Meymand village, also known as Maymand or Meimand, is an ancient troglodyte, or rocky village more than 30 kilometers from the city of Babak (Shahr-e Babak) in Kerman province. The troglodyte village of Meymand is one of the few hand-excavated rock villages whose landscape has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name "Cultural Landscape of Meymand" in 2015. Cultural Landscape of Meymand ranks eighteenth position of the table of World Heritage Sites in Iran. I might ask you how Meymand differs from other rocky towns and villages like Cappadocia, as the difference is that villagers still live in cave houses that they have inherited from their ancestors. The inhabitants of this town live semi-nomadically and move around various areas during the year. Their profession is agriculture and livestock which serve so that they can feed and sell the extras to the buyers of their organic products. The best way to visit Meymand is when you go from Yazd or Shiraz to Kerman or vice versa and make a stop along the way.
The history of the Meymand village dates back to Iran's pre-Islam era. During the excavations in the area, remains have been found that date back to the time of the Achaemenid Empire and evidences that show signs of the presence of civilization during the 6th century BC. Studies show that nomadic life has been continued for the next few years after the Achaemenid Empire due to the findings of the Parthian era, Sassanid, and up to the period of Islam. The inhabitants of the area mainly chose this area as a refuge to hide from invaders during wars and continue their peaceful life because taking refuge in caves kept them away from enemies. Due to the population growth during the XV and XVII centuries, the number of caves increased and now they leave us a beautiful landscape called Cultural Landscape of Meymand.
The inhabitants of Meymand, in order to survive the cold and heat and in order to have enough water for themselves and their livestock are used to moving between areas during the year. The settlements in the Meymand region consist of three types with different architectural characteristics to which we will present below:
In the spring, the inhabitants of Meymand move to live in Saraghol. Houses in Saraghol are divided into two types, Markhaneh and Mashkdan. Markhaneh consists of semi-underground circular structure and Maskhdan on the contrary consists of houses made of stone walls and have cone-shaped roofs.
In the summer people move to houses in Sarbagh where the houses are made of light materials like leaves and tree branches. These houses are mainly found around seasonal rivers.
During the cold seasons of the year the inhabitants of Meymand live in Meymand in hand-dug units called Kicheh which are a convenient place to keep people warm. It is interesting to know that there are four hundred Kichehs units in Meymand that house more than two thousand inhabitants. The Kichehs are connected to each other and each has an open area in front (the entrance).
Although we have generalized it, but the older inhabitants normally no longer move between these three areas due to the difficulties and according to statistics during the winter and autumn about 30 people live in the excavated units, which makes the Cultural Landscape Meymand's always stay alive and welcoming to tourists.
In addition to the nomadic life of the inhabitants and the caves, the town of Meymand has several sites that you would be interested in discovering:
Fire temple in Meymand
According to the evidence, the town of Meymand used to be a Zoroastrian site. One of the Kicheh units we have talked about was a temple of fire because it has two fire boxes (other Kichehs have one). Currently, the so-called fire temple is a Museum of Anthropology.
Meymand Public Toilet
Historically, the inhabitants of Meymand used to bathe in the spectacular bath with a structure similar to those built during the Safavid Empire, which provided pools of hot and cold water. This bathroom was where the locals bathed during the cold season. During other times of the year the outdoor pools were where local people bathed.
Meymand Mosque
The Meymand Mosque is another of Meymand's tourist attractions. This mosque consists of 120 square meters and is located in the center of the town. The Meymand Mosque has a history of more than two hundred years and is covered with hand-woven rugs.
During your visit to Iran, do not miss the opportunity to visit Kerman and Cultural Lanscapes of Meymand, which is one of the items on the "What to visit in Kerman" list and is also normally included in Kerman and Iran tour packages. , especially on Iran cultural tours. Although it is a historical site, normally Iran tour operators such as Iran Negin Travel include Cultural Landscape of Meymand on their eco-trips to Iran, adventure trips to Iran, religious trips to Iran and etc.
Our cultural tours to Iran are mostly the option to explore the Cultural Landscape of Meymand in Kerman.
07:30 - 19:00
500.000 IRR