woollen dolls are an integral part of the tourist trade in Masuleh

woollen dolls are an integral part of the tourist trade in Masuleh

Where provincial capital Rasht was unexpectedly nice, the famous authentic mountain village of Masuleh lacked, well, authenticity.

We weren’t going to go to Rasht. There is nothing of touristic value, except the statue of Kuchuk Khan – a man on a horse, much less than a 100 years old. But we had miscalculated the length of the bus trip, which in any case took longer because of a flat tire and a funeral, which blocked the road in one of the towns we passed – the two were unrelated, fortunately, but both slowed down our progress quite a bit. So we stopped in Rasht, not expecting much.

the man on the horse, the only tourist sight in Rasht

the man on the horse, the only tourist sight in Rasht

another example of nice century-old architecture

another example of nice century-old architecture

well, except that there is some nice 'colonial' architecture to admire

well, except that there is some nice ‘colonial’ architecture to admire

Which proved wrong: Rasht is a lovely town, with a pedestrian centre that comes to live in the early evening, when the temperature drops a little. Thousands of people on the streets, on the main square, on the benches under the trees. The fresh fruit and icecream sellers do good business, and the narrow alleys of the bazaar are full of shoppers. There is a jolly atmosphere in the bazaar, the market men are loudly promoting their wares, and especially the fruit and vegetable section is lively. Obviously, there aren’t many foreigners stopping over in Rasht, and we are the curiosity of the day, but all in a friendly way. Everybody wants to kn where we are from, and we are made to try olives, plumes, nuts and cheese. And of course we buy far too much, ‘for later, in the hotel room’.

another delicacy: marinated, conserved garlics

another delicacy: marinated, conserved garlics

dried fish in the bazaar of Rasht

dried fish in the bazaar of Rasht

these peppers are roasted - by the sun, I would think

these peppers are roasted – by the sun, I would think

pommegranate is an integral part of the Iranian kitchen

pommegranate is an integral part of the Iranian kitchen

The hotel itself is another gem. Both the hotel and its staff are relics from a foregone era, nothing pompous, but you can see that not much has changed in the last 50 years. Mind you, rooms are impeccable and well-maintained, but old-fashioned; the carpet on the stairs – there is no lift – is worn, but still holds; and breakfast is to order, there is no buffet. I love these places! And the people are all so friendly, and betweem them they know enough English to communicate with us.

everybody has the same picture of Masuleh, steeply built against the mountain slope

everybody has the same picture of Masuleh, steeply built against the mountain slope

The reason to come this way was to visit Masuleh, one of the authentic villages nestled in the lowerer reaches of the Alborz Mountains, which separate the Caspian Sea from inland Iran. On this side, the northern side, the climate is quite different from that in Tehran, here it is sticky and humid, and cloudy at times. We rented a car and a driver, for the 2 hour drive to Masuleh; it took two hours, because the last 20 km, or so, are on a two-lane road into the hills, and we were with hundreds of other cars that were going to visit this ‘authentic’ village. Obviously, some time ago Masuleh was a picturesque mountain village, where people went their agricultural way, and where progress largely went unnoticed. Because of the steep slopes, houses are built above one another, with the roof of the lower serving as patio of the upper house, all connected through a network of unpaved paths and rough-hewn stairs.

part of the village, a 'square on the roofs'

part of the village, a ‘square on the roofs’

some things are authentic, of course, like the houses themselves, and the windows

some things are authentic, of course, like the houses themselves, and the windows

a village building next to the mosque, with balconies and stained glass windows

a village building next to the mosque

chimneys on one of the roofs

chimneys on one of the roofs

and this lady has seen it all before

and this lady has seen it all before

No more! The tourists – mostly Iranian tourists – discovered Masuleh, and the people of Masuleh discovered tourism. And turned their village upside down, installed concrete steps to enable easier access, and metal fences to ensure that visitors don’t fall down the steep slopes. They abandoned their agricultural way, and started knitting colourful socks and woollen dolls; they imported the trinklets that accompany every tourist trap. They opened restaurants and tea houses, and every space in between was filled up with souvenir stalls. And now the tourists shuffle slowly through the main alleys of Masuleh, taking selfies with every possible subject matter, but mostly themselves. Oh, and they turn in every possible way to ensure that one of us is also in the selfie, in the background. We are as much part of the tourist attraction as the village is – for the tourists, not for the villagers who have seen it all before.

Somewhat disappointing, to be honest – but maybe because we expected too much.

next: Ardabil

some of the plant pots are plastic, these days

some of the plant pots are plastic, these days

as always, there is a laundry picture - not very colourful, though

as always, there is a laundry picture – not very colourful, though

ather tourist activity, dressing up in traditional cloths

ather tourist activity, dressing up in traditional cloths

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3 Responses to 06. Rasht & Masuleh

  1. Thea oudmaijer says:

    Some surprises. OnE Nice town and THE other disappointing!
    I’ll leave on monday!
    Enjoy your trip and i follow you

  2. Alisa Ashouri says:

    I am an American and I lived in Rasht from 2005 to 2007. There is far more to Rasht and the Guilan Province than what you captured. You should have gone to the Imam Zadeh Hashem mosque. Very beautiful. Did you go to Anazali and see the ships on the Caspian? What about Mt. Damavand? You can see if from most parts of Rasht. There is also a little amusement park in Rasht on the river banks and some of the best ice cream you will find in Iran. There is also an old wooden structure that represents what homes were like in Ancient Persia. You missed out.

    • oudmayer says:

      Dear Alisa, thank you for your remarks, and suggestions for future visitors to Rasht. Or for us, if and when we return to Iran. Just to emphasize: theonearmedcrab is not a travel guide that aims to cover each and every bit of worthwhile piece of architecture – we wouldn’t have reached home yet if we had tried! We do attempt to share some of our travel adventures, though, both in terms of sights as well as cultural experiences, without claiming to be complete and/or exclusive. And every additional experience from others in the know, like you, is most welcome!

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