Kerman
Kerman is the capital of Kerman.
Understand
Kerman is a city in southeastern Iran with 677,650 inhabitants (2006)[1], situated on a sandy plain 1749 metres above sea level. It is the capital of Kerman with 2,652,413 inhabitants (2006) and an area of 181,714 km². Kerman is the largest carpet producing and exporting center in Iran. Kerman is a large producer of pistachios on the world market. The province is rich in minerals, like copper, coal, chromium, lead, zinc, uranium and aluminum, but mining has remained on a small scale. In recent times crude oil has been discovered, but is yet not exploited.
Get in
By plane
Kerman International Airport (KER IATA) has regular flights to some major and smaller cities in Iran. The destinations include:
- Tehran (3-4 flights per day)
- Isfahan (1 flight per week)
- Zahedan (1 flight per week)
- Mashad (2 flights per week)
- Kish Island (2 flights per week)
- Kermanshah
- Shiraz
By bus
Kerman is well connected to most parts of the country by bus.
By car
Freeways connect the city to Yazd(300 Km), Zahedan, Bandare Abbas(600 km), Birjand and Shiraz(600 km), Mashhad (1,200) km.
By Train
Kerman is connected to the whole railway network of Iran. It is connected to Yazd and also it will be connected to Zahedan in the near future(Under construction).
Get around
You can get around the city by taxi or bus. You can also go to the small towns such as Mahan, Joopar Shahdad, ...as well as the villages, such as Sirch, Zngi-Abad and ... by bus or taxi.
See
- Bazaar - Explore the arcades of the bazaar, indulge in the smells of oriental spices.
- Gonbad-e-Jabaliyeh - An amazing dome in the east of Kerman.
- Ganjalikhan bath - A historic bath
- Mouyedi Ice-House - There are several small-gardens around this ice-house which were filled with the water in winter, then after that the water iced, the ices lead to the ice-house to use in summer.
- San'ati museum - An interesting museum in contemporary arts of Kerman.
- Vakil traditional tea house - An attractive traditional tea house in the covered bazar.
- Ganjali Khan Square - It is similar to "Naghshe Jahan" and "Mirchakhmaq" squares. The bazaars are located in three side of square and in the fourth side, the Ganjali Khan School is established.
- Ganjali Khan Mosque - It is located in the north-west of square and near Ganjalikhan School. It was constructed in 1007 A.H.
- Zarabkhaneh museum - It is located in the north side of square. This eight-angle place includes an arch, four porticoes and four booths in four views. Now, it has changed to coin museum.
- Jameh mosque - The Friday mosque.
- Moshtri-ye-Moshtak Ali Shah - A holy shrine.
- Malek mosque (Imam mosque) - A gem of a mosque!
- National Library, housed in a former a textile factory.
- Museum of the Holy Defense - Interesting installation in the courtyard, depicting a battlefield in the Shatt-el-arab. Admission 3000 IRR.
- Takht-e-Darya-Gholi-Beyg - A monument in the side of the hills in the east of Kerman.
- Ghal'e Dokhtar - A historical castle in the hills in the east of Kerman; attributed to the Ashkanian era.
- Ghal'e Ardeshir - A historical castle in the hills in the east of Kerman; attributed to the Ashkanian era.
Do
Buy
- Rugs, Like many Iranian cities, Kerman produces rugs and has its own well-known style of rug-making.
- Pistachio, Kerman is the center of producing the pistachio in Iran. More than 95% of Iran pistachio is produced in Kerman.
- Kolompeh is a very delicious pie
- Henna a flowering plant which is another souvenir of kerman.
- Cumin a herbaceous annual plant, which is another souvenir of kerman.
- Patteh is a unique handicraft which is produced in Kerman.
- Quvetoo (Persian:قوِتو - قاووت)
- Distills, Kerman have many kinds of aromatic distills.
Eat
You can almost find any food that is served in other cites of iran.There are many restaurants ( both fast food and traditional) around the city and notably on Jomhuri Blv.
- Qal'eh Restaurant and Teahouse, Alley No. 9, Imam street, Northeast of Ganj Ali Khan Square. A traditional Iranian teahouse that serves tea, snacks and shisha. The owner, Mahmood (speaks Farsi only), can be reached at 09135313537.
Drink
Drinking alcohol is illegal, and if seen by police may be met with punishment, though available on the black market.
- Doogh is a popular and delicious naturally-carbonated yogurt drink. It is generally served with ice and a dash of mint.
- Distills - Kerman have many kinds of aromatic distill's.
- Pāloodeh-e-Kermani (Fāloodeh-e-Kermani) is a special deliciously refreshing sorbet made from small drops of starch, suspended in rosewater.
- Black tea (chāi, چای) is the national drink of alcohol-free Iran. It is served strong and with crystallised or cubed sugar (ghand, قند) which is held artfully between the teeth while tea is sipped through.
- Fruit juices (āb miveh, آب ميوه), A wide variety of fruit juices (āb miveh, آب ميوه) and drinks are available from shops and street vendors including cherry cordial (sharbat ālbāloo, شربت آلبالو) and banana milkshakes (shir moz, شير موز).
- Soft drinks are widely available, both international makes such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi, and their brand names including 7up, Sprite, Fanta, etc., and local makes such as ZamZam. Note that "Coca-Cola Original" and "Pepsi Original" etc. are NOT made of original The Coca-Cola Company's and PepsiCo's ingredients and taste exactly the same as ZamZam.
- Ma-o-sha'eir is a non-alcoholic beer which you can find in the supermarkets.
Sleep
- Pars Hotel, Jomhuri Blvd. - Kerman, ☏ +98(0)341 2119331-2, fax: +98(0)341 2119333, kermanreception&information@parshotels.com.
- Akhavann Hotel, Shahid Sodooghi Ave., ☏ 0098(+)341 2441411-2.
- Govashir Hotel, Imam Khomeini Expreress way., ☏ 0098(+)341 2512718.
- Hotel Omid has the cheapest rooms in town, but no singles.
Learn
- Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman is one of the highest rank universities in Iran (among the 8 top Iranian universities) for its educational and research activities as well as its design and development. The university was granted permission to be established on August 9,1972 and started its academic activities formally in 1975, in 3 disciplines: Physics, Chemistry, and English; with 10 faculty members and 70 students.The university is located in the south eastern part of Kerman, in an area of 500 hectares. At the present time, it has an enrollment of about 12500 students who are studying and doing research in 16 colleges and research institutes of the university. There is about 140,000 square meters physical space available. There are about 100 different disciplines available for the students to choose from, which offers programs leading to B.A., B.Sc., M.A., M.Sc., D.V.M.,or Ph.D. degrees. There are 400 faculty members, and 1000 regular employees at the university.
- Afzali Pour (Kerman) University of Medical Sciences [2]
- Azad University of Kerman [3]
Stay safe
Iran is generally a safe country. It is advised however, that being an obvious tourist may attract some unwanted attention from interested Iranians, but do not be alarmed or react negatively. Standard advice to keep your bag secured and safe, and to leave personal and valuable belongings in your hotel room or hotel safe should be regarded. Iranians are generally peaceful, hospitable people, but it is advised to act with caution when walk in the streets alone late at night or when approached by strangers to the same degree that you would in your native country.
You might want to have plastic money to prevent having your money stolen. Bank-e Melli-ye Iran (National Bank of Iran) which is a government-owned bank in Iran, provides an ATM debit card service (plastic magnetic card) for tourists who visit Iran. Tourists just need to head the nearest branch of this bank. Information on this service can be found here. Another way to prevent having your money stolen, is going to the nearest bank and getting a gift card. They are exactly like ordinary ATM debit cards, but once they get empty, they cannot be recharged. Sepah Bank or Bank -e- Sepah is a governmental bank that has a current account service for foreigners which provides both ATM debit card and cheque writing option. A list of permitted Iranian banks can be found here
Emergency services phone numbers
- Police: 110
- Fire department: 125
- EMS: 115
- Road EMS: 115 or 112
Go next
- Visit Rayen Castel with a magnificent old citadel (similar to Bam).
- Mahan is only 30 kilometers away. Thereby you can see Shazdeh's garden which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and about 5.5 hectares with a rectangular shape and a wall around it. The garden is a fine example of Persian gardens that take advantage of suitable natural climate. As well as the Shah-Ne'matollah-e-Vali monument.