Thirty-five kilometres south of Kerman, on the road to Mahan, the Shazdeh Garden is one of the most dramatic Persian gardens in the country and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The garden runs down a long slope inside a high wall, with a single central water channel cascading through a series of stone pools and small fountains, flanked by formal lines of cypress, pine, and pomegranate.
The visual trick is the contrast: turn around and look back from the gate, and the entire garden frames a view of the desert and the mountains beyond. The Pavilion at the top, a Qajar-era two-storey gallery, is now a tea house with a slow, courtly atmosphere. Visit in late afternoon for the best light, ideally combined with the Shah Nematollah Vali shrine ten minutes further on.