Near the town of Mahan, about 35 kilometres from Kerman, the “Prince’s Garden” appears like a mirage: a long rectangle of green set against bare brown mountains. Built in the Qajar era for a governor of Kerman, it climbs the slope in a series of terraces, with water from a mountain qanat tumbling down a staircase of fountains towards the entrance pavilion.
At the top stands the two-storey residence, looking down the whole length of the cascade. Pines, cypresses and fruit trees shade the paths, and the contrast with the desert outside makes the garden one of the most striking of the nine gardens in the UNESCO site “The Persian Garden”. In Mahan itself, visit the turquoise-domed shrine of the Sufi poet Shah Nematollah Vali.
Highlights
- The cascade of terraced fountains
- Green garden against bare desert mountains
- The garden lit up at night
- Shrine of Shah Nematollah Vali in Mahan
Gallery
