The village with the most terrible appearance but the most livable on earth

With a series of houses close together shaped like corn cobs, the village of Kandovan gives people the feeling of being in some distant fairyland. Entirely hand-carved houses on hard volcanic outcrops have resonated the world over and been inscribed on Iran's National Heritage list, enthralling countless visitors with their unique architecture. unique.

The perfect combination between nature and man

Kandovan village is located in northwestern Iran, 60km southwest of Tabriz city. With a combination of nature and skillful human hands, the village was built on the slopes of the Soltan Daghi and Sabalan mountains. Geographical studies have proven that the age of the cliffs in this village ranges from 700 to 1,500 years old.

Image of Kandovan village seen from afar.

There are many theories about how this mysterious village was built, the most famous of which is that when the Mongol army invaded Iran, the people fled to safety. to protect their lives, and they moved to this faraway land among the high mountains. The adjacent hills were created by lava erupting from the nearby Sabalan volcano, so people began carving and creating their own houses.

The word "Kandovan" is believed to be the plural form of the word "Kandoo", which in Persian means honeycomb. This explanation seems reasonable because from a distance, the village really looks like a large beehive.

Each honeycomb-shaped rock is called a Karan, each Karan has from 2 to 4 floors, about 40 meters high. The bottom floor is where people use to keep livestock, the second floor is a full and comfortable kitchen space, the third room is where people use to receive guests and friends, and the last room is also the upper part. and the narrowest is the place used to store food. Unlike typical country houses, food here is stored in the highest places to avoid moisture.

The village was built on the slopes of the Soltan Daghi and Sabalan mountains.

Another interesting thing about these Karans is that there are no stairs inside the house, so if one wants to go to a higher floor, one has to use the outdoor stairs. The houses in Kandovan are built on a slope of 70 degrees so it is easy to see stone or wooden steps throughout the village. Besides, to ensure that the inside of the house has enough light and good ventilation, people have carved small squares and covered them with colorful glass panels that act as windows.

Ancient but lively village

Although the climate is characterized by long and cold winters, the people here can adapt very well. The reason is that the houses they build are very cool in the summer and warm in the winter, so it is no exaggeration to say that these are the most energy efficient houses in the world.

Residents here mostly live on agriculture, beekeeping or cattle. Thanks to the suitable weather and rich vegetation at the foot of the Sabalan and Sahand mountains, the honey here is considered to be of perfect quality.

Residents here mostly live on agriculture, beekeeping or cattle.

Don't think that life here is very difficult, because they have all the amenities like in any other part of the world: workspaces, shops, schools, public baths, factories and even is the church built on the biggest cliff here.

Although there are two other cliff villages with similar structure in the world, Cappadocia in Turkey and Manitou Cliff Dwellings in the US, Kandovan is still the most special village. Unlike the other two villages, Kandovan and the only cliff village in the world are inhabited, and the population here is 670.

Recently, the population has increased and more conventional houses have been built in the southern area, but the historic cliffs still paint a beautiful picture of the horizon.

This is the only cliff village in the world that is inhabited.

The unique architecture is not the only attraction of this place. Due to geological features, there are a number of natural hot springs that have formed, with low mineral pollution rate and the ability to treat diseases.