Asef Mansion

A fascinating museum of Kurdish culture awaits in a restored two-storey mansion dating back to the Safavids, complete with subterranean hammam. Mannequins are dressed in the distinctive tribal costumes still worn in valleys around Kordestan province. One room features Sanandaj’s wood-inlay crafts; another has busts of prominent Kurds. The inner courtyard with its pond is a pleasant place to escape the traffic. A side courtyard leads through to a vaulted gallery that has sporadic art exhibitions.