Kerman is the capital of Kerman province, and 10th most populous city of Iran. It is located at the southeast of the country. It is the neighbor of Yazd and Fars provinces. Kerman (also known as Karmania, Boutia, and Govashir in ancient times) carries a famous nickname in Iran: the land of Kariman (the land of generous and merciful people); of course they are. When you travel to Kerman, you will have the opportunity to find some of the kindest people you have ever met.
Finish this article about Kerman! Ultimately, you will be eager to visit there as the first destination of your next trip.
Why to travel to Kerman?
1. Have you ever experienced skiing and desert trekking tour in a single place only with an hour distance?!
Kerman is the land of natural contrasts. You can spend a great time in desert trekking in one of the hottest and driest spots of the world, named ‘Gandom-Beryan’, Shahdad district of ‘Lut’ desert, and then appreciate the cold weather in Sirch, same district where you can experiencing snowfall or even skiing in cold winters.
Kerman contains some adventurous mountains. They are covered entirely by snow in winters. Fortunately there are some professional mountain climbing groups (such as Armand group) that will support you to have a challenging and safe mountain climbing even in serious winter conditions.
Note:
Some of the important mountains in Kerman are: Hezar Mt., Rayen, Joopar Mt., Mahan, and Kuh-E-Shah.
As you see, Iran is the land of four seasons.
2. ‘Dasht-E-Lut’, the desert you absolutely cannot miss:
It is time to have both adventure and fun in an intensively hot weather, Kaluts desert (Kaluts is the name of a special kind of sandy mountain in Persian, made by wind power) is part of a big desert, called ‘Lut-Desert’, located in Kerman. NASA has announced it as the hottest surface on the earth because of its high temperature: around 70 degrees Celsius, 159 degrees Fahrenheit.
Try to visit there in cooler weather conditions so that you will be able to appreciate wonderful Kaluts, the sandy castles. It is an isolated and quiet place (since there is no machinery there), so you can enjoy its pleasant silence, gain energy and feel like you are in Mars! It is really fascinating to watch the sunset and the sunrise in that vast sandy area. It is highly recommended to spend at least a night there. There are some camps designed for the travelers to stay there and enjoy watching the milky way. Do not forget to use locals’ guides. As mentioned before, they are so friendly and will help you explore their beautiful region!
When to travel to Kaluts? The best time is early morning or evening.
Caution: unfortunately a limited part of this area is considered somehow unstable as some smugglers come from Afghanistan. But do not worry; it is safe enough since the police predominates. However, be careful to go on a tour with an authorized guide.
Another must-do for everyone visiting Kaluts is Lut desert Safari. You cannot visit the desert without experiencing it. Depending on the season, you can depart in the afternoon or morning.
Make sure you have spent enough time exploring this unique place.
.3 Kerman, a province with more than 700 historical sites, was known as “ the city of six gates” in ancient times (since it had 6 entry gates then). It has many tourist attractions. Let’s review some of them in brief.
A. Arg-e Bam
Arg-E-Bam, the biggest adobe-built castle in the world is two hours away from south Kerman. It was built on a huge rock at the south of ‘Pusht-rood’ river (Bam River). Its origin dates back to 4th century BC.
Note: Nowadays ‘Pusht-rood’ river changes to a downtown street.
Some parts of this cultural construction was ruined because of an earthquake in 2003. But, by tireless effort of the experts to restore the Arg, it is open for tourists to visit.
B. Ganj-Ali-Khan complex
It is a Safavid-era building complex that was built with Isfahani style by Ganj-Ali-Khan, the governor of Kerman, Sistan and Kandahar in late 15th century. This complex is composed of a rectangular square, which is surrounded by other constructions. They including a school, a mint, a Caravansary, an ‘Ab- Anbar’ (water reservoir) and a bazaar. This bazaar is built with an eye catching architecture (like other cultural Iranian bazaars). It is located in the southern part of the square. You will enjoy it even by walking around.
Another part of the complex is the bathhouse which is changed to a museum of anthropology. By visiting the museum you have the chance to be informed about Kermani culture and appreciate the beauties of the architecture style of the bathhouse.
Note: To visit the complex, you should approach the old center of the city.
C. Chai-Khaneh-Vakil (Vakil Tea house)
It is probably one of the best traditional tea houses in Iran to visit. It is located in old bazaar in a former bath house. It is a cool place with plenty of traditional food and drink options which lets you taste new local spices. You can also enjoy the traditional Iranian music there.
When to travel Kerman?
Because of its arid and semi-arid weather, fall seems to be the best time.
Note: It is better to bring your warm clothes like jacket when you want to spend a night in the desert.
Transportation:
Almost all of the travelers are satisfied with the transportation system because of its safety and low prices. You can get to Kerman by bus, train and plain. There are daily flights to Tehran. Domestic flights to major cities of Iran are also available. Taking the overnight train to Tehran can be one of the best options (it takes about 15 hours).
There is a system like Uber in Kerman named Snap. You can download its android/iOS application for your trip.
