Oct 19 - Start out looking around Qazvin. It was the capital of Iran for a time during Safavid times, before Esfahan, and during the time of King Tahmasb. As such, the basic layout of the city center was similar, with some buildings bearing the same names.
Much of the original central palace structure of Qazvin was destroyed to make way for modern buildings. The few pieces that remain are a bit forlorn and restoration work (like the mosque) has been slow. Walk around the Royal Palace garden, now a bit neglected, the surrounding buildings almost devoid of their original art. On to the Chetel Sotoun Palace, now housing a calligraphy museum. Qazvin historically has been the center of calligraphic learning in Iran.
Walk through the bazaar. It is like many that we’ve gone through before, except that this time we pass by the live animal section. This is mostly pigeons, chickens, hamsters, and rabbits, along with random other animals including parrots and songbirds.
Leave Qazvin to the west along the main highway. Still in dry lowlands at the foot of the Alborz. There are plenty of croplands here, now empty, where mostly wheat and barley are grown. There is no irrigation, so farming is completely dependent on rainfall. The town of Soltaniyeh can be seen from a great distance, due to its famous landmark, the Mausoleum of Oljaytu.
This tiny village seems an unlikely place for such a grandiose monument. But Oljaytu was a Mongol king (great-grandson of Hulagu) and to him the most important aspect of his realm was the proximity of grasslands for his horses. The area around Soltaniyeh was perfect for this, so he moved the capital of Iran here. As was tradition with the Ilkhanid kings, he wanted a big tomb. Since he was also Muslim, the structure that would house his body was also to serve as a mosque, and for royal events before his death. He really went all out to make this gigantic building, that towers over the surroundings. Soltaniyeh would only remain the capital until his death, after which it returned to Tabriz.
The oldest artwork inside reflects Ilkhanid style. But in most spots it is plastered over and replaced with Safavid and even Qajar artwork centuries later, when the function of the structure was purely as a mosque. Sadly, once again the view inside and out is marred by profuse scaffolding. But still the building has a vast eeriness to it, as though long forgotten in this little town.
There are catacombs under the building, where Oljaytu was laid to rest. There is nothing there now except empty rooms. Like with so many tombs, it was pilfered for valuables long ago, leaving the scattered bones to disintegrate.
Drive the last 60 km to Zanjan. Not a lot to see in this town, besides the extensive bazaar. At the main traffic circle, there are at least ten armored transports parked, and several other corners have a cluster of security personnel at the ready on motorcycles. It is clear they are expecting protests and want to show overwhelming force in anticipation.
In Zanjan the specialty is hand-made knives, and many bazaar stores have them. Other than that, the bazaar streets are like those seen before. The heavy police presence has not deterred throngs from shopping here in the early evening.
