Mahan, Iran

Mahan is a simple oasis town in southeastern Iran; I visited in late 2005 just as the winter was setting in. Just outside of the town of Mahan are the stunning Bagh-e Shahzade gardens.

Walking to the garden through the car-park, dust swirled around me just as a winter storm was closing in. Stepping through the entrance way, a grand arch, I caught sight of the lush interior. Fountains cascade down the length of the main tree-lined boulevard.

Shahzade Gardens, Mahan

On each stepped ‘level’ of the boulevard, fountains rise out of the reflective pools. At the top is a grand archway which houses a tea shop. The backdrop to all of this is a stunning snow-capped mountain, which looms above the arch at the top of the boulevard.

Shahzade Gardens, Mahan (Image: Alireza Parsi, Wikimedia Commons)

Being inside the garden was like being transported to another world for a while. After the quiet retreat, it was time to step back out into the cold, harsh, wintry desert… just in time for it to start snowing.

Desert and mountains by the road between Bam and Kerman

Have you ever visited an oasis before? What was it like? Comment below!