Shahrud ,where nature lovers like most

It is one of the most beautiful cities in Semnan province. All of its streets are lined with large plane trees. If you ever travel in autumn , you’ll see colorful leaves under your steps welcoming you.
If you have never been to the place, put it on top of your list. Lots of nature lovers like Mohammad Ali Inanlu ( a famous figure who has travelled across the country) have fallen in love with the city. With mountains, desert and forests, it is only about two hours from the sea and 3 hours from Mashhad. It gets lovely in autumn as there are plane tree-lined alleys and streets all over the place and their colorful leaves falls off the trees and rustle under your footsteps.
Leaves keep falling off every moment and second. It is a clean land and apart from the leaves you cannot witness any rubbish. Mohammad Jeirani, the mayor, strolls on the leave-filled streets and examines citizen’s problem from close. To summarize, everything is in its own place and well-organized. No sign of sound pollution , air pollution and water pollution whatsoever.
The residents are friendly and kind. They possess all the features people living in desert, mountains and forests would have.
If they ever know you are a first-timer , they will help you in any way possible. They will even take you to your destination . The city is small and if you feel like walking , you can do so in most pathways. The main squares are Imam Khomeini and Jomhuri , also known as Falake.

Yaghmais' house

It is the only house in Shahrud with windward. Perhaps that’s because a master architect known as Ostad Mehdi Heidariyan , who was from Yazd( home to several windward buildings, built it in 1304 (solar calendar). It is now home to the cultural heritage and tourism department in Shahrud.

Museum

The museum lies on Ferdosi Street. It was once the city hall and now is adjacent to the municipality building . Built in 1306, it was restored in 1367 and converted to the city’s museum. The national site is a two-story building encompassing an area of 450 square meters and has two sections: Anthropology and archeology.

Bazaar

It features a traditional architecture, typical of all the bazars in Iran. It lies between the Imam Khomeini square and Falake with a direction of east to west. The main commercial center of the city dates from the Qajar period. Beside it lie a couple of other historic landmarks such as Sheikh Ali Akbar mosque, Madrese Ghale Ab Anbar (a place for storing water) Agha mosque and Tekye Bazzar. It has been restored in the last couple of years and has joined the national sites list.

Jame mosque

The oldest in Shahrud lies near the old neighborhoods of Ghale Valva, Bid Abad and Chahar Sugh.It dates from the Ilkhanid era. In 1242 the locals restored it. The domed ceiling includes Persian arches .
. When one of the main domes which strengthened the triple subsidiary domes was being restored, the remains of an inscription were explored. The style of its plaster molding resembles the Ilkhanid’s. On its walls are the lines inscribed in the Qajar period. It was registered as a national site in 1376.
On your visit to Shahrud don’t miss Abr (cloud) forest. The pristine and intact forest lies in the village of Abr 35 km northeast of Semanan, 50 km northeast of Shahrud, on the Sahhrud-Azad Shahr road . Encompassing an area of 35,000 hectares , it’s the continuation of the north’s forests and since it is covered in clouds it’s called Abr.
At a high area above sea level , it features abundant springs and diverse vegetation . It’s not hot in summer.
It approximately lies on the borders between Semnan and Golestan provinces. The trapped clouds behind the mountains move down to the south and from the afternoon to midnight it seems like the forest is dressed in clouds. The weather is totally different from what it is throughout Semnan. In the southern part of the forest lush vegetation is seen . Within the forest there are steep hills covered in tall trees.

How to reach it?

It has an airport but since the tickets are expensive these days ,you’d better go by train or buses. If you drive your own car, you should move on the Semnan-Damghan road to go there. It is 404 km from Tehran. If you want to go by bus, you can take buses in South terminal or Arzhantin terminal all day round.

Where to stay?

The luxurious 5 star hotel named Parmida is among the best. There are two inns known as Azadi and Nader. But if you’d like to stay in a place with a reasonable price and good service ‘ you’d better choose the two star inn of Jahangardi. Built in 1350 (solar calendar), it has 4 rooms, a suite catering four people , and 42 beds .

What to buy?

Dried peach and apricot are unique in this city. Locals call dried apricots as Keshte. Also you can find nice sea buckthorn for a reasonable amount. Among local breads are Kak, Nan Ghandi ( kind of sweet bread), and Nan Khormai ( kind of bread made with dates). Shekar Panir ( a kind of sweet) and dates , grown in the palm groves of Tarud , are out of this world.