Iran
Though not one of Semnan's classic caravanserai villages, Padeh's sizeable shattered citadel, dating back at least 1500 years, has been so eroded by water and weather that it seems to be an almost abstract sculpture of hill-sized proportions. You can poke around in a preserved hammam site and pudding-shaped ice house amid many ruined old structures.
It's 5km off the Damghan–Garmsar Hwy, via the Aradan turning 93km west of Semnan, which is marked by a conical abambar (water cistern).
11.18 MILES
Once the fourth stop on the ancient Rey–Khorasan caravan route, Dehnamak is most interesting for its recently restored Safavid-era caravanserai, now a…
22.3 MILES
A low, arid, red-brown ridge scalloped into corrugated hills follows the Garmsar–Qom Hwy south. Look closely and you'll see it's pocked with giant entry…
11.11 MILES
In an early 20th-century 'khan's house', this modest yet well displayed museum includes ancient pottery and mannequin displays – including a barber…
11.11 MILES
In an early 20th-century 'khan's house', this modest yet well displayed museum includes ancient pottery and mannequin displays – including a barber…
11.18 MILES
Once the fourth stop on the ancient Rey–Khorasan caravan route, Dehnamak is most interesting for its recently restored Safavid-era caravanserai, now a…
22.3 MILES
A low, arid, red-brown ridge scalloped into corrugated hills follows the Garmsar–Qom Hwy south. Look closely and you'll see it's pocked with giant entry…