Book "Unforgettable Iran". Chapter 5.1 Abyane
Abyane - "a place where willows grow" (one of the versions of the origin of the name)
The idea to go to this mountain village came about by chance - we wanted to find a place where you can have a good rest, take a walk and take beautiful photos. We took a regular bus ($1.5) to the turn to Abyane, and then we planned to hitchhike. Reza wished us good luck and left on a bicycle. As soon as he managed to drive off fifty meters, we stopped a large pickup truck, into the back of which we happily jumped. It remains only to wait for our cyclist - now he ran to the pickup truck, showing that he did not want to pedal and agreed to ride with us.
The most interesting thing to do in Abyane is to look at the houses made of red clay, whose balconies are supported on wooden piles, look into the traditional lattice windows, walk along the narrow streets, climb on the roof of the house and be surprised to find that it is a courtyard for others. houses above. You can take pictures with the inhabitants of the city, they wear colorful national clothes (I was told that they are forced to dress like this in order to attract tourists). In addition, donkeys are used as the main means of transport in the city, so the village is quite colorful.
Walking around the city, find an abandoned bathhouse (hammam) and visit a healing spring, go to a mosque with a conical blue roof (Imamzade ye Yahya) and admire the mausoleum with a beautiful pond. Pay attention to the knockers on the doors: round and large or long and thin. Such hammers make various sounds so that the owners of the house can understand who to send to meet the guest - a woman or a man.
We passed Abyaneh, as they say, along (from the entrance to the village to the mosque) and across (from the ruins of the fortress on the mountain to the fort next to the radio tower). The most interesting photographs of the rooftops came from the fortress, and the best panoramic shots from the fort.
While walking along one of the streets, something painfully fell on my head. I looked up and saw an apricot tree. It was the end of August, but these apricots were just ripe, juicy and tasty, although very small. They probably ripened later due to the mountain climate. Luka climbed a tree and began to shake it, and the two of us began to collect the fruits. Having collected a whole bag of apricots, we had lunch by the river. Reza left for Kashan on a bicycle, and we walked to the exit of the city to try hitchhiking. The first car that passed us stopped.
- Kashan? the driver asked.
- Magjoni? (free) - we clarified.
From the very beginning, the driver was not going to take money for the fare - he immediately realized that we were foreigners, and now he wanted to get acquainted. Most of all, he liked Luka, who did not look like an Iranian - a typical blond, he also wore a red T-shirt - they prefer not to wear clothes of this color in Iran. And the driver mistook me for a local resident. Having fun talking, we quickly reached Kashan.
Author: Kozlovsky Alexander.
Book: "Unforgettable Iran". 159 days hitchhiking.
