This stop lies on the plain of Markazi province, south-west of Tehran, in a country of flat fields, low hills and wide skies where the road to Hamadan and the west crosses the desert edge. Sāveh, the nearest city of size at about nine kilometres, is an old town on the caravan route, mentioned by Marco Polo in the thirteenth century as the place from which, he was told, the three Magi set out to follow the star. The town has long been a stop on the way between the capital and the western provinces.
Bagh in Persian means a walled garden, and the tradition is old: a rectangle of trees and water, shut away from the dust, with a pavilion at the centre. Many such gardens are scattered through the towns and villages of Iran, some grand and royal, others modest family orchards. The ride that begins here ends at the Golestan Palace in Tehran, a Qajar palace of mirrors and tiles that is itself set in a garden, and the day is a journey through the Persian idea of paradise.
The roads on the plain are fast and flat, with heavy lorry traffic on the main highways, so side roads are better for a calm ride. In summer the heat is intense, and the horizon shimmers, while winter is cold and clear, with snow on the distant mountains. Spring is lovely, when the fields are green and the almond and apricot trees blossom. The wind can pick up dust in the afternoon.
Saveh, with about a hundred and seventy-five thousand people, has fuel, food and shops, and is the best place to prepare. Local cooking includes kebabs, rice with herbs and fresh bread baked in stone ovens, and tea comes with sugar cubes held between the teeth. As ever, check current travel advice for Iran before setting out, and carry your papers.