[Cyrus]

1. Abyaneh:

2. Kandovan:

3. Makhunik:

4. Meymand:

5. Bayaze:

6. Uraman:

7. Masuleh:

 

[Cyrus]

Abyaneh (Ancient Viuna), a red village:

Where is Aladdin?!

 

[sathya_226]

brilliant man..... i was just thinking about the people who actually lives there...absolutely magnificent....

 

[Cyrus]

Kandovan, a rock Village:

 

[Cyrus]

Makhunik, a little people village:

http://www.mehrnews.com/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=277418: Unusual architecture has been employed, and there are no square or rectangular-shaped houses in the village. The dwellings are built next to each other. The houses are less than two meters in height and each covers an area of 15 square meters. The doors of the houses are less than one meter in height.

I think people of this village are also unusual:

 

[Cyrus]

Maymand, a mesolithic village:

According to Unesco: http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5183/

Description
This village shows the way of continuous life of human beings through the history; those who utilized at most the existing natural facilities and harmonized with the surrounding nature.

Justification for Outstanding Universal Value
Satements of authenticity and/or integrity
Different aspects of architectural anatomy, structure, the inhabitants' daily life and activities.

http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=28757&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html -> The International Melina Mercouri Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes is awarded to the Iranian village of Maymand

 

[Cyrus]

Bayaze, a village in one single building:

At lease 2500 people could live and some people still live in this ancient multi-storey residential complex from the Sassanid period (224-637 AD), something like a huge hotel, it contains about 600 rooms and is surrounded by a 13 meter deep moat and 8 high towers.

I loved that Aladdin game!

 

[Cyrus]

Uraman, a stone village:

When a mountain can be a village!

 

[Cyrus]

The last one is the most famous one, similar to the first red village.

Masuleh, a yellow village:

 

[Imperfect Ending]

Amazing stuff

 

[ChitownCity]

^^ Yea I think this is going to quickly be one of my favorite threads...

 

[Cyrus]

I think there are also another Seven Rural Wonders in Iran!

1. Ragheh:

2. Mazichal:

3. Nayband:

4. Kharanaq:

5. Nusha:

6. Izadkhast:

7. Nashtifan:

 

[persian]

Absolutely fantastic places. Thanks for the thread dude.

 

[Raffo]

Amazing places!

 

[TXSkyWatcher]

Wow....cool cliff dwellings...bet those folks stay in great shape with all those stairs!

 

[Cyrus]

I think the strangest one is Maymand, people are living there from 12,000 years ago.

Rock art from Maymand. Hunters with bows and arrows, examined by French anthropologist A. Leroi-Gourhan, who estimated the art to be 12,000 years old.

Another ones:

A general view of Maymand:

Inside some houses:

 

[Cyrus]

A hotel in Kandovan:

 

[Cyrus]

Mazichal, a village more than 2,300 meters above neighbour villages, with no electricity, running water,... and 17 km far from the nearest road!

 

[TXSkyWatcher]

WOW....that last set of pics is wild. Living above the clouds in a rural village with no amenities. Camping out!!

I also like the hotel and the caves. Been in a few in NM when I was a boy and remain fascinated about them. People all over the world live in very interesting abodes. Very cool to be able to see this without being there, thanks for the thread and the pics!

 

[the spliff fairy]

truly something, thanks for showing these places. I got to buy an air ticket now...