Damghan packs an unusual concentration of early Islamic architecture into a small city. The Tarikhaneh is one of the oldest surviving mosques in Iran, with the brick piers of a converted Sasanian fire temple still standing. The Jameh Mosque at the centre of the bazaar has a finely decorated Seljuq minaret, and a few hundred metres apart stand the two 11th-century brick tomb towers — the Pir-e Alamdar and the Chehel Dokhtaran.
For older history, the Bronze Age mound of Tepe Hissar south-east of town was one of the great early-20th-century Iranian archaeology digs. The bazaar is small but pleasant for a wander and the famous Damghan pistachios. Hike up to the ruined Zard Castle in the foothills for a half-day excursion.