Home

 

News

Overview

Diary

Statistics

In Deutsch

 

MAIL

 

Pictures of our trip 2013 through Iran – part 3
- May 2013: Esfahan (excl.) - Chelgerd - Hamadan - Sanandaj - Orumiyeh
 
 
before:
Our Trip 2013 through Iran – May 2013 - part 2: Pasargad (excl.) - Yazd - Esfahan
Our Trip 2013 through Iran – May 2013 - part 1: Ferry Port Bandar Abbas – Pasargad (between Shiraz and Yazd)
United Arab Emirates – April 2013 - part 3: Al Ain, Eastcoast & Ras al Khaima
Oman 2013 – March 2013 - part 5: Western Hajar Mountains
afterwards:
Our Trip 2013 through Turkey – June 2013: Eastern Anatatolia
 
 
 
Iran Map
 
 
 
     Middle East Map
 
latest picture: May 26, 2013
  • click a picture to see details

 
 
 
 
 
 
131  Villages are compact and unobtrusive
and match the colors of the environment.
Surprisingly, we hardly see a minaret of a
mosque towering above the roofs. This hamlet
lies between Babaheydar and Chelgerd
132  4 miles before Babahezdar the
golden dome of the village mosque
of Filabad is attracting us. Men here
wear “Turkish trousers”, the outfit
of the Kurdish people
133  When we approach Chelgerd,
the first snow covered mountains of the
Zagros mountain range come into view –
altitude between 11’500 and 13’000 ft.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
134  Chelgerd, a ski resort at 7’800 ft.
altitude in the Zagros range with a population
of about 3’000 and a 2’600 ft. long ski slope,
presents itself in its refreshing spring green
135  The snow white gleaming water
current in Chelgerd is called the "Koohrang
river". The water dammed up on the
opposite mountain side is channeled
through a ca. 2 miles long tunnel to this
side, thus joining the Zayandeh river to
slake the growing thirst of Esfahan
136  Nomads are leaving Chelgerd
with their pack mules
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
137  A few miles outside Chelgerd we
are greeted by a majestic snow mountain
panorama of the Zagros range, with the
highest peak being the 13’780 ft. high Zard-
Kuh (some talk of an altitude of 14’921 ft.)
138  A tent of the Bakhtiari nomads
who move around the Chelgerd/Zagros
area from April to November. There are
still about two millions people living
as nomads in Iran
139  The mountain road winds along
the base of the high mountain range.
Despite still freezing temperatures,
nomads have already pitched
up their tents
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
140  The herdsman follows his
sheep from sunrise to sunset
141  What a wonderful drive along the
dramatic Zagros range near Chelgerd
142  At the bottom of the mountain giants,
the bluish shining glacier water of the
Koohrang river channels its way through
white sand beds and grassy spots
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
143
 
The Zagros mountain range with the Koohrang river in the foreground
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
144  From the Zagros Hotel on Chogha
Hill in Borujerd the view is lovely in every
direction: On one side, the city is
spreading below us .....
145  ..... on the other side, at the
outskirts of town, the golden dome
of a mosque with metallic minarets
is towering towards the sky .....
146  ..... and at our place on the hill
the blue man-made lake of the
Chogha Park shines also with its
lovely water fountain in the middle
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
147  Green as far as the eye can
reach: Fields, fruit orchards and
small settlements at Borujerd valley
148  The “unfinished” mosque Imamzadeh
-ye Abdollah in Hamadan (pop. 530’000);
one of the four cities of the ancient
"Achaemenid Empire" (550-330 B.C.)
– e.g. Persepolis
149  At the descent from the 7’175 ft.
high pass from Hamadan to Sanandaj
a sweeping view over rolling hills and
the small mountain village of
Korkora opens up
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Another treasure trove of wild flowers: It is astonishing how such delicate plants can come to life in such a stony environment
150  Onosma cassium
151  Pimpinella kotschyana
152  Euphorbia spec.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
153  Also sweet strawberries are not
missing at the Gozar bazaar in Sanandaj
154  The bazaar of Gozar of Sanandaj
clusters around a high and slender minaret.
Sanandaj (<400'000 Einw.) lies on an
altitude of 5'050 ft. and is the “capital“
of Iranian Kurdistan
155  Different qualities and sizes of
dates are piled up at Sanandaj’s bazaar.
Dates are part of people’s staple diet
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
156  A lonely fortress sits on a hill
along the road from Sanandaj to
Kamyaran on the way to Palangan
157  Is the contrast not marvelous?
158  The earth colored stone houses
of the village of Palangan snuggle uphill.
Palangan in Kurdistan ranks at one of
Iran’s most picturesque villages
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
159  A family takes a break in the
shade of the stone steps that lead to
the village of Palangan
160  Iranians are known for their
legendary hospitality. In Palangan we
are served tea, a noodle dish, whipped
cream and fruits preserved in syrup
161  It is lunchtime. Girls in Palangan
are on their way home from school
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
162  It honks, we stop. The family asks
us for a picture in front of our LandCruiser.
Iranians are keen to meet
and invite foreigners
163  In the village of Negl along the
Sanandaj-Marivan road we discover
a picturesque wall painting depicting
a lovely mountain scene
164  ..... the houses of Negl stretch uphill.
Villages in Iran are always compact, there is
no urban sprawl. Negl lies roughly halfway
between Sanandaj and Marivan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
165  Razaw, a typical earth colored
village with flat roofs, is embedded in
much greenery. It is about 5 miles before
Sarvabad on the route Sanandaj-Marivan
166  An aura of peace lies over the small,
3 miles long Kurdish Zarivar (Zeribar)
Lake near Marivan, the border town to
Kurdish province of Sulaymanyia in Iraq .....
167  ..... a swarm of ducklings
is bustling in the water
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
168  The Zarivar lakeside promenade
2 miles northwest of Marivan is popular for
time off. There are pedalos, shishas
(water pipes) and food and drinks. A
man starts setting up his tea kitchen .....
169  ..... two "Shisha" (water pipe)
vendors are passing their time
with a domino game .....
170  ..... at another corner a man
fans the charcoal for his “shisha”
and for grilling his corncobs
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
171  Along the Marivan-Sanandaj road
a lonely herdsman follows his sheep
deeper into the rolling hills –
a typical Kurdish landscape
172  Not a whisper of wind is blurring
the mirror-like surface of the Vahdat Reser-
voir, 9 miles north of Sanandaj along the
Sanandaj-Bukan highway .....
173  ..... and no house interrupts
the view to the Kurdish mountains
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
174
175
176
A lovely scene depicting a Kurdish wedding with its guests is set up at a little restaurant at the village of
Qarah Bolagh about 12 miles southeast of the big city of Mahabad. The costumes and the music are so unique authentic
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
177  A flower carpet of white daisies
(marguerites), dotted with red
poppies – a combination that
quite often enjoys our eyes
178  About 45 miles before Orumiyeh
is the little Lake Hasanloo. The snow
mountains in the background are more
or less situated along the Kurdish
Iraq-Iran border near Piranshahr
179  Lake Orumiyeh (2’000 sq.mi.)
bordering Turkey (Southeast Anatolia)
and Iraq (Kurdish province of Erbil), is
as salty as the Dead Sea (Jordan/Israel).
After the diversion of the Zariné Rud
river to slake Tabriz’s growing thirst,
it is shrinking by the year
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
180  Our LandCruiser needs
an oil change in Orumiyeh
181  Liliana is preparing lunch at the
“Flamingo Chi Chest Coastal Village”
at Golmankhaneh, ca. 10 miles
east of Orumiyeh .....
182  ..... a student comes along with
his mother and his aunt. They offer us
watermelon and stay for a chat –
again typical hospitality in Iran
 
 
More websites from Iran:
Iran - part 1: Ferry Port Bandar Abbas-Shiraz-Persepolis-Pasargad (between Persepolis and Yazd) May 2013
Iran - part 2: Pasargad (excl.)-Yazd-Esfahan May 2013
Iran - part 4: Ferry Port Bandar Abbas-Kerman-Mashhad-Bajgiran April/May 2016
 
More websites from the Middle East:
Welcome to Kuwait on March 3rd, 1996
Yemen car trip (from Oman to Saudi Arabia) - from May 16th, to June 15th, 1996
Sandstorm in Saudi Arabia on February 4th, 1999
Trip to Dubai in January and February 1999
Oman 1999 - from mid-March to mid-April 1999
Oman 2013 – Part 1 - February 2013: Musandam Peninsula
Oman 2013 – Part 2 - February 2013: Sohar - Muscat - Rustaq - Nizwa
Oman 2013 – Part 3 - March 2013: Sur - East Coast - Island of Masirah - Dhofar
Oman 2013 – Part 4 - March 2013: Salalah & Surroundings (Dhofar) - Nizwa
Oman 2013 – Part 5 - March 2013: Western Hajar Mountains
Fairytale Wedding in Dubai - United Arab Emirates - with our car from February 7th, to May 20th, 1999
Sharjah + Dubai: United Arab Emirates - without our vehicle from February 19th, to 27th, 2011
Sharjah/Dubai/1st Traveler's Festival/Emirates National Auto Museum - UAE with car Nov. 2012 to Jan. 2013 - part 1
Western UAE - Liwa - United Arab Emirates  with car in January 2013 - part 2
Al Ain, Eastcoast & Ras al Khaima - United Arab Emirates with our car in April 2013 - part 3
Turkey Eastern Anatatolia - June 2013
Socotra - without our car from February 9th, to 19th, 2011:
Part 1: Socotra trip in Yemen (East) Hadibo - Dihamri - Arher Beach
Part 2: Socotra trip in Yemen (South) Homhil - Aomak Beach - Wadi Daerhu - Dicksam Plateau
Part 3: Socotra trip in Yemen (West) Qalansiya - Shouab Beach - Qadama Beach - Momi Plateau - Wadi Ayhaft
Saudi Arabia 2016: Transit from Sudan to the United Arab Emirates