The peak of the caravanserai period in Iran was the Safavid period when Shah Abbas Safavid decided to build 999 caravanserais in Iran. An exact document as to whether or not 999 caravanserais were built is not available, but what is clear is that 54 of these caravanserais remain in Iran today and of these 54, 3 of them have become the share of Kermanshah province...
BY: Wahyuni KamahPrinted in The Jakarta Globe on March 17, 2015 Arrived at the main bus terminal in Yazd, the capital of the eponymous province in Iran, at night, and immediately I had the impression of a city that was wide sprawling. There were no high-rise buildings visible, and the city stretched out flat and low. I couldn’t wait until day broke to see and...
Printed in The Jakarta Globe on December 24, 2014 Having spent a few days in Iran, a republic that implements shariah law, I began to wonder if the country had any churches. My curiosity was answered when I stayed in Isfahan, 340 kilometers south of Tehran. Although the cities that I visited in Iran are all uniquely stunning, I must say that Isfahan is the most...
BY: Wahyuni KamahPrinted in The Jakarta Globe on July 13, 2015 I traveled to by car to Neyshabur, 115 kilometers west of Mashhad, the capital of Iran’s Razavi Khorasan province. On the way, I passed a mountain range. Neyshabur is famous for its fertile land and pleasant climate. It borders the high mountains of Bilanud to the north, from where the chilly...
Kashan: A Gem of Traditional Persian Architecture BY: Wahyuni KamahPrinted in The Jakarta Globe on July 1, 2015 Here I am in Kashan, a city in Isfahan Province, about a three-hour drive to the south of Iran’s capital Tehran. The city of around 280,000 people was the capital of the Persian Empire during the reign of Shah Abbas Safavid II (1642-1666) of the...
The holy city of Mashhad welcomes visitors and pilgrims alike to experience the spiritual wonders and colorful bazaars the city has to offer. BY: Wahyuni KamahPrinted in The Jakarta Globe on October 24, 2014 Traffic … traffic,” my driver Reza said desperately as we neared my hotel in the busiest area of Mashhad on a sunny day. Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city and...
Emad-Ol-Dowleh Mosque is the name of a 150-year-old mosque in the city of Kermanshah, which is one of the monuments of the Qajar period. The building of the first mosque was built by Imam Qoli Mirza Emad-Ol-Dowleh (Governor of the West) in Kermanshah bazaar. Emad-Ol-Dowleh mosque The architecture of Emad-Ol-Dowleh Mosque The nave is columnar and has many cells. The...
“I`m in Iran!” That`s what I wanted to post during my vacations but could not decide which photos to share with the world. And the reason is the ultimate beauty of the country. My emotions were over the edge, too much feelings… too much photos to share… Olga in Iran So no posts during my trip. Only sightseeing, breathing this magic air, catching smiles of people...
Visits the tombs of Hafez and Sa’adi and discovers the power of Sufi poetry over the centuries BY: Wahyuni KamahPrinted in The Jakarta Globe July 4, 2014 Don’t forget to visit Sa’adi’s tomb. His poems are truly humanist and his works are highly respected around the world,” said the passenger sitting next to me on my flight to Shiraz, Iran.I could not forget — the...
BY: WAHYUNI KAMAHPrinted in The Jakarta Globe on June 28, 2014The sky above my head was cloudless and the sun was intense, however, the high humidity reduced me to sweat. It was the end of springtime in Tehran, the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran. And my afternoon trip to Shemiran, an area in the north of Tehran, soothed me. Shemiran is situated on the slope...