Parisa's Persian Kitchen: Kashan, Saraye Sayeh hostel

another Qajar gem in the center

Kashan

One of the great things about the adaptive-reuse of Qajar houses to build new hostels is how this always creates a unique property.

Saraye Sayeh hostel in Kashan is another repurposed Qajar house that intrigues and awes once one steps in it. Looking at the 'before and after' pictures it dawned on me how respectful the designers have been to Qajar architecture while stretching boundaries in extraordinary ways. To get to the hostel you need to walk through well indicated passages straight out of an Indiana Jones movie, but once you open the small entrance doors, you are in for a treat.

Kashan is located only 200 kilometers or a 2,5 hours drive southwest from Teheran, on the way to Isfahan.

Our reservation at the Saraye Sayeh hostel took place via Instagram. They did require an advance partial payment to confirm. If staying in this place as a couple, do not forget to take your marriage books along. They were quite strict about it.

Address: Kashan-Fazel Naraghi St.-29 Farhang Alley (Shahid Qalagar).
Phone for coordination: 03155445828 - 09338756196

» more about Kashan

Like any other unique Qajar house, there was a beautiful blue pond in the middle sounded by colourful windowed rooms. Rooms were beautifully but minimalistically designed. The staff was friendly and well-informed about the opening hours of the historical places.

Laundry service was available at an extra fee as well. We had our breakfast served on the bed in the yard right in front of the blue pond listening to the birds singing. Bear in mind that ladies are requested to keep their scarves on the entire time being in the yard.

Saraya Sayeh offers a glimpse to the past and a unique opportunity to stay at a storied property that innately evoked our interest and curiosity. Staying in such houses, we sometimes can’t help but wonder what life was like for those people who lived hundreds of years before us.

click on image below to watch video

Lots of gleaming and picturesque cafes filled with antique tables and chairs placed around blue ponds decorated with Persian tiles have become the charming hotspots for young and old these days. To grasp how these gorgeous cafes were created requires traveling down the history lane.

The Qajar dynasty (1789 to 1925) is the most populated dynasty ever in the history of Iran. Polygamy culture and the persistence on having as many children as possible to empower the dynasty have left Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz with dozens of magnificent houses that used to be the homes of the wives and children of the Qajar dynasty.

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