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BABOL
& AMOL
 Leaving
Chalus and the adjoining town of Nowshahr on your way towards Babolsar
the Caspian will be in sight most of the way until you reach Babolsar.
In this stretch of the road the coastal plain aver ages 8 km in width.
Despite good opportunities for choosing a good hotel in Babolsar, you
may want to turn inland to the larger town of Babol with much greater
facilities. The town, founded in early 14th century on the site of
ancient Mamtir, was called Barforoush until early 1930s. It has got
three historic sites each worth a short visit: I) Mausoleum of Sultan
Mohammad Taher; 2) Shrine of Qassem ibn-Musa Kazim; and 3) Mohammad
Hassan Khan bridge.
 The
Mausoleum of Sultan Mohammad Taher, son of Imam Musa Kazim, resembles
that of Imamzadeh Yahya in Sari. Here, there is a priceless wooden box
on the tomb, dated 1470 AD, which was donated by Amir Mortaza al-Hosseini
according to the inscription. A pyramidal dome covers this polygonal
tomb-tower of 1490 AD, which is 22 m high. In the court yard there is
a tombstone around which verses of the Holy Koran have been carved in
excellent Naskh calligraphy.
 The
hist Imamzadeh Qassem, which is a mausoleum, belongs to the 9th
century and bears the date 890 AD. The mausoleum, where Imamzadeh
Qassem, son of Imam Musa Kazim, is buried, is popularly known
as the Astaneh. The building consists of a brick mosque construction
with a pyramidal dome. Under the dome, there are two valuable wooden
tomb-boxes in the hall, the main one bearing the date 1483 AD, and the
maker's name, Ostad Ahmad Najjar-e Saravi. You can take the road to
Amol before arriving in Babolsar, when you are at Mahmud Abad resort,
thus skipping stay in Babolsar. There are seven historic sites
worth a visit plus a forest park (20 km towards Haraz road) where the
travelers can rest. However, the most interesting sites to visit are:
| Gonbad-e
Nasser ol-Haq and Gonbad-e Shams-e Tabors.
Of the latter two structures nothing remains today except
their ruins. Their construction date goes back to the 15th century
AD. Gonbad-e Nasser ol-Haq must be the tomb of Nasser ol-Haq, who
was buried there after his death in 916 AD. Similarly, the
former dome covers the resting place of Shams Tabarsi, one of the
well-known jurisconsults of Amol.
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