A great number of the towns and sites in Iran’s east and north-eastern provinces are situated along the ancient Silk Road. Many of these sites can be built into an itinerary from Tehran to the province of Khorassan, however, unless you have a specific interest in early Islamic architecture and caravansarais, the two days required to reach Mashad might be better used elsewhere. Semnan is an ancient town probably dating back to the Sassanian era and offers a number of Islamic sites. Further East the town of Damghan is known for its pistachios. It also owes its fame to the Masjid-e-Tarikhane, the oldest Islamic structure in Iran, and considered to be an important transition building between Sassanian and Islamic architecture. The beautiful mausoleum of Sheikh Bayazid Bastami at Bastam has been proposed for UNESCO World Heritage Status, while Nishapur – a city founded in Sassanian times – is of interest on account of the tombs of Omar Khayyam and the mystic poet Attar. Mashad, is Iran’s holiest city and a place for pilgrimage for Shi’ite Muslims from all over the world and as a consequence has a very special atmosphere. Imam Reza, the eighth Shi’ite Imman, died in 818 A.D. The Shi’ites believe that he was murdered, and his tomb became known as Mashad, or the place or martyrdom. Today, pilgrims pass through chambers of glittering mirror work and tiles to reach the tomb of Imam Reza - though non-Muslims are only permitted to access the periphery of the shrine. To the northeast of Mashad at Robat-e-Sharaf is to be found one of the oldest and most elaborate caravansarais and a masterpiece of Seljuk architecture. Toos, some 20 miles from Mashad is the burial place of the great poet Abolgasem Ferdowsi author of the national epic tale of the Persian kings: Shahnameh.