The Iranian Silk Road

Deh Namak (literally, ‘Village of Salt’) was 441km from Isfahan along Shah Abbas’ walk. This satellite image shows the qaleh (fort) and the two caravanserais in this tiny village. I think Shah Abbas probably, in 1601, either camped here or – perhaps – lodged in the fort.

The Iranian Silk Road

This schematic drawing shows the 24 known stopping places along the final part of Shah Abbas’ 1601 walk. Those indicated as open diamonds were included in an Ottoman logistics briefing for a bungled invasion of Iran during the reign of Shah Abbas.

The Iranian Silk Road

After Shah Abbas the First had walked through Kashan and across the kavir area of salt plain and salt mud, he turned eastwards along the Khurasan highroad towards the Holy City of Mashhad. This latter part of the Shah’s route is easy to trace exactly: many pilgrims came – and still come – this way. …

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