Siahkuh (also called Abbasabad or Qasr-i Bahram) and Haramserail are situated close together, and between the fearsome salt plains of the Darya Namak and a 30km expanse of salty mud. Siahkuh is said to have been built as a hunting lodge for Shah Abbas the First, while the nearby Haramserail is suggested to have been constructed for his wives and children.
Shah Abbas did not halt at any of the local buildings on the 1601 walk, although he did stop at ‘Siyahkuh’ in 1602, on his return from the Balkh campaign.
Access to the area now also requires a special government permit. When I returned from my visit, I found that AH Morton had visited in 1971, and he kindly gave me access to his many slides – a few of which are shown here.