Kerman 
The history of Kerman reminds one of a long and eventful saga. One painted with blood when the horrendous wrath of a eunuch lighted on the petrified people and claimed not only their lands but also their sights. One swathed in the abstract patterns of silk rugs and the slumberous warmth of cashmere shawls made by the same weary hands that tended their fathers’ hollow eyes. Kerman first came into prominence in early Sassanid era when it served as a military camp against foreign invasions. The city retained its strategic significance until it was invaded by Arab Muslims during the Battle of Nahavand. In the aftermath of the invasion, Kerman population who were for the most part Zoroastrian either fled the region or gradually converted to Islam. Largely due to its remoteness from the centers of power, Kerman remained virtually independent for most of the succeeding centuries until the rise of the Safavid monarchs once again brought Kerman under spotlight. Kerman became an important center of commerce and many handicrafts of the region especially the priceless handwoven rugs were exported to the European countries. The prosperity of the city gained even more momentum when Kerman became the capital of Iran during the short reign of Lotf Ali Khan of Zand dynasty. However, this was the beginning of an end. When Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar conquered the city in the wake of a long siege, he unleashed all his years-long stifled rancor and belligerence on the city of Kerman and its population who had sided with Lotf Ali Khan. His vengeance was diabolical; thousands were brutally murdered and more than 20000 were blinded. It took many years till Kerman recovered from the calamity of Agha Mohammad Khan’s scourge and people turned to their only recourse namely handicrafts, to forget the macabre memories of the past. But when Kerman finally regained the prosperity of its hey days, commerce flourished once again in this important route of the Silk Road and once again Kerman was back on the road of wealth and success. Enough about history! Now let’s take a look at Kerman’s exceptional geopolitical significant as the most important city in the southeast of Iran. Kerman is a city in Iran located between two grand deserts, Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut. Kerman is easily found on Iran’s map northwest of Sistan and Baluchestan and southeast of Yazd. Every part of Iran is known for a specific thing. Shiraz is the city of poetry, Yazd is the city of windcatchers, Tehran is the city of royal palaces and Kerman is of course known for its legendry rugs. You have probably heard of the famous saying that compares a person who is too young for his/her age to a Kerman handwoven rug. These invaluable pieces of handicraft are the main exported goods from Kerman and are also very popular among the Iranians because of their beauty and durability.
Kerman is the largest among Iran provinces. With a sweeping total area of 185 km2 Kerman presents an astounding set of tourist spots. Those who plan to travel to Kerman would want good deals on Kerman accommodation and the good news is that there is a great diversity in Kerman hotels, their service, amenities and location. Kerman Tourist Hotel is an excellent three-star hotel near the major tourist destinations of Kerman. A nice restaurant and a classy coffee shop, exclusive parking space, modern facilities in rooms, a tennis court and a pool hall are some of the great services of Kerman Tourist Hotel. As with all three-star hotels, the price of the rooms is quite reasonable in comparison to the high prices of fancy hotels. Speaking of fancy hotels, Kerman has one of the best five-star hotels in the southeast of Iran. Parsian Hotel in Kerman is a huge eight-floor building with 197 rooms. In addition to the usual facilities found in a top-rated hotel such as great rooms and lobby, Parsian Hotel offers superb Iranian and international dishes in its spacious and modern restaurant. Moreover, it offers a quiet stay far from the bustle of the city center while providing topnotch taxi services for taking the guests to the major tourist attractions of the city. When it comes to cheap hostels and guesthouses in Kerman, the choices are multiplied. The best of Kerman hostels and guesthouses are near the city center around which much of the tourist activities revolve. Hostels in Kerman are usually owned and managed by the locals who are very kind and sociable and a great help to travelers. A typical cheap Kerman guesthouse provides you with a comfy bed and a nice and cozy atmosphere. It goes without saying that residing in a guesthouse in Kerman will cost you much less than a five-star or even a three-star hotel.
Kerman tours have a very special place in our Iran tour packages as Kerman is at the border of two vast deserts in Iran, Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut. The latter aspect alone attracts thousands of tourists to Kerman and its scenic surroundings. In the recent years desert tourism has gone through many changes, resulting in a huge number of new adventurous activities including desert racing, sand sliding, camel riding, dune bashing, sandboarding and quad biking. The great thing about Iran deserts is that because of their vastness, diversity of natural formations and also the presence of different types of sand dunes, they are ideal for all kinds of desert activities. Most of the desert tours include these entertainments in their packages and most of them are open to suggestions and we can surely arrange for all kinds of fun things to do in the sublimity of Iranian deserts. All of these tours are conducted by professional Iranian tour guides most of whom are selected from the local population with a comprehensive knowledge of the area, its history and geography.
Kerman desert tours are truly unique in allowing access to both of the grand deserts in Iran. Once you are in Iran, a desert tour seems inevitable since deserts cover 25 % of Iran’s land area and are among the hottest spots on the face of the earth. The most prominent feature of desert areas near Kerman especially those in Dasht-e Lut (Lut Desert) is the presence of peculiar formations in the desert known as Kalut (yardang in English). Many different shapes of Kaluts could be spotted in the deserts in Iran especially in Dasht-e Lut. Some of the most breathtaking of these Kaluts are located in Shahdad desert in Kerman. Shahdad Kaluts Tour is very popular among Iran desert tours. As the visitors enter Shahdad deserts, they are welcome by a scene that inspires awe. Towering Kaluts of outlandish sizes and shapes appear on the horizon. As you tread upon the sand terrain surrounded by the gigantic Kaluts, it feels like visiting the site of an apocalyptic event. Not far from the Shahdad’s City sof Kaluts, you will come across a set of traditional desert tents grouped together to form a desert lodging base. This is Shahdad Desert Camp, a sanctuary for the exhausted travelers who seek an abode away from the scorching sun and sand storms.
If you are a frequenter of our website, you have most likely read about our Iran city sightseeing tours. In the course of these one-day tours we take you to a journey through time. We visit the major historic tourist spots of every city and get to know the customs and culture of every region. Kerman is one of the cities in the list of our city sightseeing tours. Some of the top-rated tourist attractions included in our Kerman one-day tours are Bazaar of Kerman, Ganjali Khan Complex, Jabaliyeh Dome and Jameh Mosque. In what comes below we will take a brief look at some of the most popular tourist attractions of Kerman.
Kerman tourist attractions similar to the tourist spots in other desert cities in Iran like Zahedan, Yazd and Kashan are reminiscent of the desert and the dunes. People working in Iran’s tourism industry know about the huge potential of Kerman tourism. Kerman as the largest province in Iran has numerous points of interest for tourists. So, there are lots of ways to answer the question: What to see in Kerman? Among the provinces of Iran, Kerman is famous for one of its historic attractions, Arg-e Bam, the largest and most ancient citadel in the country. Despite being heavily damaged during the catastrophic earthquake of 2003, Arg-e Bam as the largest adobe structure in the world still stands amid the earth and sand watching over the whole region. If you mention the name Kerman to a history buff, he will immediately speak of Arg-e Bam and also of the ancient dome of Jabalieh. Known by many names including Gabri Dome, Jabalieh is a peculiar octangular structure made of stone and brick. The edifice is a hot topic for archeologists and historians due to its unknown date of construction, the material used in it and its main function. Some believe that it used to be a fire temple and others argue that it was built after the Muslim Conquest of Persia inspired by Sassanid architecture. But in spite of all these controversies, Jabalieh is an important historic site and a masterpiece of ancient Iranian architecture. The long reign of the Safavid kings is reflected in the outstanding monuments of the era spread all over the country. From Isfahan’s colossal Naghsh-e Jahan Square to the formidable congregational mosques all over Iran, Safavid proved themselves as great patrons of art. A prime instance of the glorious artistry of Iranians during Safavid era and one of the most impressive tourist attraction of Kerman is Ganjali Khan Complex. Comprised of a bazaar, a square, a caravanserai, a mint, a water reservoir, a mosque, a public bath and a school, Ganjali Khan Complex had been practically a self-sufficient state. As with all buildings of the Safavid era, each section of the complex is designed and decorated with unrivalled artistry and finesse. History museums are ubiquitous in countries with an ancient history and Iran as one of the oldest civilizations in the world holds many such museums. The place in Ganjali Khan Complex that functioned as a mint is now known as Kerman Coin Museum and holds one of the biggest coin collections in the country.
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