Kandovan

Kandovan is a village in the foothills of Mount Sahand, south of Tabriz, where people live inside rock. Long ago eruptions of Sahand laid down thick beds of volcanic ash and debris, and erosion has carved these into clusters of tall pointed cones. Villagers hollowed the cones into homes, stables and storerooms, and many are still lived in today.

The village is thought to have been inhabited for several centuries, though its exact age is uncertain. The houses are cut on several levels, connected by steps and ledges, with wooden doors and small windows set into the rock. Inside, the rooms keep a steady temperature, staying warm in the snowy winters and cool in summer, which may be the original reason for this way of building.

Kandovan is often compared with Cappadocia in Turkey, but it differs in one essential: it is a working village rather than a ruin. Sheep and chickens share the lanes with visitors, and residents sell honey, dried fruit and herbs from the mountain from doorways in the rock. A small river runs through the valley below, and the newer part of the village spreads along it. Some cones have been converted into a hotel, so visitors can sleep inside the stone.