Nothing is comparable with spending a night under the shallow ceiling of
desert's sky whose all shining stars seem reachable. Imagine you
witness this beautiful scene in a quiet night of a very old city made
out of clay, which cannot easily get rid of the warmth the sun has
granted during the day.
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With one third of Iran covered with deserts, having such a delightful
night is not a hard work. One of the oldest, largest and most charming
desert cities, lies somewhere in the middle of Iran, in the middle of
ancient silk road. It is so beautiful that people call it "the pearl of
desert".
The whole city is made out of clay and adobe; it seems that it has
risen out of sand. Yazd's architecture is unique. During its long
history, Yazd and Yazdies have adapted themselves to the desert
surrounding. It is also called, the city of "Badgirs". Badgirs are that
chimney like structures raised on the roofs of Yazdies’ houses. Of
course they are not chimneys; they are kind of ancient and still working
ventilation systems. They gather the even faintest breezes of the
desert and channel them into the building below.
In the interior of the building there is usually a small pool and a
central courtyard with old trees which through a narrow corridor finds
its way out to a narrow alley. Still you may find some heavy wooden
doors with male and female knockers. Walking through these winding
narrow alleys in the evening would leave you an unforgettable memory. It
seems that time has stopped.
People are still living in their Old Persian traditions. Some times
when passing the houses, you may smell a delicious Yazdi food which
would make you feel hungry. Yazdies are also great experts of making
confectionary and sweet which have a long background and are famous in
the country. Yazd's handicrafts such as rug, small carpets, Kilim,
Termeh (a gorgeous hand-made silk tapestry), pottery, earthenware and
ceramic are also famous. In order to find them all you need to call on
bazaar.
Domed twisting lane of small shops makes up one of the main symbols of
Persian tradition. Bazaar twists and turns and eventually leads to
Friday Mosque, one of the finest in Iran. The portal’s facade is
decorated from top to bottom in dazzling blue tiles.
Like her sisters, Yazd is granted with great Islamic architecture and
culture, but unlike them Yazd is unique in its Zoroastrian culture. Yazd
is the holiest city for Zoroastrians. They hold their rituals on
different occasions and every year, Zoroastrians from all over the world
come here to see the sacred fire that has been burning without
interruption for 1500 years. In the outlying southern suburbs of town
are Zoroastrian Towers of Silence, where the bodies of believers were
once left to the vultures after death.
Despite the unmerciful adversities, desert's mysterious silence and
unforgettable nights has endless fascination for nature lovers.
Moreover, for the ones who adore people, culture, tradition, history and
architecture, we cannot think of any other city that preserves so much
of the traditional atmosphere better than "Bride of Desert".
Come and explore many such unique diversities of a land with Civilized and friendly people - IRAN; and I'm sure you will never ever think of it as a bad country most wrongly popularized by the media and the Western world.....
