Kandovan village | One of the world’s three rocky villages

Kandovan village | One of the world’s three rocky villages

In general, there are three rocky villages in the world, namely Cappadocia in Turkey, Dakota in the United States and the village of Kandovan in Iran, which is located in the province of East Azerbaijan. The reason for the attractiveness and distinction of Kandovan village is the current life of the people in the form of its old texture. In fact, what has given Kandovan its ancient and historical identity is the existence of 117 families and dwellings within the conical and pyramidal masses. The village history has a 7,000 years’ antiquity.

Location and Geographical characteristics

Kandovan is located in the north western part of Sahand Mountain and is one of the environs of Osku city. Kandovan has been formed by volcanic interactions on Sahand Mount for thousands of years, and the Kandovan River flows along it. The village is an up-country (summer) region. The climate is cold and its people spend 180 days a year in frosty conditions.

Kandovan village architecture

The rock houses of Kandovan village are indigenous and rocky. The height of these rock masses is about 40 meters and most layers ofconical or pyramidal heads reach 4 floors. All the houses have been carved in stone and the only structure of this village is stone and no building materials can be seen in the construction of houses. And in fact, it is an interesting example of man’s conflict with nature.

The structure of inside the houses

Inside the rocky houses, as in ordinary houses, you can find rooms and the plumbing system of water and electricity. The walls of these houses are about 2 meters thick, so the space inside the house is naturally warm in winter and cool in summer. Also, the skylights of these houses are located on the upper floors. Rocky houses are independent of each other and have no connection with each other from inside, and the only way to access the upper floors of the pyramid is through beautiful staircases made of rocks.

Kandovan souvenirs

Kandovan has numerous markets and exhibitions of medicinal plants, nuts, handicrafts and historical places. Kandovan’s mineral springs are also one of the attractions and also considered as a souvenir of this ancient village, moreover they are very useful in treating kidney diseases.

To read this article in Persian Language Click here .

* Written by Tannaz Akbari and Translated by Sara Jafari.

.

.