on the outskirts of the city, there is Dakhme, or Kale-e Hamusha ("Tower of Silence"), where the dead are buried according to the Zoroastrian rite.

Yazd is known for the world's largest rope network - it is ancient system well mines, invented in Iran, gradually it spread to the desert cities of other localities and is still used today. Many houses are equipped with bad-gir wind towers (for passive ventilation), and yachts serve as a kind of primitive refrigerators. Almost all houses are built of adobe - adobe bricks made of sand, clay, straw and manure.

The city has preserved stunning examples of Islamic buildings and medieval city walls.

The region has a desert climate - very hot during the day and extremely cold at night. Trees bloom in early spring.

Do not miss

• Jameh Mosque XIV century.
• Amir Chakhmak Mosque XIV century Yazd Museum.
• Funeral mosque Mahbare-e Davazda Imam ("Shrine of the twelve imams") - XII century.
• Mausoleum of Sayed Ron ad-Din.
• Bag-e Dovlat is a wonderful house with stained glass windows and a garden.
• Dungeon of Alexander.
• Chak Chak is an important Zoroastrian temple 52 km from Yazd.

You should know

Yazd is famous for silk weaving, ceramics and sweets. Yazd's bazaars are perhaps the best place in Iran to buy silk, cashmere and brocade.

| Yazd is the center of Zoroastrianism and unique city in Iran

Yazd is the center of Zoroastrianism and a unique city in Iran

400 km northeast of Shiraz (500 km southeast of Tehran), at an altitude of 1215 m above sea level, lies the center of the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism that dominated Persia before the arrival of Islam - Yazd. The city is considered one of the most ancient permanently inhabited places on the planet. Surrounded mountain ranges Shir-Kukh and a whole network of fortifications, the city only in 642 AD. e. was captured by the Arabs, but continued to be an important point on the caravan routes from India to Central Asia... At the end of the XX century. UNESCO has recognized Yazd as the second oldest urban area in the world.

Without a doubt, this is one of the most beautiful and distinctive cities in Iran. It's amazing how few tourists come here when compared to Isfahan and Shiraz. The more pleasant it is for the few who came to Yazd. It is this city that is the center of Zoroastrianism (fire worship), and it is here that every third city dweller professes this ancient belief in the greatness of fire. Actually, the very name of the city Yazd (Yazdan) is translated as "Divine". Yazd has seen such famous travelers like Maroc Polo and Afanasy Nikitin.

Attractions Yazd

The main attraction of Yazd is the city itself and its unique architecture... For centuries, local houses were built in the form of "bad girs" wind towers with round domes and a kind of passive ventilation system, and moreover, they were supplied with ingenious devices for collecting water, which was reflected in the external appearance of the city.

The main attractions are the Doulat tower (height 33 m), Dakhme or Kale-e Hamush (Towers of Silence, burial places according to the Zoroastrian rite), the remains of the city defensive walls of the 12th-14th centuries, the "fire tower" of Atashkade, on which there are already 3 thousand For years, an unquenchable fire has been burning, the Zoroastrian shrines Kale-ye Asadan ("Fortress of Lions") and Chak-Chak (52 km north of Yazd), the Amir-Chakhmak mosque (Jome, XIV century) is actually a whole historical complex consisting of a mosque, public baths, a hotel, a mausoleum, three reservoirs and a portal of one of the bazaars of Yazd, the funeral mosque Mahbare-e Davazda-Imam ("Shrine of the Twelve Imams"), Friday Mosque Jame (1324-1364, one of the highest in the country), mosque and mausoleum of Sayed Ron-ad-Din (XIV century), huge domes of the House of Water, Doulat-Abad garden, Bazaar gate with two small minarets, "Alexander's dungeon" Zendan-e Iskander (a strange round structure, the walls of which are covered with inscriptions with the names of all Shiite imams), the Yazd Museum (Aine- va-Rushani) in the archaeological complex " Mirrored palace", Museum of Natural History of the City Education Department and the Bak-e Doulat Historical Complex.

And, of course, there are traditional oriental bazaars, and there are no less than 12 of them in Yazd, among which the most popular are Bazar-e Khan, Jewelry Bazaar and Panje-Ali bazaar. Yazd is probably the best place in the country to buy silk, cashmere, brocade and taffeta, as well as all kinds of textiles, which is not surprising: it is the weaving industry that has provided the city with prosperity for centuries.

Walking on the rooftops of the Old City in Yazd is a favorite pastime of a few independent tourists traveling in central Iran. The buildings, with rare exceptions, are located so close to each other that a walk on the rooftops can be easily replaced by a promenade along narrow streets. When climbing clay stairs, be careful; most of the houses and abandoned buildings are in disrepair, and you should step on the roofs carefully.

To walk around the Old Town, it is better to hire a local guide who will not only tell you about the history of the place, but also lead you along the secret passages and give you an opportunity to look at the life of the local population by inviting them into the house. Finding an accompanying person will not be difficult; the guides offer their services at the bus and train station.

How to get to Yazd

Yazd is located 300 kilometers southeast of Esfahan, 440 kilometers northeast of Shiraz and 630 kilometers southeast of Tehran. The most convenient way to get to the clay city is by regular buses running daily from Esfahan, Shiraz and Tehran to Yazd. The bus terminal is located 10 kilometers southwest of the city center, not far from the airport. You can get to the station by taxi or minibus from Beheshti and Azadi squares; the fare is about 10,000 IRR (~ $ 1.0). It is best to buy tickets for intercity routes at travel agencies, not at the train station; the margin is minimal, but the staff will tell you best routes transfers and help organize transfers.

A rail link connects Yazd with Tehran. Trains run three times a day via Kashan, Qom and Bandar Abbas; travel time is about eight hours, depending on the class of the train. Flights from Tehran depart at 20:35 and 22:20. Fares start at IRR 50,000 (~ $ 5.0) per person, one way.

Yazd International Airport, located 10 kilometers from the city center, receives several daily flights from Tehran. The flight time from the capital of Iran to Yazd is 70 minutes; flights are operated twice a day. Several times a week operate from Yazd to Damascus and Dubai.

Yazd is one of oldest cities not only Iran, but also the world. It was founded back in the III millennium BC - in an oasis in the desert, 700 kilometers from Tehran, on one of the important caravan routes from India to Central Asia. Historically, the city was located in the interior of the country, far from the borders - and this allowed it to stay away from wars and ruin for centuries. Thus, all the uniqueness of Yazd is not only in its antiquity, but in the fact that the central part of the city has been preserved almost unchanged to this day! Yazd is one of the most ancient, permanently inhabited places on the planet.

1. We will start the walk from the outskirts historic center... At the crossroads of city streets, surrounded by pine trees, there is a clock tower - one of two in the old town.

2. In Iran there are many interesting sights, monuments of architecture and antiquity. But at the same time, one of the main impressions of the ancient cities of Iran is simply their atmosphere - old streets, lanes, houses made of clay or brick, silence, tranquility, oriental solidity in everything. For example, here is a small detail - in the future you will probably pay attention to a large number of semicircular roofs in the old town. This is one of the classic elements of Persian architecture. The semicircular roof allows rooms to heat up less in hot weather.

3. The domes of mosques rise above the quiet streets here and there. The very beautiful Imamzade Mosque is one of those.

5. Yazd is an ancient city on the ancient caravan route. And its central part has practically not changed over the past centuries. It seems that these traders from the past, too, just paused for a minute - and are about to come to life.

8. The Amir Chakmak complex of the 15th century is one of the main symbols of Yazd. The complex is not a simple mosque: its main part is the three-story Hosseinie, a ritual building intended for prayers and mourning for Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

9. The luxurious façade is especially beautiful in the evening light, and at night Amir-Chakmak and the surrounding square look just incredible. But more on that separately ...

10. The Amir-Chakmak complex is not far from the heart of the Old City. You just need to walk a couple of streets.

11. In the East, everything is close by, everything is harmonious - the ancient walls of the 15th century coexist with busy streets, along which people are busily walking about their business ...

12. There is also another mosque.

13. And everywhere around - markets and bazaars. Well, where in the East is there no bazaar? :)

14. And trade in the bazaar is conducted under the strict views of Ruhollah Khomeini and the current supreme ruler Ali Khamenei. Under such a gaze, can you weigh at least half a gram? :)

15. At the busy crossroads of the Old City, there is the second old clock tower of Yazd, decorated with oriental ornaments and blue-and-blue ceramic tiles, traditional for the East.

16. From the clock tower begins the boulevard leading to the holy of holies of the ancient city - the Friday Cathedral Mosque of the 12th century.

17. The boulevard, like a geometric axis, connects two city dominants: at one end - a mosque, and when looking in the opposite direction - the old Clock Tower.

18. Luxurious Friday Mosque (Kabir, Jame), decorated with tiles, patterns and tiles - the main mosque of the city. It was built in the XII century and was later rebuilt in the XIV century. This mosque is visible from almost everywhere in Yazd - its 52-meter minarets are among the tallest in Iran.

20. On the square in front of the Friday Mosque, there are many souvenir shops and shops where you can buy everything from consumer goods and tableware to magnificent camel-bone boxes and luxurious Persian carpets.

22. Incredible labyrinths of streets, old adobe houses. And all this is not ostentatious - it all has stood practically in its original form for centuries! And, the most interesting thing is that life in these streets is still measured and as usual.

23. A motorcycle with a passenger wrapped in a black chador in the back seat will buzz busily.

24. A peasant will go out into the street ...

25. And again the streets, adobe houses, walls, widened with logs for reliability ...

26. Everywhere in Yazd one can see such towers - badgirs. Badgir is a traditional element in Iranian architecture used to ventilate buildings and maintain normal temperatures in them. In fact, badgir is a natural conditioner. With a slight wind, the air passing by the wind roll enters its shaft and descends into the room, under which the pool is most often installed. While cooling, the flow is divided - cold air remains in the house, while hot air goes up the shaft at the opposite end of the room. We will take a look into the Badgir ventilation shaft, when we will study one of the ancient Iranian houses in a little more detail.

27. Ancient streets dive under the arches of stone arches ...

28. Domes, arches ... Carved doors .... Badgir turrets ... Minaret domes ... Streets .... Labyrinths ... Fancy arches ... Domes ... Old times! It would seem that there are no particularly bright dominants, but so catchy! An hour or two or three you wander. Have ancient city Yazda is incredibly strong energy. However, perhaps, like all the places where we have visited in Iran. An unusually interesting country!

35. "Air conditioners" - badgirs on the roof of one of the rich mansions, where a four-star hotel is now located.

36. Yazd is located in the desert and surrounded by mountains. Perhaps this has preserved its historical appearance for centuries.

38. One of the surviving towers of the fortress walls and the blue-green dome of the mosque in the background.

40. An interesting door. The gateway to the old town? :)

41. Slightly away from the Friday Mosque and adjoining quarters of clay houses, there is the luxurious Doulat-Abad garden, the former residence of Karim Khan Zand. The garden was built in 1750 and is a palace surrounded by pine alleys and orchards. The highest badgir in Iran (33 meters) is also located here.

46. ​​Persimmons and pomegranates grow in the garden, the remnants of the harvest of which hang on the branches until winter.

48. Religious banners ...