Around Yazd (all images)

Around Yazd there are a number of cities, villages and sights which can be visited on a daytrip by chartering a car and doing a loop. Typically a good starting point is a stop in Meybod, a lively mud-brick town 52km north of Yazd and a former capital of Persia with a number of interesting sights. The Zoroastrian site of Chak Chak lies deep in the desert, nested in a mountain cliff. Here a Zoroastrian fire temple was built around a natural water well. Hamaneh is a small desert village next to a water well, specialising in the cultivation of walnut trees. Further along the road lies the almost deserted village of Kharanaq, where the ruins of a mud brick castle and a renovated caravanserai are located. The historic town of Abarqu lies on the road between Yazd and Shiraz, 200km southwest of Yazd, and has a number of attractions.