General Facts About Kashan, the Ultimate Kashan Travel Guide
I sat on the rooftop of the bazaar, a pen and piece of paper in my hands. As I was looking at all the historical elements popping up, I sifted through all the memories I had of Kashan. Of the times I rode my bike through its narrow alleyways, of the weekends when I went climbing the Karkas mountains, and of the times I traveled to nearby villages to visit my grandparents. I had changed a lot since I last visited the city. But, Kashan hadn’t; it stood, with dignity and elegance, the same as it was years ago, through the worst and the best of times. It had, miraculously somehow, stayed the same, as though it was a living museum. Carelessly, I walked on the rooftop as the sun went down behind a towering mountain.
General Facts about Kashan
Small and sleepy, Kashan lies between mountains and deserts. It is usually the first stop after the hectic and buzzing Tehran. But don’t let that fool you; life in Kashan is quiet and almost always without a headache. And there are a handful of things to do in Kashan, this “sleepy little town” in the middle of the desert.
Population in Kashan
Barely reaching half a million in population, Kashan is a promising city. It is rather small, compared to Isfahan and the capital Tehran. Kashan county consists of one major city called Kashan and many smaller towns and villages surrounding it. They include Ghamsar, Niasar, Aran & Bidgol, Nushabad, and many more. Residents of Kashan are mostly Persian and speak an accent unique to their own. Some may find it similar to Yazdi or Isfahani accent, but it is, most definitely, not.
Real-Life Fact
If you ask a non-Kashani Iranian: What is the first thing they think of when they hear Kashan? They will probably respond: Fin Garden, rosewater, religion and Muharram, deserts, and scorpions! Yes, scorpions. Kashan used to have a lot of scorpions coming from the neighboring deserts into the city center. Nowadays, this never happens.
Kashan Climate
If you’re looking for a city where it’s sunny most of the time, Kashan is your city. On most days of the year, the sun shines on the city and affects the way Kashanis go about their lives. The strong presence of sunshine in Kashan changes the way people live. For example, stores and shops close up from about two in the afternoon until five. It is kind of like the Spanish siesta, right? Kashan has chilly winters; goes through scorching and dry summers, but experiences pleasant springs and autumns. It usually has low chances of rain or snow throughout the year. People in Kashan appreciate the precipitation they get here and there and love going out to a picnic with their families after a good rain. However, the truth is that in Kashan, the sun is, almost always, out.
Real-Life Fact
Kashani people love rain since there’s little precipitation throughout the year. Residents tend to go out for a picnic in a local park or their private gardens after a gentle shower in Kashan to enjoy the pleasant weather.
When to visit Kashan?
The best time to visit Kashan depends on what you want to do in the city. There are many things to do in Kashan throughout the year. You, typically, need to avoid visiting Kashan during the sizzling summer, which is when the sun is at its mightiest. However, you can travel to Kashan at the end of the summer, which is, surprisingly, Kashan tourism’s high season. Starting from early Autumn to early winter, you can also leave for the Maranjab Desert for a safari trip or overnight camping in the star-lit deserts. There’s one more reason visitors travel to Kashan: its world-renown rosewater ceremonies. Want to participate in the beautiful rose picking ceremonies of Kashan? Consider visiting the city from early May to mid-June when the weather is still fair.
History of Kashan
Historically, Kashan goes a long way. Having Tepe Sialk closeby shows how further back civilization goes in Kashan and Iran. Sialk Culture goes back to the seventh millennium BC. On your way to the UNESCO-registered Fin Garden, you can visit this site during the day to explore Kashan’s history first-hand. Throughout the centuries, due to its location close to the Silk Road, Kashan has been an economical and cultural hub. Caravanserais and castles pop up around Kashan. The city saw its economic rise through the Ghajarid dynasty when merchants (mostly selling carpet) decided to reside in Kashan and build their mansion-like houses in the city center. Now open to the public, these houses showcase some of the best Kashanis artwork and architecture. Although Kashan is famous for its traditional houses, it’s also home to the best traditional hotels in Iran. You can decide to stay in one of these houses for a night or two for a fair price.
Heart of the city
Do you want to know where the real Kashani people hang out? Confused between all the things to do in Kashan and just want to get the real deal? Head out to the city center and visit the traditional bazaar. Hang out in one of the old teahouses in Aminoddole Caravanserai inside the bazaar. It is among Kashan attractions, but you may not find this in typical Kashan travel guides. The city revolves (or more accurately, used to revolve) around the bazaar and its traditional houses. Even though they may not be so attractive to the younger generation, but they still have the same classic atmosphere. After all, the bazaar and the houses are the heart of the city.
Real-Life Fact
The road between Kashan and Fin Garden used to be just farmlands and local agriculture fields. Now a Kashan sightseeing place, it is full of restaurants, cafes, ice-cream shops, and other sorts of amenities. You’re in Kashan and feeling a bit hungry? Want to spend some time with your friends in Kashan? Just head to Fin Garden! There is plenty to do on the way.
Souvenirs of Kashan
Rosewater
Kashan is the city of rose, and Kashanis’ lifestyles are intertwined with rosewater. A Kashani might have rosewater three or four times during the day; one time in a cool sherbet (local drink) they’re drinking under the sun, one time in the stew of their meal with the family, one time with chai, and one more time in the evening when they’re eating bastani sonnati (traditional ice-cream). Rosewater everywhere! Even though the rosewater ceremonies are held only at a specific time, its products are available throughout the year. Rosewater bottles, dried buds, and dried leaves are only some of these products. You can buy all of them at Kashan’s traditional bazaar.
Carpet
Registered on UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage list, Carpets go a long way in Kashan. Kashanis sit and eat on the carpet, sleep on the carpet (instead of a bed), watch TV sitting on it, and hold a conversation with a loved one on a carpet! Nearly all of the floor of a Kashani’s house is covered with amazing carpets. When you head to Tabatabaie House in the city center, for example, you can see the form of a complete rug the ceiling of the so-called King’s Room. Carpets showcase the creativity of Kashani people and the diversity of culture and art form in Iran. Nowadays, you can purchase your very own Kashani carpet at the traditional bazaar.
Cookie
Kashanis have sweet teeth. At Nowruz, the Persian new year ceremony, in almost all houses, there’s a special kind of cookie being served, and that’s the Kashani cookie. At a typical Kashani gathering, the host would bring a dish of Kashani cookie. Alongside it, Pashmak (Persian cotton candy) is also served. They go extremely well together. Kashan’s cookie is baked with wheat flour and animal oil and adorned with saffron and pistachio. The new year won’t start in a Kashani household without eating this cookie first. So, if you happen to go to a Nowruz gathering in Kashan, expect to have some high-quality traditional cookie.
Kashan’s economy
What most people do for a living in Kashan include farming (cotton, onion, cereal, and various types of fruit), working in the carpet, and the rosewater industry. There used to be a time in Kashan where a third of the working population served in the carpet, textile and weaving industry. Nowadays, many of these factories stopped working and people find other things to do in Kashan.
Originally published at https://iranamaze.com.
