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Thursday 2004-06-03 - Kermān, Iran
Best bazaar so far
After a nice ride through — again — a beautiful landscape (with many pistachio orchards in this region) we arrive around lunch time in Kermān. The idea was to have lunch in a restaurant in the bazaar here where live music is performed in the afternoons. Alas, today is the anniversary of the day Emām Khomeiny died: an official day of mourning and nearly everything (official buildings, museums, most shops, even many restaurants) is closed — including the restaurant we wanted to go to.
We spread out in the Vakil bazaar, some in search of the ingredients of our picnic lunch tomorrow, others in search of lunch. Carla and I find a good sandwich at a small shop near the main entrance of the bazaar and then walk back to have a good look around. Although small, it’s one of the most beautiful bazaars I’ve seen so far in Iran with wide vaulted ceilings from brickwork, some plastered; some domes even have frescoes inside, including a very interesting one at the entrance of the Ganj Ali Khan Hammam museum (closed today, of course) depicting many bizarre animals (like an elephant with mouse ears taking a man between its pointed predator teeth) and elaborate hunting scenes. Opposite the museum is the large rectangular Ganj Ali courtyard, a beautiful space with much greenery and at the end a medressa which is being restored (no entry).
In spite of regulations, some shops in the bazaar are open anyway and some vendors sit around in front of closed shops (some shopkeepers probably can’t afford to close up for a day and this seems to be tolerated). There’s a very nice atmosphere here; people are nice and friendly, too. We also note many with Pakistani clothes (though for all we know they might be Afghans - it can be hard to tell the difference). Although the bazaar in Tabriz is very beautiful, too, and this one is much smaller, I actually like this one better with its unique frescoes in the domes.
