Where to Visit in Qazvin ?

Where to go and what to see in Qazvin? Qazvin by itself for now is not always on the list of tourists coming to Iran, but it has been a great point of stop when they are planning for an excursion to Alamut Valley. If you have reached Qazvin in the afternoon or even you have one full day to spend before or after your trip to the Valley of the Assassins, here is a list which you can visit according to your time:

Sa`d-al Saltaneh Caravanserai

(کاروانسرای سعدالسلطنه)

https://goo.gl/maps/sR5Y3bzUCDH2

Sa`d-al Saltaneh Caravanserai is one of the largest inter-urban ones in the whole country. Vazir Laneway at the entrance from the side of Imam Khomeini street is busiest part with some calligraphy workshops, art galleries and handcraft shops. If you are inside this bazaar and feeling a need for coffee, get to the end of Vazir Lane to have a coffee in Negar Al-Saltaneh or try Ersiyeh Coffeeshop at the Gheysariyeh Laneway. Chahar Soogh (Four Bazaar) is the intersection you can`t miss at the end of Gheysariyeh Laneway. To have food, have a try to Sib restaurant at Shotor Khan Yard or Sa`d-al Saltaneh restaurant at Beheshtiyan Yard. The local dish of Qazvin is Gheymeh Nesar which is a portion of rice with tiny succulent pieces of lamb/beef. It is a relatively big portion, then try to share one if you are two persons. If you are a vegetarian, try Diymaj, a traditional dish with tiny pieces of bread, fried potato, cucumber or tomato and some other green ingredients. Ash is also normally available (a kind of soup with big noodles including some beans and peas).

To have a full range of information about vegetarian foods in Iran, please have a look at this post:

Vegetarian Travelers to Iran

Note: There is no difference in "Gh" or "Q" when we write Farsi words in English, so feel free to pronounce and write them interchangeably!

Chehel Sotun

(چهل ستون)

https://goo.gl/maps/XRktwRibyeA2

Chehel Sotun Palace - Royal Garden of Safavid Era

In Safavid dynasty time, the Persian capital moved from Tabriz to Qazvin due to the danger of being a close neighbor to Ottoman Empire. Later it moved again from Qazvin to Isfahan. Some great monuments in Isfahan like Chehel Sotun, have their names after the premium version of them in Qazvin. Chehel Sotun means "with Forty Pillars". When you continue from the Caravanserai towards east, you reach to the main sq of the town called Azadi or Sabze Meydan (green sq). At the southern edge of the sq you find the palace. The nice wall paintings and art pieces were almost fully destroyed during Pahlavi dynasty when this palace turned into a police headquarters.

Anthropology Museum

(موزه مردم شناسی حمام قجر)

https://goo.gl/maps/Etc3RpmQX2n

A bathhouse dating back from Sassanian period which can give you a lot of images and insights into the cultural aspect of Qazvin people.

Old Bazaar

(بازار مولوی)

https://goo.gl/maps/6j1ZR2Ty8aT2

Saadi or Molavi Bazaar is the old and long covered Bazaar in Qazvin which you can practically find everything as clothing, jewelry, vegetables, meats, housewares, electronics and so on. But if you are aimed to but a pair of shoes or anything related to clothing, don`t buy them here, not the best quality! We as locals buy our clothing stuff from the commercial street of the town called Khayyam (https://goo.gl/maps/AwCaH8UaFao). Molavi Bazzar is the one of the best places in the town which you can wander around and witness the real culture of people, what they eat, how they clothe (traditionally) and which ones are the basic needs of the society. You will hear a lot of shouting, but no worries! They are shouting: cucumber,cucumber,cucumber, 1000,1000,1000 which means 1 kilogram of cucumber is 10000 rials!

Nabi Mosque

(مسجد النبی)

https://goo.gl/maps/qJhiRMeXkPM2

Nabi mosque or Masjed al-Nabi is from Qajar Era. If you are visiting the highlights from the side of traditional bazaar, on Imam Khomeini St, before Saad al-Saltaneh you will reach to Nabi Mosque. The long yard at the beginning is the place for elderly people to take a seat for hours.

Masjed-e Jameh

(مسجد جامع عتیق)

https://goo.gl/maps/KreTABiSvNM2

There is a street in Qazvin as the first designed street of Iran called Sepah. It is located at the lane in front of Ali Qapu at the back yard of royal garden. If you walk around 10 minutes from Ali Qapu towards south, at the right side of the intersection, you will reach to Masjede Jameh, one of the oldest mosques in Iran. The Iwans and the Mihrab of this mosque are a must-see.

Imamzaddeh-ye Hossein

(امام زاده حسین)

https://goo.gl/maps/otb6F5SRD6m

Imam zadeh Hossein or Shah zadeh Hossein is the tomb of the son of Imam Reza (entombed in Mahad - Northeast).

This 16th century blue dome with its mirror tiling is a holy shrine. People still go for a pilgrimage and praying. The martyrs` grave yard is located behind this holy shrine.

Aminiha Hosseiniyeh

(حسینیه امینی ها)

https://goo.gl/maps/j6scCaeoFh22

This Qajar-era well-preserved mansion is located at Molavi St., the wester street of the old Bazzar and very close to Abrishm hostel and Happy vegetarian meals.

Hosseinniyeh is a place with functions very similar to Mosque, so the usage is/was for religious ceremonies. For now this building is owned by a private family. During day light, You can ask the owner to shut down the lights for some seconds if you really care about taking a good picture. The building is in two floors and the basement used to have the small pool for cooling the building and giving a good atmosphere.

Qazvin Museum

(موزه قزوین)

https://goo.gl/maps/HZDqdH8KbuK2

This spacious modern museum predominantly features 19th-century decorative arts, but the bottom floor has some 3000-year-old bronzes and ceramics from the Alamut Valley.

When you walk out of Chehel Sotun Palace, turn to the right, at the intersection turn to the right and in around 200 meters you will reach to the museum.

Kantur Church

(کلیسای کانتور)

https://goo.gl/maps/P4X4q4KaqmL2

Kantur church which is one the smallest churches in Iran. There is a three-storey bell-house at the entrance that is bounded by a small dome.

The paved churchyard leads to many tombs, one of which belongs to a Russian pilot who was killed when his plane went down during the war. In front of the church is a memorial to a Russian road engineer.

Ali Qapu

(عالی قاپو)

https://goo.gl/maps/mMAPRM7mf3T2

The massive Ali Qapu was originally a 16th-century gateway to the royal precinct, a kind of forbidden inner city. The name is coming from Turkish / Azeri meaning Great Door. When you are finished by Qazvin Museum, walk further to the south and in front of Sepah Street, you will have this Ali Qapu. For now it is under the control of Tourism Organisation, then you are free to take your photos.

Sardar-e Bozorg Cistern

(آب انبار سردار بزرگ)

https://goo.gl/maps/Zjcex5PhLEC2

Ab anbar of Sardar-i Bozorg in Qazvin is the largest single domed ab anbar in Iran. On Sepah st, if you continue from Masjed-e Jameh more to the south, after the intersection in 200 meters you will reach to Sardare Bozorg.

Tehran Gate

(دروازه تهران قدیم)

https://goo.gl/maps/p3FDHDjMop72

This Qajar-era gate and Darbe Koushk Gate are the only remaining of a once-long protecting wall around the town which had nine gates in it.

The gate of Tehran (Darvazeh Ghadim Tehran) is located next to the sq with the same name. The bus terminal of the town is located next to them.

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