Just 50km away from Kashan, travellers seeking a truly authentic desert with huge sand dunes, a famous caravanserai and a breathtaking night sky will be happy to find the Maranjab Desert or Kavir-e Maranjab. Visitors of this hot and isolated desert usually stay for one or more nights. If you’ve ever been to a desert before, you know that it’s not just an empty plain. Or even the camels, lizards or the odd desert bird that make it special. It’s the energy. There’s just something about the isolated silence, ever so often broken by the wind or footsteps of a critter or animal. There are many things that deserts humbly and silently hold within them. Come along with goingIRAN to learn and discover more about this destination!
Right before it gets too hot to bear, take a walk among the astonishing desert sands early morning. There are many things that await discovery in the desert environment, however they are subtle. Before noon, travellers choose to begin there walk around and of the desert dunes towards the famous Maranjab Caravanserai. Here they rest from high noon to about 3 or 4pm when heat becomes tolerable once again. The caravanserai is an awesome example of Safavid architecture built in the order of Shah Abas. With four watch towers (one on every corner) travellers would take be able to take a load off and safely rest. As the day begins to cool down, tourists and traveller groups set out, once again, to find a good camping spot. This means they would be looking for a less-sandy and flatter area where all of the tents can be propped around the camp fires where they will keep warm.
People in the desert usually don’t sleep as soon as night falls however. With a night sky that is so indescribably stunning and beautiful, one may find it hard to just to sleep! As we are all used to the light pollution around us in the cities we live in, witnessing the amazing glittering desert night sky is a truly a transformational experience. As the morning comes, after you pack your tent and bags and say goodbye to the camels possibly hanging out around you, you may want to sneak in a little desert safari ride before you head to your next destination! Be warned, it is quite a bumpy ride, however you won’t find a better deal to do this anywhere else in the Middle East!
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Main photo by Habib Bigdelu
City/Town: Kashan province
Address: Maranjab Desert, Maranjab Road, Aran va Bidgol Town
Neighborhood: Maranjab Caravansary – Namak Lake