Cave dwellings in Iran

In Iran, from centuries men have been digging the rock, and troglodytic dwelling has a special place in a varied rock-cut heritage. Iranian troglodytes are still living in few rock-cut settlements such as Meymand village, located in Kerman Province in the southeast of the country. Surrounded by a magnificent mineral landscape, the rock-cut village of Meymand lies on the Iranian plateau at an altitude of 2,200 meters, in a semi-desert context characterized by harsh climatic conditions. Here as elsewhere in the world, troglodyte people have known how to adapt perfectly to natural environment. The village is discreetly located at the end of a little valley carved in volcanic deposits: dark entrances surrounded with drystone low walls are the only indications of human presence. These numerous cavities constitute the winter habitat for a semi-nomadic community involved in agriculture and in goat and sheep rearing. With a present population of 150 people, the entire village is living underground: all houses but also the baths, the mosque or the big room used for religious feasts are dug into the volcanic tuff. In July 2015, the cultural landscape of Meymand has been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Meymand village

Superposition

Mineral landscape

Fetching water

Fetching water

Entrance

Morning sun

Tea preparation

Tea preparation

In the eivân

In the courtyard

Paths

The mosque

The mosque

Prayer room

Dusk

Dusk

Starry night