For some, the best part of traveling is tasting the delicious local cuisine, visiting the shopping malls, mingling with the locals to learn more about the culture, or simply undertaking a forest trekking.
But there are those who travel for the sake of spending a few nights in a unique location: a place brimming with history and old stories. If you are one of those people, carry on reading.
A cradle of civilization, Iran is full of stories and ancient traditions. Located in the middle of the historic Silk Road, Iran and its people have always had to cater to the needs of weary travelers, so buildings were erected to accommodate the visitors.
What follows is a short list of Iran’s famous historical hotels and lodging facilities.
Manouchehri House
It is nigh impossible to make a list of historical hotels and not include at least one example from Isfahan Province. And when one talks about Isfahan’s lodging facilities, the 400-year-old Manouchehri House in Kashan is one of the first names that pops up. The mansion was built during the Safavid era, but was razed to the ground following a massive earthquake around 240 years ago before it was rebuilt gradually during the Qajar era.
Restoration work on the mansion began in 2008 and in 2011, Manouchehri House was repurposed into a hotel, winning travel website Lonely Planet’s Top Choice Award in 2012.
The house, which has an art gallery, is one of a handful of buildings in Kashan still equipped with a subterranean water reservoir (Ab Anbar in Persian), which now functions as a state-of-the-art cinema.
Nine private guest rooms with unique architectural details surround a peaceful courtyard that features a reflecting pool flanked by gardens bearing local fruit.
Fahadan Hotel
Fahadan Hotel in the heart of Yazd city is among the most popular historical residences in the central Yazd Province.
Also called Fahadan Museum for the treasure trove of historical and cultural items kept there, the 250-year-old structure was built during the Qajar era and is within walking distance from Yazd’s notable attractions, such as Alexander’s Prison and Abolfazl Zourkhaneh, where the UNESCO-inscribed Pahlevani Rituals or traditional gymnastics take place every day.
Fahadan’s courtyard—boasting a design common in Qajari mansions—is adjacent to a large green garden that serves as a coffee shop and restaurant.
Motevalli Bashi Hotel
Located in Mahan, Kerman Province, the 180-year-old Motevalli Bashi Hotel looks more like a historical attraction than a lodging facility, thanks to its perfect blend of old and new, such as traditionally decorated rooms equipped with WiFi Internet.
The architecture of the residence is reminiscent of Iran’s famed Persian Gardens, making a stroll down the hotel’s garden path that weaves through the area’s green space a highly enjoyable activity that may dissuade you from ever leaving the premises.
Bekhradi House
Despite being called a house, Bekhradi is a 17th-century caravanserai in Isfahan, which was frequented by Silk Road traders in the years long since passed.
One of the oldest functioning caravanserais in Iran, Bekhradi House was used by travelers until the Qajar era before it was abandoned completely.
Restoration work on the house began in 1999 and took six years. In 2005, the nationally-inscribed heritage site started operating as a lodging facility.
It offers travelers “the comfort of a hotel with the convenience of a home in a museum-like historical house”, according to the hotel’s website.
