RASHT

The chances are that when you start your tour of northern Iran, first of all you land in Rasht, capital of Gilan province. Seven meters below sea level and 15 km inland from the Anzali Lagoon, to which it is connected by the Seyah Rud. Rasht is the largest settlement of the southern Caspian, an industrial center of the region, and one of the wettest places in Iran, which can also be very humid. The city has sprawled enormously over recent years, sacrificing some of its charm for the sake of development. Its present population amounts to more than 750,000, occupying an area of 1,489 square kilometers. It is one of the most densely populated towns in Iran.

Only 324 km north of Tehran along a good motorway, Rasht is a very popular weekend or holiday, destination for Tehranis, for whom the change in climate and scenery is enough in itself, and the city has few sites to offer the sightseer. For most foreigners Rasht is no more than a convenient staging post for a tour of the region. Good asphalt roads radiate from Rasht to all parts of the province.

The town itself has nothing of major architectural value. There are many points of interest, however, besides natural beauty. Visit a silk factory at Rasht, look at the rice paddies at the sea level, and the tea plantations on the stony, volcanic soil of the foothills. Most tea factories can be visited on request: between spring and autumn you can see the processing of the leaves. The houses and the farm buildings of the region are peculiar to the Caspian: nowhere else in Iran will you see the red tiled roofs and broad verandahs of Rasht and Mazandaran, which may even have been the prototype of the Persian architectural columns seen at Pasargadae and Persepolis.

Rasht, a flat and fairly featureless city, grew into a town around the 14th century, soon becoming the major settlement in Guilan. The city has been occupied by the Russians several times in its history, most ruinously in 1668 when almost the whole population was massacred by the rebel forces of the Cossack brigand Stenka Razin, who had already destroyed the Persian Navy in the Caspian Sea, and whose sole aims in life appear to have been rape and pillage. During WWI the city was again occupied by Russians, and in 1920 Bolsheviks destroyed much of the bazaar, driving many of the inhabitants into temporary exile. Nowadays Rasht is the center of distribution for the local rice and silk cocoon industries, although the cocoon industry had declined in recent years.

The town’s three main streets, Dr Shari’ati, Sa’di, and Imam Khomeini, converge at the main square, which is called Shohada. Most of the major points of interest are within walking distance of this square, to the north, south or east, although the hotels are spread out at some distance.

Here, if you go into a chaikhaneh (tea house) and call for a chai (tea), you will have the opportunity to watch the faces of those drinking tea with the abstracted air of philosopher occupied with higher problems, or see others arguing, in front of a bowl of soup and a flat loaf.

Museum

The Rasht Archaeological and Ethnological Museum established in 1970 and located on the north side of Taleghani Street (former Bisotun) about 250 meters to the west of Sabzeh Maidan, holds a small collection of archaeological exhibits. It’s open from 8 a.m. to 18:00 p.m. everyday except Fridays. Telephone (0231) 27997.

Bazaar

The uncovered bazaar is bounded by Imam Khomeini Street and Dr Shari’ati Street. Little of any great antiquity remains, since most of the bazaar was burned by the Bolsheviks in 1920. If you are looking for caviar (officially a state monopoly), persistent but discreet inquiries at the bazaar may be rewarded. Iranians believe that this is the best place to buy it. Prices here should be a little lower than in Tehran. For information on caviar, see CAVIAR under Practical Information section.

Other Places of Interest

Ghodss Park
Imamzadeh Hashem, 30 km on Rasht-Tehran road.
Mausoleum of Mirza Kuchak Khan Jangali, on Rast-Soleimandarab road
Municipality Complex.
Safi Mosque, belonging to 15th century, and attributed to Safi Mirza, son of the Safavid Shah Abbas.
EXCURSIONS AROUND RASHT

Bandar-e Anzali
Out of Rasht, the air becomes purer with the tang of the Caspian, but the lagoon to be crossed is called Mordab-e Anzali (Anzali Lagoon), in an altitude of 20m above sea level and 360 km to the north-east of Tehran, an ornithologists’ paradise for the variety of fowl to be seen here. The beach of Bandar Anzali and its naval dockyard Ghazian are 40-km northwest of Rasht.

Inhabitants and seamen of Bandar-e Anzali, in its pleasant and relaxed atmosphere, stroll during the evening hours as well as during the whole Friday in the public garden which follows the coast road on the right bank of the channel linking Anzali Lake to the sea. If you become tired of walking, you can sit down on a wooden stool, drink a cup of burning hot tea (Chai) while watching the boatmen in their colorful crafts.

This town came into prominence in the early 19th century as a result of the increasing Russian influence over the trade in the Caspian Sea. When traders from the Western Europe has been the most active in the region, the river port of Langrud, 96km to the east, was their main outlet to northern Persia. Around 1800 the Russians established their trading post at Bandar-e Anzali, taking advantage of its unrivaled natural harbor. Since then it has been the only major port along the southern Caspian coast, and today is the only one active in trade with the former Soviet states.

The Russian influence over Bandar-e Anzali has been strong, and the city bears a remarkable physical likeness to the Azarbaijani port of Baku, its main trading partner in the north Caspian Sea (and itself belonging to Iran until the early 19th century). There is a provincial Russian air about the town, from its shop displays to its crumbling architecture and lonely promenade, and fair-skinned visitors were usually assumed to be Russian.

On the left bank of the channel, one can see the fishery buildings wherein the preparation of the world’s best caviar – precious black eggs – is being carried out as a state monopoly. The public is not admitted to the immense refrigerated hangars (-18 degrees centrigrade) where tons of sturgeons, monsters between two and three meters long weighing between 75 and 100 kg are stored after removal of caviar usually equal to one tenth of their weight.

The port is divided by two by the outlet of the Anzali Lagoon; a bridge connects the town to a small undeveloped island (Beheshti Island), just inside the mouth of the lagoon. The docks and the customs house are on the east side of the outlet, but the main commercial center is on the opposite bank, reached by a single bridge called the Pol-e Ghazian. There is a wide and often wind-swept promenade along the west bank, facing the harbor. The main square, Khomeini Square is five minutes walk from there, past the bazaar. The Municipality and the town’s main hotel are within a few minutes walk from there.

In order to get a good look at diverse aspects of life in northern Iran, it is not enough to visit Bandar-e Anzali, you should penetrate further into the Guilan and Mazandaran region along the coastal road.

Naval Military Museum

Also called Mian Poshteh Palace Museum, it is located in Takavaran Avenue, one of the most beautiful districts of the town. It was appropriate in 1924 by Reza Shah from a Russian merchant named Khoshtaria. Thereafter, it underwent a series of repair and renovation work until 1931, when it was ready for use. The former Shah had been using it as his summer residence until 1969. It was then handed over to the Navy and, in 1977, inaugurated as a Naval Military Museum. Articles shown here include weapons, naval models, and palatial items. Following the victory of Islamic Revolution, its activities were interrupted, to be resumed in 1985, after some repair being carried out in the meantime.

Visiting Hours: Everyday 08:00 a.m. to 13:00 p.m., except Fridays. Tel: (02321) 3004.

Astaneh Ashrafieh
Located at the entrance to Bieh Pish region (east Guilan), it is a major peanut and fragrant medicinal herbs producing town. Mausoleum of Seyed Jalal od-Din Ashraf, brother of Imam Reza, as well as the tomb of Dr Mohammad Mo’in, the Iranian lexicographer and compiler of Persian Dictionary are located here.

3. Astara

This is a border town with a mountainous road to Ardabil. Its suburbs attract a great number of tourists during summer time. Kilim and Jajim weaving, are among its main handicrafts. Places of tourist interest in Astara are:

4. Lahijan

Occupying an area of 1,428 square kilometers and 41 km to the east of Rasht, Lahijan is a beautiful agricultural town with an outstanding historic past. Its main product is tea. Places of tourist interest in and around Lahijan are:

Chahar Olia Mosque or, from Timurid period, in Sardar-e Jangal Square, west of Lahijan.
Mir Shams od-Din (son of Imam Kazem) Shrine, in Imam Khomeini Street.
Akbarieh Mosque, in Kashef-e Gharbi Street, Akbarieh.
Golshan Bath, in Sardar-e Jangal Square.
Mausoleum of Sheikh Zahed, in a short distance east of Lahijan on Langrud road.
Sheitan Kuh, in Azadi Boulevard, with a natural pool and large park on its slopes.
Langrud
Within a distance of 50 km to the east of Rasht and 10 km to the sea, it occupies an area of 900 square kilometers in an open plain. Chamkhaleh, one of the most beautiful and scenic beaches along the Caspian, is just within 15 km of the town and attracts thousands of tourists during summer time. Places of tourist interest in and around Langrud are:

Sun-dried bridge, belonging to Timurid and Safavid periods.
Jam’e Mosque, the gates of which date back to the 16th century.
Leila Kuh-Kumaleh City foothills with tea plantations and rice paddies.
Masuleh
Although regions to the south of the Caspian Sea are mainly covered with mountainous and traditionally virgin villages and settlements, but we cannot help mentioning Masuleh, 56 km southwest of Rasht and 1050 meters above sea level, which is actually the most breathtakingly beautiful village here. Approached from Rasht via Fuman by bus or taxi by a dramatic mountain pass and completely surrounded by forest, this perfectly preserved village appears to have grown out of its surroundings like a limpet clinging to a rock. It’s formed of several irregular levels of terraced, pale cream houses with gray slate roofs, interspersed with evergreen trees. So steep is the slope that the familiar Iranian network of narrow alleys is entirely absent, and instead the flat roof of each level of houses forms a pathway for the level above.

The village has few facilities to offer the visitor, but its inspiring setting makes it perfect antidote to travel in the dry and dusty central plateau, and well worth a day trip from Rasht. It’s bitterly cold in winter, with snow sometimes three meters deep, but the climate in summer is extremely pleasant and bracing.

Rud Bar
On the West Bank of Sefid Rud River and 70 km to the south of Rasht on Tehran Rasht road, it is surrounded by dense forest and olive grove. Olive is the main agricultural product of the region. Places of tourist interest in and around Rud Bar are as follows:

The historic site of Marlik Tappeh, excavated by Dr Ezzatollah Negahban in 1961-2. Its royal tombs have produced a great wealth of gold and silver vessels, jewelry and weapons, dated to the late 2nd millennium BC. The relief decoration on the beakers and bowls in the form of vigorous animals and humans, linking it with the art of the steppes to the north and Lurestan to the south. Clandestine digging at the neighboring site of Amlash has produced closely comparable work.
Gerd Kul Tappeh, in Rahmat Abad, dated to the first millennium BC, 126 km from Totkabon.
Panj Tappeh, in Rahmat Abad village, dated to the early first millennium BC.
Abbasi Caravansary, dated to the Safavid period, 2 km to Imamzadeh Hashem.
Soume’eh Sara
Occupying an area of 618 square kilometers in the west of Rasht, Soume’eh Sara enjoys a high reputation in terms of sericulture and tobacco cultivation. Mirza Kuchak Khan Jangali the famous Muslim revolutionary of Guilan has been active in the adjacent Kasma region. Places of tourist interest in and around Soume’eh Sara are as follows:

Weekly bazaars
Brick minaret and sun-dried brick bridge in Minareh Bazaar, Gaskar
Shrines of Agha Seyed Jafar and Mir Shah
Pir Vali Khan Shrine
ADDRESSES AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS

Rasht

ACCESS AND DISTANCE:

By air from Tehran and other provincial capitals, and by road from the following towns: Ardabil 266 km. Astaneh Ashrafieh 20 km. Astara 182 km. Banadar-e Anzali 40 km. Fuman 25 km. Lahijan 41 km. Langrud 56 km. Manjil 72 km. Masuleh 56 km. Rud Bar 66 km. Rud Sar 72 km. Tabriz 482 km. Talesh 110 km. Tehran 324 km. Zanjan 348 km.

ACCIDENTS:

See under EMERGENCIES.

AIR AGENT:

Iran Air, Lakani Street 29705.

AIRPORT:

Rasht Airport 24444

BANKS AND EXCHANGE OFFICES:

Rasht: Bank Melli Iran, on the south of Enghelab Square.

Astara:

Astara Exchange Office, Imam Ave, Bazaar-e Ruz 4147, 4395.
Sa’id Exchange Office, Imam Ave, Shahrdari Square 5724.
BUS TERMINAL:

Buses leave from the relevant bus company. Tickets can be bought the same day, but it’s better to ask the day before as demand is very high. Some of the cooperative bus companies are listed below:

Company No 7, about 50 meters north of Shohada Square on the west of Sa’di Street 22599.
Company No 8, on the eastside of Imam Khomeini Ave 300 meters southeast of Shohada Square.
Company No 11 is immediately east of Shohada Square.
CITY DIALING CODE NUMBER:

The dialing code for Rasht is 0231.

EMERGENCIES:

For emergencies either call 118 or go to the casualty clinic just southwest of Imam Khomeini Square.

GOVERNOR’S OFFICE:

Ostandari is in the northwest corner of the City Park 3233, 32085-8.

MEDICAL SERVICES:

Arya Hospital, Shahid Ansari Blvd 44881.
Poor-e Sina Hospital, Poor-e Sina Street 32441, 23971.
Razi Hospital, Sardar-e Jangal Street 23963, 20028.
MUNICIPALITY:

On the westside of Shohada Square 22166.

POLICE:

On the northeast side of Shohada Square 22101 and 22105. Visa matters can also be inquired here.

POST AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS:

The main post office is on the north of Shohada Square and the telegraph office is on the westside of Imam Khomeini Square.

RESTAURANTS:

Baba Taheri Restaurant, Al ‘lam ol-Hoda Street 28392.
Derakhshan Restaurant, Shik Street 25460.
Kurosh Restaurant, Sa’di Street 28229.
Mo’menzadeh Restaurant, at the beginning of Manzarieh 60737.
No (New) Restaurant, Imam Khomeini Ave 26531
Salar Restaurant, Sa’di Street 27551.
TAXI:

A taxi from the airport will cost something around 2000 rials. There is no airport service bus.

TOURIST MAP:

Available in English and Persian. The tourist office has a combined map of Guilan which incorporates Rasht, Lahijan, and Bandar-e Anzali (English details on these maps are not of much use to the tourist).

TOURIST OFFICE:

Rasht: Sa’di Street, as usual not marked in English, 22006, 22284, and 28119. It is about five minutes walk north from Shohada Square, in a block next to Bank Tejarat. Lahijan: 3535. Bandar-e Anzali 3423.