Things to do in Iran
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Safa Hammam
Safa Hammam is the best known of Qazvin’s traditional subterranean bathhouses to remain active. The domed central rest area is attractive. Men only.
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A
Nemoner Sandwich
Fancy a camel burger? This modest little place can knock one up in about three minutes. There’s no English sign, but it’s directly opposite the camel butchery.
reviewed
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B
Chaykhaneh Caravan Sara
This tiny place under the cavernous dome is rightly famous for its richly flavoured dizi (soup-stew meal) and tea, and you can go onto the roof (buy something first).
reviewed
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Eghbali
Prices are high and despite the odd fake stone frieze there isn’t much atmosphere. Nonetheless it’s popular with travellers for its English menu and reliable food.
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inscribed Stone
In a stone-edged circle beside thundering Shari’ati St is an inscribed stone from around AD 1150, apparently setting out details of local grazing rights.
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Carpet Shops
Several carpet shops around Imam Sq let you check email for free in exchange for the opportunity to bend your ear about carpets, including Nomad Carpet Shop and Aladdin Carpets .
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D
Mosbat Cafe
Marginally the best of Valiasr’s trendy coffee shops thanks to its stylish downstairs triangular tables and wooden ‘bar’ seating. Upstairs is less appealing.
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E
Fish Market
Self-caterers should head for this fish market for fresh Gulf fish, filleted if you ask. Even if you don’t plan to cook, this is a fun place to wander round with a camera.
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Dehkhoda Institute
The International Center for Persian Studies at the institute offers five-week and 3½-/seven-month courses. Tuition is inexpensive, but you’ll need to find your own accommodation.
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F
Arabo
This popular underground pizza joint–cum-café offers heavily made-up, crimson-clad waitresses and pizza that’s tasty despite the usual Iranian-pizza limitations.
reviewed
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Jawed Traditional Restaurant
Arguably the best of the garden restaurants, Jawed serves several varieties of delicious kababs and some less meaty dishes, all washed down with chay (tea) and qalyan (water pipe).
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Museum of Fine Arts
The Museum of Fine Arts is in one of the more impressive buildings and houses some charming Persian oil paintings dating back to the 18th century and some beautiful inlaid furniture.
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Mausoleum
In its own little traffic roundabout, Sheikh Mohammed Hakim Mo’men’s modest, Safavid-era mausoleum isn’t very green but makes a useful landmark.
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Snack stalls, Azadi Sq
Snacks, and confectioners selling Kermanshah's archetypal Nan Berenji cookies (literally 'bread-rice'; a round semi-sweet confection that's usually yellow and flavoured with safron).
reviewed
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Nobahar
This is a fairly large, comparatively low-stress bazaar eatery that serves stews (including qimeh nasar ), which you can choose by pointing at the relevant kitchen cauldron.
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Bazar-e Reza
Upstairs in the 800m-long Bazar-e Reza, jewellery stalls proffer turquoise (mined at nearby Neishabur) but their sales pitch is often more impressive than their gems.
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H
Market
Part café, part gourmet sandwich shop, part delicatessen and salad farm, Market and its fare would be common in Western cities but is new to Tehran. The food is fresh and filling.
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I
Mikhak Restaurant
Just off the northeast end of the bazaar, the Mikhak serves quality Iranian comfort food that seems to comfort half of the bazaris every day. Vegetarians should look elsewhere.
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Qazvin Museum
This spacious modern museum predominantly features 19th- century decorative arts but the bottom floor has some 3000-year-old bronzes and ceramics from the Alamut Valley.
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Baba Taher Mausoleum
It looks like a failed prototype for Thunderbird 3. There’s little reason to go inside unless you enjoy Persian calligraphy, inscribed here on some gently opalescent stone wall-slabs.
reviewed
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J
Fereni Hafez
For an Iranian breakfast experience (at any time of day) head for where you can enjoy a delicious bowl (or two) of fereni (made of rice flour, milk, sugar and rose-water) for IR2000.
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Shohada Museum
Diagonally opposite the US Den of Espionage is the Shohada Museum, which has rolling exhibitions of photographs, usually from the Iran–Iraq War or the 1979 revolution.
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L
Restaurant Ganjali Khan
This underground place near the bazaar entrance offers delicious food at very reasonable prices which makes it a local favourite. You can also just sit and drink tea. There is no English sign.
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Church of St Mary
The Church of St Mary is decorated, though with less flair. If the churches are closed, as they often are, and door-knocking doesn’t work, ask for help at the cathedral.
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M
Ghaem Teahouse
This is an ideal, if somewhat pricey, place from which to watch the people and traffic carnage over tea, qalyan and dates (IR40,000, 4pm to midnight only). It also does the usual range of kababs.
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