Khansar Land of Inverted Tulips

Khansar Land of Inverted Tulips

Khansar in northwest Isfahan province is located about 150 kilometers from the city of Isfahan. The name Khansar comes from the Avestan language. Khun means spring and sar means place, so khansar means place of the spring.
Its geographical location is 33¼13’ north latitude and 50¼19’ east longitude while its altitude is 2,250 meters above the sea level. According to Isfahanportal.ir, it’s area is 900 kmÃ, and it includes 18 towns, 3 villages and one central city. This city is located to the northwest of Esfahan, to the east is Golpayegan, and to the southwest it is within the limits of Faridan. It is situated on both sides of a narrow valley through which the Khansar River, some 4 meters wide at this point, flows in a north-easterly direction to Qom. The town and its gardens and orchards straggle some 10 km along the valley which has a mean breadth of scarcely 1 kilometer. Khansar is a small county with a population of about 40,000. It is situated in a green valley. Snowy in winter and mild in summer, it enjoys many natural sights. It also is a religious city and has good weather.
The city has diverse flora, the most important being the inverted tulip. Average maximum temperature of Khansar during summer is 31¼ centigrade and the average minimum on summer nights is 24¼ centigrade.


Attractions
The most important places worth seeing in this city are hot springs and mineral waters in Golestan Kooh, Sarcheshmeh park, Cheshmeh (Spring) Omid, east of Khansar, the Zoroastrian temple in Tir Kooh, Baba Pir , Baba Mohamed Castle, Shahzadeh Ahmad, Jame Mosque, House of Abharis and Mariam Beygom School in Khansar city.
An attraction of Khansar is Golestan Kouh (literally ’flower mountain’) which is very pleasant in May when the area is covered by inverted tulips. Golestan Kouh is located on the Khansar-Isfahan road some 15 kilometers from Khansar. Hiking and skiing in the nearby mountains is very popular.
Another place of interest is Sarcheshmeh Park with beautiful mountain springs. Many tourists visit the area each year.
Khansar is also among the cities with a long history. Religious sites in the city include Shazdeh Ahmad and Emamzadeh Seyyed Saleh. It has many districts such as Vadasht, Payehtakht, Bidhend, Sonqan and Chaharbagh.
Khansar is located not far from the Iran’s Central Kavir (desert). It is surrounded by the Zagros Mountain range which is the source of Anarbar River (Qom River).
History
The city’s heyday dates back to the Safavid reign (1501-1722/1736 AD) when Isfahan was the capital of Iran. It is famous for carpet-weaving and other handicrafts. Carpet weaving was very popular in Khansar during the Safavid era when Persian art reached its zenith in Isfahan. Other handicrafts of the city include pottery, textile and dye industry.
The city’s fabric industry produces high quality cloth. The inlaid works of Khansar Grand Mosque is exemplary.
Khansar has been a scientific and educational center since the time of the Safavid dynasty and many great Shi’ite scholars were educated there. It has been a centre for training thinkers, poets, and especially theologians for centuries.