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the favourite city of Shah Abbas, is one of the main cities of Isfahan province,
Which is very near to Qom, and
located in an altitude of 1,600 m above the sea level. It is 260 km to the south
of Tehran and can be reached via Qom (105 km) on a first-class highway, national
road, or railway. A part of this township is located in a vast plain and
the other part in a mountainous area. The central heights of the country cross
this township. 
The climate of the township, like other central parts of Iran, is
changeable depending on topography of the region. the mountainous areas are cold
and the plain areas, especially desert margin, are warm. Kashan is one of the
oldest cities of Iran. According to archeological excavations in Sialk hills
(located 4 km. west to the city) and vestiges found over there, indicate that
this area was a home of pre-historic Man. It was a thriving city in Sassanides
time. In Islamic period it was a famous city as well. The local architecture of
the city is unique and very interesting. The most important historical and
religious monuments of the city are as follows:
Several hot mineral water springs,
Fin and Abbas-Abad historic gardens,
Abyaneh historical and amazing village. Registered as a historical village by
UNESCO,
Several old public bathes,
Old and wonderful houses,
Several underground water reservoirs,
Old caravansaries,
National Museum and Bagh Fin museum,
several shrines and sacred mausoleums,
Apart from its world-famous carpets, and well known for its silk
and the glazed earthenware tile called Kashi after its place of manufacture,
Kashan is a beautiful large oasis town on the Qom-Kerman road running along the
edge of the Great Desert, Kevir. One of the most important archaeological sites
in central Iran, it is on the edge of the town. Kashan is also of interest for
its connections with Shah Abbas I - it was a famous town of his, and he
beautified it and asked to be buried here in the mausoleum of a 13th century
ancestor. Kashan is world famous for its carpets.
But besides the carpets, Kashan also has a name for silk, ceramics, copperware
and rosewater. The bazaar of Kashan is one
of the most beautiful in Iran. It has many other interesting buildings inside
it, like mosques, caravanserais, water storages. The famous rosefields of Qamsar
are near to Kashan, so you'll see rosewater stalls everywhere.
Abyaneh historical and amazing Village
Abyaneh is a beautiful village 70 km. to the southeast of Kashan. This is a
village of living traditions, architectural styles, and probably the most
interesting example of human adaptation to nature. The village is compact, with
narrow and sloped lanes, and houses located on the slope as if placed on a
stairway. Here, the roofs of some houses used to serve as the courtyard for
other houses higher up on the slope. There are a good number of Islamic and
Zoroastrian buildings in the village, all worth a careful visit
Bagh-e Fin
Bagh-e Fin which is a highlight of Kashan is located a few kilometers southwest
of Kashan, in the small village of Fin. This is one of the most famous gardens
of Iran. This beautiful garden with its pool, orchards and fountains among fruit
trees, has a wonderful lazy atmosphere was designed for Shah Abbas I as a
classical Persian vision of paradise. The fountains get their water from a
natural spring. After flowing through the gardens, the water is used as
drinkingwater. The original Safavid buildings have been substantially replaced
and rebuilt by Ghajar dynasty although the layout of trees and marble basins is
close to the original.
This palace is also notorious as the sight of the murder of Mirza Taghi Khan
known as Amir Kabir, during Ghajar period in 1852.
There is a museum displaying archaeological items plus a teahouse at the back of
the gardens. you can purchase postcards of the garden from the shop.
Bagh e fin _ where Amir Kabir was murdered
Mirza Taghi Farahani, entitled Ataback- e -Azam [The Chief Minister], Amir Nezaam [The Prince of the State], and Amir Kabir [The Great Prince], is the greatest politician in the recent two centuries of the Islamic Era, who initiated reforms that marked the effective beginning of the modernisation of his country, Iran. At an early age Mirza Taghi learned to read and write despite his humble origins. Because of his natural gift and talent, he mastered the required knowledge and skills when still very young. He joined the provincial bureaucracy as a scribe and, by his abilities, rapidly advanced within the hierarchy of the administration. In 1829, as a junior member of an Iranian mission to St. Petersburg, he observed the power of Russia, Iran's great neighbour. He concluded that important and fundamental reforms were needed if Iran was to survive as a sovereign state. As a minister in Azerbaijan he witnessed the inadequacies of Iranian provincial administration, and during a tenure in Ottoman Turkey he studied the progress another Islamic government had made toward modernisation. Upon his return to Iran in 1847, Mirza Taghi was appointed to the court of the crown prince, Naser ed-Din, in Azerbaijan. With the death of Mohammad Shah in 1848, Mirza Taghi was largely responsible for ensuring the crown prince's succession to the throne. Out of gratitude, the young monarch appointed him Chief Minister and gave him the hand of his own sister in marriage. At this time Mirza Taghi took the title of Amir Kabir.He gained his Premiership at a time when the affairs of the country were completely ruined and its internal system was totally torn down. Iran was virtually bankrupt, its central government was weak, and its provinces were almost autonomous. During the next two and a half years the Amir initiated important reforms in virtually all sectors of society.
Government expenditure was slashed, and a distinction was made between the privy and public purses. The instruments of central administration were overhauled, and the Amir assumed responsibility for all areas of the bureaucracy. Foreign interference in Iran's domestic affairs was curtailed, and foreign trade was encouraged. Public works such as the bazaar in Tehran were undertaken. A new secular college, the Dar ol-Fonun [The Skills House], was established for training a new cadre of administrators and acquainting them with modern techniques. Among his other accomplishments was the foundation of a newspaper called Vaqaye - Etefaqieh [ The Happened Events]. Many exploits in political affairs as well as in the relationships with the neighbouring and other foreign countries were made; he also attended to the order of Iranian Embassies across the world. The ambassadors of great lands in Iran were behaved in a way as expected from the Premier of an independent and self-governing government.With a firm, doubtless, strong, and steady will, Amir Kabir continued his reformations and exploitations, and all alone, resisted the most selfish, tyrannous and despotic king of the Ghajar dynasty along with his corrupt relatives, courtiers, and flatterers, among whom some had been excluded from the government. They regarded the Amir as a social upstart and a threat to their interests, and they formed a coalition against him, in which the queen mother was active. She convinced the young Shah that the Amir wanted to usurp the throne. In October 1851 the Shah dismissed him and exiled him to Kashan, where he was murdered on the Shah's orders. Historians and those who are acquainted with Amir Kabir and have studied his life and manners appreciate and regard him as a great and remarkable man.
Kashan is world famous for its carpet
Kashan silk carpet
