Salmiya

The most significant building in Na’in is certainly its more than 1000-years old Friday mosque, build in 960 CE. Its single minaret without any ornaments has an octagonal ground plan and tapers. It is built on a small hill somewhat outside of the old city’s center. Nearby, a guard will open the doors of a small museum which is part of a Safavid traditional house with a small sunken garden. The mosque itself, one of the oldest in Iran where still Friday prayers take place, is Abbasid/Buyid, as the remains of the Jurjir mosque in Esfahan. Brickwork and carved stucco especially of the mihrab and surrounding bays are superb and well-preserved. There is no iwan , which is in fact a development of the later Seljuq rulers of Iran. The bazaar in the old city is a museum, too. The shops had been closed long time ago when the owners moved to the modern part of the city.

The noble people of Yazd had been described already by Marco Polo who passed the city in 1272 CE on his way to China. Yazd is a typical desert city in Iran, located at the eastern fringes of the Dasht-e Lut , the frightening salt desert, one of the hottest and most hostile areas on Earth. So, end of November was the right season to go to Yazd (and other cities in Iran as well). Temperatures were generally mild and sun was shining. The old city of Yazd is a labyrinth with narrow lanes bordered by high mud walls. Even the locals admit that they are getting lost every now and then and have to ask their neighbors. A nice taroof , of course. You might see the tall minarets of the famous Timurid Friday Mosque as a landmark, but you’ll never really approach it. The center of the old city is represented by a small square with trees and benches. A very peaceful place. You may rest here and read in your travel guide about near-by Alexander’s prison, who passed the city after he had ransacked and...