A guide on how to get from the holy city of Mashhad to Torbat-e Jam by public transport, and how to get into the Jami mausoleum once there.
Torbat-e Jam (also known as Torbat Jam or Torbaat Jamm) is a small town about two to three hours from Mashhad, which is the holiest city in Iran. The town is known for its white-clad Sunnis, a Muslim minority in Iran, and the Jami mausoleum, a majestic 11-14th-century religious complex built around the grave of a famous Sunni poet.
The town is a great day trip from Mashhad. You can easily spend a couple of hours exploring the mausoleum complex and sitting in the sun under the pistachio trees. Not many foreigners pass through here, however, so prepare to be ogled by the town’s inhabitants!
How to get from Mashhad Torbat-e Jam by public transport
Getting a bus to Torbat-e Jam from Mashhad
Buses to Torbat-e Jam leave hourly from the bus terminal at the end of Imam Reza street. A taxi to the bus terminal from within the city should cost around 50-70,000 IRR, and innercity buses cost 3,000 IRR if you have a bus card, 5,000 if not. We took bus 84 from a stop near Vali’s Homestay, which is a popular sleeping spot in Mashhad.
You can find the bus to Torbat-e Jam lurking around station 8. A one-way bus ride is 60,000 IRR per person, and the ride will take around 2.5-3 hours. Our bus stopped halfway for a coffee/snack break.
Getting to the mausoleum from the Torbat-e Jam bus terminal
Once in the town, you’ll be dropped off at a bus terminal outside of the city with a few ticket offices and kebab shops. You’ll need to take a taxi into the center of town, as it’s quite a long walk. Never fear–there’s no shortage of official and unofficial taxi drivers lurking outside the terminal.
A taxi to the town center should cost 25-30,000 IRR in total, and the ride should take about 10 minutes.
Want to visit more places like this? Check out our off the beaten track Iran itinerary!
The taxi drop-off point in the center of Torbat-e Jam.
Getting into Jami mausoleum
Parts of the Jami mausoleum are normally closed to the public unless you’re an architecture student and get a letter from one of the local tourist offices.
The mosque portion of the mausoleum is usually closed to visitors. Luckily for us, we were able to find the gatekeeper (pictured) and he opened it up for us.
But, of course, this being Iran, this rule is flexible. The caretaker is often lurking around the complex and will show you around if you’re nice. He asks for 100,000 IRR per person as an entrance fee. Considering entrance fees throughout the rest of the country, and the fact that the mausoleum is not funded by the government like other attractions, this is reasonable.
If you (or the man sitting at the entry gate) are not able to find him, you can call him at +989353398159. Ideally get someone who speaks some Farsi to call, because he doesn’t speak much English.
The entrance gate to Jami mausoleum.
Getting back from Torbat-e Jam to Mashhad
Buses back to Mashhad run from the same terminal where the buses come in. Buses back to the city go until 17:00.
The inside of the bus station in Torbat-e Jam.
In our case, the buses stopped running because of a school’s “field trip”–or something equally vague and dubious–and we had to take a savari back to Mashhad. We took a private car from the rather aggressive (and… drugged?) crowd of drivers lurking near the station, rather than an official taxi. The ride is around 170 km and takes 2-2.5 hours. We paid a total of 320,000 IRR for the ride, divided between 4 people.
The roundabout area outside the Torbat-e Jam bus station, where you can find savaris and taxis back to Mashhad.
Have you been to Torbat-e Jam recently? Have any updates or questions for the information we’ve given here? Do share!
It’s really helpful. Keep it up and thanks a lot