13 Things You Didn’t Know About Meymand, Iran’s Troglodyte Village

Updated: 17 December 2019

I recently went on a road trip through central Iran with some friends. We started in Ardakan in Yazd province and made our way down to Kerman province. Though each place we visited over the course of these 10 days was incredible in its own way, I have to say the one that left the most lasting impression on me was Meymand (also spelled Maymand), Iran’s troglodyte village. I was absolutely enchanted by this village.

The road to Meymand may seem out of the way as you have to drive deep into the heart of the mountains. It’s one hell of a scenic route, though, and at 2,240 meters (~7,300 ft) above sea level, you’ll need some gum to help pop your ears. At first glance, you’ll notice Meymand village is totally plain. There’s no decor, no color, no signs, nothing. It just looks like the mountain until you spot the cave dwellings. And little by little, you learn about this gem’s fascinating history and the lifestyle of its inhabitants. Here are 13 things you didn’t know about the incredible, UNESCO-listed village of Meymand. 

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It’s been continuously inhabited for 3,000 years

Artifacts and petroglyphs found around the village date back some 12,000 years and are therefore indicative of life here at that time. But the village itself is said to have been continuously inhabited for 2,000-3,000 years.

The original inhabitants worshipped the sun

Prior to the advent of Islam, Meymand village was a Zoroastrian settlement, and before that, it’s believed that the people worshipped the sun. Tire Khorin (as it’s called in the local language- which retains elements of Middle Persian, or Pahlavi) is a peak that receives the first rays of the sun at dawn and is still of great importance for locals today.

There are 2,500 rooms

400 kicheh (a version of kucheh [alley]) have been dug out to reach enough depth to dig out rooms. Each kicheh has between 1-7 rooms, some with higher ceilings (about 2 meters high) that are better suited for living, and others that serve as stables or storage. In total, there are 2,500 hand-dug rooms, ~80% of which are presently uninhabited. 

The homes are stacked on top of each other in 5 stories. As you’re walking on higher stories, you have to watch your step otherwise you might fall into the kicheh below (though there are usually stones placed around them as a kind of warning). 

One thing that really stood out to me was that you simply had to remember where your room was. There are no markings or signs or anything to give you any sort of direction.

The rooms have been dug out of volcanic rock

Much like Kandovan, the rooms in Meymand village have been chiseled by hand out of volcanic rock. The interior of each room is also covered in a layer of thick black soot. This is thanks to the deedân (deed meaning “smoke” and dân meaning “place”), open stone fireplaces in the verandas and rooms. Over time, the smoke from the fires coated the ceilings and walls, thereby keeping the rock from shedding or crumbling. It also kept mosquitos and other insects away. (And this I can attest to because I was really surprised at just how clean the caves were and how there were virtually no insects or bugs!)  

The doors and locks are fascinating

Perhaps my favorite feature of the rooms was the doors and their locks. First of all, the doors are tiny, and you have to duck down to get inside. Huge metal studs are used to staple the planks of wood together, and a cloth or kilim is thrown over the door to prevent draughts and dust from seeping in through the cracks. Next to each door is a hole (called a kot-e klaydun) where you stick your arm in to reach the wooden klaydun (lock) and open the lock, essentially from the inside. 

Other interesting features are the ghâyem-dân, a hole dug deeper in the ground which serves as a place to hide valuables, and the little niches dug in the walls which act as shelves to hold lamps and decorative items.

They sourced their water from qanât

In the past, people got their water from qanât, but now neighbors share sources of running water outside their kicheh. Bathrooms are also shared. Traditionally, each kicheh had a toilet called an owriz. They didn’t have doors, but the spiral shape prevented anyone from looking in.

There are several sites worth visiting

In the village itself, you can visit the Âtash kadeh (Fire Temple) which is now the anthropology museum, hamâm (bathhouse), mosque, and hoseiniyeh (kind of a hall used for ceremonies). Apart from that, you’ll be enchanted wandering around the 5-story cliffside, peeking into the rooms and letting your imagination run free.

The population is about 30-40 people

And only about half of that number live here year-round. It was crazy to think that I went from a city of nearly 15 million people to a village of merely 15. Even crazier to think that I interacted with and/or saw half of the village’s population. 

The people migrate 3 times a year

Locals live alongside nature and therefore migrate three times a year and spend approximately four months in each location. One reason they migrate is to protect nature and not deplete it of its resources.

The population leads a semi-nomadic life and spends the winter months dwelling in caves in Meymand, the center of the cultural landscape. In the spring, they migrate to the south in Sar-e Aghol, a plain area suited for animal husbandry. They also harvest mar (wild almonds) in this area. In the warm summer months and beginning of autumn, they move to the gardens in the north known as Âbâdi where they harvest beneh (a wonderfully colorful type of wild pistachio), pears, grapes, walnuts, and senjed (wild olive/Persian olive/oleaster), among other things. At these times, they live in kapar (made of wood and bushes), palâs (tents woven from goat hair and cotton), or gombeh (stone huts with a wooden roof). 

Handicrafts are made in the caves

Handicrafts such as namad (small felt rugs) and kilim are woven in homes. Small pouches called dulu are also sewed and used to hold herbs, sugar, spices, etc. Baskets are woven out of twigs from mar (wild almonds) bushes, and traditional lampshades are woven with espand.

Ancient inhabitants were raw vegan

While meat is more common these days (especially “warming” meats such as lamb), locals say that the ancient inhabitants were raw vegan. In fact, one traditional dish of Meymand, ghâtogh-e beneh (or âb beneh), is a cold soup prepared with beneh (wild pistachio) and is fully raw vegan.  

Mahfel kardan is a tradition

What’s mahfel kardan you ask? It’s getting together with friends and chatting. And locals seem to be keen on it, especially during the winter months when nights are particulary long.

There are ancient petroglyphs

Around Meymand you can find examples of ancient graffiti- petroglyphs (sang negâr) and pictographs (rangin negâr). The petroglyphs are believed to be around 12,000 years old while the oldest pictograph is estimated at 4,500 years. 

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My personal experience in the village of Meymand

When I think back on my road trip, it’s the village of Meymand my mind keeps returning to. I visited Kandovan, another such village in the northwest of Iran (approximately 700 years old), a few years ago, and while I enjoyed it, it didn’t affect me quite as profoundly. There’s just something about Meymand, though. Its pristine condition. Its minuscule population. The fact that it’s so far removed. The fact that it takes you back in time. At night, my friend and I would lie awake, coming up with stories about our cave’s previous residents. Who do you think lived here? How big was the family? Where did they eat? What do you think that corner was used for? How many babies were born in the cave? (And more morbid questions like…) How many people died here? Do you think the people who lived here were happy? What did they talk about? What were their daily concerns and problems at that time? And on and on we went… 

In the evenings, we did as locals do and engaged in mahfel kardan. We visited Auntie Salma and asked her all kinds of questions about her childhood and life in Meymand. What time she woke up, what time she went to bed, where her children lived. One night, she made us ghâtogh-e beneh. On the second night, we made it ourselves while she supervised, sewed dulu, and told us stories. She brought out different herbs and explained which were “warming” and “cooling”, which were better for food, and which were better for brewing tea. (I noticed locals were very big on eating “warming” foods here.) She told us about the tourists that visit her, and how she’s proud she earns her own living and doesn’t have to rely on her children.

And then she asked what the date was. “So about 19 more days left until Yaldâ night. That means 19 more days of darkness,” she said as she placed the kettle back on her Aladdin burner. “Last night, I slept at 12. Then I woke up and checked the time, and it was only 12:30. That’s all I slept. Oh, the nights are long in the winter.” 

It was funny she mentioned that because I was overcome with a newfound appreciation for the sun while I was there. Don’t get me wrong, the night sky had its advantages. Sar-e Âghol where there was no electricity (Meymand itself had electricity) and almost no light pollution was a premier locale to spot shooting star after shooting star. But for the entire time during our trip, we woke up at dawn and started our day early. Since virtually no sunlight makes it into the caves, we’d be shocked when we’d wake up to see it was 7:30! I couldn’t wait to get ready and step out of the cave into the light! It was easy to see how the ancient people of Meymand were sun worshippers. When it’s dark by 5 pm and you live in a cave, you can’t help but be thankful for the sun’s first rays in the morning.

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