Question: What is to see in Mashad including day trips away? I will be going to torbat-e-jam and will spend the night there. I will be returning for 2 days to spend in Mashad. Is this wise to spend 2 days here. Or should I bring forward my flight to Tabriz? I am not muslim so do not have the same feelings.

Answer: Mashad literally means the Place of Martyrdom (or the Place of Burial of a Martyr). The city is extremely sacred to Shiites as the place where the eighth grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, Imam Reza. There is a number of beautiful large parks, the tombs of historical celebrities in nearby Tous and Neishabour, the tomb of Nader Shah and Kooh-e Sangi park and Mellat Park, Koohestan Park-e-Shadi Complex that includes a zoo.
Tous (a lovely place and an easy trip from Mashhad) is the home town of the epic poet Ferdowsi, whose mausoleum lies over what is believed to be his exact place of death.
Neishabour was established during the Seljuk period is the earliest known capital of Khorasan and at one time a thriving literary, artistic and academic centre. This city is now more famous as the home town of the poet Hakim Omar Khayyam, the mystic poet, Attar, and the 20th century painter, Kamal-ol-Molk.
Among the other sights are the summer resorts at Torghabeh, Torogh, Akhlamad, Zoshk, and Shandiz.
The Shah Public Bath, built during the Safavid era, is an outstanding example of the architecture of that period which was recently been restored, and is to be turned into a museum.

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