Question:

The buses to Kalat are not as rare as suggested in the last LP and they don't leave from an obscure shed anymore. Buses from Mashhad to Kalat leave from a bus station (looks new) on Khaje-h Rabi Blvd, about a 100 meters north of Imam Hoseyn Sq (which is where Khaje-h Rabi Blvd intersects the Fajr Ring road), on your right. Bus #2 goes the whole lenght of Khaje-h Rabi and if you take it you should get off just after the Imam Hoseyn Sq. If you are staying at Vali's non-smoking homestay, bus #2 is your best bet as well, you can catch it more or less around the corner from his homestay on the extention of Khaje-h Rabi Blvd, which is called Imam Khomeyni Blvd at that point. The bus to Kalat takes 3 to 3 and a half hours, it leaves every 1 and a half hours. I am not sure when the first bus leaves, I would guess 6:30, but I know for sure about the one leaving at 11 AM. The last bus back to Mashhad from Kalat leaves at 5 PM.

Answer:

Kalate Naderi is a small and ancient city in north-east of Iran. Nader Shah made use of Kalat’s circumstances and since then it was called "Kalat Naderi". After Nadershah, till 1303 A.H. Kalat was the capital of a small local government which followed government of Iran. Kalat Naderi is located about 150 km from Mashhad (the word kalat means castle). It is home to a few historical monuments, the most important one is Ghasr-e Khorshid. It has been said that Nader ordered Ghasr-e Khorshid (Sun Palace) to be built as his burial place (although this is not the only theory surrounding the purpose of this building). Assuming this theory correct, it is not difficult to see why Nader chose this territory. The richness of the colour and the wealth of the texture making up this fertile land generate a feeling of admiration mixed with nostalgia in the observer.

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