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Yazdi reports that Abbas walked 67km in one stage over the Darya Namak (literally, ‘salt sea’). This distance seems impractical: although I agreed with Pietro della Valle that the walking over this otherworldly landscape is “truly the most agreeable that I can say” – at dusk and in the night, anyway; in 1617, della Valle …
The bucket well shown here, at Dastkan (273km from Isfahan), has sweet and pure water despite being in sight of the salt plains (look top left, for the white sheen at the foot of the mountains). Although the spot is now desolate, in 1617 Pietro della Valle stayed in one of the two local caravanserais.
At Khosh Ab (literally ‘good water’: 241km from Isfahan), the high underground water table means that watermelons will – in season – grow well in this dusty dip in the ground even without irrigation.
This schematic drawing shows Shah Abbas’ 1601 route (larger dots), and also the later Safavid Royal Highroad (small dots). It also shows some of the constructions from Abbas’ post-walk building campaign in the salt plain/mud area.
After Kashan (211km from Isfahan), the Shah travelled up to the salt plain of the Darya Namak (white patch on the satellite image here), and then across 40km of salt mud towards the Khurasan Highroad and the holy city of Mashhad.
This man is a Qasim, and a descendant of the Hajji/Khwaju Qasim who built the birka (small reservoir) where Shah Abbas halted (159km from Isfahan). He has distinctively hazel eyes (sadly not shown at their best here in the bright midday sun), and all his relatives – perhaps including Khwaju Qasim, over four hundred years ago – …
Although not as large as the one which sheltered Shah Abbas, the chenar (plane tree) partly shown here in front the Natanz shrine is still a mighty tree. Its shade is probably one of the reasons why the luscious colours still remain on the early fourteenth century tiles on the portal.
This satellite image of Natanz shows the main street, lined with plane trees (chenar). The Ilkhanid shrine of Abd al-Samad – and even the shadow of its’ lofty minaret – is easily visible. The ‘monstrous’ chenar under which Shah Abbas lodged (123km from Isfahan) is now only a struggling stump: Figueroa described it in 1618 as easily …
Sardahan is one of the few caravanserais ever to be marked on maps. Siroux describes it as a “lost Italianate palace, rich in theatrical effects” – and even its ruins are still splendid.
This satellite image shows the Sardahan pass. The caravanserai remains (87km from Isfahan on Shah Abbas’ 1601 walk) are near the modern road.