Rasht Sights

  1. Dana-ye Ali Shrine

    Cute little Dana-ye Ali Shrine is topped with a faceted pyramid of blue tiling.

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  2. Gilan Rural Heritage Museum

    Many 'typical' thatched-roof Gilani cottages with upper wooden balustrades are being reassembled in the excellent Gilan Rural Heritage Museum 18km south of Rasht (2km off the Qazvin highway). Six full homesteads complete with rice-barns are already 'active' in 150 hectares of woodland. On open days, local crafts (thatching, mat-making, cloth-weaving) are displayed and there are tight-rope walking mini-shows. Houses display local tools left lying around as though the owners had just nipped out to the pub.

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  3. Horseman Statue

    The horseman statue is Kuchuk Khan, the Jangali leader of 'Soviet Iran'. A steady flow of well-wishers visit his mausoleum on Manzariyeh St, sheltered by a contemporary brick gazebo with intricate wooden roof.

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  4. Rasht Museum

    Rasht Museum is small, but well-presented in a 1930s house. Its mannequin displays illustrate Gilaki lifestyle, amid a selection of 3000-year old terracotta riton drinking horns in the shape of bulls, rams and deer. Supping from such vessels supposedly endowed the drinker with the powers and skills of the animal depicted.

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  5. Shahrdari

    The Shahrdari is Rasht's most identifiable landmark, its colonial style tempered by a token mini-dome topping a distinctive whitewashed tower. It looks great when floodlit at night. Palm trees admire the interplay of fountains in the square opposite.

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