Kashan Travel Guide

General Information

Kashan is a city of Isfahan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 248,789, in 67,464 families.

Based one Wikipedia, the etymology of the city name comes from the Kasian, the original inhabitants of the city, whose remains are found at Tapeh Sialk dating back 9,000 years; later this was changed to "Kashian", hence the town name. Between the 12th and the 14th centuries Kashan was an important centre for the production of high quality pottery and tiles. In modern Persian, the word for a tile (kashi) comes from the name of the town.

Kashan is divided into two parts, mountainous and desert. In the west side, Kashan is cited in the neighbourhood of two of highest peaks of Karkas chain, Mount Gargash to the southwest of Kashan (the home of Iran national observatory, the largest astronomical telescope of Iran) and Mount Ardehaal in the west of Kashan, also known as "Damavand of Kashan" and the highest peak of Ardehaal mountains (end part of Karkas chain in central Iran).

In the east side of the city Kashan opens up to the central desert of Iran which the city is famous for. Kashan is also known for Maranjab Desert and Caravanserai located near the namak lake (or salt lake). Today Maranjab and the surrounding Shifting Sands is a popular destination at the weekends.

On August 9, 2007 Iran placed the Historical Axis of Fin, Sialk, Kashan on its Tentative List for possible future nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The exact definition of what locations within Kashan proper might be nominated was not made clear In 2012 Iran successfully nominated the Fin Garden separately for inscription by UNESCO as a part of its Persian Gardens World Heritage Site. Despite this the "Historical-Cultural Axis of Fin, Sialk, Kashan" remains in full on Iran's Tentative List

Get in and around

The closest airports are located in Tehran and Isfahan. Taxi and Bus to the Tehran airport are available.

Kashan is well-served by highways. There are good routes from the capital Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Yazd and Ahvaz.

Kashan is situated around 250 km south of Tehran. A bus ride from Tehran's South Terminal (Terminal-e-jonub) takes at least three hours. From Isfahan, the distance is 220 km, there are frequent buses from the Kaveh terminal, 2.5 hours.

Kashan is also connected to Tehran, Isfahan (one night train every second day) and numerous other cities by train. The Train Station is located at the eastern fringe of the town.