Welcome to the most developed city of Kerman Province of Iran; the Kerman city, a historical city that its history dates back to at least the reign of Sassanians as it is said at the time of Parthian Empire, Ardeshir I has conquered the city and set his son as the ruler of this city. Due to its significance, Kerman had the role of being the capital of Iran several times throughout history such as the period of the Buyid dynasty (it was capital of Iran as well as some other cities), Muzaffarid dynasty (as well as some other cities too) and Zand Dynasty (for a short period of time). Kerman is among one of those cities in Iran with a long history and it contains a strong cultural heritage! Kerman is located at southeast of the country and it is the capital city of Kerman Province (the largest province of Iran). Kerman is a city with a remarkable wealth in the aspect of tourism! This wonderful city comprises numerous beautiful places such as the impressive Ganjali Khan Complex that is a part of the magnificent Bazaar of Kerman, and the architectural Jabalieh. I should mention that Kerman is also home to one of the most important gardens of Iran called theShazdeh Mahan Garden. In the old city center of Kerman there lies a historic building complex that belongs to Safavids period (sometime between late 16th century and early 17th century). This building complex is called the Ganjali Khan Complex, which encompasses a square, a mosque, a caravanserai, a bazaar, a bathhouse as well as some other structures. In fact some of the structures of this complex such as its bazaar and its mosque are located around its square. The awe-inspiring atmosphere of this place exhibits the style and mood of the old times. Among its attractive structures Ganjali Khan Bath is one of those structures that thoroughly present the style and mood of the old times.
Now we reach to one of the mysterious attractions of this city, the Jabalieh Dome (Gonbad-e Jabaliyeh), which is also known as the Gabri Dome. The accurate date of construction of this ancient rocky dome is unclear but it is believed that it belongs to either Sassanian period or the early Islamic period; on the other hand the usage of this building is still unknown, even though some believe that it was one of the fire temples of Zoroastrians. Jabalieh Dome is also one of the rarest structures of the town as it is made up of stone and gypsum. Its architecture is inspired from the Sassanian period and it has an octagonal design. Nowadays this ancient dome has turned into a museum that contains different parts of history like historical inscriptions or its stone carvings and among all these historical pieces there are 2 valuable ones that one of them is the Abdar Mosque Inscription that belongs to the 11th century and the other one is a surprisingly small tombstone with the size of 26*22 cm that some parts of Qur’an is written on it as well as the name and death date that interestingly dates back to about 800 years ago, sometime in the 12th century!
Imagine a piece of heaven which is located on Earth! More specifically in middle of a dry desert near Mahan city in Kerman Province there lies this piece of heaven which is called the Shazdeh Mahan Garden, a true example of Persian gardens. The inclined fountain pools along the staircases that are surrounded by glorious trees; together they maske a magnificent pathway for people from the entrance to the pavilion that sits at the end of the garden. This significant garden is officially on UNESCO World Heritage list.
This city may not be a popular destination in Iran, but it contains a lot of beautiful places that together make this city a valuable destination in the world of tourism. This is Kerman the city of stars…
