We left Tehran a bit past 8:30 in the morning and headed south to Qom. We covered many miles of barren land, which reminded Tim of the Mojave Desert near where he grew up, and arrived at Qom around 10:30 in the morning. 

Qom is considered holy by Shiʿa Islam, as it is the site of the of Fatimah bint Musa, sister of Imam Ali ibn Musa Rida. It was also the place from which Ayatollah Khomeini led the uprising that led to the Islamic Revolution of 1979. As was the case at the ImamZadeh Saleh shrine in Tehran, Suzan and the other women in our group had to wear chadors to enter the shrine. The women who work at the shrine were very helpful.

Our guide at the shrine was a charming young woman who explained who Fatimah was and the importance of the shrine, along with imparting some Islamic moral precepts. Suzan had a brief conversation with one of the worshipers, who assured her that all were welcome here–Christian, Jew, Moslem–and that we were all children of the One God.

The tile work and architecture are absolutely fabulous!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Our next stop was the medium-sized city of Kashan. On our way in we stopped for lunch on the edge of town. The aroma of roses was everywhere. Along with a lovely lunch room with buffet-style meal, there was both a rosewater distillery and a small shop that sold locally produced rosewater. We learned that Kashan is famous for its rosewater and that rose products are important to the Iranian economy. People appreciate it for its flavor as in recipes. It is also used as an ingredient in perfumes. Suzan bought two vials. She says she will never again enjoy the fragrance of roses without thinking of Kashan.

• 

• 

For more about this process, here is a ten-minute video on the large-scale production of rosewater in Iran.

Very close to the rosewater shop was the Fin Garden, one of more than twenty Iranian sites listed as World Heritage sites. The peacefulness and serenity of the area were totally refreshing. Much running water, many cypress trees, beautiful architecture. We hope the pictures and video below will convey some sense of the beauty and serenity of this garden.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Below is Suzan’s video clip surveying one small section of the buildings surrounding the garden. The architecture, tile work, the greenery of the garden, the water–all blend together into a marvelous whole.

We then went to the Kashan Bazaar. Because of the time of day (late afternoon) many of the shops were closed, but we could still see a wonderful old dome in one of the central spaces. We were fortunate to be able to view the spectacular sunset from the roof of the bazaar.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Finally, we checked into the Negin Hotel, which was our favorite hotel on the whole trip. The hotel has a very traditional feel to it, with several interconnected courtyards adjacent to spacious rooms and a stunning dining room in a covered courtyard. And the food was delicious!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We were told that the Iranian-American woman who established the hotel uses all of the profits from the business to support local orphanages. According to the website of the hotel, “The most obvious feature of complex is supporting socially orphaned children by using the entire income of the complex. These children in range 3-18 y.o. are being kept in 4 special centers of negin kayyerin kashan NGO in all the day time. This complex is bought, rebuilt and equipped by a educated couple, Dr Mohammad Farivar and Mrs Masoume Akhavan.” Here is more information on the Negin Charity.