Stand in the middle of Kerman Bazaar in the late afternoon and the city explains itself: a 1200 m trading spine running from Arg Sq northeast to Moshtag Sq, four smaller bazaars within it and around twenty branches peeling off north and south, busiest in the morning and late afternoon. Kerman suits travellers who are already comfortable in Iran and want a working provincial capital rather than a set-piece monument — a place of mosques, bathhouses, ice-houses and gardens, with desert and mountains at the edges.
This guide covers the sights within the city and the day trips the sources describe, followed by a one-day plan and answers to the practical questions that come up most often.
1. Kerman Bazaar
Stretching 1200 m from Arg Sq northeast to Moshtag Sq, this is one of the oldest trading centres in Iran. The main thoroughfare is made up of four smaller bazaars, with a further twenty or so branching off to the north and south, and it is easy enough to navigate despite its size.
Go in the morning or late afternoon, when it has an interesting vivacity. It is free to walk, and the Ganjali Khan complex sits off it, so you can combine the two in one outing.
2. Ganjali Khan Square
A square similar in layout to Naghshe Jahan and Mirchakhmaq, with bazaars on three sides and the Ganjali Khan School on the fourth.
Treat the square as the hub of a half-day: the bath, the mosque and the Zarabkhaneh museum are all here, and the bazaar runs off it.
3. Ganjalikhan bath
A historic bath, entered from inside the bazaar.
Because access is through the bazaar rather than from the square, pair it with a bazaar walk and the Ganjali Khan Mosque rather than trying to visit it on its own.
4. Ganjali Khan Mosque
Located in the north-west of Ganjali Khan Square, near the Ganjali Khan School, and constructed in 1007 AH (1694–95 CE).
It is a short walk from the bath and the Zarabkhaneh museum, so the three fit naturally into a single stop at the square.
5. Zarabkhaneh museum
On the north side of Ganjali Khan Square, this eight-angle building includes an arch, four porticoes and four booths in four views. It now serves as a coin museum.
Visit it as part of the same circuit as the square, the bath and the mosque.
6. Jameh mosque
The Friday mosque, with a concealed entrance from the bazaar and another entrance from the main street near Sohada square.
Use the bazaar entrance if you are already walking the bazaar, or the Sohada square entrance if you are coming from the main street.
7. Malek mosque (Imam mosque)
The other principal mosque in the city, known simply as Malek mosque or Imam mosque.
It is worth adding to a mosque-and-bazaar day rather than treating as a separate trip.
8. Gonbad-e- Jabaliyeh
On Shohada Ave at Moshtaghiyeh Sq, this rock dome is also known as the Gabri Dome. It was constructed of stone and brick, though the building is of stone and gypsum, with architectural effects inspired by the Sassanid period, and it was repaired during the first decades after the arrival of Islam in Iran.
Opening hours are 09:00–14:00 and 15:00–17:00, and admission is 150,000 rials. It sits at Moshtaghiyeh Sq, so combine it with the Moshtaghiye Dome nearby.
9. Moshtaghiye Dome (Three domes)
On 17 Shahrivar at Moshtaghiye Square, this is the tomb of the Sufi leader Moshtagh Alishah. The place was first the tomb of Mir Hossein Khan, ruler of Kerman in the Zands era and after the death of Karim Khan Zand.
Entry is free, and it is at the same square as Gonbad-e- Jabaliyeh, making the two an easy pairing.
10. Museum of Zoroastrianism and Temple
On Sohada Ave at Moshtaghiyeh Sq, this museum displays Zoroastrian customs and objects. All explanations and names are in Persian.
Admission is 100,000 rials. The same source notes that the only Iranian anthropology museum dedicated to Zoroastrianism is located in the Kerman Fire Temple, so if that subject interests you, ask locally about it.
11. Sanati Museum
On Shahid Beheshti Ave, this art museum occupies a former orphanage — a Qajar-era building set around an attractive courtyard. It houses paintings, sculptures and stone inlays by the local artist Sayyed Ali Akbar Sanati (1916–2006), who spent most of his childhood in the orphanage, and also exhibits works by younger Iranian artists and a bronze hand by Auguste Rodin.
It is a good place to meet open-minded young Kermanis, so allow time to linger in the courtyard rather than rushing the rooms.
12. Mouyedi Ice-House
Several small gardens around this ice-house were filled with water in winter; the water iced, and the ice was led to the ice-house for use in summer.
It is a short, self-contained stop — read it as a piece of practical desert engineering rather than a monument.
13. National Library
The National Library is housed in a former textile factory.
Worth a look if you are passing and interested in how the city's industrial buildings have been reused.
14. Museum of the Holy Defense
This museum has an interesting installation in the courtyard depicting a battlefield in the Shatt-el-arab.
Admission is 3000 rials, which makes it an inexpensive addition to a day in the centre.
15. Takht-e Dargah-e Gholi Beyg, Ghal'e Dokhtar and Ghal'e Ardeshir
Takht-e Dargah-e Gholi Beyg is a monument on the side of the hills in the east of Kerman. Ghal'e Dokhtar and Ghal'e Ardeshir are historical castles in the same eastern hills, both attributed to the Ashkanian era.
Because all three lie in the hills east of the city, group them into one outing rather than making separate trips.
16. Shazdeh's garden, Mahan
Mahan is 30 km away, and there you can see Shazdeh's garden, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It covers about 5.5 hectares, with a rectangular shape and a wall around it, and is a fine example of Persian gardens that take advantage of a suitable natural climate. It also contains the Shah-Ne'matollah-e-Vali monument.
Admission is 200,000 rials. Combine it with the Shah Nimatullah Wali Shrine, which is also in Mahan and is free to enter.
17. Rayen Castle
On a day trip you can visit this old citadel, similar to Bam. It is well-preserved but has no explanation texts.
Admission is 150,000 rials. Read up before you go, since the site itself will not tell you what you are looking at.
18. Fathabad Garden
A historical Persian garden located near Kerman, on Zangi Abad Road.
It works as a half-day add-on rather than a full day out.
19. Kaluts (Kalut Shahdad Desert)
East of Kerman, sandstone formations arise in this barren expanse — beautiful natural desert phenomena and perhaps unique in all the world.
It is free, but may require some resourcefulness getting there: it is pretty remote, so do not count on too much blacktop.
20. Sadeh Celebration
Sadeh is an ancient Iranian festival dating back to the first Persian Empire, and the biggest celebration of it is held in Kerman, on Sadeh St. It takes place 50 days before Nowruz; in Persian, Sadeh means "hundred" and refers to one hundred days and nights past the end of summer. It was a festivity to honour fire and to defeat the forces of darkness, frost and cold.
It is free to attend. The related Jashn-e Tirgan, an ancient Iranian rain festival, is observed on July 1.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at Kerman Bazaar from Arg Sq, walking the main thoroughfare while it is at its liveliest. Use the concealed bazaar entrance to the Jameh mosque, then continue to Ganjali Khan Square and take in the Ganjalikhan bath, the Ganjali Khan Mosque and the Zarabkhaneh museum.
Afternoon: Head to Moshtaghiyeh Sq for Gonbad-e- Jabaliyeh, checking the 09:00–14:00 and 15:00–17:00 hours, and the Moshtaghiye Dome. If time allows, add the Museum of Zoroastrianism and Temple on Sohada Ave, or the Sanati Museum on Shahid Beheshti Ave for its courtyard and collection.
Evening: Return to the bazaar for its late-afternoon bustle, or take the short trip out to Mahan for Shazdeh's garden and the Shah Nimatullah Wali Shrine while the light is low.
When is the best time of day to visit Kerman Bazaar?
The bazaar has an interesting vivacity especially in the morning and late afternoon, so plan your walk for one of those windows rather than the middle of the day.
Which sights can I see without paying admission?
Kerman Bazaar, the Moshtaghiye Dome, the Shah Nimatullah Wali Shrine in Mahan, the Kaluts and the Sadeh Celebration are all listed as free. Paid entries named in the sources include Gonbad-e- Jabaliyeh at 150,000 rials, the Museum of Zoroastrianism and Temple at 100,000 rials, the Museum of the Holy Defense at 3000 rials, Shazdeh's garden at 200,000 rials and Rayen Castle at 150,000 rials.
Can I visit Mahan as a day trip from Kerman?
Yes. Mahan is 30 km away, and Shazdeh's garden and the Shah Nimatullah Wali Shrine are both there, so the two can be done in one trip.
What should I know before going to the Kaluts?
The Kaluts lie east of Kerman and are free to visit, but the area is pretty remote and you should not count on too much blacktop, so getting there may require some resourcefulness.
Work out which of these fit your dates, check current opening hours and admission locally, and start building your Kerman itinerary around the bazaar, the Ganjali Khan complex and one day out at Mahan.